Register Summary

More than 16,000 people from more than 26 different countries gathered in St. Peter's Square for Pope John Paul II's general audience on Oct. 9. He continued his teachings on the psalms and canticles of the Liturgy of the Hours with a meditation on Psalm 67.

“God will grant a vocation even to those who do not belong to his chosen community,” the Holy Father remarked. Moreover, he noted, all people are called to discover his plan for salvation, “his Kingdom of light and peace.”

The Pope said God's blessing is the greatest good to which every person can aspire. “According to the psalmist, this blessing, which has been poured upon Israel, will be like the seed of grace and salvation that will be planted throughout the entire world and throughout history, ready to blossom into a thriving tree.”

John Paul pointed out that the Fathers of the Church associated this psalm with Christ, the fruit of the Virgin Mary's womb, who is now offered as food for man in the Eucharist.

The Holy Father ended his audience with an appeal to all people to pray the rosary during the month of October, which is traditionally dedicated to the rosary. He also prayed for peace in the Ivory Coast, which has been torn by conflicts and strife for several weeks.

We have just heard the voice of the psalmist from of old, as he raised a joyful song of thanksgiving to the Lord. This is a short but compelling text that nonetheless encompasses a vast panorama, embracing in thought all the peoples of the earth.

This universalistic openness [to the possibility that non-Jews could also be saved] probably reflects the prophetic spirit of the era following the Babylonian exile, when it was hoped that God would lead even foreigners to his Holy Mountain, where they would be filled with joy. Their sacrifices and burnt offerings would be pleasing, because the Lord's Temple would become “a house of prayer for all peoples” (Isaiah 56:7).

In Psalm 67, the universal choir of nations is invited to join in Israel's praise at the Temple of Zion. In fact, the following antiphon is repeated twice: “May the peoples praise you, God; may all the peoples praise you!” (verses 4 and 6).

Salvation Is for All

God will grant a vocation even to those who do not belong to his chosen community. Indeed, they are all called to know the “way” he has revealed to Israel. The “way” is God's plan for salvation, his Kingdom of light and peace, whose functioning will involve even the pagans, who are invited to hear Yahweh's voice. The result of listening obediently to him is fear of the Lord to “all the ends of the earth” (verse 8), an expression that does not evoke a sense of dread but rather worshipful respect of the transcendent, glorious mystery of God.

At the beginning and end of the psalm, the insistent desire for God's blessing is expressed: “May God be gracious to us and bless us; may God's face shine upon us. … God, our God, blesses us. May God bless us still” (verses 2, 7-8).

It is easy to hear in these words an echo of the famous priestly blessing that Moses taught in God's name to Aaron and to the descendents of the priestly tribe: “The Lord bless you and keep you! The Lord let his face shine upon you and be gracious to you! The Lord look upon you kindly and give you peace!” (Numbers 6:24-26).

A Life of Fruitfulness

According to the psalmist, this blessing, which has been poured upon Israel, will be like the seed of grace and salvation that will be planted throughout the entire world and throughout history, ready to blossom into a thriving tree.

It also makes us think of the promise the Lord made to Abraham on the day that he chose him: “I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. … All the communities of the earth shall find blessing in you” (Genesis 12:2-3).

According to biblical tradition, one of the tangible effects of God's blessing is the gift of life, fruitfulness and fertility.

The psalm explicitly refers to this concrete reality, which is so precious for our existence: “The earth has yielded its harvest” (verse 7). This observation has led scholars to see a link between this psalm and the thanksgiving rites that were offered for an abundant harvest, which was a sign of God's favor and a testimony for other peoples of the Lord's closeness to Israel.

God's Ultimate Blessing

This same phrase caught the attention of the Fathers of the Church, who took its agricultural perspective to a symbolic level. Thus, Origen applied this verse to the Virgin Mary and to the Eucharist — to Christ, who comes forth from the flower, which is the Virgin, and who becomes fruit that can be eaten. From this perspective, “the earth is Holy Mary, who comes from our earth, from our seed, from this mud, from this clay, from Adam.” This earth has given its fruit: What it lost in paradise, it has found again in the Son. “Earth has given its fruit: First its produced a flower … then this flower became fruit so that we might eat it, so that we might eat his flesh. Do you want to know what this fruit is? It is the Virgin from the Virgin, the Lord from the handmaid, God from man, the Son from the Mother, the fruit from the earth” (74 Omelie sul libro dei Salmi, Milan 1993, p. 141).

Let us end with some words from St. Augustine's commentary on this psalm. He identifies the fruit that has blossomed from the earth with the newness that Christ's coming produces in men — the newness that is conversion and the fruit of praising God.

Indeed, “the earth was full of thorns,” he explains. But “the hand of him who uproots drew near, the voice of his majesty and of his mercy drew near, and the earth began to give praise. Now the earth is giving fruit.” Of course, it would not have given fruit “if it had not first been watered” with rain, “if God's mercy from on high had not come first.” But now we are seeing ripe fruit in the Church thanks to the preaching of the Apostles: “Then, by sending rain through his clouds — through the Apostles who proclaimed the truth — ‘the earth has yielded its fruit’ more abundantly, and this harvest has now filled the entire world” (Esposizioni sui Salmi; II, Rome 1970, p. 551).

(Register translation)