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During his general audience on Sept. 1, Pope John Paul II encouraged Christians to resist any temptation to idolatry, whether it be wealth, power or success. The Holy Father made his remarks during a meditation on Psalm 115 as part of his ongoing series of teachings on the psalms and canticles of the Liturgy of the Hours.

In Psalm 115, the chosen people recognize their God as the all-powerful creator of heaven and earth, who is different in all ways from any pagan idol. “Faithfulness and love are the virtues that are characteristic of the God of the covenant in relationship to Israel — his chosen people,” Pope John Paul II said. “Therefore, both the universe and history are under his rule, which is the power of love and salvation.”

In Psalm 115, a contrast is made between the concept of the true God and the worship of idols. “Idolatry is a temptation for all mankind everywhere and at all times,” the Holy Father noted. “Whoever adores the idols of wealth, power and success loses his dignity as a human person.” It is only by looking to the true God, the Holy Father went on to say, that we receive in ourselves the characteristics of God's nature and the strength we need to resist the enticement of the idols of this world.

The living God and a lifeless idol are confronted in Psalm 115, which we just heard and which is a part of the series of psalms in the Liturgy of the Hours' evening prayer. The ancient Greek translation of the Bible, the Septuagint, which the Latin version of the ancient Christian liturgy follows, combines this psalm in honor of the true Lord with the preceding psalm. The result is a single work, which, however, is clearly divided in two distinct texts (see Psalms 114 and 115).

After some opening words, which are addressed to the Lord to attest to his glory, the chosen people present their God as the omnipotent Creator: “Our God is in heaven; whatever God wills is done.” (Psalm 115:3). Faithfulness and love are the virtues that are characteristic of the God of the covenant in relationship to Israel — his chosen people (see verse 1). Therefore, both the universe and history are under his rule, which is the power of love and salvation.

Temptation of Idolatry

Immediately, a contrast is made between “the work of human hands” (verse 4) and the true God that Israel worships. Idolatry is a temptation for all mankind, everywhere and at all times. An idol is an inanimate object that is the work of man's hands, a cold statue that is deprived of life. With a certain irony, the psalmist describes it by listing its seven totally useless members: a mouth that is silent, eyes that are blind, ears that are deaf, a nose that does not smell, hands that do not feel, feet that are paralyzed and a throat that does not make a sound (see verses 5-7).

After his merciless criticism of idols, the psalmist makes a sarcastic remark: “Their makers shall be like them, all who trust in them” (verse

8). His desire, expressed in a way that is surely effective, is to make a radical effort to dissuade anyone from idolatry. Whoever adores the idols of wealth, power and success loses his dignity as a human person. As the prophet Isaiah said, “Idol makers all amount to nothing, and their precious works are of no avail, as they themselves give witness. To their shame, they neither see nor know anything; and they are more deaf than men are” (Isaiah 44:9).

God's Blessing Is True

On the contrary, the Lord's faithful know that they have their “help” and “shield” in the living God (see Psalm 115:9-13). They are divided into three categories. First of all, there is “the house of Israel,” which consists of all the people — the community that gathers in the temple to pray. Secondly, there is the “house of Aaron,” which refers to the priests, custodians and heralds of God's word, who are called to preside over the worship services. Finally, mention is made of those who fear the Lord, that is, those faithful who are genuine and steadfast in their faith, which in Judaism, following the Babylonian exile and in later eras, also denotes those pagans who were drawn to the community and faith of Israel because of a sincere heart and a genuine quest. This was the case, for example, of Cornelius, the Roman centurion (see Acts 10, 1-2:22), whom Peter later converted to Christianity.

God's blessing descends on these three categories of true believers (see Psalm 115:12-15). According to the biblical mindset, this is a source of a fruitful life: “May the Lord increase your number, you and your descendants” (Psalm 115:14). Finally, the faithful, who are full of joy because of the gift of life they have received from the living God who is the creator, sing a short hymn of praise, responding to God's fruitful blessing with their own blessing of gratitude and trust (see verses 16-18).

Resist All Idolatry

In a very lively and evocative way, St. Gregory of Nyssa (fourth century), a father of the Eastern Church, refers to this psalm in his fifth “Homily on the Canticle of Canticles” when describing mankind's passage from the “coldness of idolatry” to the springtime of salvation. Indeed, St. Gregory recalls, it seemed as though human nature had transformed itself “into immobile beings” without any life, “which became objects of worship,” as it was specifically written: “Their makers shall be like them, all who trust in them.”

“And it was logical that it should be like that. Indeed, as those who fix their eyes on the true God receive in themselves the characteristics of God's nature, so too those who turn to the vanity of idols are conformed to that which they behold and, instead of being the men they were, become stones. Therefore, since human nature, which became stone because of idolatry, was immobile before the best there is, gripped by the coldness of idol worship, it is for this reason that the sun of justice rose over this terrible winter and brought forth springtime through a gust of wind from the south, which melted any ice that had formed and warmed everything here and below with the rays of the sun. Thus, man, who had been turned into stone because of the freezing cold, was warmed by the spirit and cooled by the rays of the logos, and once again was transformed into water that gushes forth to eternal life” (Omelie sul Cantico dei Cantici, Rome, 1988, pp. 133-134).

(Register translation)