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More than 12,000 people gathered in St. Peter's Square for Pope John Paul II's first outdoor general audience of the year March 17. He continued his series of teachings on the psalms and canticles of the Liturgy of the Hours with a meditation on the second half of Psalm 21.

Psalm 21, he pointed out, was initially conceived as a royal psalm to extol the past and present blessings God had bestowed upon the Jewish king. Later, when the monarchy disappeared from Israel, the psalm took on a new meaning in Judaism and became a hymn in honor of the messiah-king. “Thus, it paved the way for a Christ-centered interpretation of the hymn,” the Holy Father noted, “which is exactly how it is used in the liturgy.”

In the psalms, the king is metaphorically described as God's adoptive “son,” who assists him in administering justice. “It is precisely for this mission that God confers on him his benevolent light and his blessing,” the Pope said. However, Christ, the true Messiah-King, is the “Son of God” in the fullest sense and is therefore the perfect presence of God in the midst of mankind. He is truly the light and the life in whom we find hope of the promise of eternal life.

Evening prayer of the Liturgy of the Hours has taken the part we have just heard from Psalm 21 while omitting another part that has overtones of a curse (see verses 9-13). The part that has been included speaks about the past and present favors God has granted to the king, while the part that was omitted speaks about the king's future victory over his enemies.

The text that is the subject of our meditation (see verses 2 and 8-14) belongs to a category of psalms known as the royal psalms. It focuses, therefore, on the work God does for the Jewish king, who is perhaps depicted on that solemn day when he was enthroned. The acclamation of the faithful seems to resound at both its beginning (see verse 2) and end (see verse 14), while the heart of the psalm has more the tone of a hymn of thanksgiving that the psalmist addresses to God for the blessings he has bestowed upon the king: “goodly blessings” (verse 4), “length of days” (verse 5), “glory” (verse 6) and “joy” (verse 7).

Like many of the other royal psalms in the Book of Psalms, it is easy to see why this hymn was given a new interpretation when the monarchy disappeared in Israel. In the Jewish religion, it became a hymn in honor of the messiah-king. Thus, it paved the way for a Christ-centered interpretation of the hymn, which is exactly how it is used in the liturgy.

God's Light

First of all, however, let us look at the original meaning of the text. Considering the solemnity of the event, there is a feeling of joy and song in the air: “Lord, the king finds joy in your power, in your victory how greatly he rejoices! … We will sing and chant the praise of your might” (verses 2 and 14). Reference is then made to God's gifts to the king: God has heard his prayer (see verse 3) and places a crown of pure gold on his head (see verse 4). The king's splendor is closely associated with God's light, which envelops him like a mantle of protection (verse 6).

In the ancient Near East, people believed the king was surrounded by a luminous glow as a sign that he was part of the very essence of the divinity. In the Bible, of course, the king is certainly God's “son” (see Psalm 2:7), but only an adopted son in a metaphorical sense. Therefore, he must be the Lord's lieutenant in defending justice. It is precisely for this mission that God confers on him his benevolent light and his blessing.

Blessing is a very important theme in this brief hymn: “For you welcomed him with goodly blessings … you make him the pattern of blessings forever” (Psalm 21:4, 7). A blessing is a sign of God's presence at work in the king, who then becomes a reflection of God's light in the midst of mankind. In the biblical tradition, a blessing also includes the gift of life that is poured out upon the anointed one: “He asked life of you; you gave it to him, length of days forever” (verse 5). The prophet Nathan also assured David he would receive this blessing, a source of stability, sustenance and security, and David prayed the following words: “Do, then, bless the house of your servant, that it may be before you forever; for you, Lord God, have promised by your blessing the house of your servant shall be blessed forever” (2 Samuel 7:29).

Our Hope Is in Christ

When we recite this psalm, we can perceive the face of Christ, the Messianic King, in this portrait of the Jewish king. He is the “refulgence of the Father's glory” (Hebrews 1:3). He is the Son in the full sense of the word and, therefore, God's perfect presence in the midst of mankind. He is the light and the life, as St. John says in the prologue of his Gospel: “What came to be through him was life, and this life was the light of the human race” (John 1:4). Along these same lines, St. Irenaeus, the bishop of Lyons, applied this theme of life (see Psalm 21:5) to the resurrection of Christ when commenting on this psalm: “Why does the psalmist say, ‘He asked life of you’ at the moment when Christ was about to die? In this way, the psalmist proclaims his resurrection from the dead and that he, now risen from the dead, is immortal. In fact, he took on life so that he could rise again and, through space and time in eternity, be incorruptible” (Esposizione della predicazione apostolica, 72, Milan 1979, p. 519).

Based on this certainty, a Christian also cultivates in himself the hope of the gift of eternal life.

(Register translation)