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During his general audience Nov. 10, Pope John Paul II divided his time between St. Peter's Basil-ica, where he addressed 3,500 faithful in German and English, and the Paul VI Hall, where he presented a teaching on Psalm 62 to 9,500 other pilgrims.

Psalm 62, the Holy Father said, is a short, gentle lesson on how we should live our lives. In the psalm, two kinds of trust are contrasted. “They are two fundamental choices, one good and one bad, that result in two different kinds of moral conduct. First of all, there is trust in God,” John Paul noted. “There is, however, another kind of trust that is idolatrous in nature,” he added. “It is a trust that seeks security and stability in violence, covetousness and wealth.”

The Pope highlighted three “false idols” the psalm mentions: violence, covetousness and wealth. “The first false god is the violence to which, unfortunately, mankind continues to have recourse even in our blood-drenched days,” he said.

“The second false god is covetousness, which is expressed in extortion, social injustice, usury, and political and economic corruption,” he continued. “Wealth is the third idol that man ‘sets his heart upon'in the deceitful hope of being able to save himself from death and of assuring for himself a pre-eminent place of prestige and power.”

“If we were more aware of the shortness of our life and of our own limitations as creatures,” the Holy Father said, “we would not choose the path of putting our trust in idols, nor would we organize our whole life around a hierarchy of pseudo-values that are fragile and fleeting. Rather, we would opt for the kind of trust that is centered on the Lord, who is the source of eternal life and peace.” A vocal rendition of Psalm 62 preceded the Holy Father's teaching.

We have just heard the gentle words of Psalm 62, a song about trust, which opens with a sort of antiphon that is repeated halfway through the text. It is like a short prayer that is peaceful yet strong, a cry unto the Lord that is also a plan for one's life: “My soul rests in God alone, from whom comes my salvation. God alone is my rock and salvation, my secure height; I shall never fall” (verses 2-3 and 6-7).

Trusting in God

As the psalm unfolds, however, a contrast is made between two kinds of trust. They are two fundamental choices, one good and one bad, that result in two different kinds of moral conduct. First of all, there is trust in God, the trust that is exalted in the opening words of the psalm where the “secure heights” are like a rock, a symbol of stability and safety, or even better still, like a fortress and bulwark of protection.

The psalmist goes on to say: “My safety and glory are with God, my strong rock and refuge” (verse 8). He makes this statement after recalling the hostile plots of his enemies who are trying to “dislodge” him from his “place on high” (see verses 4-5).

Trusting in Idols

There is, however, another kind of trust that is idolatrous in nature that the psalmist insistently focuses on with a critical eye. It is a trust that seeks security and stability in violence, covetousness and wealth.

His cry, therefore, becomes sharp and clear: “Do not trust in extortion; in plunder put no empty hope. Though wealth increase, do not set your heart upon it” (verse 11). Three idols are mentioned here and are proscribed as being contrary to our human dignity and our coexistence as a society.

The first false god is the violence to which, unfortunately, mankind continues to have recourse even in our blood-drenched days. A long procession of wars, oppression, corruption, torture and abominable killings accompanies this idol, all of which are inflicted without any hint of remorse.

The second false god is covetousness, which is expressed in extortion, social injustice, usury, and political and economic corruption. Too many people cultivate the “illusion” of satisfying their own greed in this way.

Finally, wealth is the third idol that man “sets his heart upon” in the deceitful hope of being able to save himself from death (see Psalm 49) and of assuring for himself a pre-eminent place of prestige and power.

Life Is Fleeting

By being subservient to this diabolical triad, man forgets these idols are empty and even harmful. By trusting in material possessions and in himself, he forgets he is “a mere breath … an illusion,” or better still, if weighed on a scale, “mere vapor” (Psalm 62:10; see Psalm 39:6-7).

If we were more aware of the shortness of our life and of our own limitations as creatures, we would not choose the path of putting our trust in idols, nor would we organize our whole life around a hierarchy of pseudo-values that are fragile and fleeting. Rather, we would opt for the kind of trust that is centered on the Lord, who is the source of eternal life and peace. Indeed, “power belongs to God” alone; he alone is the source of grace; he alone is the author of justice, who “renders to each of us according to our deeds” (see Psalm 62:11-12).

Always Trust in God

The Second Vatican Council applied the invitation in Psalm 62 “not to set your heart upon wealth” (verse 11) to priests. The Decree on the Ministry and the Life of Priests makes the following exhortation: “Therefore, in no way placing their heart in treasures, they should avoid all greediness and carefully abstain from every appearance of business” (Presbyterorum Ordinis, No. 17). Nevertheless, this call to reject a perverted kind of trust by choosing one that will bring us closer to God is valid for all people and must become the star that guides us in how we conduct ourselves daily in our moral decisions and in our lifestyle.

Of course, this is a hard path to follow and it also entails for the just some trials as well as some courageous choices that are, nevertheless, characterized by a trust in God (see Psalm 62:2). In light of this, the Fathers of the Church saw Christ pre-figured in the author of Psalm 62 and attributed to Christ his opening prayer of total trust and commitment to God.

St. Ambrose made the following argument in this regard in his Commentary on Psalm 62: “What would our Lord Jesus, by taking upon himself the flesh of man so that he himself might purify it, immediately do but wipe away the evil influence of the sin of old? Through disobedience, that is, transgressing God's precepts, sin came creeping in. First of all, therefore, he had to restore obedience in order to extinguish the hotbed of sin … He personally took obedience upon himself in order to pour it out upon us” (Commento a dodici salmi 61, 4: SAEMO, VIII, Milan-Rome, 1980, p. 283).

(Register translation)