Vatican City, Jun 7, 2005 / 22:00 pm
Speaking before some 35,000 people gathered in St. Peter's Square for the Wednesday General Audience, Commenting Psalm 110 during the general audience, Pope Benedict XVI spoke on God’s maternal love portrayed in Psalm 110.
The Pontiff explained how "this hymn of praise and thanksgiving contains many terms defining God's attributes and His work of salvation. Words are used such as: 'gracious,' 'merciful,' 'power,' 'faithful,' 'uprightness,' 'trustworthy,' 'covenant,' 'wonderful works,' and even 'food'."
The psalm "opens with thanks to the Lord for His works not only from the heart of the psalmist, but also from the entire liturgical assembly. The aim of this prayer ... is expressed in the word 'works,' meaning the Lord's salvific acts and expression of His 'justice,' a term that in biblical language refers primarily to the love that generates salvation."
“'Graciousness' is the divine grace that envelops and transfigures the faithful, while 'mercifulness' is expressed in the Hebrew original with a characteristic term evoking the Lord's maternal 'womb,' even more merciful than that of a mother," the Holy Father explained.