Vatican City, Oct 26, 2004 / 22:00 pm
In today’s general audience Pope John Paul II said that reflection on death puts things we ususally consider absolute into perspective, during his catechesis on Psalm 48, "Human riches do not save."
The Holy Father said that the psalm, which "condemns the illusion created by the idolatry of riches," proposes "a realistic and severe meditation on death, the unavoidable end of the human existence."
"Often we try to ignore this reality in every way possible, putting off thinking about it. But this effort, besides being useless, is also inopportune. Reflecting on death is beneficial because it puts into perspective so many things that we have made absolute, such as money, success and power."
"The psalm suddenly changes,” he said. “If money cannot 'save' us from death, there is somebody who can redeem us from the dark and dramatic reality, God."