Vatican City, Nov 2, 2004 / 22:00 pm
Pope John Paul II spoke on the "Hymn of the Saved," from the Book of the Apocalypse during this morning’s general audience in Saint Peter’s Square, affirming that all people are called by God to become children of God.
This hymn, he said, "brings to the liturgy of evening prayer the simplicity and intensity of a chorus of praise. It is in line with the solemn vision of the opening of the Apocalypse which presents a sort of heavenly liturgy which we, still pilgrims on earth, join during our ecclesiastical celebrations."
The first element of the hymn "is the celebration of the Lord's works,” said the Pope. “Creation reveals the immense power of God."
He pointed out that the Book of the Apocalypse was written during the reign of the Roman emperor Domitian who forced the people to call him "Domunis et deus noster," and said that Christians "refused to give such a title to a human creature" and only applied such terms of adoration to "Our true 'Lord and God'."