Humanity can end hatred, conflict by following God's law, pope says at Angelus

Carol Glatz
CNS

VATICAN CITY (CNS) – By following God's law with sincerity and love, humanity can end the hatred, conflicts and warfare plaguing the world and usher in a new era of justice and peace, Pope Benedict XVI said in his weekly general audience.


"Only the people who know God and defend spiritual and moral values" can reach real peace, "bring in the strength of peace for the world and to other peoples," he said in remarks apart from the text.

Speaking to nearly 8,000 pilgrims gathered in the Vatican's Paul VI hall, the pope dedicated his Jan. 25 catechesis to the last half of Psalm 144.

The psalmist paints a picture of the coming of a "new, joyous world," marked by peace, prosperity and families blessed with children, fertile flocks and fields.

These same images of abundance and serenity "can also become a sign for us of the birth of a more just society," the pope said.

But this new world of harmony and peace can only come if people work together with God, "under the guidance of the Messiah, Christ," he said.

Only when people follow the plan and laws of "the God of love and justice" can they "implement this project of harmony and peace, ending the destructive action of hatred, violence, war," the pope said.

He said St. Augustine interpreted the 10-stringed harp represented in the psalm as standing for the Ten Commandments. The psalmist sought to sing "a new song" to God with his harp, the pope said, but only when the faithful sing "from the heart" and with love will their song to God be "sung well."

In other words, being in harmony with God comes about when the person lives out the commandments with a heart full of love.

"The love that unites us with Christ's feelings is the real 'new song' of the new man who is fit to also create a new world," the pope said.

The Jan. 25 general audience fell on the feast of the Conversion of St. Paul and at the end of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity.

Pope Benedict said the week highlighted the need to "constantly pray to the Lord for the great gift of full unity among all Christ's disciples."

Prayer, he said, was a concrete way to make sure the fruits coming out of the common task of ecumenism were "more sincere and abundant."

In his greetings in various languages to groups of pilgrims in the audience hall, the pope greeted Italian soccer referees. He asked that they help foster "proper human and spiritual education," which creates "more mature and responsible people."

The Italian referees later presented the pope with a navy blue warm-up jacket with the name Ratzinger printed on the back collar. Pope Benedict, whose family name is Ratzinger, held the jacket against his chest, checking its measurements.

• Copyright (c) 2006 Catholic News Service/U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops
  

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