Vatican City (AsiaNews) The "Lord of History" is "on the side of those who come last". Even though his plans are often "hidden by the murkiness of human events in which the 'haughty, the powerful, and the rich' triumph", "his secret power is bound to reveal itself and show who God's true chosen are".
Before a crowd of almost 15,000 faithful who had come for the general audience, Pope Benedict XVI brought to an end the series of catecheses on the psalms and the canticles with a meditation on the Magnificat and an extemporaneous prayer on "knowing how to bring again Christ to our world".
Owing to the great number of participants, the audience itself took place first inside St Peter Basilica, then in the Paul VI Hall. As the meeting unfolded, the Pope spoke about the "style" in which the Lord of History found inspiration for what he did, finally revealing "who God's true chosen are: "those who fear him, who are faithful to his word, the humble, the hungry, His servant Israel; in other words, the community of the people of God who, like Mary, are poor but pure and simple of heart, the small flock that was told not to fear because the Father was happy to give them His kingdom".
"This canticle urges us to join this small flock," said the Pope on the spur of the moment. It enjoins us "to be true members of the people of God by being pure, simple of heart and accepting of God's love."
He concluded saying: "May the Lord find a home in our souls and life [. . .] to the extent that we may carry Him in our hearts and to the world and give life to Christ in our times. Let us pray that we may be able to bring Christ to our world".
When he greeted the faithful in the basilica, Benedict XVI mentioned his first encyclical, Deus caritas est, "in which I say that God's love is the source and reason for our true joy. I urge each and every one of you to understand and welcome this love more and more for it can change [your] life and make you credible witnesses of the Gospel".