God’s promise to humanity
Psalm 105:1-4, 6-9. June 28, 2023 - Wednesday
Memorial of Saint Irenaeus, Bishop and Martyr
In Genesis 12, God called Abraham and promised him numerous descendants and land to live in (see Gen 12:1-3; 7). The book of Deuteronomy ends with Moses seeing the promised land from Mount Nebo and hearing the words: “This is the land of which I swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, ‘I will give it to your offspring’” (Deut 34:4). Psalm 105 meditates upon the history of Israel from Abraham till the entry of Israel into the Promise Land highlighting the importance of the promise of the land to Abraham’s descendants in the history of Israel.
Nobody likes to live in an exile far from their native land. And it is painful to see your country disappearing from the maps of the world. In 1795 the Commonwealth of Poland and Lithuania was partitioned between Austria, Prussia, and Russia. The two nations disappeared from the maps of the world for 123 years. It was the darkest moment in their history but like the people of Israel, both nations never gave up their hope and struggle for free and sovereign nation-states. It was in that moment of history that one of the Polish poets in a prophetic vision saw a Polish bishop occupying the seat of Saint Peter in Rome.
The scholars date Psalm 105 to the time of Babylonian exile when Israel lost their land and the people had to live in exile. The psalmist aims to encourage his people to trust in God’s faithfulness. Since the Lord remembers his covenant forever (Ps 105:8), there is no need to get discouraged and lose hope. God can bring them back home. The history of Israel is a source of comfort and encouragement for all those who lost their home or nation and were forced to live somewhere else. In 1918 Poland was back on the maps of the world and in 1948, the state of Israel declared its independence.
Although every nation is entitled to its territory and every family to its piece of land, we cannot forget the words of Saint Paul that “the present form of this world is passing away” (1 Cor 7:31). As Christians we look forward to God’s promise about new heaven and earth, and a new Jerusalem where “death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away” (Rev 21:4). It is going to be a total transformation of humanity and the universe, the fulfilment of God’s plan of uniting all things in Jesus Christ (see Eph 1:10).
Vatican II in this way describes this promise: “We are taught that God is preparing a new dwelling and a new earth in which righteousness dwells, in which happiness will fill and surpass all the desires of peace arising in the hearts of men” (Gaudier et Spes, 39). The psalmist states that “the Lord remembers his covenant forever” and Saint Paul tells us that “all the promises of God” are Yes and Amen in Jesus Christ (see 2 Cor 1:20). And so “keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells” (2 Peter 3:13).