December, 2010. Pope Benedict XVI's Intentions
The Experience of Personal Suffering as a Help to Others who Suffer
General: That our personal experience of suffering may be an occasion for better understanding the situation of unease and pain which is the lot of many people who are alone, sick or aged, and stir us all to give them generous help.
Opening Our Doors to Christ
Missionary: That the peoples of the earth may open their doors to Christ and to His Gospel of peace, brotherhood and justice.
From: Zephaniah 3:1-2, 9-13
Salvation of the remnant of Israel
[9] “Yea, at that time I will change
the speech of the peoples
to a pure speech,
that all of them may call
on the name of the LORD
and serve him with one accord.
[10] From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia
my suppliants, the daughter
of my dispersed ones,
shall bring my offering.
[11] “On that day you shall not be put to shame
because of the deeds
by which you have rebelled against me;
for then I will remove from your midst
your proudly exultant ones,
and you shall no longer be haughty
in my holy mountain.
[12] For I will leave in the midst of you
a people humble and lowly.
They shall seek refuge in the name of the Lord,
[13] those who are left in Israel;
they shall do no wrong
and utter no lies,
nor shall there be found in their mouth
a deceitful tongue.
For they shall pasture and lie down,
and none shall make them afraid.”
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Commentary:
3:1-5. The oracles against the nations are followed by this one against Jerusalem.
It is similar to Amos 1-2, and Isaiah 1:21-26, in the sense that both diatribes are
directed against community leaders – officials, judges, prophets and priests (vv.
3-4). Where once Nineveh, the capital of Assyria, was called an “exultant city”,
a city full of pride, now Jerusalem is accused of being “rebellious”, “oppressing”,
and of having rejected four graces – not listening to the voice of the Lord, not ac-
cepting conversion, not trusting in the Lord, not drawing near to her God (v. 2).
But unlike the Nineveh oracle, the one about Jerusalem ends on a note of hope,
for in spite of everything, “the Lord within her is righteous” and he will put things
right (v. 5).
3:9-20. The Lord is still speaking here, but there is a total change of focus–from
destruction to salvation, which is the intention behind divine punishment. The
opening verses proclaim the purification of the nations (vv. 9-10), in a reversal of
what happened to Babel of old (Gen 11:1-9). Those scattered abroad after God
confused the language of the sons of men (Gen 11:8-9) – they are called “the
daughter of my dispersed ones” in v. 10 – will return, bringing offerings with them.
Then the text speaks of the purification of Judah (vv. 11-13), of the survival of a
“humble” remnant, who will hope in the Lord, will act rightly and will live in peace.
As a consequence of the conversion of Judah and Israel, great will be the joy of
Zion (vv. 14-18a). The faithful remnant is called “daughter of Zion” and “daughter
of Jerusalem” (v. 14), somewhat paralleling the “daughter of my dispersed ones”
(v. 10). In v. 14 there are four calls to rejoice – “sing aloud”, “shout”, “rejoice”,
“exult”. The source of all this joy is the Lord’s presence in their midst (v. 17),
which brings with it all kinds of advantages (vv. 17-18). At the end of the pas-
sage (vv. 18-20), Zion’s joy is made complete by the return of the exiles and Is-
rael’s prestige among the nations.
3:11-13 The oracle becomes very tender at this point. The prophet is able to see
a “remnant” of Israel who will be saved and become the core of the great restora-
tion. Through the prophet, God describes this remnant as “a people humble and
lowly”, but the catalogue of their qualities (vv. 12-13) shows that poverty and humi-
lity here to no refer to social status but to the people’s inner attitude towards God.
In fact, these terms (”humble and lowly”), through the Greek of the Septuagint,
which translates them as praiis (meek) and tapeinos (humble), will become part
of the vocabulary of Jesus preaching: “learn from me; for I am gentle and lowly in
heart” (Mt 11:29; cf. Mt 5:3, 5; 21:5).
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Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”. Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.
Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.