Vatican, Jan. 28 (CWNews.com) - At his regular weekly audience on January 28, Pope John Paul II used Psalm 10 as the basis for a meditation on God's justice, concluding that God is not remote and detached from human affairs, but "a vigilant presence on the side of good and justice."

In his reflections on the psalm, the Pope said that God's justice should be "the foundation of confidence and source of all hope" for believers, especially in times of pain and trial. Rather than an "inscrutable and mysterious" God, the Bible describes a God on whom the believer can rely. The Pontiff pointed out that many martyrs, facing immense suffering, drew new strength from their confidence in God, and his help in their hour of trial.

The Holy Father appeared to be in relatively good health as he addressed 4,000 people in the Paul VI auditorium. At the conclusion of his remarks, he gave his blessing to 20 newlywed couples in the audience. In a change from recent practices, the newlyweds were allowed close enough to kiss the Pope's hands.

The blessings for couples who have been married during the past year is a longstanding tradition at papal audiences. Until late last year, these couples would be brought up to the foot of the Pope's chair to receive his blessing. But as his health deteriorated in the autumn of 2003, the couples were stopped several yards away from the Pontiff, so that he could give his blessing to the group. (Pope John Paul, who now has serious difficulty in moving, can become exhausted quickly during a public audience, and Vatican officials have been careful to limit the time that he spends in crowds.) By returning to the old practice, that Vatican seemed to be indicating that the Pope's physical health has improved significantly in recent weeks-- as many observers have noticed.