Pope Francis Homily in Tacloban City Mass January 2015

By: Tax ad Accounting Center, Inc.

On the context of faith, we put God in every thing we do. Please allow us to go beyond business articles (tax, accounting, and etc.) and share our moment of joy with the blessing of Pope Francis visit from January 15-19, 2015. Seeing him strengthened our faith, reminded us of the true meaning of humility, compassion, and love of others.

Hearing his homily in Tacloban City with a crowd of 200,000, mostly, Super Typhoon Yolanda survivors not only console them, but also gave every one hope and remind each of us that during hardship in life, one is not alone. Below is the full text of the Homily of Pope Francis in Tacloban City last January 17, 2015 at Daniel Z. Romualdez Airport as interpreted by Msgr. Mark Gerald Miles in English.

We have a high priest who is capable of sympathizing with our weaknesses. Jesus is like us. Jesus lived liked us and is the same with us in every respect, except sin because He was not a sinner. But to be more like us He assumed our condition and our sin. He made Himself into sin. This is what Saint Paul tells us. And Jesus always go before us and when we pass an experience, a cross, He passed there before us. And if today we find ourselves here 14 months after, 14 months precisely after the Typhoon Yolanda hit, it is because we have the security of knowing we will not weaken in our faith because Jesus has been here before us.

 

In His Passion He assumed all our pain. Therefore, He is capable of understanding us, as we heard in the First Reading.

 

I’d like to tell you something close to my heart. When I saw from Rome that catastrophe, I had to be here. And in those very days, I decided to come here. I am here to be with you, a little bit late, but I am here.

 

I have come to tell you that Jesus is Lord and He never lets us down. Father, you might say to me, I was let down because I have lost so many things, my house, my livelihood. It’s true if you say that and I respect those sentiments. But Jesus is there (pointing at the cross), nailed to the cross, and from there He does not let us down. he was consecrated Lord on that throne and there He experienced all the calamities that we experience. Jesus is Lord. And the Lord from the cross is there for you. In everything the same as us.That is why we have a Lord who cries with us and walks with us in the most difficult moments of life.

 

So many of you have lost eveything. I don’t know what to say to you. Some of you have lost part of your families. All I can do is keep silence and walk with you all with silent heart.

 

Many of you have asked the Lord, why lord? And to each of you, to your heart, Christ responds with His heart from the cross. I have no more words for you. Let us look to Christ. He is the Lord. He understands us because He underwent all trials that we, that you, have experienced.

 

And besides the cross was His Mother. We are like a little child in the moments when we have so much pain and no longer understand everything. All we can do is grab hold of her hand firmly and say “Mommy”, like a child does when it is afraid. It is perhaps the only word we can say in difficult times – “Mommy”.

 

Let us respect a moment of silence together and look to Christ on the cross. He understands us because He endured everything. Let us look to our Mother and like a little child, let us hold on to her mantle and with a true heart say – “Mother”. In silence, tell your Mother what you feel in your heart. Let us know that we have a Mother Mary and a great Brother, Jesus. We are not alone. We also have many brothers who, in this moment of catastrophe, came to help. And we too, because of this, we feel more like brothers and sisters because we helped each other.

 

This is what comes from my heart. Forgive me if I have no other words to express this. Please know that Jesus never lets us down. Know that the tenderness of Mary never lets us down. And holding onto mantle and with power that comes from Jesus’ love on the cross, let us move forward and walk together as brothers and sisters in the Lord.

 

Thank you very much.

Indeed, the above Homily of Pope Francis during the mass at Tacloban City last January 17, 2015 for the Survivors of Yolanda moved the emotions not only those on the ground, but also those watching televisions and other mediums worldwide.

May each one of us take it from the Pope himself that is times of troubles, we are not alone! We have Jesus, Mother Mary, brothers and sisters who will not let us down.

Disclaimer: The above text is not taken form any official text of the homily and is taken only as a simple reference to look back and internalize. For the genuine text, please coordinate with the Roman Catholic church or other genuine sources. For comments, you may please send mail at 

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