Pope Francis in Oceania: The important thing is to open ourselves to God to overcome inner deafness

In the massive and colorful Mass he celebrated in Papua New Guinea with a large number of attendees in traditional Papuan clothing, Pope Francis highlighted that what is really important for each faithful is to open themselves to God and his Gospel to overcome “inner deafness” and “mutism of heart.”

The Pope left the nunciature in Port Moresby and headed to the Sir John Guise Stadiumwhere he arrived around 7:40 am (local time) on Sunday, September 8, and took a brief tour in a golf cart to greet the faithful present who were praying the Rosary in English.

The Holy Father then presided over the Eucharist before some 35,000 faithful present in a festive atmosphere, many of whom traveled long distances to be able to be at this Mass, which the Pontiff also celebrated in English from 8:02 (local time), in the day on which the Church celebrates the feast of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary.

Along with the entrance procession of the concelebrating bishops and priests, a group of local faithful performed a typical dance, while the first ones headed to their places.

Pope Francis’ homily

In his homily – which he delivered in Italian and which was interpreted consecutively in English – on the Gospel of Saint Mark 7:31-37, which recounts the healing of a deaf-mute, Pope Francis highlighted that it can happen that in the faithful there is “an inner deafness and a muteness of the heart.”

These two realities, he warned, are the root of everything that “locks us in ourselves, that closes us to God and others: selfishness, indifference, fear of taking risks and getting involved, resentment, hatred, and “list could go on.”

“All this distances us from God, from our brothers, from ourselves; and the joy of living. Brothers and sisters, in the face of this distance, God responds with the closeness of Jesus. In his Son, God wants to show us above all this: that He is the close, compassionate God, who cares for our lives, who overcomes all distance,” he continued.

“With his closeness, Jesus heals the deafness and muteness of man; In fact, when we feel distant, and decide to distance ourselves—from God, from our brothers and from those who are different from us—then we close ourselves in, we entrench ourselves in ourselves and we end up revolving only around our self, we become deaf to the Word of God and the cry of their neighbor and, therefore, incapable of dialogue with God and with their neighbor.

For all this, the Pope highlighted, “today the Lord, as he did with the deaf-mute, wants to get closer to you, reduce distances, make you feel that you are at the center of his heart and that each one is important to Him, he wants to heal your deafness and muteness. Today to each one of you he says: ‘Open up.’”

“This is the most important thing: open to God, open to our brothers, open to the Gospel and make it the compass of our life.”

“Let us open ourselves to God and his Word,” the Holy Father continued, “let us open ourselves to the Gospel, let us open ourselves to the faith of the Church and, in this way, we will be able to communicate with each other and build a different society, also here, in Papua New Guinea.” .

“May none of you remain deaf and dumb in the face of this invitation. On this path you are accompanied by Blessed John Mazzucconi who, among so many inconveniences and hostilities, brought Christ among you, so that no one would be deaf to the joyful message of salvation, and that everyone could loose their tongues to sing the love of God”.

One of the most striking moments of the Mass was that of the consecration. At the time of the elevation of the consecrated host and the chalice with the consecrated wine, the musicians played tubular drums as a sign of respect.

At the conclusion of the Mass, Cardinal John Ribat, Archbishop of Port Moresby recalled the work done by many missionaries in Papua New Guinea, where they “worked hard to build the Church” for “142 years, and this development did not come without difficulties.”

After thanking him for the Eucharist and for his “wonderful and enriching visit,” the cardinal wished him to continue carrying out his ministry in good health.

Pope Francis then presented the cardinal with a chalice, for the people of God, the gift that he traditionally gives to the dioceses he visits on his travels; and he received some presents too.

Angelus of Pope Francis: Peace for all peoples

Before praying the Angelus, the Pontiff entrusted to the Virgin Mary “the path of the Church in Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands. May Mary, Help of Christians—María Helpim—always accompany you and protect you.”

“And from this land blessed by the Creator, I would like to invoke with you, through the intercession of the Most Holy Mary, the gift of peace for all peoples. In particular, I ask for it for this large region of the world between Asia, Oceania and the Pacific Ocean. Peace, peace for the nations and also for creation.”

“No to armaments or the exploitation of the common home. Yes to the meeting between peoples and cultures; yes to the harmony of man with creatures. “María Helpim, Queen of Peace, help us to convert to the designs of God, which are designs of peace and justice for the great human family,” she highlighted.

“And today, which in our liturgical calendar is the feast of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary, our thoughts turn to the Sanctuary of Lourdes which has been flooded due to recent heavy rains,” Pope Francis concluded.

At the end of the Mass, the Vatican Press Office reports, the Holy Father met with the Prime Minister of Papua Guinea, James Marape, an appointment that was originally scheduled for 7:00 am, before the Eucharist.

After lunch, the Pope will fly to the city of Vanimo, where he will hold a meeting with the faithful on the esplanade in front of the Cathedral of the Holy Cross and then a private meeting with a group of missionaries, at the School of Humanities Holy Trinity of Baro.

According to what Matteo Bruni, director of the Vatican Press Office, told journalists, on the Australian military plane that will take him, the Holy Father will carry humanitarian aid for the local population such as medicine, clothing, toys for children, among others.