Pope Francis: The birth of a baby is a spark that reveals the eternal love of God

Pope Francis presided over a Mass this September 10 before nearly 600,000 people in the “Taci Tolu” esplanade in Dili, the capital of East Timor, from where he stated that the birth of a baby “is nothing more than a revealing spark of a even greater light, because at the root of all life is the eternal love of God.”

Due to the strong sun and high temperatures, the esplanade was covered with thousands of umbrellas in the colors of the Vatican, designed especially for the Holy Father’s visit.

12 hours waiting for the Pope under the sun

The atmosphere prior to the Eucharistic celebration was marked by the joy and fervor of the Catholics that we have witnessed during the two days that the Holy Father spent in East Timor, one of the most Catholic countries in Asia.

In fact, many of them were waiting for the start of the Mass and for Pope Francis for hours under the sun.

This is the example of Lareina Rosa Marcia Claver Da Cruz and Zuizina Abigael Maria Fatima de Jesus, two friends who have waited since 4 in the morning, when the Mass was scheduled for 4:30 p.m. (local time).

The girls, aged 12, said the wait under the scorching sun was “totally worth it.”

It should be noted that the country’s Government has granted 3 days off from work and schools so that its inhabitants can attend the different meetings with Pope Francis.

Taci Tolu is a protected area on the coast, 8 km west of the capital, Dili, exactly in the western part of Comoro Suco, in the Capital District.

On October 12, 1989, on this same esplanade, Saint John Paul II celebrated a Mass on the occasion of his trip to the country still under Indonesian occupation.

A “great need for conversion”

In his homily, read in Spanish, Pope Francis reflected on the first reading, when the prophet Isaiah addresses the people of Jerusalem to tell them that “a child has been born to us, a son has been given to us.”

The Holy Father noted that that time was marked by a “great moral decadence,” where power and wealth had blinded the powerful, “making them believe that they can be self-sufficient, that they do not need the Lord; and their presumption leads them to be selfish and unjust.”

At that time, where infidelity to God was widespread, according to Pope Francis there was “a great need for conversion, mercy and healing.”

“When faced with a newborn, even the hardest heart is moved and filled with tenderness.”

And it was then, with the birth of Jesus, that God “shine his saving light through the gift of a son,” he recalled.

In this sense, he highlighted that “the birth of a child is a bright moment, of joy and celebration, which instills good wishes in everyone: to renew oneself in goodness, to return to purity and simplicity.”

“In the face of a newborn, even the hardest heart is moved and filled with tenderness, those who are discouraged find hope, those who are resigned dream again and believe in the possibility of a better life,” he added.

He also stressed that the fragility of a child “carries with it a message so strong that it touches even the most hardened spirits, bringing with it purposes of harmony and serenity. It’s wonderful what happens when a baby is born! ”She exclaimed.

And all this, the Pontiff continued, “is nothing more than a revealing spark of an even greater light, because at the root of all life is the eternal love of God, there is his grace, his providence and the power of his creative Word. ”.

Pope Francis stressed that God himself became man “to be close to us and to save us.”

The invitation to this mystery, for the Holy Father, “is not only to be amazed and moved, but also to open ourselves to the love of the Father and to allow ourselves to be modeled by Him.”

“So that it can heal our wounds, fix our differences, put order in our existence, until it becomes the foundation of our personal and community life, in all areas,” he noted.

Later, he expressed his joy at the presence of so many youth and children in East Timor, which he defined as “an immense gift.”

“Let us not be afraid to make ourselves small before God”

Pope Francis also gave the Virgin Mary as an example of “smallness,” who became “smaller and smaller, serving, praying, disappearing to make room for Jesus.”

“Let us not be afraid to make ourselves small before God and one another; “to lose our lives, to give our time, to reexamine our programs, giving up whatever is necessary for a brother or sister to improve and be happy,” the Holy Father exhorted.

Coming to the end of his homily, translated into the Tetun language, Pope Francis spoke of Kaibauk and the Whitetwo precious metals typical of that area that symbolize “the strength and tenderness of Father and Mother.” Thus, according to the Pontiff, “the Lord manifests his royalty, made of charity and mercy.”

“Let each of us ask together, in this Eucharist, as men and women, as a Church and as a society, to know how to reflect in the world the powerful and tender light of the God of love,” Pope Francis concluded.

“Beware of the crocodiles who want to change your culture”

At the end of the Mass, after the words of gratitude from the Archbishop of Dili, Cardinal Virgílio do Carmo da Silva, the Holy Father improvised some words addressed to the Catholics present.

He assured that “the best thing about East Timor” is its people, and especially “the smile of its people,” especially that of the children.

Likewise, he asked them to “be attentive to those crocodiles that want to change their culture, that want to change their history, stay faithful and do not get close to those crocodiles because they bite, and they bite a lot,” he warned.

“I wish you peace and that you continue to have many children, that the smile of this people be your children,” Pope Francis concluded.