Pope Francis urges the faithful not to be prisoners of their failures, to trust in God and move forward with courage

On the afternoon of this Thursday, September 5, Pope Francis presided over a massive Mass in the Jakarta stadium as a conclusion to his visit to Indonesia, a country that he will leave on September 6 to travel to Port Moresby, in Papua Guinea.

The first stage of the Holy Father’s extensive trip through Asia and Oceania concluded with a Mass at the “Gelora Bung Karno” stadium, in which around 100,000 Indonesian Catholics participated, according to data provided by the country’s authorities.

The Pontiff arrived in his popemobile at the stadium shortly before 5:00 p.m. (local time), where thousands of faithful welcomed him with joyful songs and ovations.

It should be noted that all the readings were read in Indonesian and the first reading was given by a young blind man.

On this solemnity of Saint Teresa of Calcutta, Pope Francis reflected in his homily, read in Italian, on two “fundamental attitudes” that make us capable of becoming his disciples of Jesus: listening to the Word and living the Word.

The Pontiff stressed that it is necessary to listen to the Word to “welcome the precious gift of his friendship” and stressed that it is also important to live it “so as not to be superficial listeners who deceive themselves.”

“The Word that is given to us and that we hear has to come to life, transform life, become incarnate in our lives,” he remarked.

The Word of Jesus, “a compass on our path”

Referring to the Gospel of the day, Pope Francis pointed out that “the heart of man is always in search of a truth that is capable of feeding and satisfying his desire for happiness,” since we cannot “be satisfied only with human words, with the criteria of this world or with its worldly judgments.”

In this sense, he stated that “we always need a light that comes from above to illuminate our path, a living water that can quench the thirst of the deserts of the soul, a consolation that does not disappoint because it comes from heaven and not from ephemeral things. of the world.”

In the midst of the daze and vanity of human words, the Pontiff continued, “we need the Word of God, the only one that serves as a compass on our path, the only one that, in the face of so many wounds and losses, is capable of returning us to meaning. “authentic of life.” Furthermore, he warned that “the devil likes mediocrity, because he comes in there and ruins us.”

The Lord asks us to “go out into the deep” and start a new life

“Our life of faith begins when we humbly welcome Jesus into the boat of our existence, when we make space for him, when we listen to his Word and let it challenge us, shake us and change us,” added the Pontiff. .

He then reiterated that “the Word of the Lord cannot remain a beautiful abstract idea, or arouse only the emotion of the moment,” but rather “asks us to change our outlook, to allow our hearts to be transformed into the image of the Lord.” Christ”.

In this way, he assured that the Lord “asks us to go out into the deep”, just as he asked Peter, to “dare to embark on a new life.” He also specified that, if we do not live the Word, we become “parrots” who only repeat it.

“Please do not be prisoners of your failures.”

He also stated that “there is never a lack of obstacles and excuses to say no,” but he invited us to focus on the attitude of the apostle, who instead of remaining paralyzed in that void and blocked by his failure, said: “If you say so, I will cast the nets.”

For this reason, faced with the numerous occupations of our daily lives, Pope Francis pointed out that “sometimes we can feel insufficient, feel the weight of so much commitment that does not always bear the expected fruits or of our mistakes that seem to slow us down.”

“But with the same humility and the same faith as Peter, we too are asked not to remain locked in our failures and, instead of remaining with our gaze fixed on our empty nets, to look to Jesus and trust in Him. Trust in Jesus,” he noted.

Pope Francis invited the faithful to risk “going out into the deep and casting the nets again, even when we have passed through the night of failure, through the time of disillusionment in which we have gained nothing.”

Later, he made a brief silence and asked those present to think about their own failures. “Looking at these failures, let us move forward with the courage of the word of God,” he exhorted.

“When we have nothing to give, let us give that nothing.”

He also remembered Saint Teresa of Calcutta, who said: “When we have nothing to give, let us give that nothing. And she remembers: even if you have nothing to harvest, never get tired of sowing.

Along these lines, he urged us to “dream of brotherhood” and to continue expressing “your goodness and kindness with the typical smile that characterizes you, to be builders of unity and peace.” “Please do not lose your smile,” he asked. Pope Francis to Indonesian Catholics.

Finally, he encouraged them to be builders of hope, “of that hope of the Gospel that does not disappoint and that opens us to the joy that has no end.”

Make chaos!

At the end of the celebration and after the words of gratitude from the Cardinal of Jakarta, Ignatius Suharyo Hardjoatmodjo, Pope Francis thanked “the religious, volunteers, the elderly and the sick who have offered their prayers” for this trip.

“My visit comes to an end, I express my gratitude for the exquisite welcome,” said Pope Francis. He also showed his gratitude to the President of Indonesia, the civil authorities and all the Indonesian people.

Finally, he encouraged the faithful to “make chaos”, as happened at Pentecost and later he went to the image of the Virgin Mary to sing the Regina Coeli. After joyfully greeting the faithful from the altar, Pope Francis left the stadium.