By Joseph Tulloch
On Tuesday, Pope Francis celebrated an open-air Mass in Taci Tolu, a coastal plain in Timor-Leste.
According to the local authorities, about 600,000 people – or nearly half of the country’s population – were in attendance.
A traditional Timorese dance opened the celebration of Mass. Then, as evening fell, the Pope delivered a homily in Spanish, pausing to allow a Timorese priest to translate his words section by section into Tetum, one of the country’s official languages.
A child is born
The Pope began his sermon by reflecting on the Prophet Isaiah’s words in the first reading: “A child has been born for us, a son given to us.”
These words, the Pope said, were addressed to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and came at “a prosperous time for that city”, but one also characterised by “great moral decadence”. Despite the city’s great wealth, the poor were abandoned and went hungry, infidelity was rampant, and religious practice “increasingly reduced to mere formalism.”
For this reason, the Pope said, the Prophet Isaiah came to proclaim “a new horizon” opened up by God. God, however, would not save them “with the power of armies, weapons and wealth”, but rather “through the gift of a son”.
Children: A blessing and a sign
“In every part of the world,” Pope Francis continued, the birth of a child is a “shining moment of joy and celebration”, instilling “a desire for the good, … a return to purity and simplicity”.
“How wonderful,” the Pope continued, “that here in Timor-Leste there are so many children: you are a young country and we can see every corner of your land teeming with life.”
This, Pope Francis stressed, is a great gift, but also a sign, a reminder of the importance of “making space for children, for the little ones, welcoming them, taking care of them.”
Making oneself ‘small’
The birth of a child is also a lesson, the Pope said, on the importance of making oneself ‘small.’
“Let us not be afraid,” he urged, “to make ourselves small before God and each other, not afraid … to give our time, to revise our plans by sacrificing something so that a brother or sister might get better and be happy.”
“Let us not be afraid,” the Pope continued, “to resize our projects when necessary – not to diminish them, but to make them even more beautiful through the gift of ourselves and the welcoming of others.”
A child’s smile
At the end of Mass, Pope Francis again emphasised the importance of taking care for children, giving a short, unscripted speech.
The Pope spoke about a Timorese village he had passed through during his stay in the country, saying that the best thing about it was “the smile of its children.”
“A town that teaches those children to smile,” the Pope said, “is a town with a future”.
However, the Pope also sounded a word of warning, urging his listeners to watch out for “crocodiles” who “want to change your culture, want to change your history.”
“I hope you continue to have many children,” Pope Francis concluded. “Take care of your children, but also take care of your elders, who are the memory of this land.” – Vatican News
