Pope Francis presides over Mass for Rome's Filipino community

By Vatican News

During his homily for the Filipino community gathered in St Peter’s Basilica, Pope Francis began by drawing from Sunday’s liturgy. He said that “from the words of the Responsorial Psalm we learn that there are those "vulnerable people who also deserve a look of special love from God.”

The Pope was referring to “the oppressed, the hungry, prisoners, foreigners, orphans and widows. “These are the inhabitants of the existential peripheries of yesterday and of today”, he said.

Advent a time of preparation

The Pope noted that as the world prepares to celebrate the mystery of the Incarnation, of Emmanuel, “we must ask the Lord to renew the miracle of Christmas every year, offering ourselves as instruments of his merciful love towards the least and the lowest.”

He explained that during the Season of Advent, we are called to “awaken in our hearts a sense of expectation and to intensify our prayer.”

The Philippines and Simbang-Gabi

Pope Francis said that “in the Philippines, for centuries, there has been a novena in preparation for a blessed Christmas called, Simbang-Gabi (Mass of the night). During nine days, the Filipino faithful gather in their parishes for a special Eucharistic celebration.”

He went on to say that, “in recent decades, thanks to Filipino migrants, this devotion has crossed national borders and has arrived in many other countries”, including Italy and the Vatican.

Through this celebration, the Pope continued, “we want to commit ourselves to manifest God's love and tenderness towards everyone, especially the least.”  

A special mission

Pope Francis told those present that the people who had left their land in search of a better future, “have a special mission.” Your faith, he said, “is "leaven" in the parish communities to which you belong, today. I encourage you to increase opportunities for meeting to share your cultural and spiritual wealth, while at the same time allowing yourselves to be enriched by the experiences of others.”

The Pope concluded his homily by saying that, “we are all called to practice charity together with those who live in the existential peripheries, using our different gifts to renew the signs of the presence of the Kingdom. Together, we are all called to proclaim the Gospel, the Good News of salvation, in all languages, so as to reach as many people as possible.”