Pope Francis' homily in Tacloban that moved people to tears

Partial transcript of the Pope's homily in the Eucharistic celebration at Tacloban on the occasion of the Papal visit to the Philippines on January 15 - 19, 2015

Jesus assumed our conditions and our sins.  He made himself  subject unto sin, this is what St. Paul tells us, and Jesus always goes before us.  And when we pass through an experience, he passes there before us.  And fourteen months after Yolanda, we are still here. It is because we are not going to weaken in our faith.  Because Jesus has been there before us, it is in his passion that he assumed all our pains.

I'd like to tell you something close to my heart.

When I saw the catastrophe, I felt I had to be here.  And on those very days I decided to come here.  I'm here to be with you.  I'm a little bit late, but I'm here.

I come to tell you that Jesus is Lord.  And he never lets us down.  "Father," you might say to me, "I lost so many things, my house, my family."  I respect those sentiments, but Jesus there nailed to the cross, and from there he does not let us down.

That is why there is a Lord who is capable of crying with us and walking with us in the most difficult moments of life.

So many of you have lost everything.  I don't know what to say to you. but the Lord knows what to say to you.

Some of you lost members of your families, all I can do is to keep silence, and I walk with you with my silent heart.  Many of you have asked the Lord, "Why Lord?"  Christ responds from his heart. I have no more words to tell you; let us look to Christ.  He is the Lord.  He understands us because he underwent the trials all of you have experienced.  And beside the cross was his mother.  We were like this when we were little children, in the times we have so much pain, we just grab the hand and hold dearly our mama and say, "Mama!" as a child cries to a mother when he feels fear.  It is the only word we can say, "Mother, mom!" Let us together hold a moment o silence.

Let us look on Christ on the cross,   He understands us because he endured everything.

Let us look on his mother, and like that little children, let us grab hold of her mantle, and with a true heart let us say, "Mother!"

Silently, say to the mother what you feel in your hearts.

<silence>

We have our mother; we have Jesus. There, he experienced all calamities we experience.  We have our senior brother, Jesus.  We are not alone.

We have many brothers who in this moment of catastrophe came to help us. We feel we have more brothers sand sisters, because we helped each other.

This what comes from my heart and forgive me if I have no words to add.  Please know Jesus never lets you down.

Please know the love and tenderness of Mary never lets you down.

Holding on to her mantle and to the love Jesus, let us move always forward.  and walk together as brothers and sisters.


Thank you very much.

Partial transcript of the prayer of the Holy Father after Communion

Thank you Lord for being here today with us,

Thank you Lord for sharing in our pain,

Thank you Lord for giving us this opportunity

Thank you Lord for you great mercy.

Thank you Lord because you wish to be like one of us.

Thank you Lord because you are always near to us even in the trying moments.

Thank you Lord for giving us hope.  Lord, may hope never be robbed or taken away from us.

Thank you Lord because in the moments of greatest darkness in our lives you remembered us and you left us our mother and your mother,

Thank you Lord, for not leaving us as orphans,

Partial transcript of the speech of Most Rev. John Du, Archbishop of Palo

Thank you Holy Father!

Thank you blessed Mother in this trying moments of our Life.

I would never have imagined I would say these words in front of your Holiness in the presence of the pilgrims.

In this very place where we are standing on that fateful day of November 8, 2013, in the presence of howling winds, storm surges of over six meters crushed over the place, destroying thousand of homes and killing an innumerable number of people.  Many bodies were washed ashore to the other side of the city.

The suffering of our people defied imagination.

But in the midst of pains and suffering, it was our christian faith that helped us through.

The prayers, solidarity and material help from those all over the world boosted our drooping spirit and inspired us to move on.

And this is why your presence here to give praise to God who of untold capacity once in a lifetime opportunity, to be one with you in joyful thanksgiving.

Our deep appreciation for you can hardly be expressed in words, most Holy Father, for you came despite of the the weather.  We could hardly express in words our thanksgiving to you. Let our unity then in this hollowed place be the manifestation, of our wanting to thank God amidst trials  and tribulations.

We are deeply filled with joy that we have celebrated this Eucharist with us - this great act of thanksgiving to God which is a constant source of strength and fount of hope in Christian life.   You have been with us all this time, and your coming here culminates the great outpouring of spiritual and material assistance form the Church for us.

Your Holiness, you come to us with a father's compassion and loving concern and thus brought us to God the father of all. You come as the shepherd and has brought us to the good Shepherd himself.

Your visit strengthen and consoles us.  May your humble presence among the poor who suffered the tragedy lead us to the restful waters of God's mercy and love.  We will always be grateful.  As the Psalmist says, " ...  The Lord will not abandon his people, nor forsake His inheritance." (Ps. 94, 14)  Jesus will never let us down.

Blessed be God forever!