Mongolia, an “immense” country, “rich in history and culture”, is yet “marked by the aridity of the steppes and the desert” – an apt metaphor for the thirst for happiness and love that is found in the heart of every human being.

In his homily during Mass on Sunday in Ulaanbaatar’s Steppe Arena, Pope Francis dwelt on this “thirst within us” and “the love that quenches it,” taking his inspiration from the day’s responsorial Psalm: “O God… my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.”

Only Christ can quench our thirst

This verse invites us first “to acknowledge the thirst within us.” The Psalmist’s words “have a particular resonance in a land like Mongolia, with its traditional nomadic culture,” the Pope explained, adding, “All of us are ‘God’s nomads,’ pilgrims in search of happiness, wayfarers searching for love.”

“Dear brothers and sisters,” Pope Francis said, “the Christian faith is the answer to this thirst… For in this thirst lies the great mystery of our humanity: it opens our hearts to the living God, the God of love, who comes to meet us and to make us his children, brothers, and sisters to one another.”

The Holy Father said, “This is the heart of the Christian faith: God, who is love, has drawn near to you in His Son Jesus, and wants to share in your life, your work, your dreams, and your thirst for happiness.”

If at times in our lives we “experience the desert of loneliness, fatigue, and emptiness,” the Pope said, citing St Augustine, God refreshes us with “the dew of His Word… He has opened for us a highway in the desert, Our Lord Jesus Christ.” God offers us consolation in the preachers of the word, and water in the desert “by filling those preachers with the Holy Spirit.”

The heart of our faith

This Word, Pope Francis said, “always brings us back to the very heart of our faith: allowing ourselves to be loved by God and in turn to make our lives an offering of love… Read more »

Dear brothers and sisters, buongiorno!

Today’s Gospel recounts the encounter of Jesus with a Canaanite woman outside the territory of Israel (cf. Mt 15:21-28). She asks him to liberate her daughter, who is tormented by a demon. But the Lord pays no attention to her. She insists, and the disciples advise Jesus to acknowledge her so she would stop… Read more »

Dear brothers and sisters, buongiorno!

Today, Solemnity of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, we contemplate her ascending in body and soul to the glory of Heaven. Today’s Gospel also presents her to us as she ascends, this time “into the hill country” (Lk 1:39). And why does she go up there? To help her cousin Elizabeth, and there she proclaims the joyful canticle of the Magnificat… Read more »

Għeżież ħuti, il-jum it-tajjeb!

Illum l-Evanġelju jirrakkuntalna miraklu partikolari ta’ Ġesù.  Billejl, Hu jimxi fuq l-ilma tal-għadira tal-Galilija biex jiltaqa’ mad-dixxipli li qed jaqsmu min-naħa għall-oħra bid-dagħjsa (cfr (Mt 14, 22-33).  Insaqsu: għaliex għamel hekk Ġesù?  Biex jagħmel spettaklu?  Le!  Allura għaliex?  Forsi minħabba xi ħtieġa urġenti u imprevedibbli, biex jgħin lil tiegħu li jinsabu mwaħħlin minħabba r-riħ kontra?  Le, iżda għaliex kien Hu li fassal kollox, li qalilhom biex jitilqu billejl u saħansitra – jgħidilna t-test – “ġagħalhom” (cfr v… Read more »