Acta Francisci Pp. 143

por tu gran misericordia. Gracias, Señor, porque quisiste ser como uno de

nosotros. Gracias, Señor, porque siempre estás cercano a nosotros, aun

en los momentos de cruz. Gracias, Señor, por darnos la esperanza. Señor,

que no nos roben la esperanza. Gracias, Señor, porque en el momento más

oscuro de tu vida, en la cruz, te acordaste de nosotros y nos dejaste una

Madre, tu Madre. Gracias, Señor, por no dejarnos huérfanos.

Textus homiliae antea praeparatus

What words of consolation we have just heard! Once again, we have been

told that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, our Savior, our high priest who

brings us mercy, grace and help in all our needs.2 He heals our wounds,

he forgives our sins, and he calls us, as he did Saint Matthew,3 to be his

disciples. Let us praise him for his love, his mercy and his compassion.

Let us praise our great God!

I thank the Lord Jesus that we can be together this morning. I have

come to be with you, in this city which was ravaged by Typhoon Yolanda

fourteen months ago. I bring to you the love of a father, the prayers of the

entire Church, the promise that you are not forgotten as you continue to

rebuild. Here, the strongest storm ever recorded on earth was overcome by

the strongest force in the universe: God's love. We are here this morning to

bear witness to that love, to its power to transform death and destruction

into life and community. Christ's resurrection, which we celebrate at this

Mass, is our hope and a reality which we experience even now. We know

that the resurrection comes only after the cross, the cross which you have

borne with faith, dignity and God-given strength.

We come together above all to pray for those who died, those who are

still missing and those who were injured. We lift up to God the souls of

the dead, our mothers, fathers, sons and daughters, family, friends and

neighbors. We can be confident that, in coming into the presence of God,

they have encountered mercy and peace.4 There remains much sadness

because of their absence. For you who knew and loved them - and love

them still - the pain of losing them is real. But let us look with the eyes

of faith to the future. Our sadness is a seed which will one day bear fruit

2 Cf. Heb 4:14-16. 3 Cf. Mk 2:14. 4 Cf. Heb 4:16.