A pure gift of the Holy Father

Pope Francis on board pope mobile waves to the crowd as he leaves Quirino Grandstand, Sunday, January 18, 2015, after celebrating holy mass despite pouring rains. An estimated six (6) million people attended the mass. (Photo by: Ryan Lim /Malacañang Photo Bureau)

Anticipation was high as the Philippines awaited Pope Francis’ visit to the country from January 15 to 19, 2015. For weeks before the Pope’s arrival, national media discussed the importance of the papal visit and a 1,000-member choir practised new hymns specially composed for the closing mass by Fr Manoling Francisco SJ.

The Holy Father had a packed schedule in the Philippines which included a motorcade at the start and end of his visit; meetings with Philippine President Benigno Aquino III, with families and with youth; a mass with bishops, priests, and consecrated persons at the Manila Cathedral; the visit to Tacloban to celebrate mass and meet the survivors of Typhoon Haiyan; and a closing mass attended by 6 million people. Yet Pope Francis still found ways to deviate from his itinerary: first by bonding with former street children in Tulay ng Kabataan Foundation; and second by meeting 40 of his fellow Jesuits at the Apostolic Nunciature in Manila.

Planned in advance, the brotherly meeting on January 16 was kept under wraps until it was over. It lasted an hour and covered a range of topics such as the suffering of migrant people, the sick and suffering in hospital, the need for religious to pray constantly and be grounded in the life of the people. Jesuit Conference of Asia Pacific President Fr Mark Raper SJ provides an account of what was discussed in his President’s message.

We offer below brief reflections of three Jesuits who met the Pope that night.

Fr Antonio F Moreno SJ, Philippine Provincial

Our encounter with Pope Francis may never be repeated again. He was very casual, friendly, warm, humorous, spontaneous, fraternal and fatherly. When I stood up to raise my question, he gently told me to sit down. A novice asked him permission to hug him, and he gamely said: “Yes.” Another held his hand during the picture taking with him, and the Pope did not seem to mind that. He kept us fully awake and attentive from start to finish. We were like little children captivated by his stories. He was teaching and leading us to the ways of Jesus. He challenged us to go to the peripheries without neglecting prayer. The spirit of the conversation was typically Jesuit. For me, it was like a new Pentecost. I felt like exclaiming: “The Lord has visited his people!” The encounter was a pure gift of the Holy Father. It was not something we deserved, not an entitlement because we are Jesuits. From that, it became a deeply religious experience – one that will stay with us for the rest of our lives.

Fr Joel Tabora SJ, President of Ateneo de Davao University

How does one explain the privilege of having been able to encounter this holy man, Francis, except to say, sincerely, it’s not explainable? No work, no achievement, no advocacy, no membership in any group or society was entitlement for this. It was sheer undeserved grace, as grace always is. … Between the spirited Spanish and the translation I will not even attempt to summarize what was said. What was communicated to me was joy, simplicity, honesty, encouragement to remain faithful to the transcendent in our calling, challenge to go to the peripheries, pride in the elevated dignity of the Filipino people, and, because of a shared vocation or a shared baptism, a special felt fraternity in shared mission. It was a grace undeserved.

Fr Xavier Alpasa SJ, Executive Director of Simbahang Lingkod ng Bayan (SLB)

The whole Tacloban visit and Mass [was the most striking part of the papal visit]. In SLB’S work with typhoon survivors we have realized that the most important gift one can give is the gift of presence and this was a sacramental presence of the Vicar of Christ no less. This is why a lot of people were crying—even those who were watching from their TVs, especially those who have seen the Yolanda destructions.