Pope Francis' visit has brought hope to all Thai people

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Source: Vatican News/JNS

Pope Francis attended four major events on his last full day in Thailand: a meeting with priests, religious, seminarians and catechists; a meeting with the Bishops of Thailand and members of the Federation of Asian Bishops Conferences; and a meeting with Christians and other faith leaders. The day concluded with a Mass for more than 7,000 young people in the Bangkok's Cathedral of the Assumption.

The first two gatherings took place in the Catholic village of Wat Roman a Tha Kham about 35k north of Bangkok. As Pope Francis came along in his popemobile, crowds by the roadside, many in national dress, waved, cheered and bowed in traditional Thai style.

The bells rang as Pope entered the 180-year old St Peters church. The village also has a modern shrine of Thailand's first martyr priest: Blessed Nicholas Bunkerd Kitbamrung, who died in 1944. In his meeting there with hundreds of priests, sisters and seminarians, the Pope was welcomed by Bishop Joseph Padhan Sridarunsil and Sr Benedetta Jongrak Donoran, a postulant from the Congregation of the Missionaries of Mary.

Pope Francis said: "I felt gratitude for the lives of all those missionaries, men and women, whose lives of service left their mark." He thanked especially "all those consecrated persons who by the silent martyrdom of fidelity and daily commitment have borne great fruit."

He called on these modern missionaries "to have that same love, that same passion for Jesus" as their predecessors, and said: "The Lord did not call us and send us forth into the world to impose obligations on people, or lay heavier burdens than those they already have, which are many, but rather to share joy, a beautiful, new and surprising horizon." Quoting Benedict XVI, he said, "the church does not grow by proselytizing, but by attraction."

Pope Francis said many of those present had discovered their vocations as they sought to put the Gospel into practice by going out "to visit the needy, the neglected and even the despised, the orphans and the elderly." He reminded them that it is "in the faces of those we encounter on the street" that "we can discover the beauty of being able to treat one another as brothers and sisters."

"We see them no longer as orphans, derelicts, outcasts or the despised.. Now each of them has the face of a brother or sister redeemed by Jesus Christ." He told them "to be a Christian" is "to see beauty where others see only contempt, abandonment or an object of sexual gratification."

He encouraged them to spend much time in prayer because "without prayer, our life and mission loses all its meaning, strength and fervour."

Later in the afternoon Pope Francis visited Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok for a meeting with leaders of other Christian denominations and faiths, attended by hundreds of students.

In the evening, about 7,000 students from Catholic schools around the country flocked to the Cathedral of the Assumption for Mass with the the Holy Father. In his homily Pope Francis asked the young people of Thailand to be deeply rooted and anchored in their faith by cultivating a friendship with Jesus, saying it will provide them with the oil needed to light up the path of their life and those of others around them.

"The Lord knows that through you, young people, the future is coming into this land and the world, and he is counting on you to carry out your mission today," he told them.

He reflected on the day's Gospel of the Parable of the Ten Virgins, saying it can happen to any Christian. "Full of excitement and interest," he explained, "we hear the Lord's call to be a part of His kingdom and share His joy with others."

But often, he noted, in the face of problems and obstacles like the suffering of our loved ones, or our own helplessness before apparently hopeless situations, unbelief and bitterness can take over and silently seep into our dreams, making our hearts grow cold, causing us to lose our joy and to arrive late, like the five foolish virgins in the parable.

The Pope thus offered his advice to young people how to keep alive the fire that keeps them burning brightly amid darkness and difficulties, how to answer to the Lord's call and how to obtain the oil that can keep them moving forward, seeking the Lord in every situation.

For this, they need to be deeply rooted in the faith of their ancestors: their parents, grandparents and teachers.

Amidst life's many trials and much suffering, the Pope said, our elders discovered that the secret to a happy heart is the security we find when we are anchored, rooted in Jesus: in his life, in his words, in his death and resurrection.

The Pope said it is impossible for us to grow unless we have strong roots to support us and to keep us firmly grounded.

Without this firm sense of rootedness, young people can be swayed by the "voices" of this world, leaving them only empty, weary, alone and disenchanted, slowly extinguishing that spark of life that the Lord once lit in the heart of each of us.

At the end of the Mass, the Pope thanked all who made his visit to Thailand possible. In particular, he expressed his gratitude to His Majesty King Rama X, the government and the other authorities of the country, for their warm reception. He also thanked the country's bishops, especially Cardinal Francis Xavier Kriengsak Kovithavanij, as well as the priests, men and women religious, and lay faithful, and in especially the young people. The Holy Father also had words of gratitude for the volunteers and all those who accompanied him with their prayers and sacrifices, especially the sick and those in prison.

While invoking the Lord's consolation and peace on them, the Pope asked them not to forget to pray for him.

Friday's evening Mass was the last major event of Pope Francis in Thailand before he flies to Japan on Saturday morning.

The visit "brought hope to all the people of Thailand, not just Catholics," Thidarat 'Ai' Taneame told AsiaNews. The 23-year-old computer graphic student served as a volunteer among young people from the Archdiocese of Bangkok during the pontiff's visit.

She said: "Seeing the Pope today so close-up was a miracle for me.. Meeting him face-to-face comes only once in a lifetime,"

"In the past few days, we helped pilgrims and the whole community. It was very tiring, but our goal was to forge an even deeper friendship with God and the people around us, become better citizens, and make a decisive contribution to our nation."

"Thanks to this historic event, we Thai Catholics will be more united," she said. "We have now come to realise that we have so many tribal brothers and sisters whose lives are very far from ours here in Bangkok. Our small community is actually bigger than we thought with friends in many other parts of the country."

Ai said she feels the visit will not just affect Catholics. "The Pope has brought hope to all the Thai people," she said.

She said the Catholic community "is not a closed circle; we have many Buddhist and Muslim friends, who are sometimes curious about our Sunday activities. I am happy to explain to them what we do, even though they don't realise how many activities we are involved in."

"The Church, in its social work, has never made any distinctions based on religious affiliation. Catholics have never denied help to anyone. I am sure that the visit of Pope Francis will give our work an even greater impetus."

Watch the Youth Mass here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=EPaifXg0JXk