APOSTOLIC JOURNEY OF HIS HOLINESS POPE FRANCIS TO CHILE AND PERU (15-22 JANUARY 2018) MASS OF OUR LADY OF MOUNT CARMEL AND PRAYER FOR CHILE: HOMILY OF HIS HOLINESS POPE FRANCIS

[…]
Brothers and sisters, Iquique is a land of dreams (for so its name means in the
Aymara language). It is a land that has given shelter to men and women of different
peoples and cultures who had to leave everything behind and set out. Setting out
always with the hope of obtaining a better life, yet, as we know, always with their
bags packed with fear and uncertainty about the future. Iquique is a region of
immigrants, which reminds us of the greatness of men and women, entire families,
who, in the face of adversity, refused to give up and set out in search of life. In
search of life. They – especially those who had to leave their land for lack of life’s
bare necessities – are an image of the Holy Family, which had to cross deserts to
keep on living.
This land is a land of dreams, but let us work to ensure that it also continues to be a
land of hospitality. A festive hospitality, for we know very well that there is no
Christian joy when doors are closed; there is no Christian joy when others are made
to feel unwanted, when there is no room for them in our midst (cf. Lk 16:19-31).
Like Mary at Cana, let us make an effort to be more attentive in our squares and
towns, to notice those whose lives have been “watered down”, who have lost – or
have been robbed of – reasons for celebrating; those whose hearts are saddened.
And let us not be afraid to raise our voices and say: “They have no wine”. The cry
of the people of God, the cry of the poor, is a kind of prayer; it opens our hearts and
teaches us to be attentive. Let us be attentive, then, to all situations of injustice and
to new forms of exploitation that risk making so many of our brothers and sisters
miss the joy of the party. Let us be attentive to the lack of steady employment,
which destroys lives and homes. Let us be attentive to those who profit from the
irregular status of many migrants who don’t know the language or who don’t have
their papers “in order”. Let us be attentive to the lack of shelter, land and
employment experienced by so many families. And, like Mary, let us say: They have
no wine, Lord.
Like the servants at the party, let us offer what have, little as it may seem. Like
them, let us not be afraid to “lend a hand”. May our solidarity in the commitment for
justice be part of the dance or song that we can offer to our Lord. Let us also make
the most of the opportunity to learn and make our own the values, the wisdom and
the faith that migrants bring with them. Without being closed to those “jars” so full
of wisdom and history brought by those who continue to come to these lands. Let
us not deprive ourselves of all the good that they have to contribute. […]