SW News: The Holy Father told Mongolian believers that they are all God’s nomads who are in search of happiness and thirsty for love. He said this in his homily during the Mass he presided over at Steppe Arena in Mongolia’s Ulaanbaatar on September 3 afternoon. Pope Francis recalled the words of Psalm 63 that was just prayed “O God my soul thirsts for You, my flesh sighs for You like a thirsty, parched land without water”.

He said it is in such a land that the good news reaches just like water. He reminded believers and religious that they are never alone on their paths and that their dryness does not have the power to make their life sterile forever. The pope spoke on the thirst that inhabits everyone and the love that quenches it.

The pontiff said that the words of the psalmist resonate in a land like Mongolia which is rich in history and culture and also characterized by the arid landscape comprising the desert and the steppes. “We are that arid land that thirsts for clear water, a water that deeply quenches thirst.” He added that our hearts wish to discover the real joy that accompanies us and sustains us.

“Only love truly quenches our thirst, makes us well, opens us to trust, making us taste the beauty of life […] in this thirst lies our great mystery; This thirst opens us to the living God, to the loving God who comes to meet us to make us his children and brothers and sisters among us”, he said in the sermon.

Citing the Gospel of the day in which St Peter is unable to accept the Passion of Jesus, the pope said the worldliness exemplified by St Peter will take us nowhere. Instead, it only aggravates the thirst more than before. Only by denying oneself and taking up the cross as Jesus did will one be able to quench the thirst in life. This, “is the truth that Jesus wants us to discover, the truth He wants to reveal to all of you and to this land of Mongolia: You need not be famous, rich, or powerful to be happy. Only love satisfies our hearts’ thirst, only love heals our wounds, only love brings us true joy.”

The Holy Mass was offered in English with chants and responses in Latin and Mongolian. Cardinal Giorgio Marengo was the chief celebrant with other cardinals and visiting prelates joining as the concelebrants vested in green chasubles. The Holy Father sat in the sanctuary vested in a green cope and stole. After the Kyrie in Latin, the Gloria was sung in Mongolian to the accompaniment of ethnic instruments.

In the Liturgy of the Word, the first reading was taken from the Book of Prophet Jeremiah Chapter 20 Verses 7-9 and it was in Mongolian. The second reading in English was from St Paul’s Letter to the Romans. The Gospel was taken from Matthew Chapter 16 and it was read in Mongolian.

After the Credo was sung in Mongolian, the Prayer of the Faithful was read out in multiple languages. The first prayer in Mongolian was for the Holy Father. The second one was for the Church spread throughout the world. The third one was for Christian families and it was in Korean. The next one was in Russian and it was for the heads of state and members of civil society. The fifth one was in Chinese and it was for those suffering physically and mentally.

This was followed by the Liturgy of the Eucharist. Children and young believers bring the offertory gifts to the altar and in turn, receive the blessing of the Holy Father. The Sanctus was sung in Latin and so was the Agnus Dei. The Our Father was sung in Mongolian. As the believers received Holy Communion, the famous Latin hymn Panis Angelicus was sung.

At the end of Holy Mass, Cardinal Marengo addressed the pope and thanked him for the visit. He also gifted the pope a picture of the word for Thank You in Mongolian old script. In return, the pope gifted him a beautiful chalice. The Holy Father also briefly interacted with the prelate of Hong Kong and his predecessor before imparting the apostolic blessing.