Vatican City, 21 February 2016 (VIS) –
Pope Francis described his trip to Mexico as "an experience of
transfiguration" in his reflection before this Sunday's Angelus.
Starting from the Gospel reading of this second Sunday of Lent,
dedicated to the Transfiguration of Jesus on Mount Tabor, the Holy
Father spoke about his visit to the land of the Virgin of Guadalupe.
In Mexico, he said "the Lord has
shown us the light of His glory through the Body of the Church, of
His holy people that live in this land — a body so often wounded, a
people so often oppressed and despised, whose dignity is violated. In
fact, the various encounters experienced in Mexico were truly full of
light: the light of a faith that transfigures faces and illumines our
path".
"The spiritual 'centre of gravity'
of my pilgrimage was the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe", he
added. "To remain in silence before the image of the Mother was
what suggested the trip to me. I thank God for giving me this
opportunity. I contemplated and let myself to be gazed upon by She
whose eyes hold the gaze of all of her children, the sorrows of
violence, kidnapping and murders, the violence against so many poor
people, against so many women. Guadalupe is the most visited Marian
sanctuary in the world. From all of America, people go to pray there
where the ‘Virgin Morenita’ appeared to the Indian St. Juan
Diego, giving rise to the evangelisation of the continent and its new
civilization, a fruit of encounter between diverse cultures".
"It is precisely this inheritance
that the Lord has entrusted to Mexico: to protect the wealth of
diversity, and at the same time, to manifest the harmony of a common
faith: a simple and robust faith, accompanied by a great force of
vitality and humanity", explained the Pope. "Like my
predecessors, I also went to confirm the Mexican people in their
faith, but at the same time to be confirmed. I have gathered fully
this gift so that it may be of benefit to the universal Church".
"A shining example of what I am
saying was given by families: Mexican families welcomed me with joy
as a messenger of Christ and pastor of the Church. But at the same
time, they gave me clear and strong witness of lived faith, of faith
that transfigures life, for the edification of all Christian families
in the world. The same may be said about the young, consecrated
persons, priests, workers and the imprisoned".
After giving thanks to the Virgin of
Guadalupe for this pilgrimage and acknowledging the contribution of
the civil and ecclesiastical authorities of Mexico and all those who
made the trip possible, Francis gave special praise to the Holy
Trinity for the encounter in Cuba with Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and
All Russia, a meeting that was greatly desired by previous popes.
"This event too is a prophetic
light of the Resurrection, which the world today needs more than
ever. May the Holy Mother of God continue to guide us in the path of
friendship and unity. Let us pray to the Virgin of Kazan, an icon of
whom was given to me by Patriarch Kirill".
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