On the occasion of the 200th Anniversary of
the conclusion of construction on the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption
in Mexico City, which will be observed on Thursday of this week, the Holy
Father, Pope Francis sent a letter of greeting to His Eminence, Norberto Cardinal
Rivera Carrera, the Archbishop of Mexico’s Primatial See.
Letter
of His Holiness, Pope Francis
for the celebration of the 200th
Anniversary
of the completion of construction on the
Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption
Mexico City, Mexico
To the Lord Cardinal
Norberto Rivera Carrera
Archbishop of Mexico
Dear Brother,
With your letter of the 4th of this month you were kind
enough to point out to me that on the forthcoming day of August 15, the Solemnity
of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary to the glory of Heaven, the
celebrations will begin to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the conclusion
of the building of the Cathedral of that Primatial Archdiocese of Mexico.
In this significant circumstance, through your good
offices, I wish to have my cordial greeting reach all those who rejoice over
this event and the assurance that I will unite myself to all the pastors and
faithful of that particular Church in thanksgiving to God for the gifts
received. This commemoration is an occasion to look at the past, to strengthen
the present and to glimpse the future.
We can draw lessons for our Christian life from the
history of this church. How many persons will have visited it to encounter the
Lord! Its stones are silent witnesses of the many that have entered it to open
their heart to God, to ask for forgiveness, to pray for favors, to praise and
bless Him for all the love He manifests to us every day. Let us gather the best
of that spiritual heritage and continue lifting our hearts to Heaven in this
house, which is God’s, and that of all those who form the great diocesan
family.
But this anniversary is not just about looking back. An
opportunity such as this one must become a strong spiritual stimulus to assume
joyfully the great task that every baptized person has today to be a disciple
and missionary of Jesus Christ. In the Cathedral, the heart of the diocese, the
Bishop carries out the most venerated and holy action that can be realized: the
Eucharist, memorial of the Death, Passion and Resurrection of Our Lord. Let us
participate in it with devotion and draw from the table of the Lord the
strength to give witness everywhere of the love that God has for us, in every
environment where we find ourselves and with all those around us,
especially the most underprivileged.
Let us also assume the challenge of looking to the future
with hope. Let no one rob us of hope! Let us nourish it, instead, by coming to
the first diocesan church. The Word of Life that resounds in the Primatial Cathedral
of Mexico must be prolonged in the future; it must be rooted in the heart of
children, of adolescents and of young people. They are an open window to hope
and enthusiasm. We must give them the best that we have: Christ, our Savior and
Friend who never fails. This is the responsibility, first of all, of fathers
and mothers of families, who have in the Christian education of their children
the greatest commitment, of which they cannot tire, and which they must carry
out not only trusting in their energies but, above all, supported by prayer.
I entrust all these good desires to the maternal protection of
Our Lady of Guadalupe, our Heavenly Mother. May she be for the whole
Archdiocese of Mexico the compass and star that leads to Christ, the fruit of
her womb. May she guard with her protection and maintain faithful in the path
of sanctity all the priests, men and women religious, seminarians and faithful
of that Archdiocesan community.
Dear Brother, I ask you, please, to pray and have others
pray for me in that Cathedral. I need it very much. With these sentiments, I
impart my heartfelt Apostolic Blessing, a pledge of copious divine favors.
Fraternally,
Francis
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