Pope at Mass in Uruguay: ‘Carry forward evangelizing mission with enthusiasm’

Celebrating Mass in Paysandu, Pope Leo XIV recalls the many people of faith who came to the Rio de la Plata region, and encourages Uruguayans to 'continue the legacy left to us by these sowers of the Gospel.'

Pope Leo celebrates Mass in Paysandu (VATICAN MEDIA)

“Today, the Liturgy of the Word invites us to recall the presence of so many people of faith who came to the Río de la Plata region,” Pope Leo XIV said on Saturday during Mass in the Paysandu, Uruguay.

In a homily dedicated to the theme of mission, the Holy Father said, “From the earliest days of evangelization on this continent, they arrived in the name of the Lord to proclaim the great joy they themselves had experienced in encountering Christ.”

Continuing the legacy of mission

He remembered in particular the first Bishop of Montevideo, Blessed Jacinto Vera, “who bore faithful witness to the faith through generous charity and total dedication to the apostolic mission.”

After recalling Blessed Jacinto’s missionary labours, Pope Leo said, “Today it is our turn to continue the legacy left to us by these sowers of the Gospel,” with “justice, honesty, and faithfulness, recognizing that the message we proclaim does not belong to us. It is a treasure we have received from the Lord, and we carry it in earthen vessels.”

Symbols of faith and mission

The Pope offered three symbols from the region to reflect “on the treasure of faith we have received and the mission now entrusted to us”: the nearby General Artigas International Bridge, the palm groves of the area, and the mate drink.

The bridge demonstrates the values of openness, communication, and exchange, highlighting “the vocation to which we are called: to build bridges, strengthen bonds, unite, communicate, and share the joy of faith.”

Palm trees are “a beautiful image of our origin and the destiny to which we are called,' he said.

At the same time, they do not stand alone but form groves; “likewise, the Church is a community of brothers and sisters that sinks its roots and draws from a common spring: the word of God, the sacraments, prayer, and charitable works.”

Finally, mate, the characteristic South American drink, is a sign of “familiarity, friendship and encounter” that “teaches us to share and to be together, strengthening the bonds that unite us as brothers and sisters.”

Pope Leo noted that “the symbols we share… speak to us of our origins and point us to the future.”

‘Christ is counting on you!’

Faith, too, he said, “has been a part of the life of the Uruguayan people since their earliest days, and it must be passed on to future generations with creative courage.”

Pope Leo XIV encouraged the faithful “to carry forward the mission of evangelization with enthusiasm,” encouraging them to be bridges so that others may encounter Jesus; a fraternal community “that shares life, projects, dreams, and hopes, especially those in need”; and “a community of prayer that maintains an ongoing dialogue with the Lord.”

Christ, he said, “is counting on all of you! Christ is counting on you!”

The Holy Father concluded his homily with a prayer that Our Lady of the Thirty-Three, the patroness of Uruguay, might “protect you on their journey through life, and always guide you to an encounter with her Son, Jesus.”

Christopher Wells
Source: vaticannews.va/en