AMERICA/ARGENTINA – “Let’s learn from pilgrims to continue building the common good”: towards the Luján pilgrimage
Luján (Agenzia Fides) – “We are called to learn from pilgrims, a true source of inspiration and teaching, to continue building the common good. Ask the Virgin of Luján, Mother and Patroness of Argentina, to help the various leaders of the country, to have the look and the heart of the pilgrims, humble and helpful, always being part of our people and never above them”. This is the exhortation of the Presidency of the Episcopal Conference of Argentina, addressed to the young people who are preparing for the 48th Pilgrimage to Luján, which will take place between October 1 and 2, and which each year brings together thousands of young people from all the country. The icon of the Virgin “Our Lady of Luján”, patroness of Argentina, dating from the fourteenth century, is kept in the Basilica of Luján, 60 km from the capital Buenos Aires, destination of countless pilgrimages throughout of the year.
The motto of this year’s pilgrimage is “Mother, look at us with tenderness, we want to unite as a people”: “this event has been, from its origins, a strong commitment to life, hope and unity of the Argentine people”, write the bishops, inviting us to live this experience with the eyes and the hearts of the pilgrims. “We are witnesses to the faith of our people who have set out to celebrate the God of life. It fills us with joy to know that the sanctuaries of our homeland have their doors open to all, we recognize ourselves as being part of the same family”.
The bishops then recall “the multitudes of men and women of all ages” who take part in pilgrimages and festivals of faith throughout the country, expressions of the power of popular spirituality. In pilgrimages, “we celebrate the joy of being immersed in a multitude of brothers and sisters, walking together towards the God who awaits us”. The “culture of encounter” manifests itself “in the participation of people of all social classes; coming from different realities and experiences, we walk and pray together; in pilgrimages the other is respected, we walk several times rhythm of the other, and together we help each other to reach the desired goal.The pilgrim recognizes himself as a walker towards the goal and, therefore, he does not claim to have arrived or to be above the others who walk at his sides. Shared pain and fatigue make him sympathetic and committed to the common journey”.
Argentina has been experiencing an economic and social crisis for some time, aggravated by a delicate political situation. Until recently, the bishops denounced “a suffocating inflation which generates misery”, an increasing number of people who go to the soup kitchen every day, elderly people who cannot afford medicine, families whose income is increasingly insignificant. In addition, society is divided and opposed, it seems impossible to develop common projects, while “politicians need more than ever an exercise of responsibility that goes beyond their own interests” (see Fides 01/08 /2022).
(SL) (Fides Service, 9/27/2022)
To share: