AMERICA/BOLIVIA - Archbishop Centellas: "We must stop being adversaries and work together for the progress of our country, for the progress of each family"

Tuesday, 1 February 2022 social situation politics bishops

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Sucre (Agenzia Fides) – To live the love that comes from God, which helps us to always seek forgiveness and reconciliation among all, to do good above all to those who are furthest away and to love our enemies: this was the theme of the homily of Msgr. Ricardo Centellas, Archbishop of Sucre, during the mass celebrated on Sunday January 30 in the Cathedral. Commenting on the biblical readings of the day, "which illuminate our path", the Archbishop underlined the last verse of the first reading (Jer 1: 4-5.17-19) - "They will make war on you, but they will not defeat you , for I am with you to save you" - to emphasize that "living the Christian commitment is very difficult, but we must not be discouraged, we must move forward with the life that God gives us, respecting the human and Christian principles that God shows us through the life of Jesus". In the second reading (1 Cor 12,31-13,13) "Paul reminds us of the meaning of Christian love, of the love of God". Jesus taught us to love one another as he loved us, and to deepen and increase the experience of love by loving our enemies. "To love is to do good, especially to the little ones, not to those in my group, those whom I love or those of my party, Jesus invites us to do good especially to those who are on the outskirts, those who are totally forgotten", the Archbishop said. If we want to live our faith, "we must not have enemies, we are different and we have different ways of facing life, but we are not adversaries, if we must change something in Bolivia, it is to stop being adversaries and work together for the progress of our country, for the progress of each family; we gain nothing by being adversaries, but we lose ourselves, and this is the meaning of Christian love".
He then urged people to learn to live forgiveness, going beyond purely human aspirations or desires, because to live love as God offers it to us is to accept this love which implies forgiveness, reconciliation. "This is why the Church proposes reconciliation to Bolivia, because only if we treat each other as brothers can we progress and be a much more tolerant society, respectful of each other". If we are not able to reconcile, we will always attack each other and always find adversaries, fomenting enmity, confrontation". (SL) (Agenzia Fides, 1/2/2022)