Buenos Aires, Argentina, Aug 11, 2010 / 10:01 am
The Archbishop of Buenos Aires, Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio, thanked the members of the consecrated life living in his archdiocese for their work and described them as “bridges to God” for all they meet.
In a letter for the Day of Consecrated Life, which will be held on September 8, Cardinal Bergoglio said that without consecrated men and women, “Life would be much poorer because they are a great sign of gratitude and love in a culture that runs the risk of drowning in the whirlpool of that which is fleeting, functional, self-referential.”
“The consecrated life bears witness to and strongly proclaims that God and man mutually seek one another, that love attracts them. The consecrated person, by merely living and bearing witness to his consecration, is a bridge to God for all those who come into contact with him. He reminds them of God and points to Him.”
“The consecrated life bears witness to unconditional love that leads one to lose his own life in response to the overabundance of love that the Lord showed us first, by giving His life for us. Consequently, because of this deep awareness of being people who have been saved, you all are called especially to be witnesses of the mercy of the Lord. The consecrated life is a school of the humble recognition of poverty and of trust in the mercy of God,” the cardinal said.