Cardinal Rivera: Resurrection of Christ makes Christians free

Mexico City, Mexico, Nov 8, 2004 / 22:00 pm

The Archbishop of Mexico City, Cardinal Norberto Rivera, reminded believers this week that the resurrection of Christ “drives Christians to be dynamic and bold, free and open, freed from the slavery to material things and from the sloth of today’s world.” During Sunday Mass at the Archdiocesan Cathedral, the Cardinal said, “Our life should be that of a pilgrim on a continuous journey, leaving our home in order to arrive at our definitive city, with intermediary stages.  We are all aware of the Biblical symbolism of the ‘foreigner’ applied to Christians who live in the present time and space, yearning to return to their definitive home.”

According to Cardinal Rivera, “The present is important and should be lived with intensity,” but “the yearning for our definitive home should lead us to relativize the present, knowing that the only absolute is God, who we will see, not in signs or images, but as He truly is.”

At the conclusion of the Mass, the Archbishop commented on the presidential elections in the US, expressing his confidence that leaders “will ensure that our fellow countrymen and all immigrants, not only Mexicans, will be treated with dignity.” 

“One of the requirements leaders have is to care for their people, to protect human rights,” he recalled, adding that immigrants “are not criminals” but rather “they are people in search of work.”