Excerpt below, for the full transcript click on the picture link above

Dear brothers and sisters of this land of Uruguay,

With great enthusiasm, I am here with you today next to Our Lady of the Thirty-Three. I come as a pilgrim to share in the faith and the tenderness with which the Uruguayan people have looked at the Mother of God for generations. I say to those who have come from different places, to those who have been making the pilgrimage here for years, and to those who are visiting for the first time today: I embrace all of you with affection and entrust you to Mary’s protection.

Today, the word of God presents us with two women who lived in very different times and upon whom almost the same blessing is bestowed.  To Judith, after the liberation of her people, it was said: “O daughter, you are blessed by the Most High God above all other women on earth” (Jud 13:18).  Many centuries later, Elizabeth welcomes Mary into her home and exclaims: “Blessed are you among women” (Lk 1:42).

This connection was recognized very early on by Christian tradition. In Judith, it saw a woman who did not allow herself to be overcome by fear at a difficult time for her people. Through prayer and fasting, she made a decision that led her to risk her own life (cf. Jud 8-10). When victory came, Judith did not take credit for it, for she knew full well who had saved Israel, and said: “Begin a song to my God with tambourines, sing to my Lord with cymbals” (Jud 16:1). That is why the words with which her people welcomed her are so majestic: “You are the glory of Jerusalem, you are the great boast of Israel, you are the great pride of our nation!” (Jud 15:9). The people celebrated what God had done for them through Judith.

Hearing these words today before the Patroness of this country has a special resonance. This small image is linked to a decisive moment in Uruguay’s history. In 1825, those who were fighting for the freedom of this land also turned to Mary, to place the beginning of their efforts under her protection. That gesture reminds us that the history of peoples, too, cannot be fully understood without reference to God. Thus, from the earliest days of the nation’s founding, Uruguay has been intimately linked to a Mother. Since that time, generations have come and gone, circumstances have changed, including the relationship of many Uruguayans to the faith. Yet she has remained here.  While Mary accompanied the history of this people, at the same time in so many homes other women preserved the faith and passed it on to their children.

I think of the mothers who placed the first words of prayer on their children’s lips, who took them to be baptized, who prepared them to receive the sacraments, and who taught them to live out Christian charity.  I think of the grandmothers who kept an altar at home, who prayed for the living and the deceased and who made God present in the ordinary events of life. Even in the early days of the Church we find something similar.  Timothy’s faith was rooted in two women, with the Apostle fondly recalling Timothy’s grandmother Lois and his mother Eunice.  In them, “sincere faith” had first taken root, which Paul also recognized in Timothy (cf. 2 Tim 1:5).  Scripture tells us little about those two women.  We know, however, that Timothy, who would become a close collaborator of Saint Paul, was formed by that faith learned at home (cf. Acts 16:1-3).

This land also has women’s names inscribed in its history of faith. Among them is Saint María Francisca Rubatto, who chose to remain among you and serve those most in need here. There are also the Blessed Martyrs Dolores and Consuelo Aguiar-Mella, two sisters born in Montevideo. Their lives were very different, but in all three we find supreme examples of faithfulness.

Yet most of this history of faith in the country was never written down in books.  It was quietly passed down from generation to generation within families.  When we wonder and ask where our faith comes from, the name of a specific woman often comes to mind: a mother, a grandmother, a godmother, a religious sister or a catechist. We may not remember every word they said to us, but we do remember how they prayed, how they spoke of the Lord and with what conviction they lived out what they taught us.

Today I would like to thank all of those women. Thank you for having believed and for having kept open a path to God in so many families.  Some were able to do so supported by a long-standing family tradition; others had to sustain that faith with greater effort, perhaps without always finding understanding or support within their own homes. I know that many of you carry a very specific sorrow.  You taught your children to pray, and today they no longer do so. You used to attend Mass together, and it has been years since they entered a church.  You spoke to your grandchildren about God, and now you do not know if those words left a mark. Sometimes you wonder if you did something wrong or if it was all futile.  Allow me to recall Saint Monica here, who knew that pain well. She prayed for years for a son who seemed to be drifting further and further from God, but she never stopped trusting in his grace. Therefore, do not consider what you have sown to be lost.  The Lord himself taught us that the seed can grow without the sower knowing how (cf. Mk 4:27).

Mothers and grandmothers: never tire of passing on the faith!  Preach with your lives as well as with your words.  Insist on prayer, love, and hope; insist on them in season and out of season (cf. 2 Tim 4:2). Do so with patience, without harshness or discouragement.  Even if your loved ones seem far from God, continue to place them before him. Do not stop blessing them, accompanying them, and simply reminding them of what they once received. There are doors that you cannot open, but God can.

I would also like to address the men — fathers and grandfathers. Your children and grandchildren need to see that the faith occupies a genuine place in the lives of the men in your family.  Imitate Saint Joseph, who took on the task of raising Jesus, bringing him to the temple, teaching him to work honestly and showing him that God must come first in a person’s life. Dear fathers and grandfathers, young people need to see that you pray, receive the sacraments, treat your wives with respect, ask for forgiveness and live with integrity, even when doing so requires sacrifice.  Children learn a great deal by seeing that their father can kneel before God without feeling that he is any less of a man for doing it.

Scripture called on God’s people to keep the words they have received from him in their hearts and to teach them to their children, to speak of them “when you are at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you rise” (Deut 6:7).  God was central to conversation, decision making and daily family life.  In this way, children learned that the faith they received from their parents was also what their parents lived by.  Likewise today, bishops, priests and consecrated persons are also called to support families in this task, generously exercising their spiritual fatherhood and motherhood, accompanying those who falter and helping many to rediscover the path to God.

Passing on the faith means bringing others to Christ, whom we ourselves have encountered.  Mary shows us precisely how to do this.  In the Gospel, Elizabeth welcomes her exclaiming: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb” (Lk 1:42). Mary does not keep that praise to herself.  When Elizabeth proclaims her blessed, Mary responds by singing of the Lord’s greatness (cf. Lk 1:46-55). At Cana, when others turn to her, she directs them to her Son: “Do whatever he tells you” (Jn 2:5).

In the second reading, Saint Paul explicitly states a truth that Mary’s entire life proclaims: “There is one God; there is also one mediator between God and humankind, Christ Jesus, himself human” (1 Tim 2:5).  All of Mary’s greatness is based on her relationship with Christ: she welcomes him, lives by him, and leads others to him.  An encounter with the Master is the goal of all evangelization and of all authentic Marian devotion.  The Son of God has given himself up for all; thus, no one can be excluded from the Church’s prayer.  That is why Saint Paul asks us to pray “for kings and all who are in high positions” (1 Tim 2:2), and for all people, because God “desires everyone to be saved” (1 Tim 2:4).

On this feast of the Patroness of Uruguay, let us bring this entire people before the Lord.  Let us pray for those who bear the responsibility of governing it, that they may seek with integrity the good of all; for families, for young people, for those who suffer, for those who feel far from God and for those who need to return to him and change their lives.

08.11.26

Dear brothers and sisters,

The readings we have just heard describe the figure of a righteous man whom the Lord helps and strengthens so that he may carry out the mission entrusted to him. In his Letter to the Philippians, Saint Paul expresses gratitude for the community’s support of his missionary work, conscious that, in his poverty, God is his only wealth and that divine providence is made manifest through the brothers and sisters to whom he has been sent.

The Psalm, for its part, calls blessed those who love the law of the Lord and whose deeds are consistent with their faith. Similarly, in the Gospel, Jesus emphasizes the honest man who serves God and who places the Lord at the center of his life, remaining faithful in everything entrusted to him, whether it be great or small.

Today, as we gather here in Paysandú to celebrate the Eucharist — rejoicing to see so many members of the Church in Uruguay assembled around the same table, together with pilgrims from neighbouring countries — 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. 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. Like the angels who appeared to the shepherds (cf. Lk 2:10), they joyfully shared the Good News of the Gospel, expressing their faith through works of charity and mercy.

In this celebration, we also wish to remember and give thanks to God for the life and ministry of a son of this land: Blessed Jacinto Vera, Bishop of Montevideo, who bore faithful witness to the faith he proclaimed through generous charity and total dedication to the apostolic mission. He widely exercised his pastoral zeal, sparing no sacrifice. For instance, he often travelled on horseback to care for the sick, despite the great distances, the dangers of the journey, and the harsh weather. The “gaucho bishop” travelled the length and breadth of Uruguay three times, bringing faith and hope to its people. During the historic Siege of Paysandú in 1864, Bishop Vera took up residence on the Isla de la Caridad, across from the besieged city, to care for refugees and the wounded on both sides. He remained there until the siege ended, accompanying his people and pleading in the name of God for the armies of brothers to embrace one another in fraternal love.

Dear brothers and sisters, today it is our turn to continue the legacy left to us by these sowers of the Gospel. We must do so bearing in mind the word of God: 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 (cf. 2 Cor 4:7).

Three symbols that characterize this region can help us reflect on the treasure of faith we have received and the mission now entrusted to us. The first is the bridge; the second the palm groves; and the third is the mate drink.

In this city of Paysandú stands the General Artigas International Bridge, which spans the Uruguay River, uniting two neighbouring countries. It is not difficult to imagine the benefits a bridge brings: openness, communication and exchange.  That is why it is so important to be builders of bridges! This is the vocation to which we are all called: to build bridges, strengthen bonds, unite, communicate and share the joy of faith, as Blessed Jacinto Vera did, “whether the time is favourable or unfavourable” (2 Tim 4:2).

Moreover, a bridge needs solid foundations if it is to withstand even the strongest currents. Indeed, just as a house built on rock stands firm in the midst of a storm, while one built on sand is in danger of collapsing (cf. Mt 7:24-27), so too a bridge needs proper foundations to withstand the force of wind and water. Whenever you go down to the riverbank and see the bridge, remember that this symbol represents us and reminds us of the importance of a solid Christian formation. We need to be well prepared to give an account of our faith to anyone who asks (cf. 1 Pet 3:15) and not allow ourselves to be carried away “by all kinds of strange teachings” (Heb 13:9). Only in this way can we become instruments of unity and bonds of charity.

The second symbol that characterizes and embellishes this land is the palm groves. The Book of Psalms tells us that “the righteous flourish like the palm tree” (Ps 92:12). This tree can withstand strong winds, has deep roots, rises straight toward the sky in search of light, and produces the sweet yatay fruit. This is a beautiful image of our origin and the destiny to which we are called: to take root in Christ, the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End of our lives, so that, by remaining united to him, we may bear good fruit (cf. Jn 15:5).

At the same time, we observe that palm trees in this region do not stand alone, but form groves; there are many of them, yet they are neither alone nor far apart. 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. Together, her faithful lift their eyes to praise Christ — the dawn from on high, whose light guides humanity’s steps along the path of peace (cf. Lk 1:78-79).

Finally, let us consider a symbol found in every home in this country, in every place of study and work, and at every gathering of friends. I am referring to mate, that drink so characteristic of South America, whose profound meaning you can explain better than I can. Surely, many of you enjoyed mate on your way to this celebration today and will have some again on your journey home. Mate has even made its way to Rome!

Mate is a sign of familiarity, friendship and encounter. It teaches us to share and to be together, strengthening the bonds that unite us as brothers and sisters. It is a sign of welcome, integration and shared values. “Drinking mate” is a ritual rich in symbolism, in which dialogue takes place without words and every detail holds its own meaning. I also think of those moments when one drinks mate alone, silently and prayerfully. In those moments of solitude, how often have so many of you entrusted to God your concerns and needs, your deepest desires and longings!

Dear brothers and sisters, we must reflect on these symbols that we share, which give us identity and a sense of belonging, which speak to us of our origins and point us toward the future. Faith, too, has been part of the life of the Uruguayan people since their earliest days, and it must be passed on to future generations with creative courage.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus reminds us of the importance of being faithful to the gifts we have received: “Whoever is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much” (Lk 16:10). Many men and women, like Bishop Jacinto Vera, lived out these words. Faithful to the vocation they had received, they sowed the seeds of the Gospel in the hearts of the Uruguayan people. Those seeds remain alive in the community, but it is essential to continue providing the necessary conditions for them to grow and reach their full potential. This involves continuing to educate children and young people in the faith, accompanying families, supporting the elderly and carrying out works of charity.

Dear brothers and sisters, I encourage you to carry forward the mission of evangelization with enthusiasm. Be bridges, so that many may encounter Jesus.  Be a fraternal community that comes together and shares life, projects, dreams and hopes, especially with those most in need. Be a community of prayer that maintains an ongoing dialogue with the Lord as a friend speaks to a friend (cf. Jn 15:15). Christ is counting on all of you! Christ is counting on you!

May our heavenly Mother, Our Lady of the Thirty-Three, protect you on your journey through life and always guide you to an encounter with her Son, Jesus.

07.11.26 m