The ceremony was presided over by the president of the Episcopal Conference of Colombia, Bishop Luis José Rueda Aparicio, during a Holy Mass celebrated in the archiepiscopal chapel.
Newsroom (22/03/2022 09:55, Gaudium Press) Last Saturday, March 19, solemnity of Saint Joseph, the Archbishop of Bogota and president of the Episcopal Conference of Colombia (CEC), Archbishop Luis José Rueda Aparicio, consecrated families and Colombia to the universal patron of the Church, Saint Joseph.
The ceremony took place during a Holy Mass celebrated by the prelate in the archiepiscopal chapel. In his homily, the Archbishop of the Colombian capital reflected on the three virtues of St. Joseph: man of faith, man of tenderness, and defender of life.
Rediscover this great mission of tenderness within each home
He then prayed that St. Joseph will help parents to rediscover this great mission of tenderness within every home, which, although it must be accompanied by authority, is lived in dialogue with the new generations.
“I ask the Lord that, through the intercession of St. Joseph, you, dear parents, may have the gift of tenderness united with authority, so that you can defend the life of your home and, by defending the life of your home, you can fulfill the mission that, like St. Joseph, the Lord has entrusted to you,” he said.
The defense of life begins with families
Bishop Rueda stressed that the defense of life begins with families and that Colombia is currently characterized by various threats to life. “We feel sad and wounded when we see a Colombia incapable of getting out of the military, social and political conflicts that cause so many victims in Colombian cities and rural areas.”
Turning to women who have experienced the painful situation of abortion, the president of the Colombian Bishops’ Conference stressed that the Church’s love and welcome towards them is not lacking and that only in the “combination of masculine and feminine mission will men and women and the whole family become permanent defenders of life, from fertilization to natural death.” (EPC)
