AMERICA/CHILE - All baptized should become missionary disciples!

Copiapo (Agenzia Fides) – A call to recognize and accept Jesus in our lives and to take responsibility for evangelizing: this is how Fr. Alejandro Castillo, Vicar General of the Diocese of Copiapo, summed up the significance of the Feast of the Presentation in the Temple of Jesus in his homily during the Mass at the Shrine of Copiapo. The so-called "Candlemas Day" is very popularly celebrated in this area of Chile, so the celebrations last an entire week. The Mass is accompanied by religious dances on this occasion, and there is also a Mass celebrated for the dead of the community, especially the Candlemas dancers who have passed away.
In his homily on the feast this year, Fr. Castillo said that we are all called to live a deeper experience with God, with Mary who shows us her Son, who is the model for all the faithful of Atacama, to become missionary disciples. In this year of the Bicentennial Celebration, we can see that we have joined in building a more developed country, but "we are still concerned about the scandalous inequality," the Vicar said. Since the table, in our local culture, is a place to encounter the family and brotherly love, "we invite all in Chile to multiply the number of 'tables,' to promote meetings, dialogue, to talk like brothers, sharing the Bread and the Word, projects and assets," continued Fr. Alejandro, who concluded with an observation of how Our Lady of “La Candelaria” helps us in the mission to be builders of a country that seeks "a table of brotherhood, joy, peace, and justice" and invites us to encounter ourselves with her son Jesus, to "renew our strength for the mission, which has its beginning and end in Him.
Fr. Castillo has also met with the workers, who prayed during this holiday for those of them who are without work and explained the situation of workers of the mine who are on a hunger strike to gain attention for their problems. (CE) (Agenzia Fides 13/02/2010)