As part of the 6th General Assembly of the Ecclesial Conference of the Amazon (CEAMA), held in Bogotá, the opening day’s Mass was presided over by Cardinal Pedro Barreto, SJ, president of CEAMA.
During his homily, the cardinal invited the Assembly participants to live this time as a profound spiritual experience, marked by faith, listening, and discernment, especially in the context of the Church’s synodal journey.
Looking to Christ
Cardinal Barreto recalled that the Church’s journey must always be oriented toward Christ, the source of hope and light for the mission.
“God asks us not to look back. Let us look to that light which is Christ as we journey.”
In this regard, he emphasized that the true fruit of ecclesial work is not measured in terms of human success, but in the spiritual depth with which the Church lives out its mission.
“Our success is one of spirituality: a synodality of listening and fasting, as the Lord invites us during this Lenten season.”
A path of faith and trust
Referring to the Gospel of the day, the president of CEAMA invited the participants to maintain trust amid difficulties, following the example of the man in the Gospel who approaches the Lord despite the suffering he carries in his heart.
“Let us be like the man in today’s Gospel: he walked toward the Lord despite the suffering he carried in his heart.”
He also recalled that the Church’s mission is grounded in trust in the word of Jesus.
“It is for Jesus that we cast our nets. The Lord asks of us, in this Sixth Assembly, faith: faith in his word.”
Docile Instruments of the Spirit
Cardinal Barreto also highlighted the importance of allowing ourselves to be guided by the Holy Spirit in this process of ecclesial discernment.
“With the help of the Holy Spirit, we will be docile instruments in God’s hands.”
Finally, he encouraged the participants to live these days of the Assembly with hope and openness to the Spirit, aware that this gathering has significance not only for the Amazon, but also for the entire Church.
“These days will be intense, but hopeful for the universal Church.”
The Sixth General Assembly of CEAMA brings together bishops, priests, men and women religious, laypeople, and representatives of the Amazonian peoples who, in a spirit of communion and synodality, reflect on the present and future of the Church’s mission in the Amazon.