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Buenos Aires, Sunday, October 1st, 2006

Father Oscar Pezzarini

Mother, teach us how to live like brothers and sisters

As in every year, the beginning of October has a particular meaning for the Church in Argentina, and especially in Buenos Aires, since it is the time of the annual Youth Pilgrimage to the National Basilica at Luján, where hundreds of thousands of young people -either by age or in spirit- join to cover the distance of 44 miles between St. Gaetan Sanctuary in the city of Buenos Aires and Nuestra Señora de Luján Basilica in the city of Luján. This year the Pilgrimage is held under the motto: “Mother, teach us to live like brothers and sisters”, a request made by every Argentinian from the depth of his heart asking Mother Mary to help us in living as true siblings. We therefore ask you, Mother, to teach us who to live like brothers and sisters, open our minds and our hearts so we can live in spiritual unity.

As in every year, the beginning of October has a particular meaning for the Church in Argentina, and especially in Buenos Aires, since it is the time of the annual Youth Pilgrimage to the National Basilica at Luján, where hundreds of thousands of young people -either by age or in spirit- join to cover the distance of 44 miles between St. Gaetan Sanctuary in the city of Buenos Aires and Nuestra Señora de Luján Basilica in the city of Luján.

As in every year this multitudinary expression, which doubtlessly is one of the most important in the whole world, makes many people turn to the house of the Mother of God in order to bring in their askings, their thanks, their wishes and their sacrifice, etc.

This year the Pilgrimage is held under the motto: “Mother, teach us how to live like brothers and sisters”, a request made by every Argentinian from the depth of his heart asking Mother Mary to help us in living as true siblings.

Each Pilgrimage, each walk towards the house of out Mother at Luján is a symbol of our constant walk through life, pilgriming in search of what is most important, many times with the weariness so many people feel as they must go from one place to another looking how to make their living, trying to be heard, to have their health treated, or to achieve security.

As it happens, some people walk in company while some others walk alone, some drag along with the pain of their tired feet and worn shoes and the grief of feeling many times they are “exploited, forgotten, rejected”, and nevertheless they go on forward, sometimes motivated by the encouragement of those who from the roadside shake their hands, some others “being pushed” by the need of asking for their children, for a sick relative, or encouraged by those who walk at their side and who encourage them to not “give in”.

And like so many in life, there are those who walk because they know that at the end of the road there is the House of their Mother where they will get caressing, comfort, the embrace of this Mother who always is there, who knows about illness and needs of their children.

This year our Argentinian people's “clamor” joins other people throughout Latin America and the World asking to learn how to live as brothers and sisters showing respect among us, wishing to bear us company, to help us and neither feeling “used” by others nor being instruments of those who end up using others.

We therefore ask you, Mother, to teach us how to live like brothers and sisters, open our minds and our hearts so we can live in spiritual unity.

Father Oscar Pezzarini
Provincial Superior of the Work of Don Orione in Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay and Mexico

Father Oscar Pezzarini together with Fr. Leonardo Abregú makes us reflect on Saturdays from 8 to 12 AM (GMT-03:00)with "VENTANA A LA VIDA", the Don Orione radio program he conducts on FM PROVIDENCIA, 90.3 MHz together with some residents of the Claypole Cottolengo (Raúl Romero, María Laura Andrada, Alberto Zoroch, Américo Torres), with the production of Roberto Beluzzo and Ignacio Cavalli as technical operator. You can also listen to FM PROVIDENCIA by clicking here.

Pequeño Cottolengo Don Orione 0800-333-6746 in Argentina, or +54 (11) 4268-7722 from abroad.

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