Los Angeles, Calif., Oct 13, 2011 / 04:25 am
Hispanic Catholic theology and ministry should work to recover the “sense of wonder and mystery” that the first missionaries to America experienced, Archbishop José H. Gomez of Los Angeles said Oct. 11.
“We need to see our country and all the Americas today through their eyes, to remember that these lands were once seen as the ‘ends of the earth,’ the final frontier of the Church’s universal saving mission. And we need to have our hearts inflamed with their same sense of personal duty for the salvation of souls and the coming of God’s Kingdom.”
“Everything we do must be measured by what it contributes or does not contribute to proclaiming Jesus Christ to the men and women of our day. We all need to see ourselves as missionaries to the brave new world of America and the Americas,” he added.
Archbishop Gomez’s comments came in the inaugural Hispanic Ministry and Theology Lecture at Loyola Marymount University. His Oct. 11 lecture was part of the university’s celebration of Latino Heritage Month.