Homily of the Bishop of Cuernavaca, Ramón Castro Castro, president of the Mexican Episcopal Conference, at the Eucharist of the XXII Sunday in Ordinary Time, August 30, 2026, and on the occasion of the meeting in the Diocese of Cuernavaca of the presidents of the Episcopal Conferences of the United States, Archbishop Paul Stagg Coakley, and of Canada, Bishop Pierre Goudreault.
I greet with great affection my brother bishops of the Episcopal Conferences of Canada, the United States, and those of us working in Mexico. I greet my vicar general, our episcopal vicars who are doing me the favor, all the priests who are doing us the favor of accompanying us, and each one of you, sons and daughters.
Let us move to the introduction. There is a phrase in this Sunday’s Gospel that can in some way summarize our entire Christian life. What is that phrase? “If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.”
Last week we reflected on how Peter was able to recognize Jesus as the Messiah and how Jesus gave him the primacy of the Church, but notice how interesting it is that when Jesus begins to speak to him about having to go up to Jerusalem, about having to suffer, when he speaks to him of suffering, the cross, and self-giving, we find another Peter, a Peter who resists. He loves Christ, he loves him, but he would prefer a Christ without the cross.
This phrase can make us think deeply. Peter wants a Christ without the cross. Jesus makes him understand that one cannot follow him by choosing only the comfortable part of the Gospel. One cannot follow Jesus in the easy part of the Gospel. And therefore this word of God today is also for us, an awareness of what we are as followers and disciples of Christ.
All of this serves as an introduction to the rich theme offered to us by the Gospel. I now turn to a point that seems timely to address: the meeting of these presidents of the Episcopal Conferences of North America, the first of its kind in our history.
I am very pleased to welcome here in Cuernavaca the presidents of the Episcopal Conferences, along with other monsignors and priests who work with them. As we begin this first fraternal encounter of the Church in North America, I would like to share this: we are three distinct countries. We are three Churches with different histories and realities, yet we share one faith, one baptism, one Eucharist, and one mission.
Precisely today Jesus reminds us where true communion begins: by placing ourselves behind Him, by following Him. Indeed, we have heard how Jesus invites Peter to follow Him, to imitate Him. He first says to him, “Get behind me.” When Peter did not understand the meaning of the cross, it was as if Jesus were saying to Peter: do not try to show me the way, do not try to tell me what I must do. He tells Peter: be a disciple, follow me, walk behind me.
We too, as pastors and bishops, need to hear these words. Before being leaders, we are disciples. Before having responsibilities, we are men called by the Lord. Before our structures, programs, and projects, there is Jesus Christ. Perhaps this can be the deep spirit of this encounter of the Church in North America: to place ourselves once again behind Jesus.
Our peoples face enormous challenges, particularly Mexico. Violence, demagoguery, corruption, loneliness, secularization, individualism, materialism, polarization, wounded families, and young people seeking reasons to hope. Perhaps one of the most common issues among the three of us, as countries and conferences, is migration. That is why we will have the specialist from the Mexican Episcopal Conference who will speak to us about the reality of migration in Mexico and how it affects the United States and Canada.
We can develop analyses and strategies, but our first mission remains the same mission we heard today in the first reading, the mission of Jeremiah: to carry within us the fire of God. We come together from different realities. Mexico is living through complex moments in the social, political, economic, and cultural spheres.
The United States and Canada are also facing transformations that have an impact on the lives of their peoples and on the mission of their Churches. During these days we will have the opportunity to share our perspectives on these realities, not from a place of judgment or confrontation, but from the pastoral responsibility that belongs to us as the pastors we are.
We want to better understand what our peoples are living through. For what purpose? So that we may serve them better. And in this sense, our reflection on human mobility and migration management between Mexico, the United States, and Canada takes on particular relevance.
Migration must not be reduced to statistics, public policies, or economic duties. Behind every migrant there is a face, a story, a family, a hope, and often, unfortunately, many wounds. The Church must look upon these persons as brothers and sisters, whose dignity must be recognized and protected. The Church’s tradition reminds us that in the poor, in migrants, and in those living in situations of vulnerability, we find a particular way of serving the face of Christ.
It will also be very significant for us to reflect in the light of Magnifica Humanitas, the recent encyclical of Pope Leo XIV, on the safeguarding of the human person in the age of artificial intelligence.
Second and final point: the prophet Jeremiah. Today he encourages us in our pastoral work. We do not need only a well-organized Church; we need a Church in love with Christ.
The Church needs not only our word, the word of the Gospel, but also our witness. We do not need pastors concerned with preserving themselves, but pastors willing, as Jesus says today, to lose their life in order to find it. That is why Saint Paul invites us: “Do not conform yourselves to this age,” but be transformed by the renewal of your mind.
Perhaps here too lies a task for the Churches of these three countries: not to allow ourselves to be separated by borders when the Gospel calls us to recognize one another as brothers and sisters. Political borders are necessary, but Christian charity has no foreigners. The immigrant, the poor, the indigenous, the young, wounded families, victims of violence, all those who have lost hope or faith—they are all our brothers and sisters, and they all belong to the heart of the Church.
May this encounter not be merely an exchange of ideas, but also a meeting of brothers and pastors. May we listen to one another, learn from one another, pray together, and ask ourselves with simplicity, “Lord, what do you want from our Churches at this historical moment?” May we have the courage to listen to Jesus’ answer, even if that answer involves the cross, renunciation, and pain.
May we send from Cuernavaca a simple but strong sign to our Churches that are on pilgrimage in Canada, the United States, and Mexico. If we can walk together, it is possible, because first we have decided to walk behind Christ.
In conclusion, we are all invited to a more authentic life. Let us ask God not for a life without crosses, but for a heart large enough to love when the cross comes. As we approach the Eucharist, may we understand that we receive the Body of Christ in order to learn to make our own existence a gift.
Let us remember what we pray in the Our Father. “Thy will be done” with the awareness that God desires for us a freedom without material or emotional enslavements. May the Blessed Virgin Mary help us to make this so. Take courage.