Cuenca, Ecuador...August 28, 1988...An experience of love was born in this city, an experience that would change the lives of thousands of people over time, of that time that passes inexorably, that does not stop, that today, celebrates 30 years. The love of Mary, the Blessed Mother, the Guardian of Faith, would come to stay, to lead her children on a journey dictated by the Father, willed by the Son, illuminated by the Holy Spirit, to transform lives, strengthen faith, increase love and service to the Church, sensitize men and women with the neediest brothers and sisters, to demolish indifference, affirm values, grow in virtues, defend life in all its stages, to follow the path that leads to God.
Generations have passed in these years, some of us began in our youth and met God, he transformed our lives and changed our course, he took us on a path in which the love of our Mother was deeply rooted in our hearts, we formed homes and saw our children born in an environment where the presence of Jesus and his Mother have been fundamental, They have given us the best armor to be able to fight in the world against the current and to transmit to our children, to the new generations, that with God we can and must walk, that at his side and that of his mother, everything becomes more bearable, the burden becomes lighter and is lived with love.
For those who began these 30 years at a more mature age, it was an affirmation of that solid faith of the older generations, of that love for God in everything they did, of that time when families lived around faith, perhaps many are no longer with us today, but surely they are already enjoying eternal life, the presence of Jesus and Mary, together with God the Father, watching and praying for those of us who are here.
Without knowing it, because God's ways are like that, they are a constant discovery, in 30 years the mantle of love of Mary, Guardian of the Faith, has grown and expanded throughout the world, that caress of love, of conversion, of faith, is reaching farther and farther. Her little piece of heaven in the Archdiocesan Shrine at Cajas, her garden, a place that fills and moves, has witnessed the visit of her children coming from many corners of the world, where they have received graces and blessings, peace and hope, they have known and experienced the presence of God and of their mother, our mother, and have returned to their homes as bearers of faith. And today, as we celebrate 30 years of graces and blessings, it is necessary to thank heaven for so much that we have received, and at the same time, it becomes imperative that, having reached maturity, as Jesus did when he celebrated his 30 years of life, we go out, we take to every corner where we go the message of love, the good news, that we be capable of giving back all that we have been given, that we be a living reflection of God's love, that we be bearers of the sweetness of Mary, Guardian of the Faith, that we defend and value life, that we make known the truth, the way and the life, that we make Jesus known. May Mary our mother, Guardian of the Faith, lead us by her hand, may she always shelter us under her sacred mantle, may she lead us with a firm and sure step to the encounter with the love of loves, to the encounter with her son Jesus.
