Dear Residents of Aglona, Dear Pilgrims,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I
It is a great honour for me to join you in this Feast once again but for the first time as the President of Latvia this year.
II
Mid-August is a special time in Aglona. Here we have the opportunity to see ourselves, our relatives, and complete strangers being different from those in a daily hurry. At Aglona, we become more affectionate and sympathetic, more open to the needs of other people, and feel more solidarity with each other. At the People’s procession, each of us carries a lit candle in our diversity by turning the twilight into a living flame at sea altogether.
I would like us to take this festive uplift and good thoughts with us for as long as possible. In Aglona, I see our people as it should be every day when shaping their future and that of Latvia.
I would like to urge everyone not to be afraid to be better every day, be more loving and caring in his or her family, be more sympathetic, and help people who live at hard times, not to cheat, not to be lazy, and not to seek one’s own benefit at the expense of others by breaking the law.
III
Today in Aglona, I pay special tribute to my predecessor, the acting President of Latvia in exile, Bishop Jāzeps Rancāns, who had found his eternal home here in the crypt of Aglona Basilica, in free Latvia. He always stayed loyal to a democratic Latvia and inspired many people not to lose faith in the rebirth of Latvia.
Even in the darkest times, Bishop Jāzeps Rancāns was convinced firmly that an independent Latvia would exist again. He urged every compatriot he met in exile to pray for Latvia. When singing our national anthem, we will pray for Latvia, its prosperity, and happiness once again.
IV
Let us extend our gratitude for peace and harmony in our country today. Although we are so different in our identities, we have always lived side by side in a united destiny. Peace and harmony among the people of Latvia is a great gift that we have been able to protect and pass over to future generations.
I would like to thank the Archbishop, the Bishops, and all clergy for this holy mass, for the opportunity you gave us, attendees of the holy mass, and those watching or listening to it remotely, to reflect on our fellow human beings, world, the God, and ourselves. Thus, you helped us to distinguish between the material and the immaterial, the transient from the eternal. Thank you for that!
I would also like to thank the hospital attendants, the ushers, the young people who helped to organise this holy mass today, and all the volunteers that this holy mass can take place here; but most of all, that you have proven your responsibility and that we can count on you.
We are called to bring the good among our people so that every inhabitant of Latvia is safe in their daily lives, happy, and spiritually rich.
God bless Latvia!
