Cardinal Leopoldo Brenes, Archbishop of Managua, urged in his homily this Sunday, October 16, to persevere in prayer and ask God to increase the faith of all Nicaraguans in difficult situations.
“Christ said that when the son of man comes, he will find faith in this people (…) I think that for us it is also a question of how my faith is and if Christ comes at this time, how will he find my faith?”, pointed out the prelate.
Related news: Cardinal Brenes urges Nicaraguans to ask God to increase their faith
He insisted that faith “feeds on prayer” and that it is “like a binomial, because prayer strengthens faith, that is why in order to have that intimate and profound experience with Jesus Christ, the apostles ask that —Jesus Christ— increase their faith and teach them to pray.”
Prayers for the priests
On the other hand, Brenes mentioned that the month of prayer is celebrated in October and called for prayers for the more than 500 religious in Nicaragua. “29 years that humble and simple groups have been praying for the priests…” he recalled.
«We must encourage prayer for priests; the beloved children of our mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary, and how beautiful it is that this chain of prayer maintains the priests”, exhorted the religious from the Metropolitan Cathedral of Managua.
Referring to the persecution experienced by the Catholic Church and the attack on priests, the cardinal stated that all religious “are being sustained and sponsored by prayer.”
Related news: Cardinal Brenes exhorts to be aware of children: “They are a treasure that we have to take care of”
“Prayer is strength (…) In the fight to defeat the enemy, prayer is needed. We need to always keep our arms up, pray always and insistently. Let us remember that prayer is like the thermometer in our lives to know how my faith is going », he stressed.
Brenes concluded his homily by emphasizing that prayer “is not a blah-blah, but a simple and humble dialogue that we must have with our good God, who will soon listen to us.”
The words of the highest hierarch of the Catholic Church in Nicaragua come at a time when the persecution and siege against the church and religious leaders has not ceased, but has intensified. Nine priests are in prison, two have already been sentenced and the bishop of Matagalpa, Monsignor Rolando Álvarez, is under house arrest.
