During his homily from the Metropolitan Cathedral, Cardinal Leopoldo Brenes, Archbishop of Managua, urged Nicaraguans to continue praying for the situation that Nicaragua is going through at the hands of Daniel Ortega’s regime. “Let’s keep praying so that the Lord continues to bless us,” he said.
Recalling the words of Pope Francis during the Angelus this Sunday morning, Brenes pointed out that “the Holy Father sent greetings (…) to all of us Nicaraguans in the face of the situations we have experienced this week and invites us to pray, to dialogue and also to the protection of our mother the most holy virgin Mary».
Related news: Cardinal Brenes confirms that “Monsignor Álvarez’s physical condition is deteriorating, but his spirit is strong”
In relation to the biblical text, where Jesus spoke that many will be called and the chosen ones, the prelate said that “many times we do not like to be called to attention, we do not feel bad when we are called, but the word of God calls us the attention and that annoys us».
“But we realize that this wake-up call is always a manifestation of love, a manifestation of affection from God to all of us,” he stressed.
Alluding to the situation that the Catholic Church is going through in Nicaragua, Brenes said that being a disciple of the Lord implies a sacrifice. “Being a disciple of the Lord implies sacrifice, it implies looking more and more like Jesus and making Jesus our identity and having him as the center of our lives.”
«The life of the Christian is not in great things, but in sacrifice, in goodness and simplicity. The Lord wants simplicity and humility, the door to go to heaven is not made for one person but for everyone », he emphasized.
Related news: Cardinal Brenes reiterates his closeness to Monsignor Álvarez and calls on the people to “have faith”
On the other hand, the cardinal encouraged Nicaraguans to “never” stop praying or lose hope. “In moments of silence, in moments of darkness, we know that the Lord and our mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary, are always very close to us.”
The highest representative of the Catholic Church in Nicaragua ended the mass by calling not to stop praying. «We must always pray, with insistence (…) Sometimes we see a tunnel that has no exit, however with the prayer of the holy rosary and the interception of our mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary, we will always have consolation and closeness. So don’t get discouraged and always keep going.”
The Catholic Church in Nicaragua is going through its most difficult moments, after the dictatorship of Daniel Ortega attacked it, locking up Catholic priests in its jails and preventing freedom of worship. Currently, Monsignor Rolando Álvarez, bishop of the Diocese of Matagalpa, and at least eight other priests are being deprived of liberty.
