The Cardinal Leopoldo José Brenes he invited the new priests to remain in prayer, in the priestly fraternity, and to be merciful; while he reminded them that they arrive as “lambs in the midst of wolves.”
«Our pastoral care, our evangelization, is not an easy thing and the Lord indicates to his apostles when he sends them: “I send you as lambs in the midst of wolves”, well, it is the experience that they have lived and are going to live, today more than never with so many confrontations and so many things that inundate us, but there is a reality: we are sent because the Lord wants to reach those places where we are sent,” said the Archbishop of Managua during the priestly ordination mass held on Saturday, January 28.
The prelate’s words come in a context of religious persecution in Nicaragua. The regime of Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo has sentenced seven priests to prison, including three priests and a deacon from the diocese of Matagalpawhile impeaching Monsignor Rolando Alvarezbishop of the same diocese, and two other priests.
In addition, the Sandinista judiciary has found two seminarians and a layman from the diocese of Matagalpa “guilty” of crimes with political overtones, and is keeping two workers of the Catholic media in that city imprisoned, all close to Monsignor Álvarez.
The Church is “missionary”, pointed out the cardinal. «The work that we can do generously is the same as the work of John the Baptist: Prepare the way of the Lord. We are not going to present ourselves as winners or looking for a place in the hearts of those people or that parish, no. We go as envoys to prepare a way for the Lord,” he added.
“Forgive them because they don’t know what they are doing”
He also reminded them that “they are instruments of mercy for the faithful.”
«Be merciful like the Father. We will live the joy of reconciliation if we have that strong base in prayer, that prayer that leads us to look at Christ on the Cross who, from there, also looked at us with mercy, with love, and gave us the great commandment of forgiveness: “Forgive them because they don’t know what they’re doing.”
Related news: Sentence against religious symbolizes Ortega’s “war” against the Church
In Nicaragua, where members of the Catholic Church suffer persecution, exile and exile, the cardinal proposed the words of Pope Francis: “Dedicate a few moments to prayer, to listen to the Lord in his word, to let ourselves be challenged by Him. If we have to cry, we have to lament, how beautiful because He is our consolation».
«Do not get tired of celebrating the Eucharist, even if you do not have an audience. It is sad to stop celebrating the Eucharist, we can fall into a deep anemia without the Eucharist, without prayer,” the religious leader concluded.
eleven new priests
The deacons who received the grace of priestly ordination through the imposition of hands of the archbishop are:
Luis Enrique Guevara Miranda
Javier Andres Flores Rodriguez
Jose Angel Sanchez Maldonado,
Jonathan Josué Lainez Flores,
Leonel Enrique Gutierrez Hernandez
Walter Roberto Espinoza Herrera
Maycoll Jose Medina Robles
Yadiel Antonio Lumbi Arteaga
Nelson Jose Martinez Garcia
Migdonio Ruben Escobar Mendoza
Jorge Sarid Valladares
«It is a joy in the soul. Serve the Lord with joy, serve the Church, serve and search for all those sheep that are lost,” said the new priest Yadiel Lumbi, from Diriamba.
“It is a joy that overflows the heart. There are many boys who have that vocational desire and if you have that desire in your heart, don’t let it go. The Lord has made me a wonderful story. And he makes me be here today and it is a very special thing that he has done with me and he can do for you too”, said the new priest Leonel Gutiérrez, who received the “call” at the age of 16.
Four of the eleven priests are from Hondurasaccording to the interviewees.
