A group of lay people from the city of Matagalpa have anonymously shown their moral support to the figure of the Bishop of their Diocese, Monsignor Rolando Álvarez, with messages of love, hope and solidarity for each of the decisions that the prelate has made since his kidnapping in August 2022, his imprisonment and recent sentence to 26 years in prison.
The laity, whose identity they prefer to keep secret for now, individually agree that the Bishop of the Diocese of Matagalpa “is bearing witness to what an unwavering faith is, a shepherd committed to the well-being of his sheep and to the gospel of Jesus Christ as a way of light, truth and life».
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According to the Matagalpine laity, we Nicaraguans must understand the Bishop’s sacrifice “as part of the teachings of life, and the truth that the Nazarene preached.” “When Jesus spoke to his disciples that he had to be delivered into the hands of his enemies, when Jesus was arrested and tried for all our crimes, no one understood,” they recall.
According to this group of fervent Catholics, inhabitants of different parts of the department of Matagalpa, the Bishop does as Jesus did to fulfill the word of the prophets: “nobody takes my life, I give it of my own free will.”
follow your conscience
In the opinion of each one, the Bishop is simply following the dictates of his conscience and they pray to the creator that this ordeal be an example for every Nicaraguan. “Please, Monsignor, continue to show us the way to the dignity of the children of God. With your example, do not allow our weaknesses to emerge, but rather to disappear as the fear of Mary disappeared at the foot of the cross”, writes one of them in their statements. by WhatsApp.
Faced with the invariable decision of the Bishop to reject the banishment or forced exile that the Ortega dictatorship has offered him on a couple of occasions, this group of people, faithful to their Catholicism, considers that “only a man devoted to his faith is capable of accepting the thorns that surround their destiny as did the great saints of our church, made with the essence of faith».
Monsignor Rolando Álvarez is an example of resistance for his parishioners, in the graph in one of his last homilies held in the Matagalpa cathedral.
“We are in the presence of a spirit superior to each one of us, Christians in word, a spirit that teaches with works, that does not speak of faith but embodies faith as a redeemer would,” said another layman on his networks. social.
«It is easy for us to speak and feel simply proud of our beloved pastor, because we do not know the suffering he goes through every hour and every day, and for this reason we ask his forgiveness for our weaknesses, because we are spectators on the way to Golgotha daily. of our Bishop”, they expressed.
Finally they send a message to their imprisoned pastor: “Your people love you Monsignor, pray for us, those of us who lower our gaze in front of the strong out of hunger or cowardice,” they begged.
By: United Voices.
