The crisis in Cuba continues within the concerns of the Church, and this was expressed by Father Rolando Montes de Oca when asking the Holy Spirit to show the truth to Cubans and give them the courage to defend it and live it in a context in which that “on a human level there is no solution in sight.”
“Come Holy Spirit and show us the truth and give us the courage to defend it, live it and say it,” said the priest of the Archdiocese of Camagüey during the Mass for the Solemnity of Pentecost, which he celebrated in the Nuestra Señora de la Paz parish on Sunday the 19th. of May.
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Father Montes de Oca told the faithful that about what is happening in Cuba “there is not much to explain,” “with so many blackouts, with so much shortage of the most basic things, with so much hopelessness.”
“With so many difficulties, repression, lies, mistreatment, in short, things are not for parties, they are not for parties” in Cuba, he added.
However, he assured that “in the midst of this unfortunate situation, which is not like a party, Jesus appears, gives them peace (to the apostles) and gives them the Holy Spirit, forgives them and sends them to forgive with force.” of the Holy Spirit, sends them to overcome cowardice, error, and sin with the strength of the Spirit of God.”
In that sense, the priest explained that, unlike the holidays in the world that are almost always about disconnecting, the Church invites people to “the great festival of the Holy Spirit” that connects us with ourselves and with God.
The Cuban priest added that the arrival of the Holy Spirit is also the opportunity to “connect with the church,” with its truth and “with its essence as the bride of Christ.”
Likewise, he stated, the arrival of the Holy Spirit gives Catholics the courage to “proclaim the truth.”
“We have reasons to celebrate by connecting with the Spirit (…). When we look at this Cuba today, so heartbreaking, we have reasons to connect and celebrate because the Holy Spirit tells each of us the truth and gives us strength to live in the truth,” he expressed.
“The Holy Spirit,” added Father Montes de Oca, “teaches us that the world changes when I begin to change (…). When I, in this Cuba today, decide to live in the truth and tell the truth, the world changes.”
For this reason, he encouraged the faithful to ask the Holy Spirit to show Cubans the truth and give them “the courage to defend it, live it and say it.”
“Come Holy Spirit and renew the face of my heart, the face of my Church and the face of this Cuba today, so that it may once again be that beautiful island to which everyone wants to come and no longer that terrible place from which many want escape,” he said.
Eduardo Berdejo
Professional in Social Communication from the Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos in Peru, I have more than 20 years of experience in Catholic digital journalism. As part of ACI Prensa I have been sent to cover Pope Francis’ trips to Cuba, Mexico, Colombia and Peru, in addition to the Synodality Synod in the Vatican in 2023.