In the Peruvian Central Jungle, on May 7, Sister Aguchita was Beatified
In the central Peruvian jungle, on May 7, “Sister Aguchita” was beatified. The ceremony was presided over by Cardinal Baltazar Porras, as the envoy of Pope Francis. “The Lord also loved her because she gave her life to regain it; no one took it from her, she gave it voluntarily,” he said.
This Saturday, the people of La Florida in the Apostolic Vicariate of San Ramón, Peru, experienced the joy of sainthood reflected in the new blessed of the Catholic Church, “Sister Aguchita” – Martyr María Agustina de Jesús Rivas López. Her liturgical feast will be celebrated every September 26 in the places and modalities established by Canon Law.
“In her, martyrdom was not an improvisation but the final holocaust of love for her vocation,” said Cardinal Baltazar Enrique Porras Cardozo, Archbishop of Mérida and Apostolic Administrator of Caracas (Venezuela), sent by Pope Francis to the central Peruvian jungle to preside over the ceremony.
The religious, now recognized as Blessed, was killed in 1990 by a terrorist group out of hatred for the faith while fulfilling her pastoral mission in the Amazon.
Seeds of Peace and Love
“This Word of God, proclaimed here today, is fulfilled in our saint and must also be fulfilled in all of us, called to be faithful followers from these remote lands of the immense Amazon jungle, marked with the seal of love in all our being, physical and spiritual, to continue being seeds of peace and love that radiate and spread throughout the world,” expressed Cardinal Porras in his homily.
Cardinal Baltazar Porras recalled that Sister Aguchita, “burdened with years, virtues, and longings, joyfully accepted the obedience to be a missionary in the Vicariate of San Ramón, despite her ailments. She did not shy away from it but embraced it with joy and enthusiasm.”
The Value of Family
He also highlighted the influence of the religious’s family on her life: “Hence the diligent work and the priority we must give to family pastoral care, beyond conventionalisms and families broken by so many circumstances that compel us not to condemn or discard, but rather to vindicate that ‘with frankness, cultural, social, political, and economic conditions prevent authentic family life’ (Amoris Laetitia, 202).”
Porras stated that the most impressive aspect of Sister Aguchita’s spiritual life is that “contemplation in action was the guiding principle of her daily work and was reinforced by her congregation’s demand that ‘death is not improvised; love is our vocation.’”
Healing Pain and Contempt
The Pope’s envoy condemned the “senseless violence” that caused the death of the new Blessed and many others today.
“May guerrilla and war disappear forever from the whole world and this blessed land of the Amazon jungle. Let us be capable of healing pain and contempt, ensuring, and slowly building a globalization of solidarity without leaving anyone on the margins.”
He then urgently called to “embody the idea of the permanence of an authentically human life on earth, enriched with the Christian demand to embrace the fragility and weakness of human condition as a force for trust in the action of grace that calls us to be builders of fraternity and peace.”
“The Lord also loved her because she gave her life to regain it; no one took it from her, she gave it voluntarily,” he said.
Meditating on the Gospel of the Good Shepherd, he asked that “the tenderness and merciful love, tolerance and respect, acceptance and non-discrimination, the option for life and love of nature, characteristic of the spirituality of the Good Shepherd, become a pleasant offering to God for the good of all.”
The Prayer of Sister Aguchita
At the end, the following prayer was directed to God through the intercession of Sister Aguchita:
“Lord, who sees, who can, make of your miserable one what you want; I am yours, burn my sins, my failings, and miseries; lift my soul from my falls and receive my pains, sacrifices, and tears for my priests in Cuba, in my homeland, and for my own in particular. I am cowardly, Lord, teach me to smile in pain, to hide and disguise my anguish, that I may learn to savor my tears.” “You know and see my intention. I am capable of so many calamities, sustain me, my Father, by the hand; I am so disappointed with my work, my failures, the lack of organization, only you can fix it.” “Lord, today I passed with you under the shadow of Love and Mercy, you have relieved my deep wounds. I understand that you demand more holiness from my poor soul. Who, but You, can realize this ideal in me, miserable and wretched creature.”