In
Colombia: The "Miracle" of Almaguer Revives Hopes
In their fifth and by far most cruel
attack on Almaguer, communist guerrillas recently devastated
this little town which clings to the Andes in the province
of Cauca in southeast Colombia.
The guerrillas burst open the doors
of the Catholic Church and placed dynamite charges under
the altar, church and rectory. The charges went off, reducing
the church and many of the surrounding houses to ruins.
When the attack was over, the afflicted
and defenseless inhabitants ran to the ruins of the church,
only to confirm that the ancient wooden altar, brought by
the Spaniards four centuries ago, was completely destroyed,
together with the tabernacle and the Blessed Sacrament.
However, to their astonishment, the
villagers found that the most illustrious and oldest "inhabitant"
of the town was unharmed. The pious statue of the Virgin
of the Miracles, the town's patroness, was entirely intact
amid the rubble.
Many of the villagers wept with emotion
in contemplating a scene that called to mind the Passion
on Calvary. At the height of the power of darkness, Our
Lord Jesus Christ allowed that all be done against Him,
yet permitted no one to touch His most Holy Mother, who
together with the holy women, stood at the foot of the cross
with Him.
While awaiting the Church's verdict
on the event, many villagers see the prodigious supernatural
protection of the patroness of Almaguer as a "miracle."
"It was something sublime, something
divine, that has revived the Faith in us once again," exclaimed
villager Fabio Gómez Renjifo, who condemned the guerrillas'
attack as "almost Satanic."
The Faith of the people of Almaguer,
tempered by adversity and confirmed by this supernatural
episode, made them overcome the attack which took place
last March 31. With renewed ardor, they embarked upon reconstructing
the town and are now preparing to celebrate the 450th anniversary
of its founding on August 19, 1551.
In a certain sense, the Way of the
Cross suffered by the town of Almaguer is an image of what
is happening all over Colombia. The nation is lacerated
by the cruel acts of the communist narco-guerrillas, who,
true to their Marxist creed, persecute the True Faith.
The Colombian government is negotiating
a "peace treaty" with these same guerrillas who show every
sign of bad faith. Bogotá's Cardinal Pedro Rubiano Sáenz
denounced them as "fallen into infamy and cynicism," participating
in a "peace" process based on "incoherence and lies."
The "miracle" of Almaguer should
represent an element of hope and confidence in the aid of
Providence in Colombia's great fight against the guerrillas.
It shows that the Virgin will not abandon those who believe
and confide in her.
From the news agency CubDest
written by TFP political analyst Gonzalo Guimaraens
To read this article in Spanish,
click here.
