After two years in which the pandemic canceled or restricted many of the events of the Festivities of the Christ of La Lagunathe holy image was finally reunited yesterday with its faithful, with the traditional ceremony of the Descent and Besapié and its return to the streets with the procession of the transfer of Christ, which yesterday went to the convent of the Poor Clare nuns for the first time, on the occasion of 475th anniversary of the founding of the community in the cityand where it remains until this afternoon, when it will return in procession to the Cathedral.
Thus, the religious acts began yesterday morning with the Eucharist in the royal sanctuary, which was presided over by Bishop Bernardo Álvarez from Nivari and was attended by the sanctuary’s rector, Víctor Álvarez; the mayor of La Laguna, Luis Yeray Gutiérrez; the older slave, Francisco José Doblas, as well as a representation of the Municipal Corporation, civil and military authorities, a large group of slaves of Christ and members of brotherhoods and brotherhoods.
In his homily, the bishop highlighted some ideas that this year he has collected in the letter Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, as reported by the Bishopric through Nivariense Digital. Álvarez pointed out that whoever does not recognize that he is a sinner, either through ignorance or because of the hardness of his heart, is like someone who has a bodily illness and does not know it. “But that doesn’t stop it from affecting his health. That’s how sin is, even if we don’t recognize it, it hurts us spiritually. That is why we must ask ourselves if our life is, or not, in accordance with what God wants, ”he indicated.
In this sense, the Nivarian prelate stressed the importance of living in tune with Christ: “If he is the lamb of God who has come to take away the sin of the world, let us take advantage of the forgiveness and mercy that he offers us.”
Finally, Monsignor Álvarez expressed that celebrating the Fiestas del Cristo should be something profound for a believer: “Let’s not stay in the decoration, in the brightness of things, in the passing. The Feasts of Christ must leave a mark on our lives. We have to take advantage of the celebration of the mystery of Christ crucified that brings us salvation. Only then will we bear good fruit. Therefore, let us take advantage of the benevolence of God so that we can be rescued, renewed and strengthened.”
After the homily, the new slaves were blessed and awarded medals. Subsequently, the bishop gave the final blessing and the long-awaited ceremony of the Descent of Christ began, at which time the salutes began to be heard.
Procession
In the afternoon, the procession of the Santísimo Cristo de La Laguna took place to the convent of San Juan Bautista, of the Poor Clare nuns, in the case of an extraordinary visit for the commemoration of the 475th anniversary of the foundation of the community of Poor Clare sisters in the city. of Aguere. The image remains in the convent until this afternoon, from where it will go out again in procession, at 6:30 p.m., to the Cathedral.
