A Catholic Bishop in Mozambique has called upon inmates at Sofala Provincial Penitentiary in the country’s Sofala Province that is part of the Catholic Archdiocese of Beira to look out for God’s forgiveness and foster the hope for better days.
In his December 17 homily at the Mozambican prison, Bishop António Manuel Bogaio Constantino told the inmates, “You are sons and daughters of God. God has also given you the grace to live happily and joyfully in this house. Seek repentance and always hope for a better life,”
The Auxiliary Bishop of Beira Archdiocese added, “Our great joy is that the Lord does not abandon us, the Lord does not leave us alone and there is always time for transformation, for change. The Lord always helps us to change because he is with us.”
Bishop Constantino told the inmates that it is necessary to “repent so that our sins can be forgiven.”
“May we be happy. But happiness comes when we set our lives on doing good. Life is about following in the footsteps of the Lord,” the Auxiliary Bishop of Beira Archdiocese said.
The Mozambican member of the Comboni Missionaries of the Heart of Jesus (MCCJ) went on to encourage the inmates to embrace a life of prayer.
“You must always pray to the Lord to give you strength; pray to the Lord so that he can enter into your life and convert you,” he said during the Eucharistic celebration in which 12 inmates were baptized, and three other female inmates received the Sacrament of Confirmation.
Addressing himself to the catechumens, Bishop Constantino said, “The Baptism you receive today will be of water and the Holy Spirit who will strengthen you through the anointing of the oil of Chrism, so that your life may be transformed.”
“We hope that these steps you have taken will also be the steps of tomorrow in society,” the Mozambican Catholic Bishop said during the December 17 celebration, and continued, “Your life is transformed from now on, and you have to be role models in this house (prison) too.”
Bishop Constantino further said, “As soon as you receive Baptism, your mission is also to spread the word of God that you freely received.”