Father José Paulo Machado said that the Solemn Procession of the Holy Christ on Sunday elevates the believing souls of the people of São Miguel and the Azores in goodness, truth, and beauty to the highest degree. That is why we see “the image and hand of the creator” in it, according to a note published on the Azores Church website.
“The time is coming for this great manifestation,” he began by saying at the start of the last sermon of the Triduum in preparation for the Feast of the Holy Christ of Miracles, which started on Friday in Ponta Delgada with the lighting of the lights and will reach its climax today.
“It will be another year for us to feel God’s love,” he said, expressing his hope that ”the transformation undergone by the city on Sunday may also mean a true transformation of every one of the pilgrims.
“May this suspension of time that we feel on Sunday, when there is a transfiguration, come,” he explained, highlighting three dimensions: the suspension of time that invites us to ‘an intimate and profound immersion in God’s time’; the beauty expressed in the carpets that cover the city, ‘which are colossal,’ or in the opas (traditional costumes); and the evangelizing dimension.
“Faith is not staying in the same place. Go out, transform yourself, and embrace me,” urged the parish priest of Fajã de Baixo, who throughout these three days sought to explain the three structuring moments of the festival, which ‘are the expression of the essence of São Miguel and the Azoreans, centered on the passion of Christ,’ so instilled by the Franciscans.
“This passion is engraved in our hearts,” he concluded, wishing ”happiness to the entire believing community that has been shaped by this tender and gentle gaze of the Holy Christ.”


The last day of the triduum, which invoked Blessed João Baptista Machado, a Jesuit priest martyred in Japan and patron saint of the diocese of Angra, on the day of his birth, was also marked by the certainty of the Rector, Canon Manuel Carlos Alves, who said that “everything is ready.”
“The signs so far are good: more people at the triduum, more flowers, more animals at the auctions, but most important of all is that more people can feel this love of the Lord,” said the priest, who is organizing his second festival as rector.
The priest expressed his gratitude to the preacher, the Brotherhood, and the People of God in general and appealed to all pilgrims to be environmentally aware.
“Together we will carry the Lord because He wants to go out and meet his people, as Mother Teresa of the Annunciation said. Let him go,” he said.
“Let us take care of the cleanliness of our city and the environment; it costs little, but if we all help, our care will have great meaning for the whole city.“
”In this way, we will also give witness to our faith,” he concluded.

In Diário dos Açores

Translated to English as a community outreach program from the Portuguese Beyond Borders Institute (PBBI) and the Modern and Classical Languages and Literatures Department (MCLL) as part of Bruma Publication and ADMA (Azores-Diaspora Media Alliance) at California State University, Fresno, PBBI thanks Luso Financial for sponsoring NOVIDADES.