What Kind of Country Should I Ask the Blessed Mother For?
In the hearts of most Cubans, whether on the island or abroad, there is a special place for Our Lady of Charity of El Cobre—the Virgin whose image came floating to our shores and who, by choosing her name for us, gave us an identity as a nation: to be children of Charity.
But to bear that name is not merely to honor a beloved image or preserve a cherished tradition. It is to accept a way of living: to become, in our own time, a people who practice compassion, solidarity, courage, and hope. That is why, as we celebrate her feast once again, we do not ask only for her protection. We ask her to help us become the kind of country worthy of the name she has given us.
So we lift our prayer to her:
“Mother, in the midst of the situation we are living through, help us never to cease being the people of Charity.”
In the midst of so much scarcity and poverty, help us to reach out to others, to share whatever we are able to obtain, and never to forget that there is always someone who is less fortunate than we are—someone poorer, lacking more, and in greater need.
In the midst of so much institutional indifference and social mistreatment, help us to support one another and to show solidarity with the problems and hopes of our fellow citizens.
In the midst of growing violence in all its forms, protect us, and help us protect others, whoever they may be, treating one another with humanity and patience.
In the midst of so much repression, help us to have the courage to speak the truth, to refuse to play along with those who oppress us, and to express, in every peaceful way possible, our thirst for freedom and our desire to be masters of our present and our future.
In the midst of so many shortcomings in education, help us provide our children with the means they need to develop their minds and to build a dignified and prosperous future.
In the midst of so much emigration and family separation, help our distant and broken families find a way to come together again.
In the midst of so much moral confusion, help us keep a clear distinction between good and evil; help us choose, at every moment, the good that builds and strengthens, and teach this to our children. May the Cuba that must be born emerge from people whose personal and social actions are always guided by the principles of goodness, never crossing its boundaries.
In the midst of so much uncertainty—not knowing what will happen to this country, or how or when it will happen—help us trust that Your Son has a plan for this land, and that in His time, that plan will be revealed. And help us trust that when this time of darkness and suffering passes, a season of spring and light will come upon this land—a time of more laughter and fewer tears, more abundance and less hardship, more justice and less fear; a time when we can live in peace, freedom, and truth.