In September 2015, Cecilia, from El Salvador, nearly lost her life after giving birth to her third child.
Her eyes and ears were bleeding; her body swelled up; her liver and kidneys were practically not functioning. The pain was so intense the doctors made the following decision: medically-induced coma.
CECILIA FLORES
“My mother tells me that when she went to see me at the hospital, she was devastated. Many friends who came to see me at the hospital came out the same way, distressed because I was unrecognizable. On September 4, they told my husband, 'This will be your wife's last night.'”
ALEJANDRO RIVAS
Cecilia's husband
“I opened the Bible and found a little image of Msgr. Romero.” “I asked him to listen to me. I said, 'Msgr. Romero, please listen to me. I said to him, 'For the great love you had for El Salvador, for the great love you had for the family; for the love you had for pregnant women; for the love you had for life; which you even gave yours to defend it; I ask you to beg God, in His great mercy, that my wife may not die. Today, this night, may my wife not die. I ask you to beg God for mercy.'”
The next day, he went to the hospital to see his wife and there he witnessed the following: his wife began to improve inexplicably, coinciding with the time that he had prayed for her healing.
ALEJANDRO RIVAS
Cecilia's husband
“It was incredible. I had no words, I couldn't say anything. It gave me a chill and I remained silent.” “On September fourth she was supposed to die. On September 14 she returned to me. She left the hospital”.
Óscar Romero was an example of a bishop who knew how to put aside the comfort of his position to denounce the grave injustices committed in his country. He was fully aware that his life was at stake. On one occasion there was even a plan to assassinate him, which was thwarted.
However, the second attack did not fail, but it made him a martyr and a symbol for all of Latin America, which eagerly awaited his canonization.
