Monsignor Silvio Baezauxiliary bishop of Managua, invited Catholics to “stop, be silent and listen to Jesus” in the face of day-to-day occupations because, by taking a distance, one returns with serenity and efficiency.
“Christians committed to social change also need to learn to stop, be silent, enter into themselves and listen to Jesus because without realizing it, the most generous struggles for justice can be distorted. History proves it », said the religious leader in his Sunday homily on July 17.
Monsignor Báez’s message arises in a context of political persecution of the Nicaraguan Catholic Church, exacerbated by the expulsion of the Missionaries of Charity, expropriations and the arrest of priests; while voices critical of the Daniel Ortega regime demand the official pronouncement of the Catholic Church, which, at the moment, has remained silent.
“Believing that we are fighting for a new society, deep down, we could be looking for a leading role,” added the bishop from the Santa Ágatha church in Miami, United States.
He added that “convinced that we denounce social sin in the name of God, we could be fanatics driven by an ideology or moved by resentment or selfishness. Many times, generous people who fight against oppressive regimes end up acting with the same authoritarianism that they intend to change.
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Therefore, he went on to say, “for Christians, it is not enough to talk and say things. We must discern everything in the light of the word of Jesus, be silent and listen to Him because there, in that silence of loving listening, we distance ourselves from reality, examine ourselves from within and learn to purify the heart and the deepest intentions. and hidden.
Taking Mary and Martha as an example who, in this Sunday’s Gospel, attend to Jesus in a different way upon his arrival in Bethany: Martha, taking care of the house, and Mary, prostrated at her feet to listen to the Word; Monsignor Báez indicated that “listening to the Lord is the most important thing in our lives, the decisive thing, the priority (…) Jesus seems to repeat to each one of us: “do not let yourself be dominated by things to do”».
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“Even priests, if we do not dedicate time to silent prayer to listen to Jesus, we run the risk of becoming simple religious officials who manage parishes as if they were companies, falling into a sterile activism that dries us up, empties us from within. », he indicated.
“Listening to Jesus within us, we will know how to discern what God asks of us, we will know what to do and we will do what we do well,” said Monsignor Báez from exile, recalling that within each Christian live “Marta and María,” who are ” the heart of listening and the heart of service”, and both are necessary.
