In his homily this Sunday, from the Santa Agatha church in Miami, United States, Monsignor Silvio Báez, auxiliary bishop of Managua, urged the Catholic congregation to live a true Christianity.
Based on the parable of Jesus Christ in the Gospel according to Saint Luke 18:10, about the prayer of the Pharisee and the publican, where the former boasted of his religiosity and gifts, the prelate pointed out that “without realizing it we can falsify and pervert the religious practice”.
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Alluding to the questionable religiosity of the dictators of Nicaragua, Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo, who claim to believe in God and to be Catholic but attack and persecute the Catholic Church itself, the bishop pointed out that “today hThere are many politicians who manipulate and use religion and become like the Pharisee».
“They invoke God and give thanks for the supposed blessings they receive, that more than divine blessings are the fruit of strategies and political actions that they themselves carry out to gain a foothold in power and achieve their own interests”, Baez added.
He emphasized that generally these types of politicians are authoritarian and are not willing to admit their mistakes and sins. «They practice the religion of the “I”, demanding worship from their people, imposing themselves as little gods and using religion to justify their positions of power, their acts of corruption and their cruelty».
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Unlike the “political Pharisees”, Báez pointed out that “the believing politician —like the publican— shows his faith in the just and good God, humbly acknowledging his mistakes and accepting his share of responsibility in the problems of society” .
«Authentic believing politicians live by listening to God and to others, constantly examine their conscience, do not blame others for what they are responsible for, feel the need to convert and model their lives in the light of the gospel, ask for forgiveness and open themselves with trust to the love of the Lord”, he remarked.
“The prayer of the proud does not reach the heart of God”
The Catholic leader also stated that Jesus teaches us that the prayer of the proud does not reach the heart of God, “but the prayer of the humble opens it wide.”
“We can fool men, but not God. Let’s not be afraid that God looks at us inside. He always looks at us with infinite kindness », he indicated.
Referring to the publican’s prayer, the religious said that «Jesus invites us to let ourselves be welcomed and forgiven by God. We all fail, we all get carried away by selfishness and evil at times, that is why we all need the mercy and compassion of the Lord».
“Having faith is not a privilege that automatically places us close to God, fulfilling the commandments of religion is not a guarantee of sanctity, and leading a morally upright life can become a source of pride and a pretext for feeling superior to others. people,” Baez preached.
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Quoting the words of Pope Francis —at the Angelus on October 23— the bishop said that “where there is a lot of me, there is little God”. We practice this religion when we feel proud of our goodness, forgetting that every good deed we do is a grace we receive from God».
He further stated that many so-called Christians practice the religion of the Pharisee “when we are content to appear good, without paying attention to the selfish intentions of the heart, feeling comfortable in our hypocrisy and without feeling the need to change and improve. We are like the Pharisee when religious practices make us arrogant, believing we are better than others whom we judge and condemn.
“Today let us ask the Lord for the grace to know each other, not to despise anyone, to feel poor inside and in need of his mercy, praying with empty hands and an open heart before our Father God: “My God, have mercy on me who is a sinner” (Lk 18:11)”, he concluded.
Báez’s preaching comes in a year in which the Ortega dictatorship has unleashed a strong attack against the Catholic Church in Nicaragua, has locked up at least 11 priests, but claims to be a “socialist, Christian and supportive” government.
