In the homily for Pentecost Sunday, which marks, according to the Christian feast, the birth of the Church and the spread of faith in Jesus Christ, Monsignor Silvio Baezauxiliary bishop of Managua, emphasized that “the same Spirit that descended on the apostles continues to encourage the Church today so that it does not live withdrawn into itself, nor be afraid of the great challenges of evangelization.”
The bishop in exile said, from Santa Agatha Church, in Miami, Florida, that “many want a Church that is blind in the face of the pain of humanity and mute in the face of the outrages of the unjust. However, the Spirit, like a strong wind, always pushes her along the paths of the world to the adventure of the mission, the testimony of love and the risk of prophecy».
This fortress was exalted by the prelate in a context of persecution against the Catholic Church in Nicaragua. Since May, the regime of Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo has intensified its harassment of religious leaders such as Monsignor Rolando Alvarez and the Father Harvey Padilla; He currently has behind bars priest Manuel Salvador Garcia, parish priest of Nandaime, accused of alleged serious injuries against a citizen. “The Holy Spirit frees the Church from environments contaminated by lies and evil,” said Monsignor Báez.
Authentic freedom, he went on to explain, is that provided by the Holy Spirit himself, “which is not identified with doing what we like or giving free rein to our passions, frees us from the mental rigidity that makes us incapable of accepting new paths and proposals and it also frees us from the ideologies that prevent us from knowing the truth, feeling the pain of others and loving effectively».
“The Holy Spirit is present wherever human rights are claimed and the dignity of persons is defended, even beyond the borders of the Church. The Holy Spirit is discreetly transforming human history through the effort and good will of men and women who do not passively resign themselves to oppression and injustice,” the bishop added.
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This gift was what put the Church on its feet and made it go out of the house to the public square, it also pushes priests to be “witnesses of mercy and prophets of truth and justice,” added Monsignor Báez.
“Without the Holy Spirit we would be unable to bear witness to Jesus, we would not be able to love and forgive, sacrifice and serve. The Holy Spirit gives us the strength so that problems do not overwhelm us, frees us from living obsessed with emergencies, opens us to new paths and launches us into the mission without fear and full of hope”, concluded the religious leader.
