The auxiliary bishop of the diocese of Managua, Monsignor Silvio Báez, reflected during his homily this Sunday on the urgency of silence and prayer in the Christian faithful so as not to deviate from the path of social change and justice.
“Christians committed to social change need to stop, be quiet, go into themselves and listen to Jesus. Without realizing it, the most generous struggles for justice can be distorted. Believing that we are fighting for a new society, deep down, we could be looking for prominence”, said the religious, who is in exile in Miami, United States.
The priest stressed that, on this path of noise, many times “generous people who fight against oppressive regimes, end up acting with the same authoritarianism that seeks to change. For Christians, it is not enough to speak and say things. Everything must be discerned in the light of the word of Jesus, in order to distance ourselves from reality, examine ourselves from within and purify our hearts”.
The reflection, part of the Gospel of Saint Luke, chapter 10, which describes the meeting of Jesus with Martha and Mary in Betania, that one goes out of her way to attend to him; while the other sits down to listen to her word.
Given this story, Monsignor Báez reflected that Jesus does not want his children busy doing meaningless things. “We must learn to stop and be silent, to listen to the Lord.”
“Even the priests, if we do not spend time in silent prayer to listen to Jesus, we run the risk of becoming simple religious officials or parish administrators, falling into a sterile activism that empties us from the inside”, he reflects.
Cardinal promotes prayer campaign
The Cardinal, Monsignor Leopoldo Brenes, took advantage of the homily -in which the porters from Santo Domingo participated- to initiate a prayer campaign to the Holy Rosary for world peace and for the country, prior to the patron saint festivities of Managuabeginning on the first of August.
“I have thought that today, together with the chargers present here, we launch a prayer campaign of the Holy Rosary, from today until August 10 (…) a prayer campaign, pray the Holy Rosary for peace in the world, for peace in our countryfor harmony, friendship, for the peace of our families and the peace of our hearts”, said Monsignor Brenes.
The cardinal explained that this day of prayer prepares them “for that demonstration on August 1, but that demonstration will be strong if it is sustained by prayer. So we have to pray so that this manifestation of love, of affection, of faith in Santo Domingo has all the strength and transmits something.”
The religious stressed that this Sunday’s Gospel invites the faithful to prayer, “It doesn’t mean we have to stop doing all things”but to stop and listen to Jesus.
The patron saint of Managua, Santo Domingo de Guzmán, will come down from the Sierritas, for the first time, after two years of suspension of the festivities due to the covid-19 pandemic. In years past, the Mayor’s Office of Managua held its own celebration with “El Mocito” (a substitute image) who made the same journey as the original saint.
Bishops remain silent in the face of persecution
The bishops remained silent in their homilies in the face of the recent persecution suffered by the Catholic Church in Nicaragua, which includes the arrest and conviction of two priests and the expulsion of religious congregations.
Monsignor Jorge Solórzano, bishop of the Diocese of Granada, who administers the parishes of imprisoned priests: Manuel García, from Nandaime, and Monsignor Leonardo Urbina, from Boaco, made a brief reflection on the Sunday Gospel in which he calls for the prayer and communion with God.
“I want to leave you with some questions so that during this day and the week we can reflect on them: Do I prioritize listening to the word of God in my life? Is it the word of God that inspires my services? Am I hospitable to welcome the one who needs it?”, said the bishop.
And at the end of the mass, the pronouncement of the Presbyterial Council of the Diocese of Granadawhich was published this Thursday in relation to the arrest of the priests. In this, a call is made to daily days of prayer and in the Eucharist, asking for the spiritual strength of both religious. “The Lord who called us to be members of his Church, keep us united in charity and prayer,” the statement said.
