The auxiliary bishop of Managua in exile, Silvio José Báez, made a vehement call to change the despotism that is imposed in Nicaragua for respect for the freedom and dignity of all people. He also called for “personal and group ambitions to be replaced by the fight for the common good.”
In his homily this Sunday, July 9, the hierarch referred to the call that Jesus makes for all the tired to come to him to give them rest (Matthew 11,28), and in this sense, the religious leader preached that Jesus speaks of rest, but not necessarily physical, to recover physical strength, but to rest “embracing Jesus” so as not to be afraid and not lose hope “of living and fighting for a more dignified and better life for ourselves and for others” .
«Let us help each other to regain strength with respect, solidarity, mutual listening, offering each other comfort and giving each other hope. Let’s not wear ourselves out or get distracted uselessly. Let’s give each other rest, let’s support each other and help each other, because the task is immense, “said the auxiliary bishop.
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Báez recalled that, on a social level, the words of Jesus must be heard with confidence: “Come to me, all those who are tired and burdened and I will give you rest,” and acknowledged that, in a certain way, the Nicaraguan people perceived tired by impotence in the face of the power of tyrants.
«We are overwhelmed by the feeling of incapacity that we experience to be able to change the unjust and violent structures that oppress and subjugate. Our own people are tired and overwhelmed by poverty and fear, deceit, repression and uncertainty about the future”, he stressed.
He insisted that the rest that Jesus wants to give Nicaragua will come “through the effort that we all make to organize ourselves to transform oppressive structures into structures of freedom and change unjust relationships into projects and actions of solidarity towards the poorest.”
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He mentioned that the Nicaraguan people will perceive their rest through the commitment of all to change the way power is exercised “transforming despotism into respect for the freedom and dignity of all people; substituting personal and group ambitions for the fight for the common good and dignifying the suffering of the victims through the commitment to establish justice processes that eliminate social impunity forever”.
Bishop Báez, who on a day like today, July 9, but in 2018, was attacked and injured by Ortega paramilitaries in Diriamba, officiates from exile forced by death threats from regime fanatics. At the end of his preaching, he stressed that Jesus wants us to learn from him, who is “meek and humble of heart.”
