In the homily this Sunday from the Santa Agatha church in Miami, United States, Monsignor Silvio Báez preached about the ascension of Jesus Christ and the mission of the Church after the son of God would no longer be on earth.
Based on the Gospel of Saint Luke, the prelate compared the disciples of Jesus with the current Church. “This is how we are, how they were. We are people with weaknesses and limitations, with fears and falls, but we are witnesses of Jesus».
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“We walk between the consolation of God and the misunderstandings of the world, many times we feel incapable and it seems to us that the mission received from Jesus is impossible to fulfill, but we are his witnesses,” said the prelate.
Referring to the constant siege that the Catholic Church is experiencing in Nicaragua at the hands of the regime of Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo, the priest said that daily “we are threatened and persecuted by dark forces hostile to the gospel, but we are witnesses of Jesus. It is we to whom Jesus has entrusted the proclamation of the Gospel of the Kingdom».
He exhorted that it is up to the Church to bring “God’s forgiveness to those who have fallen and wipe away the tears of those who are sad or feel failed. It is up to us to defend human life and bring hope to our wounded world».
Fight against false normality
In relation to the shooting that occurred in an elementary school in Texas, United States, where more than 20 children died, Báez pointed out that “as the Episcopal Conference of the United States has recently expressed (…), it is up to us “to implore our elected officials to help us take action” to stop the “epidemic of evil and violence” that continues to produce so many innocent victims and so much pain in the families of this country”.
He also emphasized that “it is up to us to fight against the false normality that the despotic powers want to impose on the oppressed peoples. It is up to us to approach the poor and the victims, bringing them the consolation of God and assuring them the triumph of justice».
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“All this is our mission. Let’s not expect God to do everything, praying is not enough. Even with our fears and our poverty, we must take risks. We are the witnesses of the love and the new life of the Risen Lord”, exhorted the bishop.
Monsignor Báez affirmed that “one of the greatest temptations of the Church is to forget about the Holy Spirit, not to listen to the Spirit, not to allow oneself to be guided or strengthened by the Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the fire and the wind of God that guides and sustains the Church, it is the strength of God that comforts us and defends us in all circumstances. Only the Holy Spirit can make us courageous and joyful witnesses of Jesus».
The homily of the auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Managua concluded by encouraging the Catholic Church of Nicaragua in that «God has wanted to bless our gray days, our fragile hands, our broken hearts. We live and walk with the blessing of Jesus, with his blessing, our humble efforts to love will not be lost; our fight for truth and justice will bear fruit; our daily fatigue will not be useless».
From exile in the United States, Monsignor Silvio Báez has spoken out in favor of the Nicaraguan people and has condemned the current attacks by the Ortega regime against religious leaders and the censorship of the media by the Catholic Church in this country.
