Based on the Gospel according to Saint John, where the baptism of Jesus is narrated, Monsignor Silvio Baezauxiliary bishop of Managua, urged not to follow our own interests and let God “get closer to us.”
«Jesus always comes to us, he does not wait for us to look for him, he calls us, he speaks to us, he touches our hearts. And when, like the sheep in the parable, we stray away or get lost, he goes after us until he finds us to lovingly carry us on his shoulders,” the hierarch preached during his homily on January 15 from Santa Agatha Church in Miami. , USA.
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Referring to the mission of Jesus on earth, the prelate emphasized that the “Messiah of God exercises his saving leadership without putting himself above or seeking to excel.”
Alluding to social contexts, where authoritarian governments —such as Daniel Ortega’s— impose themselves by force and generate more money for his clan, Báez said that authentic leaders do not place themselves above the people, nor are they distant.
“They don’t live sitting at desks or selling their image in the media, nor do they side with privileged groups because they have more money or are more influential. True leaders line up and share the fate of the people,” he said.
He stressed that there is no leadership without solidarity, also pointing out that it is unthinkable to have “leaders who do not seek their own interests, who love people and who do not bow down to money or fame.”
Jesus offers forgiveness of sins
Referring to the mission of Jesus, the Monsignor indicated that in the face of humanity’s sin, the Son of God “not only offers us forgiveness of our sins from God, but also removes them, uproots them, but without attempting to our freedom, without imposing severity, nor punishing our mistakes».
“Jesus, Lamb of God, takes away the sin of the world by loving humanity to the extreme, to the point of giving his life for love, extending his arms on the cross as in an eternal embrace of God,” he added.
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As for sin, the priest said that “it is not so much disobedience to a religious law or simply an offense against God”, but that sin “is the rejection of the kingdom of God”.
«We sin when we do not welcome God as Father and we do not treat others as brothers. Sin is a break with love. We commit sin when we close ourselves off from God’s love and truth. We commit sin when we seek our own happiness at the expense of others, forgetting, despising, using or making our brothers suffer,” he said.
From forced exile since 2019, due to the repression of the Nicaraguan regime, Monsignor Silvio Báez encouraged Nicaraguans to change pride into humility and the search for prestige into a desire to serve and reach out to others.
“Let us follow Jesus and collaborate so that God’s promises are fulfilled, so that the pain and uncertainty of the present become a gateway to a better future, so that wounded hearts are bandaged and blinded eyes can see the light”, concluded.
