When Violence, Injustice and Oppression Prevail…
…life’s beauty fades away said Monsignor Silvio Baez
HAVANA TIMES – In his homily for Wednesday, December 7th, Monsignor Silvio Baez emphasized that the Nicaraguan people are living through a historic moment when the oppression imposed on them has deprived them of beauty. The government of Nicaragua maintains a police state, with 168 people currently imprisoned for political opposition. The persecution has also forced many thousands of Nicaraguans to flee to other countries.
“Beauty is the glow of harmony. In our notion of beauty, this glow must go hand in hand with truth and goodness. Beauty is the radiance given off by that harmony between truth and goodness. God is the Supreme Good, the Supreme Truth and the Supreme Beauty, which has been fully revealed in Christ as redeeming love. The famous Russian writer Dostoyevsky said that beauty would save the world. Beauty opens us to the spiritual; awakens the best there is in us; captivates us; leads us to transcend the merely material and enter into the world of graciousness and contemplation,” Baez stated.
The religious leader also assured that when indifference, egotism and envy invade a heart, they destroy the beauty of God in us.
“Sadly, many people live deprived of beauty, because when sin ruptures the dialogue with God and distances us from love, beauty disappears. That’s where indifference, egotism, and envy invade the heart and destroy the beauty of God within us. The historic moment that our people are living through is also bereft of beauty,” noted Baez.
He added: “When violence, injustice and oppression are imposed, when people’s liberty and human rights aren’t respected, the beauty in life and in history vanishes, leaving us locked in a world of ugliness, sadness, and death. We need to beautify the life and story of our people with the loveliness of good and of compassion, of truth and of justice,” the religious leader affirmed.
Baez’ homily was offered as part of the celebration of the Conception of Maria, the mother of Jesus. He cited the words of the Bible, when the Angel Gabriel visits Mary to entrust her with a mission for the “salvation of humanity”.
“Hail, favored one, the Lord is with you.” (Luke 1:28)
“This expression indicates the particular selection of Mary, who God has looked upon with very special love,” Baez reflected. The Monsignor offered his thoughts at the Santa Agatha Church in Miami. The Masaya-born Nicaraguan prelate was an outspoken critic of the government’s violent repression of protesters. In 2019, he was ordered by Pope Francis to leave the country, in view of threats on his life.