By David Ramos
Cuernavaca, Mexico, Feb 15, 2022 / 15:00 pm
Bishop Ramón Castro Castro of Cuernavaca denounced Sunday the "rampant corruption" that Mexico is experiencing.
In his homily for Mass Feb. 13 at the Cuernavaca cathedral, Bishop Castro reflected on the Beatitudes and Woes in Luke’s Gospel and noted that "it specifically says that God is for the weak, the persecuted, those who defend His Kingdom.”
"On the other hand, the satisfied, the selfish, who only think of themselves, deep down are unhappy," he said.
The prelate, who is secretary general of the Mexican Bishops’ Conference, warned that "those who put their trust in themselves instead of putting it in God are always in a state of anxiety."
Bishop Castro said that “many times people try to deform or hide the radical demands of the Gospel, but his words are very clear. There’s no doubt that whoever wants to follow him has to be willing to live in another way.”
The bishop also said that in the second part of the Gospel reading, after the Beatitudes, there is a warning to those who don't live according to what the Lord says.
Among them, he said, are those who subordinate "their religious or political beliefs" to whoever "fattens their bank accounts."
"There are many examples," he said, adding that this also refers to those who cheat people without caring about "trampling on others."
"Woe to you, you corrupt. That’s what Jesus is referring to. All those who sell even their soul for money. That rampant corruption that exists in Mexico, unfortunately. That’s what Jesus is referring to. Not I, Jesus,” he stressed.
“Woe to you who want to step on others with your shoes to make a profit. Woe to you executives for whom everything is licit in defense of your own interests or those of your companies,” he said.
Bishop Castro pointed out that "these are all idolaters, worshipers of the golden calf against whom Jesus spoke so clearly."
According to the Corruption Perception Index of Transparency International, Mexico is among the 60 most corrupt countries in the world.
In a Jan. 25 article, Transparency International pointed out that "despite the strong anti-corruption rhetoric of the president, the great cases of corruption in the country continue without being punished."
"The absence of recovered assets and the growing number of scandals involving close collaborators of the president explain part of the result," says the organization.
The Bishop of Cuernavaca encouraged the faithful to be happy living "this dynamism that the Beatitudes offer us" such as "Blessed are you if you don’t put at the center of your lives what is secondary.”
"Blessed are those who remember that Jesus rose and calls you to Eternal Life, and that we are here just passing through and that there is life after death," he continued.
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"Happy are those who aren’t fearful in the face of life's difficulties, you’re blessed," he said.
“Happy are also those who take the path the Lord indicates and not the way everyone is going. You’re blessed if you choose the Beatitudes,” he added.
Bishop Castro stressed that "it’s the Lord who’s teaching this, it’s the Lord who’s warning you."
"What Jesus is presenting to us today in this dense teaching, hopefully we can take up as an ideal life project," he concluded.
