Oh, what a joy and the glory must be, those endless Sabbaths blessed one see; Crown for the valiant, to weary one rest, God shall be all and in all ever blest. – Hymn 235: verse 1 A).
IT WAS VERY TOUCHING to have read in last Thursday’s DAILY NATION that former West Indies Test batsman Marlon Samuels had donated JAM$1.5 million (US$11 700) to the Jamaican Society for the Blind.
It was also revealed that Samuels, through his charity foundation, would also disburse a further JAM$350 000 to Garfield Mitchell, a 23-year-old visually impaired student. What a joy that would be.
It shows the human side of Samuels, 36, who has played 71 Tests, 187 One-Day International and 55 Twenty20s. I was pleased by such an act. He started the foundation because he wanted to give back. I do not know if he is a Christian, but he has done what all Christians should do because they are their brother’s keeper.
There are many persons with wealth who would not use it to help others.
In St Mark’s Gospel chapter 10 verse 17, a rich ruler went to Jesus and asked what must he do to have eternal life. Jesus said told him to sell what he owned, and give the money to the poor. The ruler could not make such a decision and went away sad.
Then Jesus said to his listeners, “How hard it is to enter the kingdom of God. It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”
I can remember very well what a funeral director said to me some years ago, “Father, what must I do to wear one of those collars that you are wearing?” and I said to him, “sell the funeral home and give the money to the poor.”
Guess what happened? He went away. This writer does believe that there are persons out there who have too much money and what are they going to do with it? They would not even invest it in order to help others; they will prefer to allow it to remain in the bank.
We do need more people in this world like Marlon Samuels, for what doth it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his soul?
Patronal Festivals
• The St Philip Parish Church will be observing its feast of title and patronal festival next week under the theme: Discipleship In a Contemporary Environment.
Festival services on Sunday will be at 7 a.m., 9:15 a.m. and 6 p.m. On Monday’s May Day holiday, the church will host a family fun and sports day with the Parish Family. Services will also be held on Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday at 7:30 p.m., and on Saturday, May 6, there will be a chain prayer from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.
• St Mark’s Patronal festival continues on Saturday with Romancing with the Elderly, a social outreach committee event from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. On Sunday, there will be procession, sung Eucharist and sermon at 8 a.m. and psalms, hymns and spiritual songs at 6 p.m.
Fairs
• The St George’s Parish Church will be holding its annual fair on Saturday, on the rectory grounds from noon to 7 p.m.
• The St Augustine’s Anglican Church will be holding its annual fair on Saturday, on the church grounds, Market Hill, St George, from 2 p.m.
• The St Martin’s Anglican Church will hold its annual fair on May 6, on the rectory grounds, St Martin’s, St Philip, from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m.
T20 Church cricket
• The Moravian Church Tape Ball T20 Cricket Competition continues tomorrow with two matches at the James Bryan Complex, Market Hill, St George; Mount Tabor Moravian vs Dunamis Ministries at 2 p.m. and Calvary Moravian vs Sharon Moravian at 6:30 p.m.
Fiesta
• The St Paul Fiesta under the theme: Youth and Experience the Right Mix will be held tomorrow, Heroes Day, at St Gabriel’s School grounds, Henry’s Lane, St Michael from 11 a.m.to 6 p.m. under the patronage of Selma Husbands-Green.
Easter recital
• Easter With The Myriad Singers will be held on Sundayat 6 p.m. at St Mathias Church.
Home, Family Month
• The Anglican diocese will be celebrating Home and Family Month during May, under the theme Building More Effective Families Through Unified Parenting. The official launch is on Sunday,May 7, with a church service at Holy Trinity Church, St Philip, at 9 a.m.
