A FEW DAYS AGO I read that Reverend Dr Michael Clarke, in his sermon at the funeral service of a victim of murder, called for us to “bring children to God from early”. This is a timely call, because we have to sow seeds of respect, hard work, honesty, gratitude and love very early if the future wellbeing of our nation is to be realised.
However, I wish to add to this call. I do feel that efforts are being made to give our children experiences of God, as evidenced in many schoolchildren attending services on Ash Wednesday to mark the beginning of Lent. The problem seems to be that experiences such as this one are not reinforced in some families. The result is that in later years when these very children are faced with daunting challenges, some give way to lawlessness, resulting in serious crimes. The present spate of violence among some of our young people is evidence of this.
Every year hundreds of young people graduate, looking for jobs. Those who don’t go on for further education and don’t find jobs sometimes fall by the wayside, with some choosing to be voluntary idle. This is where our society and our church are also needed to make their presence felt. It is that cadre of people who we should also “bring to God”.
This phenomenon of crime and violence is further exacerbated by a certain indifference in our society, indeed by our region and the wider world. That is why Pope Francis has called on everyone of goodwill to resolve to get rid of indifference for Lent.
Please Barbados, let us make a more concerted effort to reach those persons who are causing immense pain to families and by extension our nation. While we are at it, I remind our churches that Jesus didn’t just preach and save souls; He fed, He healed, He gave hope, He showed concern and He gave all He had to empower others, especially the alienated. It’s not too late to seek a better Barbados.
– FATHER CLEMENT PAUL
