Homily delivered by Archbishop Joseph Harris at the midnight Mass for the 50thAnniversary of Independence on Friday August 31, 2012 at the Pro-Cathedral of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, San Fernando.
Gospel :Matthew – 25:1-13
Jesus told this parable to his disciples. “The kingdom of heaven will be like this: Ten bridesmaids took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were sensible: the foolish ones did take their lamps, but they brought no oil, whereas the sensible ones took flasks of oil as well as their lamps. The bridegroom was late, and they all grew drowsy and fell asleep. But at midnight there was a cry, ‘The bridegroom is here! Go out and meet him’. At this, all those bridesmaids woke up and trimmed their lamps, and the foolish ones said to the sensible ones, ‘Give us some of your oil: our lamps are going out’. But they replied, ‘There may not be enough for us and for you; you had better go to those who sell it and buy some for yourselves’. They had gone off to buy it when the bridegroom arrived. Those who were ready went in with him to the wedding hall and the door was closed. The other bridesmaids arrived later. ‘Lord, Lord’, they said, ‘open the door for us’. But he replied, ‘I tell you solemnly, I do not know you’. So stay awake, because you do not know either the day or the hour”.
Homily
At this moment 50 years ago, the Union Jack was lowered, the Red White and Black, our national flag was raised and an independent nation, Trinidad and Tobago was born. At that time
both government and opposition stood together witnessing and rejoicing in the birth of this our beloved nation. Tonight 50 years later we read that Government and Opposition are having different celebrations to mark this 50th anniversary.
On that fateful night 50 years ago the then Archbishop of Port of Spain, Count Finbar Ryan prayed for the nation in these words. “O God who in the eternal council of the Most Holy Trinity, didst decree the formation of the universe and, in the fullness of time, didst create the world, and from one stock didst people it, setting by thy providence the boundaries of nations-to-be, Stretch forth we beseech thee, the right Hand of the Majesty and bless this nation of Trinidad and Tobago in this moment of its birth, that it may be under thy guidance, a nation of Truth and Life; A nation of Holiness and Grace; a Nation of Justice; Love and Peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
Tonight 50 years later, given the present scenario, we must ask ourselves whether or not we have lost our way, for if our leaders, government and opposition, cannot find it in themselves to put aside their differences for the sake of our nation, to give a witness of unity to this very divided land of ours on this important anniversary of independence, then something has gone terribly wrong and the dream of the fathers of the nation; Together we aspire, together we achieve” has been lost. The prayer of Archbishop Ryan that we be “a nation of Truth and Life; A nation of Holiness and Grace; a Nation of Justice; Love and Peace” seems to have fallen on deaf ears
These are men who are more concerned about the satisfaction of their partners than their viagra discount online own fulfillment. Bleeding and infection are the main causes of concern and for this reason surgery is not highly levitra fast shipping recommended. These tadalafil shop pills make you free from erectile dysfunction in a very similar way of the genuine one. Follow these 9 precautions carefully before taking Sildenafil nitrate (100mg) and you will avoid putting your life at risk. levitra 40 mg http://frankkrauseautomotive.com/cars-for-sale/2004-toyota-camry-le-2/ On September 2nd, 1962, the then Archbishop celebrated a Pontifical High Mass of thanksgiving and in his homily said this;“Is our independent nation likely to be a success? We have indeed, thank God, many reasons for hoping that it will be a success. We have indeed, thank God, many reasons for hoping that it will be a success, economically, socially, politically and internationally, but as you very well understand that is not the whole answer, nor indeed is it the most important part of the answer. As God says in Psalm 32; Blessed is that people whose Lord is God!” Not money, not economic success, not national and international prestige. These are not the gods that deserve worship even though in many nations it would seem that these are the only objects of worship. The seeming advantage that come from such a narrow and earthbound view of life are really a deception. The thoughts and plannings of princes perish, says the psalmist but the Counsel of God remains forever for Blessed is the people whose Lord is God.”
Again given the present scenario; the inability of our leaders to give a witness of harmony on this very special occasion, the mass murders, the senseless violence, the disrespect and abuse of women and children, the unchecked corruption in the financial sectors; it is clear to see that the advice given by Archbishop Ryan 50 years ago has been forgotten by so many of our people. Blessed is that people whose Lord is God!” Not money, not economic success, not national and international prestige and I may add, not lust for personal or political power. Once again my dear people we have to make God and God’s message important in our personal and public lives, not simply by words but by our very way of life. I repeat what I said on the 19th August at the Ato Boldon stadium; “Such wickedness is redeemed, not by our words – and we Trinis have a lot of that. It is redeemed by our LIVES, by the kind of people we are, by the ways we form our children. None of the wickedness will change until we change, especially those of us who are called to lead and talk eloquently about our passionate love for this country.”
It is all too easy for us my dear friends to dwell on the negatives which assail us. As Christians we are a people of great hope and we know that one day we will have a new heaven and a new earth. Like those of the past who dreamt and worked for independence but never saw it, we who have seen and experienced it ourselves must do whatever is necessary to ensure that our children and grandchildren experience the coming into being of the new earth. Yes my dear friends, one day there will be a Trinidad and Tobago without murders, a Trinidad and Tobago which will not be divided along ethnic and class lines and which will not be polarized along political lines, a Trinidad and Tobago where disrespect and abuse of women and children will have ended and the unchecked corruption in the financial sectors will be a thing of the past. This of course depends on the love which we have for country but we are capable, my dear friends of passionate love for country and fellow citizens. The outpouring of generosity shown by persons of all walks of life during the recent floods, tell us that we are capable of passionate love. We cannot wait for disasters to show this love however, this must be done every day of our lives. Our citizens must generate more Servols and more NGO’s like HOPE. You and I dear fellow citizens are either agents of or obstacles to the coming into being of the new Trinidad & Tobago.
The Gospel reading for this our Mass of independence is one which we know very well. It tells us tonight what we must do to be agents of the newTrinidad and Tobago.
We are told that in describing the Kingdom of heaven Jesus compares it to “Ten bridesmaids who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were sensible: the foolish ones did take their lamps, but they brought no oil, whereas the sensible ones took flasks of oil as well as their lamps.” Of course as so often happens at weddings the wedding party was late, the oil for the lamps began to run out, the wise bridesmaids who had made provision for such an eventuality had enough oil to see them through, the foolish ones did not and could not enter the wedding feast. The foolish bridesmaids could not reach their goal because of their lack of foresight. What does this mean for our nation? And what does this mean for our church. For us to be wise and to be a people of foresight means that as church we have to be faithful to our task of promoting family life, be this the extended family, single parent family or the nuclear family. This is extremely important because families are the building blocks of our nation. Families are truly the schools of virtuous living which our country so desperately needs. We have to ensure that our education system helps our boys and girls, young women and young men, develop into well rounded individuals, confident of their gifts and talents and of their ability to help this nation to become truly what its name signifies; Unity in Diversity. We have to revitalize the sacramental life of all our members so that nourished by the Eucharist we will be truly a church which witnesses to the truth of the Gospel even in the most difficult situations. Our parishes and institutions must be places of Imagination, inclusivity and availability where Justice and Truth are not only preached but lived. This is the best gift that we can give to our nation on this its fiftieth anniversary.
To be a nation of Truth and Life; A nation of Holiness and Grace; a Nation of Justice; Love and Peace is in fact to be a nation which lives the values of the Kingdom. These values are not values reserved to Christianity. Every religion in the world values Truth, Justice, Love, and Peace. To be such a nation then we must be a nation which, while it looks after the material and social wellbeing of each and every citizen, knows that it will only be such if, as Archbishop Ryan reminded us fifty years ago “our Lord is God” and if we let God and his message of love be the guiding star of our lives.
Eucharist, my dear friends is always an act of thanksgiving. As 50 years ago Archbishop Ryan celebrated Eucharist in thanksgiving for the birth of the nation, tonight we celebrate in thanksgiving to God for having been protected us, in spite of our infidelities, from the consequences of the folly of so many of us; for the gifts and talents which have allowed us to navigate sometimes through turbulent, sometimes through calm seas, for the talented creative joyful people that we are, for sparing us the ravages of natural disasters. As we thank God however we recognize our faults and imperfections and we ask for forgiveness for not having loved this country of ours, and our fellow citizens with passion. As so tonight as we begin our fifty first year, I urge all citizens; “Let us love our country!” I urge our elected representatives of all Faiths, but especially those of my flock to put country before self and political affiliation. I urge you to work together to build a united country of which we can all be proud. Be persons of vision and dream big dreams because only big dreams have the power to stir men’s blood. Parents, let your homes be true schools of virtuous living. Let your children be proud of you! Young women and men; “Let no one think less of you because of your youth, on the contrary be models for all because of your passion for country. Children, listen and learn well, you are our future. Teachers, you have the future in your hands and senior citizens; share the wisdom which you have gained over the years with us all and if your strength is failing, pray for this nation of ours.
Let us leave here tonight my dear friends re-invigorated by our Eucharistic meal determined to be agents of change in our families, places of work and recreation, in our schools, and in our nation. Hand in hand with a common vision and with common purpose, we can make this nation, the nation which God formed it to be.Trinidad and Tobago, our father land and motherland, we pledge our lives to thee. And May God today and always, abundantly bless our nation. Amen
