Reverend John Rogers (left) reading the scriptures during yesterday’s service at the St George Parish Church.
AN Anglican Priest is praying for the time to come in Barbados when the Lenten season is observed
nationally.
Rector of St George Parish Church, Reverend John Rogers, told The Barbados Advocate that while there are countries that realise the importance of “settling down” nationally to respect the sacredness of the Lenten season, it is not being done in Barbados.
“I reflected on Ash Wednesday, about the fact that Trinidad closes down every year for the Lenten season, but yet we have bacchanal on the beach coming up with the same Trinidad artistes that would not perform in Trinidad because they recognise that nationally, you take a step back. It doesn’t mean that you are more Holy than anybody else.
“But there comes a time in everyone’s life and in the life of a nation when we need to take a step back and ask ourselves pointed questions. How am I contributing to the decadence that now pervades my society? Perhaps, this Lent would be a good time for us all to do that,” he stressed.
The Priest made it clear that he was not calling for religion to be legislated or mandated, giving the explanation that he does not believe in theocracies, which he said he believes are just as dangerous as dictatorships “simply because we can all go wrong and we can all get it wrong”.
However, the man of God is calling on business and industry leaders to acknowledge that while there is a time for exuberance, there is also a time for quietness and reflection to reign.
“This is what I would rather than any mandating or legislating of religion. I want that people consciously make a decision that there is a time to settle down nationally. I mean, it is not the easiest thing because people will always say it won’t make any difference, but we don’t know what difference it will make,” he said.
“The prophet Joel said to sound the trumpet, call an assembly, from the leaders down to the little children on the breast. Everybody take some time out, let the priest stand between the vestibule and the altar and weep and say to the Lord spare your people. Perhaps, that is what we need to sit and think about and not for show, but for all of us to seriously contemplate where we are,” he added.
During the interview which was conducted following yesterday’s service at the St. George-based church, Reverend Rogers said while traditionally Christians celebrate the period of 40 days and 40 nights to remember the Lord’s temptations in the wilderness, it should also be used as a time for persons in society to introspect and reflect on the society.
He said Christians must ask themselves if they are doing what God has asked them to do, or if they are just contented with their business and hold the belief that “God is a Bajan”.
“I think it is a good opportunity for us to take a step back as a nation in the face of all the things that have been happening around us such as the shootings and violence. We must ask ourselves where have we gone wrong and what can we do to stem the tide and perhaps we may very well find that as a people, and as the church has always set out for us as individuals, perhaps it is a good time for the nation to just stick a pin and stop for a while because everything seems to be just running,” he said.
(AH)