Hands raised to celebrate Barbados! Barbadians were out in their numbers at the National Independence Service at Kensington Oval to mark the country’s 50th anniversary of Independence.
Barbadians are being urged to acknowledge and embrace the power of hope.
The advice has come from the Most Reverend Dr. John Holder, Bishop of Barbados and Archbishop of the West Indies. Delivering the sermon yesterday evening during the National Independence Service at Kensington Oval to mark the country’s 50th anniversary of Independence, he noted that hope enables us to set new goals and create a better future, and as such, we need not be defined by our current circumstances.
“As we examine our country at this time we see the hurdles that face us, but these are not insurmountable barriers. Let us see them as challenges in our way to further progress. Challenges that with the grace of God and the guidance of Jesus our Lord, and a renewed, energised Barbadian drive for success, we can conquer them,” he said.
His comments came as he told the sizeable congregation which included Governor General Sir Elliott Belgrave; Prime Minister Freundel Stuart; Chief Justice Sir Marston Gibson; Leader of the Opposition, Mia Mottley and members of both Houses of Parliament, that Barbados, a country with no natural resources other than its people, has long defied the odds “climbing the ladder of development” and can continue to do so. That, he said, is one of the successes that the country has achieved and should be thankful for. Moreover, contending that by any standard this country has done considerably well, he dismissed the notion that there is nothing to celebrate in this our 50th year of Independence.
“We have a lot to celebrate; we have a lot for which we need to thank Almighty God. To conclude otherwise, to conclude that there is nothing to celebrate at this time is to ignore the steps forward this country has taken and the success it has achieved during the last 50 years,” the Archbishop stated.
He added, “We all tend to dwell on the setbacks and the missed opportunities and complain, and complain, and complain about these. But what about the blessings? When last did you thank God for your blessings? There must be something during the past 50 years for which each Barbadian can thank God at this time.”
With that in mind, further contending that there is still a lot of work to be done, he maintained that the country cannot afford to sit back on its achievements. He made the point while noting that concerted efforts must be made to help those in society who do not have access to their fair share of the fruits of national development and to address the present challenges facing the nation, including the delivery of adequate supplies of water, access to jobs and the collection of garbage.
“What we are facing are Barbadian problems and we dare not label them otherwise. Yes the source of them, some of the influences that drive may be from beyond our shores and beyond our control, but they have landed in our lap and we have to address them,” he maintained.
In that vein, he said it is not the time to point fingers or take sides political or otherwise, as this would inhibit the problem-solving process and possibly result in the country becoming stuck for far longer than it should be. To that end, Archbishop Holder insisted that at this time Barbadians must “bolster the flame of hope” that was there in 1966 when we embarked on the independence journey.
“We need to rekindle it in the minds of the young. We need to help them to embrace the conviction that there can be a better tomorrow; there can be better tomorrows than there are today, and their dreams can come true; their hopes can be realised,” he added. (JRT)
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