Sunday has been set aside as a day for prayer for the nation of Barbados, as the government takes steps to curb the spread of COVID-19 with a period of national pause.
Yesterday, as Barbadians made their preparations for that period which will run from today, February 3, through to February 17, Prime Minister of Barbados, Mia Amor Mottley, in an Address to the Nation, made a call for prayers to be offered up this coming Sunday at noon.
“On Sunday, at midday, I am asking for everyone in this country to pause, literally pause, to pray and to reflect on what we must do to save our nation and to save our people,” the Prime Minister remarked.
“I believe that whether you are Christian, or whether you belong to another religion, we are a country that literally, literally believes in a higher power and I hope that we can collectively as a nation pause on Sunday at midday for five minutes, for us to pray, for us to meditate, for us to reflect, to do whatever you do best. And I’m not talking just to the people who are accustomed to going to church, I’m talking about all of us,” Mottley asserted.
“I want us to do that on Sunday, while recognising that for the full two weeks, reflect, relax, renew. Do those things. This time will pass fast,” she further stated.
She added, “When they told me last year I had to go for that operation, and they told me that literally a couple of days before I went, everything just seemed as if it was rushing on me. I was in the middle of dealing with COVID with you, if you can recall. I just had to humble myself and recognise that there is a higher force and that clearly this was a moment for me to rest, reflect, renew, and recuperate. Hopefully, you don’t have to recuperate and that’s why I’ve already chosen the first three Rs (rest, reflect, renew) and I hope you don’t have to experience (recuperation) like me or regrettably those few people who are now currently battling COVID.”
Acknowledging that Ash Wednesday falls on February 17, Mottley expressed her hope that those who celebrate it in the Christian community, will come up with an appropriate service for the nation’s citizens as preparations are made to reopen the country on February 18.
She closed by saying, “The Lord has been our people’s guide for nearly 400 years. With him still on our side we have no doubts nor fears. I believe that we shall win this battle. In the words of the one who has carried it most for us, Lt. Colonel Jeffrey Bostic, I end by telling you there shall be no retreat, there shall be surrender. God bless Barbados and God bless Bajans.”
(RSM)