by Leela Ramdeen, Chair of the Catholic Commission for Social Justice
On CCSJ’s monthly TV programme (Ask Why) on channel 10 Tuesday, Feb 22, I urged those involved in Carnival to embrace the teachings of our faith regarding modesty, appropriate behaviour etc. Remember, your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor 6:19-20).
On the programme Dr Hollis Liverpool aka Chalkdust – described as “one of calypso’s true intellectuals”, Felix Edinborough, T&T’s best Pierrot Grenade, and I, discussed the theme: Promoting Social Justice through Culture. A copy of the programme is available on DVD from CCSJ’s office.
It is time we reflect on what we call “we culture” in T&T and take up the challenge of transforming the negative aspects of our “culture” to reflect Gospel values. Sometimes it is helpful to step back and consider how others view our “culture”. On our TV programme we discussed Matthew Link’s article in TIME Magazine (Feb 3, 2011) – entitled: “Caribbean Carnival Season: Let’s Party”.
He asks: “…how did a Catholic fasting season (carnevale means ‘meat farewell’)…become one of the greatest debaucheries in the western hemisphere?…Today, the Technicolor giant of all Caribbean Carnivals happens in Trinidad and Tobago…feel free to grind against your partner in the all-out gyrating style of dancing called ‘wining.’
“‘I found it to be a fairly overwhelming experience…’ recounts David Swanson, who has travelled throughout the Caribbean for 25 years and authored numerous guidebooks on the region. ‘One thing that surprised me was the element of spontaneity that still percolates into the festivities,’ says Swanson. ‘There’s always a rule to be broken, a breach of protocol to be finessed.’ Wining, anyone?”
Has this article placed a mirror before us? Is this how far we have descended? We are made in God’s image and likeness with an inalienable dignity. However, although this dignity cannot be taken from us, we have a moral duty to promote our dignity and that of others. This is part of the struggle to build a culture of life.
I don’t think it’s by chance that the Gospel today focusses on “The true disciple” (Matthew 7:21-27). Are we building our houses on rock or on sand? The “rock” is the Word of God. When the “gales” of the Carnival storm blow and hurl themselves at your “house” on Monday and Tuesday, will your house fall or will you choose to act as a true disciple and “do” the will of our Father in heaven?
We are called by our Baptism to be obedient to the will of God – doing the right thing even when no one is looking. We are called to be “doers” of the Word and not “hearers” only (James 1:22). Let us not deceive ourselves by thinking that we can get to heaven by attending Church on Sundays and days of obligation and by reading/listening to God’s words without acting on them. God is a just God. He gives us a choice. We can choose to follow His commandments or be among those whom He will tell: “…away from me, you evil men and women!” Remember, “He/she who does the will of God abides forever” (John 2:17).
If we are to regenerate the morals and values of our society, we must promote our own dignity and the dignity of each person – a key social justice principle. In Dignitatis Humanae (1965), Pope Paul VI reminds us that “the demand is increasingly made that men and women should act on their own judgement, enjoying and making use of a responsible freedom, not driven by coercion but motivated by a sense of duty.”
Let us not abandon our faith during this Carnival season but recognise our duty to act on God’s Word. Ask yourself: “Am I keeping my baptismal promises?”
Let us pray in our Responsorial Psalm today that our Lord will be our rock and our fortress as we seek to be exemplars, true witnesses to the faith we proclaim – at Carnival time and always.
I end with Moses’ words in today’s First Reading (Dt 11:18,26-28,32):
“Take these words of mine into your heart and soul. Bind them at your wrist as a sign, and let them be a pendant on your forehead.”
