by Leela Ramdeen, Chair, CCSJ and Director, CREDI
Prayer must be an integral part of our daily lives as Catholics. “Prayer is the raising of one’s mind and heart to God, or the requesting of good things from God” (Catechism, 2559). Prayer brings us closer to God and helps us as we strive to do His Will. Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI reminded us in Charity in Truth that “without God man neither knows which way to go, nor even understands who he is…. ‘Apart from me you can do nothing’” (Jn 15:5). But Jesus promised us: “…Know that I am with you always, yes, to the end of time” (Mt 28:20). I hold fast to this promise as I pray.
I would like to thank Fr Ian Taylor and all those who came to Archbishop’s House to pray during the recent consultation on the Draft Policy on Gender and Development. Thanks also to those who prayed at home and in their workplaces on that day. Pray that the Holy Spirit will open hearts and guide all of us who will be involved in further consultation on the Draft Policy on Wednesday, May 8 from 9:00 am.
We turn to prayer also in times of difficulty. You may have read John-Henry Westen’s report on www.lifesitenews.com about the attack on the head of the Catholic Church in Belgium, Archbishop Andre-Joseph Leonard. According to the report: “The incident took place at the ULB University in Brussels where the archbishop was participating in a debate on blasphemy laws.
“The four women, representing the pro-abortion and homosexual group FEMEN, took to the stage where they disrobed to reveal black-painted slogans on their bare chests and backs…They also held signs reading ‘stop homophobia’. The women doused the archbishop with water from bottles formed in the image of the Virgin Mary.
“For most of the attack, which lasted a number of minutes before the women could be forced off stage, Archbishop Leonard sat drenched with water with eyes closed in prayer. After the ordeal, the archbishop kissed the image of the Virgin Mary on one of the water bottles that was used in the attack…According to FEMEN, Tuesday’s attack was spurred by an interview three weeks ago where Archbishop Leonard said that when speaking to Christians who are inclined to homosexuality he suggests celibacy, as is required for all single persons.”
This incident brings to mind the words of Pope Francis I on April 25, uttered during Morning Mass at the Casa Sanctae Marthae as he celebrated the Feast of St Mark: “The triumph of the Church is the Resurrection of Jesus. But there is first the Cross.” As Zenit reported, the Holy Father emphasised the need for Christians to proclaim the Gospel as commanded by Christ – with our “witness” and “with humility”.
There are major challenges to our discipleship today, but we have the Eucharist, our greatest prayer, to nourish and sustain us as we follow in the footsteps of Christ. It is the Eucharist that will give us the strength and courage of our convictions to make our voices heard at a time when, in our own country, there are those who wish to take God out of our 1976 Constitution. In my presentation at the consultation on the Draft Gender Policy, I reminded those present that the Preamble of our 1976 Constitution states that: “the nation of T&T is founded upon principles that acknowledge the supremacy of God”; it refers to rights with which we are endowed by our Creator; and to “moral and spiritual values”.
We must be vigilant. You will have read that at the first consultation on constitutional reform at the Centre of Excellence, Macoya, on Monday, March 4 2013, a proposal was put forward by an atheist and founding member of the T&T Humanist Association to take God out of the Constitution. He is reported to have said: “Leave out the God thing. Or any reference to God. The original draft (of the Constitution) did not have any reference to God.”
Oswald Pierre, assistant secretary general of the Caribbean Religious Liberty Association (CARLA), responded: “If you take God out of this, you will have to take Him out of the national anthem. You see how it’s all being slowly eroded.”
Thank God there are enough people in T&T for whom God remains at the centre of our lives and who will resist, with all our might, and with God’s help, any attempt to push God from centre-stage, as is being done in certain countries. Let us pray incessantly for God’s grace to let our light shine in the midst of the darkness that threatens to overwhelm us.
