My heart: a cradle for the Infant Jesus

Wright brothers, Orville and Wilbur had finally succeeded in getting their homemade airplane airborne on December 17, 1903. Ecstatic over their success, they sent a telegram from Kitty Hawk, NC to their sister in Dayton, Ohio saying, "First sustained flight today. Fifty-nine seconds. Hope to be home for Christmas."

Well, it seems sister was so thrilled by their success that she immediately took the telegram to the editor of the local Dayton, OH newspaper. The following morning edition found the Wright brothers' name splashed across the front page. The headline that day read, "Popular Local Bicycle Merchants Home for the Holidays." Quite obviously, the newspaper editor had missed the important point of the historic telegram.

Christmas is here yet again. As the name suggests its Christmas, it is about Christ and not about anything else. “God becoming man, or Maranatha” is the event that we celebrate with joy and jubilation. We have been preparing for Christmas both externally namely, cleaning the house, preparing Christmas culinary designs and internally namely, novena, confession, reading scripture, prayer and so on, which is a good thing to do and duly rewarding. But most important question one must ask is, why did I prepare? Or more specifically, for whom did I do all this?

It is crucial during this time we focus on God becoming Man, the mystery of the incarnation. God took initiative in the history of human salvation by sending His Only Begotten Son to be our redeemer. Let us make this as the key of all our preparations during Christmas because Christ must be our focus and not ourselves. In other words, it is to welcome Christ in our midst as Prophet Zephaniah says the King is in your midst and as John the Baptist says, He is mightier than I am. The king and mightier is in our midst, namely, in our lives, in our families and in our Church community. Let us keep Christ in the center of all our celebrations because it is Christmas, birth of our Lord. Let us sing happy birthday, sing lullaby, sing carols and most importantly let us make our hearts a cradle for the infant Jesus to laydown and rest.

I would like to wish everyone peace and joy of Christmas to you and your families both in Guyana and overseas. May this Christmas be a time of grace and blessings. I am grateful to God for each of you in this parish. May you always be surrounded by Christ’s joy and peace.

Who am I to judge?

“Who’s side are you leaning on? Leaning on the Lord’s side”, is the familiar action song in Guyana. We need someone to lean on, especially when we cannot keep our head erect. Who is that someone in our lives?

As we begin the Jubilee Year of Mercy, whom do I want to give myself to lean on? The official song for the Year of Mercy, which is composed by Fr. Eugenio Costa SJ, sings as a praise song by lyricizing the Merciful like the Father. It also sings about the Holy Trinity, who with wisdom created, saved and sustained the universe with a boundless mercy. This way mercy is an attribute of God, in other words mercy is an intrinsic quality to the nature of God. The experience of God’s people in the Scriptures is that God’s mercy cannot be exhausted. Hence, it is part of the basic disposition of God’s love towards people and it directs His actions ultimately in ways that benefit his people.

God’s mercy is displayed in the Ministry of Christ. God’s Mercy is shown to the people who are need of it through Christ. Christ is the Mercy personified. He simply worked out the mercy of God at the human level. This is clearly seen in His acts of healing and this way God was sympathetic with the people plight.

“Blessed are the merciful for they shall be shown mercy” (Mat 5:7). The more we are merciful, the more we receive mercy. As Pope Francis said as he opened the Holy Doors of Mercy, “We have to put mercy before judgement, and in every case God’s judgement will always be in the light of His Mercy.” “They know not what they are doing? Father forgive them” were the words of Jesus as he was surrendering His spirit, an ultimate paradigm of mercy and not judgement.

It is easy to judge someone else and say he/she is this and that, but it takes courage and liberty to show mercy to someone who is already been pained and hurt. We might also have experiences of being judged, labelled or victimised, let us not lose heart because our God is merciful and never let you down. When we lean on to Christ, we will hear those gentle words, “son/daughter you will be with me in paradise.”

Don't waste living someone else's life!

Dear young people, you are the present and the future face of the Church. Let your enthusiasm prevail all your life, even if burden of life is heavy. Let no one influence your creativity, both in the Church and elsewhere. You follow your conscience because your conscience will never let you down. Negativities of this world can shrink your dreams, hence, be around positive people or make friends with positive people and your life will be positive, because positive people help your dream come true. Don’t be shy or fearful to ask questions? It is by asking questions one becomes doubt-free and consequently, one can help others who ask same questions.

The Apple founder Steve Jobs encouraged the young people at the Stanford University with the following words, “Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.”

If you have a dream follow it, if you don’t have a dream, dream because dreams will help your destiny; your destiny will keep you focussed and eventually, you will reach the summits, which you never imagined. Failures in life must make us stronger and must help us to orient our vision towards success. If one dwells in failures, there will be no time to think about success. Don’t live someone else’s life; life of your parents, boyfriend, girlfriend, husband, wife, children, Church community, etc. rather live your own dream. If you are following someone else’s life, most certainly you will be someone else not yourself. Sometimes, we have to take in the pinch of salt, because you are the master of yourself. God has created you in His image and likeness, therefore, God wants your to uphold that image and likeness of Himself.

Humble Beginning of St. Teresa's Church

St. Teresa’s parish has a history that is unique and worth remembering. We do not have a great deal of history written but a small extract from Fr. Britt’s memoirs will shed light on the early beginnings of the Parish. I am amazed at the humble beginning of the parish community. I am also grateful to God for giving me this mission to serve in this long-standing parish. I am humbled to join the line of holy and dedicated parish priests of the past.

History of the parish really begins from 1955 when Fr. Alfred Ellis SJ was appointed assistant parish priest at Holy Rosary parish in Kitty. Fr. Britt Compton SJ was the parish priest at Holy Rosary Church from 1954 to 1958. Fr. Ellis had been stationed in Mahaica but had been suffering blackouts so it was thought better not to leave him on his own. Fr. Britt adapted the presbytery at Kitty to accommodate a second priest and was glad to hand over to him the work of establishing a new parish in Campbellville.

During the time of Fr. Pearson, parish priest before Fr. Britt, between 1953-1954, a land had been acquired behind the site of a proposed new school. A ‘ready-made’ Church building had also been acquired from the American Air force who had donated their chapel from their base at Atkinson field. This had been dismantled and reconstructed on the new site and this stands sturdy to date.

While living in the presbytery at Kitty, Fr. Alfred Ellis spent most of his time in Campbellville, going off after breakfast on his motorcycle, returning for lunch and then going back in the afternoon after a short nap. Eventually he set up a partition behind the altar of the Church to create a room, which he could use for the siesta, and eventually take-up residence there. In this way the Church at Campbellville comes to existence under the leadership of Fr. Alfred Ellis making him the first parish priest from 1955 to 1960. This year marks the 60^th anniversary of the parish. As we remember this milestone, let us thank God for His blessings on the parish community at St. Teresa’s.

Compiled by Fr. Jerri Dias from the extracts of Fr. Britt Compton SJ diaries.

Clergy Conference 2015

Let me extend my thanks to everyone who prayed for the priests during our conference last week. It was an experience of joy and togetherness among the august body of priest of the diocese. It helped us to bond ourselves as priests in service of the humanity.

The environment and ecology was the one of the main topics for the conference. We were encouraged by Dr Raquel Thomas Caesar from Iwokrama International Centre to talk about the ecological imbalance and its consequences in our parishes. She emphasised the importance of the rainforest in Guyana for the global climate benefit because rainforests contribute to the wellbeing of not only the humans but every creation of God. It is important to maintain the forest reserves such as, Iwokrama, Kanaku Mountains, Kaeiteur Park because they are the source of water spring. She expressed that even water reserves could be our source of income.

Heather Pinnock from Jamaica articulated robust global climate change and how it would affect the poorer people in the near future. Decline in the climate will result in many natural disasters, such as, water source will dry, health will collapse, degradation of food, and no access to infrastructure. Pinnock also expressed her concern like draught in the Caribbean including Guyana. Rise in the sea levels can engulf coastlands leaving people and animals homeless. There needs to be a serious, immediate and conscious effort to eradicate any forms of the activities that will result in climate change. She also expressed that the global heat has crossed its average limit making the ice glaciers to melt causing rise in sea levels. Priests expressed that this information was useful and it is due time now to protect our nature and its inhabitants. Bishop Francis invited the congregation during the closing Mass at the Cathedral to embrace this call and pay attention to the changed in the environment.

Let us pay attention to our environment, which has been desecrated beyond the limit. Holy Father has invited through “Laudato Si” to reflect on the environment, addressing it as ‘our sister’.

Know at the Church Doors for Mercy

Pope Francis opening the Holy Doors of the Cathedral in Bangui in Central African Republic said, “The Holy Year of Mercy begins earlier in this land that has suffered for many years as a result of war, hatred, misunderstanding and a lack of peace.” This means the Year of Mercy has already has been dedicated. It amazes me, why Pope made this spontaneous choice to open the doors of the Cathedral in a place where sectarian violence between Christians and Muslims prevail even today. Pope’s deliberate and spontaneous actions of showing mercy reveal that God is active in our Church. Our parish church belongs to that Church which shows mercy who knocks at the doors of our Church.

Holy Father has released the Bull of Indiction of the Extraordinary Year of Mercy. In his bull, Pope Francis has called on the Church to “be merciful just as the Father is merciful” (Luke 6:36). Jesus was born of the Virgin Mary to bring Father’s Mercy to every human person. Mercy has become visible through Christ in our world. Through Mercy, God has come to meet us as the ultimate and supreme act to the humanity. When humanity is faced with gravity of sin, God responded to us by sending us His own Son through Mother Mary. Mercy of God is His loving concern for each one of us and this is evident in the scriptures. God desires our wellbeing, happiness and peace. In order that mercy of the Father to be effective, we must be merciful to each other just as the Father is merciful. We will have to gaze attentively to the mystery of that mercy so that we also can be effective sharers of the Father’s Mercy.

I urge my dear brothers and sisters, if you are in need of that mercy from God, don’t hesitate rather be the first to knock at our Church’s doors. There may be others around us who are in need of mercy, let us bring them before God through the Church so that our Church becomes an instrument of mercy. 

Year of Mercy: A Year of Lord’s Favour

St. Paul’s letter to the Romans, 12:8, encourages us to be cheerful, “he who does mercy, let him do it with cheerfulness.” Jesus Christ proclaims the year of Lord’s favour after he read and explained the scroll of Prophet Isaiah. He proclaims that the Spirit of God is on Him to liberate every person in bondage of all sorts, (Luke 4:18).

Freedom in the Year of Mercy

Holy Father expresses his desire that every person who is bound by the modern forms of slavery in the society must be free. We need to help persons to see who are caught up in themselves, and either refusing to see others or blinded by themselves. We also need to restore dignity of the each person. As Pope’s universal intention for the month November states, we must be open to personal encounter and dialogue with all, even those whose convictions differ from ours.  Pope John Paul II in his encyclical “Dives in Misercordia” (Rich in Mercy) expresses that we must not forget the theme of mercy in our cultural milieu in the contemporary world. Hence, this mission is given to each one us in the year of Lord’s Favour.

Sacrament of Reconciliation

The Holy Father speaks about the Sacrament of Reconciliation during the Season of Lent in the Year of Mercy. Mercy is intense during this season because the scripture readings during the Lent show us a merciful Father. Pope is proposing that every diocese must celebrate “24 hours for the Lord” on Friday and Saturday preceding fourth week of Lent. So many people, including young people can an opportunity to return to the Sacrament of Reconciliation, because through Reconciliation, we find interior peace. Pope is asking the priests to be authentic signs of the Father’s mercy through the sacrament of reconciliation, and above all, the priests must allow themselves to be penitents in search of the Father’s mercy. Priests also can go out to look and show mercy for the son who stands outside, incapable of rejoicing.

Conversion of the Criminal and Corrupt

Holy Father is directing the invitation of the message of mercy to conversion of those whose behaviour distances from the grace of God, particularly, men and women belonging to criminal organisations of any kind. This call to conversion is for their own and good of the others because violence inflicted for the sake of amassing riches soaked in blood makes one neither powerful nor immortal. No one can escape from God’s judgement. This same invitation is extended to those who either perpetrate or participate in corruption. An invitation to change their ideas and lives because corruption threatens very foundation of personal and social life and most importantly, its tyrannical greed shatters the plans of the weak and tramples upon the poorest of the poor. We have responsibility for each other even more to the poorest of the poor.

Mercy towards Judaism and Islam

Every religion considers mercy to be one of God’s most important attributes. Among the privileged names that Islam attributes to the Creator are “Merciful and Kind”, therefore, we have share a common attribute of God. We must know that no one can place a limit on divine mercy because its doors are always open. May our unity foster brotherhood and eliminate every form of closed mindedness and disrespect and drive out every form of violence and discrimination.

I would like to conclude with the last paragraph of the Pope’s bull, “I present, therefore, this Extraordinary Jubilee Year dedicated to living our in our daily lives the mercy which the Father constantly extends to all of us. In this jubilee Year, let us allow God to surprise us. He never tires of casting open the doors of his heart and of repeating that he loves us and wants to share his love with us. The Church feels the urgent need to proclaim God’s mercy. May the Church echo the word of God that resounds strong and clear as a message and a sign of pardon, strength, aid and love. May she never tire of extending mercy, and be ever patient in offering compassion and comfort. May the Church become the voice of every man and woman, and repeat confidently without end: “Be mindful of your mercy, O Lord, and your steadfast love, for the have been from of old.” (Ps 25:6)