Faithful citizenship in 2018

Guest column

Today, the first day of 2018, we have an opportunity to review 2017 and to plan for this year. It was on December 28, 2016 that my father, Balgobin Ramdeen, passed away in hospital in London. My siblings and I were angry as we felt that he died because of hospital negligence. I quarrelled with God. His funeral was held on January 5 last year and I had to deliver the eulogy. God calmed me. I reflected on what a privilege it was that God had placed my siblings and me in my father’s and mother’s care, as their children. I was not going to let my anger steal the joy of having had such a wonderful father to teach and guide me. My dear mother, Ruby Ramdeen (nee Manning), had died in 1995. Together, Ma and Pa raised us well.

Always remember that if you are not connected with God; if you don’t have a relationship with Him, it is easy to let negative emotions spiral out of control. As we approach 2018, reflect on the words in John 15:5: “I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me, with me in him, bears fruit in plenty.” I am sure that, like me, you have learned many important lessons over the past year. Let us go forward into 2018 wiser and turn our tests into testimonies.

Sadly, we live in a country/world in which many children never experience the love of parents or positive parenting; many are socially displaced; many belong to families in which there is constant strife and violence; many are not rooted in morals and values that will guide them in making good decisions/choices; many continue to look for role models/mentors in our society to fill the gap where family and school fail them.

Let us resolve to play our part in 2018 to build faithful citizenship in TT; to nurture character formation; to deepen our faith and to live by the tenets of our faith. I call on all leaders, including leaders of our various faith communities to go out into our communities and spread the good news of your particular faith. God is in the hearts and minds of our people. He is waiting for us to open our hearts to Him. Catholics believe that God has inscribed a moral order; a natural law in our hearts (CCC1776). It is this that should influence our lives. “The dignity of the human person implies and requires uprightness of moral conscience” (CCC1780). Conscience formation is essential if we are to rid ourselves of runaway crime in TT.

Nation building is all-inclusive. Read Pope Francis’ World Day of Peace Message for 2018 entitled: Migrants and Refugees: Men and Women in search of Peace. He reminded us that there are “over 250 million migrants worldwide, of whom 22.5 million are refugees” who risk their lives in their search for somewhere to live in peace. Inter alia, he said: “In a spirit of compassion, let us embrace all those fleeing from war and hunger, or forced by discrimination, persecution, poverty and environmental degradation to leave their homelands. We know that it is not enough to open our hearts to the suffering of others. Much more remains to be done before our brothers and sisters can once again live peacefully in a safe home. Welcoming others requires concrete commitment.

Currently, there is no legislation in TT that deals specifically with asylum seekers and undocumented migrants. UNHCR, through its honorary liaison with Living Water Community’s Ministry for Migrants and Refugees continues to work with the relevant authorities to put in place policies and legislation that will address this human rights issue.

Happy New Year! May God’s love light our way.

Leela Ramdeen, chair, CCSJ & director, CREDI