Priest: Bring evil to nought

Outspoken Roman Catholic priest Fr Leslie Tang Kai has warned crime, in its various manifestations, will continue to thrive in TT if citizens do not reverse what he believes is a culture of complacency and hopelessness.

Delivering the sermon at New Year's Eve mass at Scarborough RC Church, Bacolet, Tobago, on Tuesday night, Tang Kai observed many people in society respond to crime only if it affects them personally.

He told a packed congregation, members of the church are not exempt.

"Catholic christians, we take things easy. Is okay, God is good all the time we say. But when it (crime) reaches home is a different story. When the drama reach in our backyards is a different story," he said.

The priest added: "You see, my brothers and sisters, all of us can find something in life to complain about. Is either the children, the grandchildren, the miserable husband, the don't-care wife.

"All of us can find something to complain about and in so doing, we develop an attitude of hopelessness that then leads to carelessness. However he hang, he swing. That is where we are. We have become complacent in life, that really and truly, unless it affects us directly, we ent business with nobody else...pure hate and we acting normal."

Tang Kai, who has spoken repeatedly about the country's crime situation in his sermons, also observed while many people profess to live the Christian faith, "deep in our hearts is hatred."

"Change that in 2020," he told his congregation.

"Let our perspective be one of hopefulness. It only takes a spark to get the fire going, one spark. It only takes a little of each of us to bring transformation because God's grace resides in each of us."

He further urged the congregation to not be discouraged by what the "vagabonds might be doing out there."

"Pray that God's spirit will zap them. Give them a Trinity injection - Father, Son and Holy Spirit - injection."

Tang Kai suggested crime and criminality will be a thing of the past when men and women take up the mantle of leadership, firstly in their homes, and then in communities, by living God's word.

He said: "I honestly believe that crime will be a thing of the past when men, like you and I, take up our responsibility and do what God asks for us - to bless the sons of our nation, to bless the sons of our world, physically, emotionally and spiritually.

Tang Kai continued: "Bless them in a manner, my brothers and sisters where the Devil, the conniving serpent, the liar, the deceiver will be no more. That is what we need to do. We need to take authority, my brothers and sisters, of the evil that lurks in our world. We need to bring evil to nought."

Tang Kai warned, though, such a change, would require prayer, fasting, commitment and sacrifice.

He said: "I am more than certain all of us gathered here tonight want a better 2020 or a better TT... a clearer vision. Let's find hope in the chaos of TT for Christ says to us that hope is a powerful thing but hopelessness is equally powerful.

"If we want hopefulness and transformation, we have to persevere and endure all that God wants for us in the midst of this trying time."

Tang Kai urged parishioners to live the words of the hymn Let There Be Peace On Earth.

"Don't just sing it and sing it our loudly but live peace...so others might see in us a beacon of hope, that while our destination and our destiny is charted for us, we are charting the same for humanity," he said.