RC Archbishop: Will pandemic make us better or worse?

Roman Catholic Archbishop Charles Jason Gordon is asking people to consider if they will allow the trauma of the pandemic to make them into better people in 2023 or if they will devolve into the hedonism and sensuality of Carnival.

Speaking at the New Year’s Day Mass at the Sacred Heart Church, Port of Spain, on Sunday, Gordon said 2022 brought many changes throughout its course. He said the nation and the world experienced a crisis.

“The whole point of a crisis is to give us the opportunity for living better. Instead of an evolution, I am seeing a devolution with Carnival. In a reaction to trauma of the pandemic, people want to do things they wouldn't have done before. Are we going to be better human beings or are we going to go into the feting, sensuality, hedonism and nakedness of Carnival? Are we going to go towards hedonism and collapse in 2023, or will we focus on becoming better people?”

Gordon said when 2022 started, TT was still in the throes of covid19 and had gradually evolved to the the point where people were able to gather to pray together in public.

“It was a year of incredible grace if you had eyes to see it. Times of difficulty are where God is growing us up, although we may not like the medicine. We need to look at what is around us, what happened to us, and see what was God’s grace in our lives. Where difficulties abound, grace is there in abundance. My prayer is that we offer the pain to God. Look at your lives and find ten graces, ways in which God blessed you in a way you didn’t expect. Let us pray we will become better human beings.”

On Sunday, the Roman Catholic Church celebrated the feast of Mary, the Holy Mother of God.

“This means that Mary is the mother of all humanity and cannot have favourites among her children. As siblings we have to be at peace with each other.”

He said part of Pope Francis’ message on World Day of Peace, also celebrated on Sunday, was that "we cannot save ourselves individually." Gordon noted that the theme for the Catholic Church in TT for 2023 was Building Community, Inclusivity, and Dialogue.

“Pope Francis said the one thing the pandemic taught us is that we needed each other. We cannot save ourselves by ourselves. During the pandemic when we were now getting vaccines, the big nations who could more than afford medication realised that if they didn’t share, it would come back to bite them in the form of mutated viruses. We have to come together to support each other.”

A moment of silence was observed at the beginning of the service for Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI. A memorial mass will be held on Thursday at 5 pm at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Port of Spain.