Archbishop Edward Gilbert has said that in our uncertain and fragile world, with its dominant secular values, it is vital that people take time for reflection.

The Archbishop, in his homily at the Cathedral on New Year’s Eve, offered Mary as an inspiration for the necessary reflection. The “secular values are what you breathe in”, he said, “even without being fully aware of them. They will kill you, spiritually.”

“Is there anything in your life you would have easily rejected five years ago, but now you’re getting comfortable with?” the Archbishop asked.

Drawing attention to the special feast, which the Church commemorates on January 1 (the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God) the Archbishop invited the faithful to see Mary as the teacher and model of their spirituality. “She teaches us to be people of reflection.”

“Mary acted on the message she received from the angel and the shepherds, in fidelity to her son,” said the Archbishop. “She kept all these things in her heart”.

Persons who take time for “quiet reflection” in their lives, as Mary did throughout her life, will find it possible “to begin to reverse the process” of secularisation, the Archbishop declared. Quiet reading of scripture, reflecting on the teachings of the Church, participation in liturgical celebration and prayer will lead to a deeper relationship with Jesus, he said.

The values that make sense for our society are “delicate”, said the Archbishop. To illustrate his point he noted that quarter million people flocked to Bethlehem this year because there was peace in contrast to last year when the number reached only 60,000. But, in one week, because of the fighting in the Middle East, all that has changed.

In the 2000 years of Christianity, many have lived the values of Jesus that make for justice, love and peace “but most have not” the Archbishop said. People have become cynical of Jesus’ values and no longer trust each other.

The Archbishop called on believing people, in a world of violence and mistrust, to seek to “be more just, show more love and be people of peace” – to improve the chances for Jesus’ values to take hold once again. “We can’t change the world, but we can change our own lives and our communities,” he said.

Archbishop Gilbert was expected to celebrate the Mass at Our Lady of Perpetual Help, San Fernando, but an injury to Cathedral Administrator Kenneth Assing caused him to reschedule his itinerary.