Archbishop Edward Gilbert believes people are ready to seriously look at the issue of turning things around in this country with justice, love and mercy.

He expressed this view as he delivered the feature address at last Sunday’s annual Divine Mercy celebrations at Skinner Park, San Fernando.

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The annual event, which began in 1994, once again attracted a few hundred Catholics from across the archdiocese. Many participated in the “Mercy March” from Our Lady of Perpetual Help church, Harris Promenade, which preceded activities at the park.

Archbishop Gilbert said the experience of people today was one of “violence, fear, suspicion, death and injury”. But they have grown tired of this, he remarked, and “want justice, love of mercy and a humble relationship with God”.

He noted that “most people are good people and not violent or criminal” but many were struggling to establish a clear value system because they lacked a religious influence.

The real problem of the nation and the world was that too many people had “no values or weak values”, he declared.

Standard 1 students of St Gabriel’s Girls’ RC School perform a dance at the 14th annual Divine Mercy celebrations last Sunday at Skinner Park, San Fernando.

However, he noted that those turning away from evil or sin must have something to which they could turn – and that something must be a relationship with God. “That’s where the wisdom is, and values are…. But he never imposes salvation on anyone. He offers it and we have to choose it,” the archbishop said.

He contended that the reason things had not improved was because the method of teaching young people the values of God has broken down and they were confused by “the well-packaged, neo-pagan witness” of the world.

The archbishop expressed concern that some of what was taking place in the youth ministry did not have the approval of the archdiocese. He said this has resulted in him not being truly aware of what was being taught to Catholic youth as many youth activities were being organised without consultation with the relevant vicar. He reminded that, “the Bishop is responsible to God for what the youths are taught.”

The archbishop recalled that the Catholic Church began small during the rule of the powerful Roman Empire. He said the Roman Empire was now long gone, while the Church has not only remained but has grown to be over one billion-strong. “Think big, start small, be patient, let the Spirit be the Spirit and God be God, and you do your part,” he counselled.

Cautioning against the “Church within a Church” that was developing, Archbishop Gilbert called for a return to the ways of the early Church and identified some specifics.

He noted that the early Church gathered for catechesis, applied the teaching to their lives and community, spent time together, ate together as family, gathered on Sunday to celebrate their faith and learnt to trust each other during a time of distrust.

Today’s Church must do the same and members must also learn to care for one another, he said. Remarking that today everything moved at a fast pace, the archbishop said few took the time to read or to pray. “We have become a community of strangers…. People are hurting badly but we never notice,” he added.

Archbishop Gilbert said the effort must start in the family and spread into parish communities and then the nation. “If we’re going to get better, we have to do the same things in a modern way,” he stated.

Mercy Sunday celebrations at Skinner Park also included the recitation of the Mercy Chaplet, dance, inspirational music, praise and a monologue. Episcopal Vicar for Evangelisation, Fr Urban Hudlin, OP, conducted Benediction with the Blessed Sacrament toward the end.

- Raymond Syms with additional reporting from Denise Scott