May the Nation continue to cultivate a culture of peace

23.DEC.09

A Christmas Message from The National Commission on Crime Prevention (NCCP)

We the Members of The National Commission on Crime Prevention salute all our fellow-citizens of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, both at home and in the Diaspora, at this most festive Season of Christmas. May the Prince of Peace reign in all our Hearts, and may we as a Nation continue to cultivate a culture of Peace, Harmony, and Goodwill in our Homes, Communities, Villages, and Towns, so that we can eradicate Crime and Violence from our Society, and truly usher in the reign of God in this our Land of the Blessed. (Hairoun){{more}}

Holy Scripture reminds us that from the time of Creation, evil forces have been at work destroying the Garden of Eden in which God had placed man, and God has again and again called us back from the edge of self-destruction, and has re-established peace, and order in the Land. In Isaiah 65:17, the Prophet describes one such Rescue Mission by God: “The Lord says, “I am making a new earth and new heavens. The events of the past will be completely forgotten. Be glad and rejoice forever in what I create. The New Jerusalem I make will be full of Joy, and her people will be happy. There will be no weeping there, no calling for help. Babies will no longer die in infancy, and all people will live out their lifespan. The work they do will be successful, and their children will not meet with disaster. I will bless them and their descendants for all time to come.”

Our Lord, Jesus Christ, whose Birth we celebrate at this time, quotes Isaiah so as to put in proper perspective his Witness, and Ministry: Luke 4:18, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has chosen me to proclaim liberty to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free the oppressed and announce that the time has come when the Lord will save his people”. This clearly was prediction that he would conquer evil and restore the Garden of Eden, where peace and love reigned supreme, and evil is banished forever.

St. John the Divine in the Book of the Revelation saw the fulfillment of this prediction. Chapter 22:1-3: “The Angel also showed me the river of the water of life, sparkling like crystal, flowing down the middle of the city’s Street. On each side of the river was the tree of life, which bears fruit twelve times a year, for the healing of the Nations. Nothing that is under God’s curse will be found in the city.”

May God help us to work together to remove everything that is under God’s curse here in SVG. God has empowered us to work in his name, and each of us has a role to perform. We appeal to families, to neighborhoods, to villages, and towns to join the N.C.C.P. as we work to end divisions among us, and help us to again return to the pristine days of yesteryear, when our safety was guaranteed, our properties protected from intruders, and our lives held sacred by those who disagreed with us.

We are thankful for the success we have achieved as we take our call for peaceful coexistence into the Schools, use music as an instrument to engage our young people in constructive interaction, and as we strive to revive youth Programs, and encourage Sports, and Games, as a way to develop healthy minds and bodies.

We are most grateful to all those Individuals, and Groups, and Organizations, who have partnered with us in this great work, and we pray that God will bless us all, at this time, and in the New Year.

A Merry Christmas, and a bright and Prosperous New Year, from the Staff and Members of the National Commission on Crime Prevention.