Thurs Mar 28, 2013

We are an Easter people! We are a people of the Resurrection, this single event opens us to Hope, to Faith and to Love.

To celebrate the Resurrection is to believe that Christ was born, lived, died and was raised from the dead by His loving Father. It is also to believe that this act of love from God is the definitive act in our human story. Everything from that moment must now be seen through the Resurrection light.{{more}}

The Resurrection of Jesus is not only an event, it is also a perspective; a way of seeing the world; a way of living; a way of being. If we believe in the Resurrection of Jesus it changes everything in our lives. It becomes the new perspective from which we view everything. It is the source and reason for our faith, for the choices we make, for how we live. For through the prism of the Resurrection we see God’s active hand in all life events.

To believe in the Resurrection of Jesus is to believe that human suffering and death can never be the last word. That life always wins and even the worst human tragedy will give way to life for those who trust and believe in Christ (Rom 8:28). Easter people always see possibility for growth and human development.

We the people of St Vincent and the Grenadines look at the fact that we are living in an epic period of social and economic transition. We also look at our present economic and social challenges and we cannot always see the hope. With a growth rate on average less than three per cent between 2002-2011, an unemployment rate of around 20 and 30 per cent of our people living in poverty – hope in a better St Vincent is not always easy to see (IMF St Vincent and the Grenadines Staff Report 2011). To believe in the power of the Resurrection is to believe that God has given us everything we need for sustaining our nation and for all of our people to flourish.

This is not just wishful thinking – it is knowing that there are paths of development that, if taken, would change the outlook of our people and the viability of our fragile economy. However, paths to development can be filled with either hope or concern. Hope focuses on the fact that development can be a “leader driver”. An example in St Vincent and the Grenadines is the Canouan hotel and marina project. The development on this island is providing great employment opportunities for many citizens. The housing project for locals is providing a significant investment opportunity for many of the residents of the island. This is a project that targets the very rich with private jets and large yachts. The facility will be amongst the best in the Caribbean. We should be immensely proud of it.

The concern is that there appears to be no adequate program for the human development of the people working there or those living on the island. Without such a commitment to this pathway to development, the magnificent resort and facility would find great difficulty in achieving its goal. Nor will it realise its potential to contribute to the overall development of our nation in a sustainable way. The super rich and people who are not on a path of development to realize their dreams and potential will become a mixture difficult to hold together. This is certainly not a sustainable or winning combination.

To believe in the Resurrection is to believe that we can change; not some of us, all of us! This belief would lead to all people who believe in Christ investing deeply in the people around them to bring about this change.

The two men walking away from Emmaus, having encountered Christ, did not see him immediately. It was in the breaking of the bread that their eyes were opened. Then they realised that their hearts were burning; then they went back to Jerusalem, the city that they were running from. What changed? Nothing changed! Everything was as it had been before they encountered Christ! What changed? Everything changed! They now saw everything differently and were willing to commit to what they were avoiding all the while.

Let us pray that the power of the Resurrection opens our heart to recognise Jesus in the crucified faces around us. Let us pray that this recognition will lead us to commit to the transformation of those around us and ultimately to the transformation of our Beloved Nation.

Happy Easter!

SVG Christian Council.

The Rt. Rev. C. Leopold Friday

Bishop Jason Gordon

Rev. Adrian Odle

Major Pierre Antoine