A house of robbers

Editor: When the bible says that my house will be called a house of prayer, but you are making it a den of robbers, we often think that it is not referring to us nor our house. But we need to think again. What house is being talked about? Whose house are we referring to? Is it your house? Who is the thief in your house?

Money goes missing. Food goes missing. Some must shop every day because if they buy for several days, everything runs out early. Some have resorted to locking up the food. This is what Grandma did with a lock and a chain. But that was not enough. She put some “bun bush” to deter us from reaching the Milo, milk and sugar.

Can children be disciplined to allow the food and foodstuff to last for the designated period? Not only food but other supplies must last. Water must be conserved so that there would be enough to carry us to the end of the dry season. Some do not recognize that it is the toothbrush, not the toothpaste that does the major cleaning. We are admonished, waste not want not and to save for the rainy days.

I often wondered how it was that Rosa Scrubb and Miss Baby of Panfield never refused us a drink of water when we asked although it was a crowd of thirsty children around the one drum of water.

As the last port for “hand me downs,” I know how to care for and appreciate the clothing I have. This allowed me to spend on my perceived needs such as books and tools. Where I sat at primary and secondary school, the seats bore the blessings of scholars of yester-years. But this “now for now” generation seems to want everything new at the beginning of each school year. Consequently, they lack respect for their current furniture and frocks.

This is tantamount to stealing from the future generations of students.

Additionally, they carry away books, materials and even graduation gowns which they should have used and left behind for the next set of students.

Are these thieves in the schoolhouse?

Who is the thief in the ‘crazy house’? Is it the absent psychiatrist upon whom the courts are waiting for evaluations? Some of the recent murders are attributed to insane people. But how can we substantiate this?

Some say that our democracy is being stolen in plain view in our parliament house. How else can we explain our inability to table and have debated a motion of no confidence? Why is there not an Elections and Boundaries Commission to organize free and fair elections as in other Caribbean countries?

Then we come to the Praise House. Here we may find some who have stolen husbands, wives, virginities, lands, houses, monies and more. Many have not paid their taxes nor their workers’ pension contributions. Unpaid rents, mortgage, shop debt, light bills, water bills, garbage collection bills, phone bills and internet bills abound. Whatever is stolen will be restored because all have come for confession, repentance and restitution. God’s forgiveness is great. Like the woman caught in adultery the command is the same, “go and sin no more.”

Whether it is the Customs House, Bank House, Crazy House, Parliament House, School House, Post Office House, Our House or the Praise House, our prayers need to ascend with clean hands and pure hearts.

Anthony G. Stewart, PhD