Keep hope alive, T&T

Q: Archbishop J, how can you have hope in T&T?

Recently, I was with four friends from my school days in Fatima when we started talking about Trinidad and Tobago. One blurted out: “How can you have hope in Trinidad and Tobago?” They all have become professionals in their own fields, are married and have raised their families in the USA and Canada.

The conversation began with: “So what does an archbishop do?” We spoke about that for a while and it led to the usual conversations about crime, the politics, about the fact that the Prime Minister and Opposition Leader cannot meet about the most vital challenge to the nation.

We talked about the out-of-control murder rate, and that no-one seems to know what to do about it; the indiscipline in the society and the existent corruption at various levels in the society, and of course, the education system that is failing so many of our children.

Then they began recalling family experiences of violence, robbery, or personal threats; most of them could tell of family members who had experienced violence. This occurred in areas that included Belmont, Gonzales, and Diego Martin. In one instance, the person had to move out of the home.

The question about hope hit me very hard. There are many things that humans can live without: Hope is not one of them. Without hope we atrophy, we die.

Al Pacino in Scent of a Woman (1992) said, “… there is nothing like the sight of an amputated spirit. There is no prosthetic for that.”

He is right; if we lose a limb and have hope, we move on. If we lose hope, there is no moving on. That is an amputation for which there are no replaceable parts.

The Trinidadian living outside hears very selected news: the amplified negative—the murders, rapes, and violence. It is amplified because our media make their money from pushing negativity at us—big doses of it.

It is also amplified because we as a nation are fixated on negativity. Remember last Lent, I asked that we fast from negativity. Several talk-show hosts, bloggers and others hit back very hard in protest.

We are addicted to negativity. This does not give us what we need to live and flourish.

A reason for Hope in T&T

When you live outside of the country, you do not see the good stuff about us that we experience daily: the sacrifice of many people and generosity at all levels of our society; the fact that in our driving we can be so understanding, when someone needs to get onto a major road; that in lining up for ‘doubles’, you could have the most involved or outrageous experience of sweet T&T; or the maxi-taxi ride that becomes a ‘talk tent’.

The pan yard is a school of national development like nothing else anywhere in the world. The NGO sector continues to contribute in most amazing ways to the development of children, teens, and adults.

This contribution is selfless and with so much love. Religions together educate 74 per cent of all primary school children, and these religions work together for the education of all our children.

With a concern for the country’s environment, I have seen citizens, among them the Hadad brothers, investing in critical sites, for example, the Asa Wright Nature Centre.

In areas where business owners have stopped investing, Phase II and others have embarked on recycling and clean-up projects.

Two years ago, the Vicar General, Fr Martin Sirju, and I met with Muslim leaders to break our fast. We were in Lent and they in Ramadan. We had a wonderful evening, praying and eating a meal together after fast was broken. In other parts of the world that would not happen.

Many of their children are in Catholic schools and many Catholics attend their schools.

What is Hope?

We often mix up hope and optimism. Optimism is the attitude that says, “things will get better”. Hope is very different. It focuses on the God who can and will fulfil His promises.

Even if things get worse, we still hold on to the promises of God, in full confidence. This is what Advent is about; not that things will get better for us, and all our desires will be fulfilled, but that we trust God who is true and will fulfil his promises.

The Catechism states:

Hope is the theological virtue by which we desire the kingdom of heaven and eternal life as our happiness, placing our trust in Christ’s promises and relying not on our own strength, but on the help of the grace of the Holy Spirit. “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful” (CCC 1817).

My four friends’ question asked about my optimism, but their real question is a question of hope.

Where is God in our nation? Do we dare to trust God enough to struggle together for a better T&T?

St Paul writes to the Romans: “Not only that, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us” (Rom 5:3–5).

The Church has given us a whole season to reflect on hope. All the Advent scripture readings feed us a diet of hope. Enter deeply into the season and remember only three things last: faith, hope and love. Hope is a cardinal virtue. Without it, we atrophy.

Instinctively, I went to the Lord of the Rings to answer the question of hope. When Frodo and Sam are at the lowest point of their journey to destroy the ring of power—just after Frodo gives up and nearly hands the ring over to Eye of Sauron—when the fellowship is splintered and all hope is lost, Sam makes this most moving speech.

Frodo: I can’t do this, Sam.

Sam: I know. It’s all wrong. By rights we shouldn’t even be here. But we are.

It’s like in the great stories Mr Frodo. The ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger they were, and sometimes you didn’t want to know the end.

Because how could the end be happy. How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad happened.

But in the end, it’s only a passing thing, this shadow. Even darkness must pass.

A new day will come. And when the sun shines it will shine out the clearer.

Those were the stories that stayed with you. That meant something.

Even if you were too small to understand why. But I think, Mr Frodo, I do understand. I know now. Folk in those stories had lots of chances of turning back only they didn’t. Because they were holding on to something.

Frodo: What are we holding on to, Sam?

Sam: That there’s some good in this world, Mr Frodo. And it’s worth fighting for.

So what am I holding on to: There is plenty good in sweet T&T, and it is worth fighting for.

Key Message:

Hope is not optimism. It is trusting that God can deliver on His promises.

Action Step:

Find ten things that you love about T&T and share it with your friends and family.

Scripture Reading:

Rom 5:3–5