Carnival — a loud, urgent cry?

A time to exhale! Carnival time has come and gone once again. This year it was the goodie bag gadgets that drew national attention. Some said, ‘yes, it’s all about freedom’. Some said, ‘no, that is freedom gone too far’. Others seemed to think you can’t play that kind of mas and ‘fraid’ gadgets.

Nevertheless, the season is safeguarded as a necessary time to free ourselves from the serious, the arduous, the burdensome, that which weighs us down or even the mere monotony of daily life. There is some truth to this.

The Book of Ecclesiastes states that there is a season for everything. It includes a time for tears, a time for laughter, a time for mourning, and a time for dancing. One can therefore ask whether the absolute abandon prevalent during the Carnival season is excusable or even warranted.

We need to be guided by the words of Jesus calling to us: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Mt 11:28).

The rest, peace, happiness, and freedom we desperately seek is offered to us. Jesus understands our predicament. We need not grasp after trying to free ourselves. He took on flesh and endured it all for us. He loves us, He is our merciful Saviour. He knows our needs, our misery, our restlessness and invites us to find relief in Him.

Our failure to turn to Him often leads us to a point where we engage in heightened emotional outbursts and displays of self-indulgence and intemperance. It can be likened to a pressure cooker exploding. Thus, while we do need opportunities and avenues to exhale, we must seek wholesome ways to achieve this. God does not give anyone permission to sin (Sirach 15:20) simply because sin is not good for us.

In this context, the self-abandonment, over-indulgence, and immodest displays typically associated with Carnival is simply not good for us. God knows us better than we know ourselves. He knows that sin erodes us from the deepest places within ourselves.

Is the prevalence of the barely-there bikini mas truly a display of female sexual liberation or could it be a loud urgent cry to be truly loved and cherished, a desperate attempt to compete for the gaze of love?

This reflection is not limited to the Carnival season. The human body is beautiful and should be treated with utmost respect because of its dignity. Until we seriously engage in chastity education, the fundamental need to exhale will continue to drive what is commonly understood as the best way to unwind and find enjoyment. As we think, so we act.

Accordingly, the Billings Ovulation Method® of Natural Fertility Awareness is issuing an invitation to everyone: Carnival creators, artistes, masqueraders, and spectators. By signing up for one of our courses in understanding the sexual functions of the body and chastity education, you can reflect on human sexuality, that is, what it means to be created male and female in light of God’s plan.

Assuredly, this would be a useful start in helping everyone understand why a more modest Carnival is in everyone’s best interest. Contact us today. This Method is Love!

BOMA-TT Phone or WhatsApp: 384-1659, Email: naturalfertility@catholictt.org or billingstt@gmail.com, Local Website: billingstt.com, International Websites: woombinternational.org or billings.life