As Guyana mourns ferry victims, Bishop calls for prayer and safer travel
July 21, 2026
The cry emerging from the heart of the Church
July 21, 2026
By Klysha Best
Catholic faithful gathered last weekend (July 17-19) at the Trinity College East in Trincity for the 24th Jesus Explosion, a weekend of spiritual renewal and charismatic worship.
On day two of the celebration, Archbishop Charles Jason Gordon called on the faithful to move beyond fleeting inspiration and allow God’s transformative love to take deep root in their lives.
In his address, the Archbishop reflected on the spiritual dynamic of receiving and sharing the Gospel, posing a direct question to the congregation: “When God’s Word comes, it doesn’t always receive hospitality. Can you hear that?”
He noted that the proclamation of the Word “out there” requires that it first find a home “in here”, within the hearts of believers.
He warned that the enthusiasm of a retreat or conference can quickly fade, and the first attack of the evil one is to make us feel unworthy of God’s love.
Drawing from the prophet Isaiah, Archbishop Gordon offered a message of profound mercy and hope. “Behold my servant whom I have chosen, my beloved in whom I delight,” he proclaimed. “A bruised reed he will not break, a smouldering wick he will not quench.” These words, he explained, reveal a God who does not cast aside the broken or the weak.
“If you’ve come here today and you feel like the flame of your faith is kind of wavering right now, you’re here because He wants to fire that flickering flame into a raging fire,” the Archbishop declared.
He encouraged the congregation to count on God’s “unstoppable and irresistible love,” a love that heals and restores, even in the midst of our “stupidities”.
He called each person to believe that God sees who they can become, just as He saw Peter, a simple pebble, and transformed him into a rock.
The Archbishop concluded by linking this personal transformation to the mission of the Church. He quoted Pope Paul VI: “This generation does not want teachers, what they want is witnesses.”
He urged the faithful to allow the light of Christ to shine through them, making the choices that would carry that light into their families, schools, and workplaces.
JE XXIV also featured talks from Bishop Neil Scantlebury of Bridgetown, Catholic lay missionary Marino Restrepo from Colombia, and Trinidad-born Fr Anthony Abraham from the US Virgin Islands. They were joined by Fr Patrick Gonyeau of the Missionaries of the Precious Blood and Fr Ian Taylor, the Spiritual Director of Jesus Explosion.
