Emmanuel: He is with us

In the coming week, our hearts and minds are filled with ever-greater joy as we ponder the immense love of God in sending his beloved Son to an unworthy people in order to save them from their sins. This is a time of hope and wonder, a time when we see God’s glory and majesty manifest in our time and through the ages.

In the midst of our joyful preparations, Trinidad and Tobago has had to deal with atrocities that may lead us to an overwhelming feeling of fear horror and hopelessness.

The evil, which brought about the deaths of unsuspecting women, the unexplained disappearances of others, the discovery of decomposing corpses and the continued abuse of our children and in some cases of our elderly, is not in keeping with the season of Advent.

Pain and a mourning have replaced the hope and joy that the Saviour’s birth engenders and the country seems to have turned into a place of senseless violence and unmitigated crime, where both the ordinary citizen and the powers-that-be, faced with the darkness that hangs over the land, throw up their hands in despair.

The manifestations of evil must not be allowed to distract us from the very real presence in our midst. That would give a power to the evil one that he does not deserve.

Our faith in our Lord, our trust in his love and our recognition that he works through his people in everyday situations must take precedence in our minds and hearts. Each of us can attest to the Spirit of God at work in our lives. In small unremarkable ways, he directs, protects and loves us beyond our human capacity to encompass.

It is his Spirit that inspires the many good works that are done, unannounced and unheralded throughout the year, but which increase and are most evident at this time of the year.

Many schools engage in out-reach activities which provide gifts for children in hospitals and for the elderly in homes for the aged.

The most important aspect of these activities is the human interaction which assures some of our most vulnerable citizens that time spent with them is time well spent.

The carol singing, the presence of Santa Claus and his bags of gifts and the attention to each person in the wards and the homes visited by enthusiastic and optimistic young people is a lesson in selfless giving and joyful receiving on both sides.

There can be nothing as rewarding as knowing that in serving others, it is Jesus himself who is being served. The taciturn resident who emerges from a shell of loneliness or the home-sick child who sets aside his tears and smiles as he receives compassionate company is evidence that God works for us, through us.

Let us continue to hope, to prepare and celebrate because of Emmanuel: God is with us. This he said to us and his word is true.