Some of the nation’s spiritual leaders have voiced their disappointment after some government and other officials stayed away from the recently held Day of Prayer.
This was revealed by Prime Minister Gaston Browne after Senator Colin Browne said he could not attend because he took two days to rest after his mother’s funeral on Tuesday.
“Let me tell you, our spiritual leaders were not impressed. They believe it was such an important day that all senators, all cabinet ministers, should have been present. It was articulated by Reverend Jackson, in particular, and I agree with him, to the extent I gave him an undertaking, that I will mandate that all the senators, and certainly all members of parliament, of both houses, ministers, that they attend the next one God’s willing, and to ensure that we have full representation,” the Prime Minister said.
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The Day of Prayer was held on Thursday to collectively seek God’s divine intervention, guidance and blessings on the twin-island nation following an upsurge in criminal activity.
Day of Prayer to become an annual event
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Browne said the Day of Prayer will be held annually going forward.
“In fact, I’ll add here that the Day of Prayer was a resounding success, and we’re now seeking to institutionalize it and to have a full holiday. This is going to be held annually, probably the second Thursday in every September every year. And the whole idea here is to strengthen the spiritual underpinnings of our nation, to bring our people closer to God,” Prime Minister Browne said.
“We have no doubt that if our country is to continue to advance socially and economically, we have to strengthen the spiritual underpinnings of our country. Now, we do accept that spirituality is a personal choice, a personal endeavor, and that each of us have a responsibility for our own spirituality, but we also believe that having that type of strong spiritual culture, that it will help to bring people closer.
“I mean, even if you are a first-time attendee, you’re engaging for the first time, you may just get a message that will help you to change your ways to realign,” the Prime Minister added.
Gang members cried while spiritual leaders prayed
Prime Minister Browne said he observed that when spiritual leaders were praying for “these gang members, some of whom are among the most uncaring, the least empathetic in the society, a couple of them were actually crying.”
A mandate to schools
The Prime Minister said there will be a mandate given to the schools that the school children should attend the Day of Prayer.
The nation’s leader said he has observed that most school children in Antigua have not been going to a church.
“They’re not getting these sound principles, moral principles, because … the laws that we pass, almost invariably, they’re based on these religious, these spiritual principles. So, the Bible tells us, thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not steal, and the laws are constructed in such a way that if you steal, and you’re found to be stealing, you go to jail, if you kill, you go to jail,” he said.
“So, the Bible is actually that spiritual foundation of the laws that we have passed. I have to admit that the society is becoming quite liberal, but at the same time, we are trying to ensure that we do not become too liberal a society, to the extent that we refuse to worship, because we think that that is absolutely important.”
Prime Minister Browne said as Antigua and Barbuda seeks “to become an economic powerhouse,” it’s always important to add the economics or the social as well as the spiritual aspects of its development.
“I think too, by having this National Day of Prayer and unity … it’s not just to pray, but to come together as a nation in peace and love. We want to also ensure that we not only seek God’s guidance, God’s protection, but that each of us too will use the opportunity to strengthen our relationship with God as we seek to build a stronger spiritual nation in support of the economic and social aspects of our development,” the Prime Minister said.
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