The Archbishop of Port of Spain, Edward Gilbert recently released an article on New evangelisation. Of course, he noted the Carnival Band being put out by St Anthony's Parish. Saying that:
"the national reaction to the decision even among religious leaders has already raised consciousness about Carnival. It is no longer sufficient just to criticise some elements of Carnival. The Church must become proactive by taking positive action even in a small way to show that it is possible to celebrate culture while respecting ethical standards.
Will these examples of risk taking necessarily work? Time will tell! The point is that the various levels of leadership had the courage to try something new to address increasingly challenging situations."
His Grace also noted that it not enough to inform the people, we need to show the love of Christ:
"The Catholic Church has a long history of preparing excellent documentation on various faith issues. What is needed now is an effort to provide a faith experience for the people to help them develop a personal relationship with the Lord."
It is indeed the best way to bring people to Christ.
I can't help but thinking that one of the things that drew people to the church in the early days was the gifts of the Holy spirit. People lived with the threat of being killed by the authorities but they still wanted to be part of the movement. And the movement was alive with miracles. We need leaders who truly believe in miracles and live with the constant expectation of them.
Lord, strengthen my faith that by my life I may draw others to you!
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