“When individuals in a nation make sacrifices, then there is a strong nation.”
So said Roman Catholic Archbishop Jason Gordon, as he called on citizens to make sacrifices in order to build a better T&T.
Gordon made the plea while delivering his sermon during the Palm Sunday Mass at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Perpetual Help at Harris Promenade in San Fernando yesterday morning.
Gordon said: “We live in a world where sacrifice is a bad word these days because it is now all about me. We live in a world where we believe that the greatest life is the life of pleasure, plenty, and comfort.”
He added, “But, there is no civilisation without sacrifice. None. It’s impossible.”
“When a husband and wife understand sacrifice, then there is a happy marriage, a happy home and a strong family,” he said.
“When individuals in a nation make sacrifices, then there is a strong nation.”
Archbishop Gordon reminded attendees that the greatest example of sacrifice is Jesus Christ’s willingness to give his own life to God through his crucifixion.
“What we witnessed is the greatest, truest, most noble sacrifice that has ever been made any time in the world at all times. It is a sacrifice that can never be outdone,” the Archbishop told the congregation.
“It is not for us to compete with the sacrifice of Jesus, because we can’t,” he added.
Gordon encouraged citizens to make small and large sacrifices, as he pointed out that either could be considered a vital contribution.
“When we take up sacrifice, we don’t know where it would take us. You do not know what your sacrifice could do,” Gordon said.
He highlighted the seemingly minor contribution of the donkey used by Jesus to enter Jerusalem, which formed the basis of yesterday’s annual observance to kick off the start of the Easter Holy week.
“We are celebrating something so ancient, something so powerful, and something so profound. The very nature of sacrifice itself,” Gordon said.
Attendees at the mass participated in the traditional palm frond-waving procession around the cathedral. The fronds were then shaped into crosses, which are later collected and burnt to obtain ashes for next year’s Ash Wednesday observances.
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