The Most Rev. Howard Gregory, Archbishop of the West Indies and Bishop of\nJamaica & The Cayman Islands, says that the Coronavirus (COVID-19) presents\nan inescapable call for citizens to reflect on how their life and that of the\nJamaican society are structured, and how this impacts the life of the most\nvulnerable among us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Speaking yesterday (March 22) on the Diocese\u2019s weekly radio programme, \u201cThink on These Things,\u201d<\/em><\/strong> Archbishop\nGregory said: \u201ca focus on the most vulnerable in our society at this time,\nprimarily those whose economic survival is a day-to-day challenge, must lead us\nto face the fact that every day for some of our people is a \u2018coronavirus day.\u2019\nThey live on the edge.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n He noted that the virus had levelled the society to the point where, like\nthe vulnerable, everyone now lived on the edge. <\/p>\n\n\n\n But, while it is easy to succumb to anxiety, panic and despair, the\nArchbishop said experiences of this nature were a regular feature in the\nBiblical stories of people of faith and their relationship with God. He\nhighlighted the response of the prophet Joel when a locust plague threatened\nthe existence of his society, and he suggested that Joel\u2019s call for reflection\nand repentance was equally relevant now, if the society was not to \u201creturn to\nbusiness as usual when the virus is gone.\u201d \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n Joel\u2019s rallying of the people to address their calamity through communal\nengagement was another important lesson, Archbishop Gregory said. \u201cOur ability\nto deal with the coronavirus cannot be marked by individualism, selfishness and\nthe indiscipline which has now characterized much of our national life\u2026we as\ncitizens must respond with a collective spirit.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Archbishop urged that having learnt from the coronavirus\nexperience that \u201cthe condition of each impacts the welfare of the many\u2026that\nthis pandemic be turned into an opportunity to strengthen the bonds of love and\nservice which bind individuals, communities and nations together.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n