‘Be godly, spiritual influencers against crime’

WITH OVER 233 murders occurring islandwide in 10 weeks since the start of the year, at least one panellist at the Houses of Parliament’s Commonwealth Day ‘Year of Youth’ Forum, Reverend Michael Craig, was bold enough to point out his dissatisfaction with the moral direction of the country, which he said is mostly driven by crime and violence.

Although the crime statistic since the start of the year represents a decline of 19 per cent when compared to the same period in 2022, Craig, who serves as the assistant pastor at Waltham Park New Testament Church of God in St Andrew, expressed his disgust at the crime rate and called for Jamaica’s citizens to tap into their spiritual health as the best solution.

While speaking at the forum, which was held at Terra Nova All-Suite Hotel in St Andrew on Monday — globally celebrated as Commonwealth Day — Craig’s presentation followed statistics which, he said, broke his heart, before he proceeded to read 3 John 1:2.

“On January 6, 2021, at a National Day of Prayer, I love what our prime minister, said: ‘We can make policies, but we need partners and that is why I have decided to use this platform, because the best partner in all of this is Jesus Christ and His institutions on earth, the Church.’ As we celebrate Commonwealth Day, I believe that urging a sustainable and peaceful common future cannot be attained if spiritual health is not in the equation,” Craig, who gave his life to Christ at the tender age of eight years old, said.

“We can only conclude that physical life is sustained by physical means, but there is another dimension of living which we cannot sustain by physical means. God has made us with a part of us that only Him alone can sustain. It is against this backdrop that I want to say to us that spiritual health can be attained by fearing God and keeping His commandments,” he said.

Craig called on the youth, both those at the forum and those the information would be broadcast to, to become positive, godly and spiritual influencers.

“I want to make it abundantly clear that disregarding this aspect of health and wellness will put the nation in a serious crisis. Today, I want to propose to us that in order for us to be a prosperous nation, we must also be spiritually healthy people. No wonder John mentioned in the text, ‘be in good health, even as your soul prospereth’. In other words, the soul is a major area of us that must be taken into consideration, as we seek to function well holistically,” Craig said.

“A nation that practises godliness will be exalted. Proverbs 14:34 declares ‘Righteous exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people’. I want us to come back to God’s word. I want Jamaica to come back to being a nation that practises this godliness,” he said.

Craig insisted that spiritual health can only be attained “by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God”.

Craig, although passionate about Jamaica, was born in the eastern Caribbean island of St Vincent.

He graduated with honours from the Bethel Bible College of the Caribbean, where he pursued a bachelor’s degree in theology, and guidance and counselling. He also holds a master’s degree in education from The University of the West Indies.

Marisa Dalrymple-Philibert, Speaker of the House of Representatives, for her part, also offered words of encouragement for the youth across the nation to steer their lives in the best direction.

“I want to say to our young people that as the years pass, it seems one of the most important factors that we are losing sight of is the value of time. Time is very important. When you have something to attend to, use your time wisely because time is one of the most valuable assets that you will have in this life,” Dalrymple-Philibert said.

She also said one aspects of Commonwealth Day 2023 was to focus on the empowerment of young people for the year 2023.

“I believe it is always the right time to focus on our young people and to tackle endemic challenges affecting them. And it is my hope that our young people here today, and those with whom they will interact, will be better equipped to navigate this world and to make decisions to reach their fullest potential and reach to contribute to the development of our country, and our Commonwealth,” she said.

The annual observance of Commonwealth Day was being celebrated in 56 Commonwealth nations.

There are 180 Commonwealth parliaments and legislators who continue to work together to deepen the Commonwealth’s commitment to the highest standards of democratic governance and the parliamentary practices.

The Commonwealth Parliamentary Association was founded in 1911, which makes it one of oldest established organisations in the Commonwealth.

ainsworth.morris@gleanerjm.com