I wrote a song titled Yes! that I’d like to sing to all Jamaicans one day. Here are the lyrics.

To the morning I say yes, Lord

To the noon day I say yes

To the sunset I say yes, Lord

To the dark night I say yes.

To my faithful friends oh yes, Lord

To my enemies I say yes

To the laughter I say yes, Lord

To the tears I say yes.

Yes! Yes! Yes! To life

Yes! Yes! Yes! To death

Yes! Yes! Yes! To the cross

Oh, Lord, yes to eternal life

Oh Lord, I say yes.

To my country I say yes, Lord

To my fellow men I say yes

To the poor I say yes, Lord

To creation I say yes.

To the struggles I say yes, Lord

To the disappointments yes

To my sufferings I say yes, Lord

To my death I cry out yes.

There is God — that is obvious to all Jamaicans. We see the trees and their vines, the mountains and the hills, the purple orchids and the yellow orchids smiling at us. We Jamaican people are affected by the dramatic shapes and colours etched among the bushes we see in Jamaica.

To Jamaicans there is a clarity of the presence of God; there is no question about His existence. Only God alone could create this island which is so varied and strong with contrast. Only God alone could create such a beauty. It was not done by man, it was not by accident, Jamaica is shaped by th e hand of God, He is present in the making of our island.

When I left Jamaica to study for the priesthood in New England, Massachusetts, I was told by my fellow Jesuit seminarians, “You talk too much about God… You talk too much about Jamaica, you talk too much about the people and their character.”

I told them that Jamaica is much more beautiful than New England. I told them that Jamaican people were much more interesting. Jamaicans are more straightforward people, their ‘yes’ is ‘yes’ and their ‘no’ is ‘no’. We are clear about life, because we are centred on God and we have God marked on our foreheads.

Though our people are not Catholic, we are Christians, and we honour what the Trinity does. The American brothers would say, “But you talk too much about God… Too much spirituality… too much metaphysics.” I would keep on talking. We Jamaican people talk about God, we sing about God, we chat about God… while we work, while we quarrel about God. Everything we do we call on the name of Jesus Christ, the Father and the Spirit. This happens everywhere and during everything that we do.

I argued with the American brothers who kept chatting about cars, movies, television, and the Church. It all seemed unreal to me. But the fact that God exists made everything logical, clear, and definite to me. On the other hand, the American brothers seemed to be more concerned about man-created objects, which are transitory. Maybe I was naïve and seemed to be simple-minded to the American brothers, but I was happy to be a Jamaican caught up in interior things. We were little people from a little island. As we say in Jamaica, “Wi little bit but wi tallawah.”

Jamaican people are affirmative while struggling, we attribute everything to God, whether there is suffering or enjoyment, whether disappointment or great achievement in life. We say ‘yes’ in all things and remain positive because we see good and God in everything.

Jamaicans are a strong people. We don’t believe there is anything that we can’t do. We try, try, try until we succeed. Whether it be winter sports, like bobsled; track and field for men and women; reggae music or revival or mento. What we do, we do with confidence that it is world class. All our endeavours come from God and is valuable. This confidence and strong spirit money cannot buy.

Jamaica?

Yeah man! God Bless you!

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