A prayer for the nation by Father Richard Ho Lung, Missionaries Of the Poor co-founder.

Dear brothers and sisters,

We now call good evil and evil good. Let us place ourselves in the presence of God and tell Him of our sins.

We were a country well on the way to righteousness and good order. We were a happy people. But now we are progressing backwards. We are pushing God out of our hearts and minds; we Jamaicas who were such a God-fearing and God-loving people are no longer going the narrow way.

We are not walking hand-in-hand as a people of God. Suddenly, there is devil worshipping in the world and now in Jamaica, rather than worshipping our one true God; there is satan even among young people. Almost overnight there is confusion, darkness and lies, rather than wisdom, truth and good order.

Suddenly there is individualism and subjectivitism rather than universal truth and concerns. Children are against parents and parents against children. Suddenly, students are against teachers and teachers are made the enemy, and law suits are between family members. Everybody has their wants, their desires and demands.

Suddenly workers are offen lazy and make demands. Instead of being a community, the work place is a place of competition. Suddenly bad words and curse words are considered part of culture and free expression rather than insults and abuse. Suddenly stealing is considered entitlement and my rights rather than criminal offences. Suddenly, profiteering as part of business— what can the market bear — is the prerogative of ownership.

Suddenly there is no hell but only heaven — a loving God who never punishes. Suddenly kindness, service, self-sacrifice and good manners are taken out of business.

There will be no hell after death, we are creating our own hell on earth. It’s all over the world and now I see it also in our island.

I pray for the poor, the middle class, and the rich. We are all one community needing each other.

My beautiful country! Where are we going? We must be ourselves and not worship foreign gods. This is my country where I found so much kindness and the one true Christian God, and, a people who honour and worship Him.