On Holy Thursday, Archbishop Jason Gordon reminded the faithful at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception of the biblical lesson offered by Jesus Christ when he washed the feet of his disciples.
At the core of that lesson is the importance of offering complete humility and a willingness to be of service to the flock as a bedrock of leadership. In the passage from the book of John, Simon Peter sees it as demeaning but yields to his leader's insistence.
In the New International Version of the Bible, the translation of the text reads, "I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him."
The lesson offered to his congregation by the leader of the local Catholic Church has direct relevance to his audience and wider value to TT in the grip of vigorous campaigning.
It's a particularly relevant lesson on the eve of a general election, but one that is unlikely to find much traction as politicians rush to raise their profiles with the voting public and present themselves as the best solution to the nation's problems.
The Archbishop underlined his homily with a ceremonial foot washing of members of the congregation, a symbolic twelve.
He specifically called out instances of customer service as examples of ego getting in the way of simple humanity, but he sensibly realised that he didn't need to specifically call out national politics and the demonstrably condescending way it is practised in TT. The context of John 13:1-17 is the resolution of a relevant dispute. The disciples were arguing among themselves who was the greatest of his followers.
The Archbishop restated that call to humility to his flock during Thursday's mass, urging the congregants to consider each day who they were called to serve and to contemplate how they might serve them better.
The challenge of encouraging humility in governance would demand some fundamental changes in the way the country is managed.
The road to political ruin begins with thinking that the special treatment of office certifies that you, as an individual, are special, and worse, that you are always right. What happens when your opponent is demonstrably right?
There is considerable room in the country's constitution for greater consensus and collaboration in our political process.
Improving the status quo would demand that elected officials commit to seeking the high road in the execution of their duties, forsaking pride for service.
When getting re-elected is more important than the clear needs of your constituency, it's probably time to ask, "What would Jesus do?"
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