The Rt. Rev. Errol Brooks has asked a pertinent question which challenges the populace of Anguilla in these times.
“Do we really love Anguilla?” He was at the time delivering the sermon at the National Funeral on July 4 for revolutionary hero, the Honourable John (Bob) Rogers, at the Pro-Cathedral of St. Mary’s. He asked the question while reflecting on the late Mr. Rogers’ patriotism and love for Anguilla – and the risk he took in joining others to secure the separation of the island from St. Kitts-Nevis.
The Bishop went on: “In our National Song we ask God to bless Anguilla; but we also assert that ‘we love her, we will hold her dear to our hearts for eternity’. And so, I take this opportunity today to proffer some of the ways in which we can express our love for Anguilla if we have not been doing it already.
“My brothers and sisters, God has blessed us with this little 35-aquare-mile patch of His creation, and He has made us stewards/trustees of this land – and He is depending on us to exercise a proper stewardship of our environment. We are to take proper care of it, keeping it clean and beautiful cognizant of the fact that ‘cleanliness is next to Godliness’. And we keep it clean and beautiful not just for the tourists but for all of us who live here. It is disgusting to drive along the road and see people tossing bottles out of vehicles. Up to six o’clock one morning, I saw somebody tossing a bottle on the George Hill Road. If you ask me, such persons should be punished. We must pass this little patch on in good condition to those who will come after us.
“If we truly love Anguilla we will use the freedom which we enjoy in a responsible way. Freedom does not mean that you have the liberty to do as you like; when you like; as you please; and to say whatever you like no matter what. I know this thing about freedom of speech and all that kind of thing. Maybe that is one of the reasons we have so much trouble. If we love Anguilla we will use our freedom in a responsible way.
“We will respect each other, giving honour where honour is due. Napoleon has been credited as saying that even though you do not love the General, you have to salute. You may not like the General but you have to salute: a lesson that we need to learn in Anguilla – and we need to inculcate it in our youth from early o’clock. It makes me shudder when I hear little people calling elderly people with no handle to their names. I came from a different generation and I couldn’t dare to do that. It was ‘Mr. So and So’; ‘Mrs. So and So’; ‘Auntie’ or ‘Uncle’. If we love Anguilla, let us spread some good news.
“Is there anything that we love about Anguilla? What are we doing to build-up our island? It has been said that, ultimately, there are two kinds of people in the world: those who put in more than they take out – and those who take out more than they put in. Where do you stand on this matter? Are you one of those who put in more than you take out? Or one who takes out more than you put in?
“We are being challenged, my brothers and sisters, to be a people of integrity; to really seek that which is good and wholesome. And so, here we are. We thank God for the advancement in technology which is making life easier for many of us. But, there are those among us who abuse these devices. And so I ask, is it possible for us to use these devices to share positive messages rather than to propagate discord and spew out all kinds of expletives? Do you know what expletives are? Bad words.
“I pray earnestly for our youth. They are being bombarded with all kinds of negative things. May God help us! Let us pray or make an intentional decision to pass along some legitimate good news every day that we live.
“One of the reasons for the 1967 Anguilla Revolt was that the majority of the Anguillians were united around a common cause. We must always remember that divisiveness corrodes our unity. And so, listen to the words of St. Paul given in Romans chapter 12 and verse 18: ‘If it is possible so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all’. Let us promise God this day that we will learn to disagree without being disagreeable. Let us be peacemakers. Being a peacemaker does not mean that you will not stand up for what is just and right. Indeed, justice is a precursor to true lasting peace.
“Having said all that, let me state unequivocally – no matter how much we love our homeland that love must never supersede our love for God. Jesus has instructed us that we must love God with all our heart; our mind; our soul. Our love for God is a springboard for our love for our island. If it had not been for God on our side, where would we be?”
Following further Biblical and personal admonition, Bishop Brooks added: “If we love Anguilla, we are going to look out for each other; we are going to care for each other; and we are going to seek the better good for others.”
