PM urges public to be strong, find clarity, in Christmas message

rime Minister Dr Keith Rowley urged citizens to continue to have faith and be strong in the face of adversity, as he issued well wishes for the Christmas season. 
In a statement, Dr Rowley called on Trinidadians to "find a quiet moment" to reflect and to share kindness with each other. 
He also said a "small but dangerous minority" continues to "spread sorrow" across Trinidad and Tobago:
"Fellow Citizens, I am moved, with deep emotions today, as I bring Christmas Greetings 2022 on behalf of the Government of our Republic, my family, and myself, as Prime Minister.
"My greetings, I expect, will meet most of you in the customary spirit of joy, merriment, and goodwill of the season, and for this, we in Trinidad and Tobago – given recent worldwide events -- must be eternally grateful to the Almighty. Let us continue to preserve and share the spirit of Christmas even as a small but dangerous minority has acted and continues to spread sorrow across our land."
"Earlier this month at the “National Service of Reflection and Thanksgiving”, I noted that many citizens have suffered the loss of loved ones, during the COVID-19 pandemic, some were affected by the recent floods, and current economic difficulties and many families are forced to carry deep hurts, maybe for the rest of their lives, due the upheaval in violent murders and other crimes."
"I sought then to comfort those despairing at the moment, appealing to them to keep their Faith in God -- however, they may see Him -- with the reminder that in great darkness, there is always dawn to be had."
"In the Christian faith, we hold that for believers, all things are possible; we can overcome all obstacles and tragedies, once we are with Jesus Christ, because his Grace is always with us, and it strengthens our lives."
"Let us continue to have faith and continue to be strong in the face of adversity as we celebrate."
"The merriment apart, I want to take my appeal further to all citizens to pause on this day. Let us all, personally, the law-abiding and the lawless, find a quiet moment, within the celebrations to stop the music, hold the drinks, the ham, the black cake, the ponche-a-creme, etc. and reflect on the meaning of this day- if only for the moment.
"Let us then remind yourselves, what are we celebrating?
"Christmas Day is a real Spiritual moment in our existence. It is all about a Messenger, a Teacher, a Wisdom Master, who came to man, some two thousand years ago, with a message that the “Kingdom of Heaven is within us”, teaching love, healing, and forgiveness, asking that we transform our lives, that we outgrow human darkness, our selfishness, our egocentricities and consciously seek to liberate ourselves to a higher level.
"Fill your hearts instead, he said, with the energies of love and compassion and “love your neighbour as yourself” because your neighbour, your fellow man, is within you."
Dr Rowley appealed to citizens to stop self-destructive behaviours and to ask for strength and clarity.
"As if Christ was looking at us today, he said: “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” Taken literally this statement may cause hurt, particularly if one is mourning the loss of immediate family, friend or just another member of our community. The illegal guns kill with a loud report, and the after-effects kill silently even in the season of love, Christmas."
"I appeal to citizens to say that silent prayer; no matter how brief, have that quiet moment, away from the distractions. Pray that we rid ourselves of our self-destructive behaviours, which now may appear to be out of control. Ask God to rid us of those strangers to the spirit of Christmas, those repressed, shadow personalities. Ask for His strength and clarity which will help us to confront and change those amongst us who will kill and those who have useful information but casually allow the pain to flow."
"This is a season of tremendous anxiety and one in which every citizen should be seeking an inner peace with God. John 14: tells us, “If You ask anything in My Name, I will do it.”"
"This then is my Christmas wish – that we all say a Silent Prayer individually and maybe collectively towards the coming of that dawn that is at hand in which we will be reminded every day that “Tolerance” of each other is one of our national watchwords. Let there be caring, let there be peace, safety, and merriment."
"Best Christmas wishes to everyone. May we all have a holy, safe, and enjoyable Christmas Season, from my family to yours." (Source: The Loop, Dec 25, 2022)