Facebook Prayer Page For Trinidad And Tobago

With all that has been happening here in Trinidad and Tobago and prompted by the Holy Spirit, I felt it necessary to start a “prayer page” on Facebook to pull together people of good will, who love this nation enough to pray for the conversion of the people of this land. The Facebook page is:- https://www.facebook.com/PrayForTrinbago.  As Lent comes to a close and we enter into the holiest week of the Church’s liturgical calender, please bring our nation before the cross of Jesus Christ as we pray for conversion and for God’s Mercy.

In the light of the recent utterances in Parliament under the guise of Parliamentary Privilege, (and I need not get into details here as I believe that every Trinbagonian and many from the outside world aware of it), I seriously believe that we need to pray for conversion – not so much of our politicians, but for the people of this nation named after the Blessed Trinity.

Why do I say that? The entire “event” from what I have seen and read, seems to have been well orchestrated by the entire ruling political party in an attempt to discredit the Opposition Leader at all cost. For the ruling political party to conjure up such an orchestrated attack suggests that they expected the populace to be in support of this attack. That is a very serious indictment on us all. Is it that we have become so polarized that the politicians expect us to support them in whatever schemes they conjure up? Is that the message that we give to our politicians? If that is the case, then we are in serious trouble and we the people of Trinidad and Tobago need to beg for God’s mercy!

Time and time again, His Grace, Archbishop Joseph Harris has spoken out about the depth of corruption in Trinidad and Tobago and how involved the average Trinidadian and Tobagonian is in corrupt practices. He often uses the example of a citizen returning home from abroad and going in the green line knowing fully well that they should be in the red line.

I firmly believe that if we, the population of Trinidad and Tobago change and become a truly God-fearing, Trinitarian people; a people of honesty, integrity and love, that change will be reflected on the people who rule over us. By extension, they will not think for a moment that they can do many of the things that have stunned us recently, and get away with it.

We desperately need to pray for conversion. We need to pray for change. That change must begin with us all by being brutally honest with ourselves. Am I being all that God has called me to be? Am I honest in ALL my dealings? Am I a person of integrity? Do I put the well being of my country before political affiliations? Do I support political agendas that go contra to the Gospel of Jesus Christ and by extension, against the teachings of the Holy Roman Catholic Church? Do I turn a blind eye to things that are blatantly wrong because it was done by a party or group that I support?

Prayer

Have mercy on us O God for we have sinned! In your great compassion please blot out all our sins. Open our eyes Lord to the reality of the mess we have brought upon ourselves, and cause us to turn away from our sinful ways. Have mercy on us O God for we have sinned, we have sinned against none other than you. In your faithful love, in your great tenderness wipe away our offenses; wash us clean from our guilt, purify us from our sins.

We are well aware of our offenses, our sins is constantly in mind, having sinned against none other than you, having done what you regard as wrong.

You are just when you pass sentence on us Lord, blameless when you give judgment. Lord, you know that we were born guilty, sinners from the moment of conception.

Yet since you love sincerity of heart, teach us the secret of wisdom. Teach us the wisdom to seek you wholeheartedly as a people. Teach us the wisdom of having no other god ahead of you Lord.

Purify us Lord with hyssop until we are clean; wash us Lord of all our sins until we are whiter than snow.

Instill some joy and gladness into us O Lord and let our hearts rejoice again – rejoice in you our Creator and our Lord. Please God, hide your face from our sins; for if you were to mark our guilt; if you were to mark our iniquity Lord, we all would surely perish. Wipe out all our guilt O Lord.

O God, please create in us a new and a clean heart as a people called by your name, and put in us a new and a contrite spirit. Please God, do not do with us what justice demands; do not banish us from your presence, please do not deprive us of your Holy Spirit.

Please be our Lord and our Saviour again and renew our joy. Keep our spirit steady and willing and submissive to you alone, and we shall show transgressors the way to you, and to you Lord, sinners shall return.

Save us from death O God our Saviour, and with our tongues we shall praise your righteousness; Lord, open our lips and our mouths shall speak out your praise.

Sacrifice gives you O Lord, no pleasure; you would not have it if we were to offer holocaust. Instead Lord, our sacrifice is this broken spirit of Trinidad and Tobago; our crushed and broken hearts you O God will not spurn.

Please God show your favour graciously to Trinidad and Tobago and rebuild us into the people you have called us to be. Then Lord, then there will be proper sacrifice to please you – holocaust and whole oblation. Make us O Lord into a model nation whose only god is the Lord. Cause it O Lord to be so. Cause it O Lord to happen, for we pray in no other name but the precious and matchless Name of Jesus Christ Your Son and our Lord.

AMEN!