In the midst of mayhem and death spewed on by the pandemic, an appeal has been made to mothers to take charge and save the country from disaster.
The call was made by Presbyterian lay minister and judge Frank Seepersad during a virtual Mother’s Day sermon to all churches in the Marabella pastoral region.
He said it was interesting that the celebration is called Mother’s Day as the letters “MD” usually appear after the name of the miracle workers called doctors.
He said, “In many ways mothers and caregivers are also MDs as they, like doctors, address problems and fix critical issues with regularity. Within the confines of their respective homes they manage disease and disasters, mitigate despair, meet demands, make do and many even make dinner.”
He noted that there are a number of problems facing people in this pandemic, including economic uncertainty, criminality, an entrenched pattern of divisive conduct, confidence in public institutions is waning, leaders are losing respect and dysfunction is manifest in many areas of national life.
“Consequently, it appears that now more than ever we need a significant dose of that MD magic if we are to resume on a path of peace and prosperity. This Mother’s Day I appeal to our nation’s mothers to harness that MD magic for we need them to manage the dastardly virus, mitigate the dysfunction, mutilate dishonesty and mute the destructive voices of divisiveness which have blanketed this beautiful Republic. These tasks are entirely within the remit of our women and we need them to save us.”
Seepersad reflected that the limitless power of women and their leadership is seen through the lives of two remarkable women Deborah and Rahab in the Bible.
He said, “Our present circumstance seems to mirror the factual matrix which operated in Deborah’s time. We now need our Deborahs. We need our mothers and maternal figures to take control. Our women emboldened by their strength of character, faith in God, resilience, sense of fairness and inherent desire to protect those whom they love ,should be prepared to engage in selfless service for the good of all citizens. Our Deborahs can take control over those whom they have charge and they can manage their activity both in public and private spaces so as to mitigate the spread of the virus.”
Just as many homes are managed with care and caution, he said mothers can mobilise community groups to monitor, abate and correct criminal conduct by children and young people under their care.
“ Increased female driven calls for justice, as we saw in early 2021, can also catalyze much needed legislative and judicial reform. In a country where for many years women have excelled academically, our competent and capable women need to come forward and offer themselves for national service for they have the capacity , like Deborah, to become leaders in this blessed land,” he said.
Seepersad said the spiritual leadership of women is also required as at this time when the nation needed a spiritual revolution.
“Their prayers, intercessions and tears can deliver the Word of God and touch the hearts of the sons, nephews and husbands who are responsible for the onslaught of mayhem that is inflicted upon the people of this land,” he noted.
Calling on the population to reject complacency, he said the nation needed people of courage who are not prepared to tolerate illegality or corrupt practices simply because the culprits look like them or belong to the same political party, social, religious or cultural group.
He said, “We need women like Rahab, who will put God first and champion positions of transparency, honesty and accountability even when such positions are unpopular.”
While the task may seem to be daunting, he said, the issues can be abated and the flowers can bloom again. “So women, on this Mother’s Day will you save us? Will you make a difference and implement that ‘MD’ magic?”
