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Repubican Administration Imploding ?
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Re: Repubican Administration Imploding ?
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Re: Violence...
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Oct 30 05 5:20 AM
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Yard Guard, Keep hope my friend. My tears are flowing for Jamaica. Tears just rolled down my eyes when I read this article by Father Ho Lung(Gleaner Sun Oct 30 ........ my tears are not only for these Priest but for you brother in law, all the friends and friends who have lost relatives...the madness has got to stop.
Father please help Jamaica.
******
We forgive the murderer
published: Sunday | October 30, 2005
Richard Ho Lung, Contributor
TWO OF our Brothers, my spiritual sons, Marco Laspuna, 31, and Suresh Barwa, 22, were killed on Thursday night at about nine o'clock.
We are a family. Father Ambrose at Corpus Christi, where the death took place, has been with them along with fifty other Brothers, watching, guiding, teaching, counselling, and loving them into being a family of religious brothers in Jesus Christ. He too has fathered them.
We were shocked when, after a gunshot, the two Brothers slumped over in a pool of blood.
It was the weapon of the evil one. Brother Noel and Brother Dennis immediately picked them up in their arms. Father Brian and Father Ambrose rushed them over to the Kingston Public Hospital. Brother Suresh was pronounced dead on arrival, whereas Brother Marco struggled for three hours under an oxygenator, then yielded his spirit to God. So young, so good, so innocent - serving our people, the poorest in Jamaica, seeking to dedicate themselves to God - cut down. Dead. So suddenly.
A BEAUTIFUL EVENING
We had gathered together at Corpus Christi, our Novitiate. We had just finished celebrating Mass, our worship, when we commemorate the death and resurrection of Jesus sharing together the Eucharist. We had supper sharing a meal of curried lamb and rice, and a little ice cream. It was pleasant - even a beautiful evening in our dining room opening out in the garden.
Our Brothers had given speeches honouring Brother Murray Goodman, who has been in our community for 20 years. He had done a marvellous job working with our homeless and destitute in the ghettoes. He had been a loving leader in our community. As a mature, senior man we were sending him off to Uganda, Africa, where Missionaries of the Poor houses children whose parents died of HIV/AIDS.
I had just got home, a block away at Hanover Street, when the telephone rang. It was a call from Father Ambrose: "A Brother has been killed! Another one might die. I wish it was I who was killed, not Brother Suresh."
I could hear tears in Father Ambrose's voice. "Come quickly, Father. Father Brian and myself will take them to the hospital."
The young Brothers who had been cleaning up the tables, the dishes, the forks and spoons, were shocked and deeply troubled. I sat with them and listened to them as they poured out their sadness.
Then they began to speak about martyrdom, laying down our lives for our friends, how Jesus died on the cross for the sins of people, how these two Brothers were faithful. We called the police; they arrived within a short time. Meanwhile, the Brothers and myself went immediately to the chapel. We exposed the Body of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, sang hymns, and prayed from our hearts for the two Brothers who had been killed.
PRAYERS FOR THE KILLER
The Brothers prayed for the killer, and for all those who hated, reviled and persecuted us. Despite the fact that they lay down their lives for the poor in Africa, Haiti, India, the Philippines and Jamaica, the Brothers also attract enemies. Even in Jamaica, some hate us and curse us as Roman Catholics, as men who obey the Pope, as men who dress strangely in holy habits of white.
We love Jamaica, and almost every Jamaican loves us. There are different theories about the bullet that killed the Brothers. Who could hate Brothers and myself so much? Maybe it was scattered shots, gang shooting had been happening in the area. Was it an accident?
The problem is, it seemed to be one bullet, and if it were a street fight, it would have been many bullets. Moreover, the bullets would be along the street, not headed directly to our kitchen.
To me it seemed purposeful. Still we do not know. The detectives are carefully attending to all options.
Mr. Peter Philips came and visited and prayed with us. He said he would attend to it at the highest level. I had recovered a bullet and gave it to the police.
I grieve from the depths of my soul for these two innocent lambs, Suresh and Marco.
I grieve as a father for his children, and for all my spiritual sons who are with us in Jamaica, saddened by the death of their brothers. I grieve for the parents and families who so generously send their sons to give up their lives permanently in service of the poor, the homeless, the forgotten ones. I grieve for my island Jamaica, so lost and confused, so hardened and violent and wild with anger.
As a father of my brothers and the poor, and, I dare say, as father of my people in Jamaica, I beg that we pray in this nation for a halt to this violence and wickedness spreading everywhere. I ask that media houses stop spreading the violence in videos, TV, movies. Our poor country, our poor people and our young boys are developing a love for violence. I beg the Government to communicate with the media and to put a halt to the spread of the excitement that comes from bloodshed.
Educate! Work! Employ! Worship God and pay attention to the poorest of our people. That is what I exhort my people and our government and business people to do. And don't run away in fear. The devil wants us to do that.
We forgive the murderer. We pray for him. We pray that there is repentance in his heart. We will welcome him. We will help him. We will counsel him. He is still our brother. We don't know if he deliberately killed our Brothers or accidentally killed them. Whatever, we forgive him.
Missionaries of the Poor will continue to take in the homeless and destitute. We will continue to live in the ghettoes. Our young men are youthful and full of heroism. They love Jesus and have been singing a song over and over "greater love no man has than to lay down his life for his friends." We prayed all night and day yesterday (Friday). Then the young men all insisted on going down to the ghetto, where the killer might have come from.
HOUSE TO HOUSE
On Friday, the morning after the death, I went to all our centres Faith Centre, The Lord's Place, Bethlehem Home, Good Shepherd and Jacob's Well where we care for 500 Jamaicans, the poorest and most forgotten. I watched the Brothers holding the children in their arms, feeding the little ones, cleaning, wiping running noses, removing the urine and the faeces. I looked at them smiling and gently and lovingly greeting me. I just went about, house to house. The Brothers were the same at each home, working, loving, serving the poor cheerfully, beautifully.
Full of hope, we have the crucified Christ hanging on the wall in every house. In every home, there is a little chapel and the Blessed Sacrament, where we pray each day quietly and sing praises to the good Lord.
Archbishop Lawrence Burke came and gave us words of love, comfort and fatherly care. I embraced him and I wept; I couldn't help it. He understood my grief he being the father of the Roman Catholic Church in Jamaica. We had drunken of the bitter cup. It had to happen, the death of two of our sons.
The spirituality of the crucified Christ had gone right down through us, to the youngest members. They too were being used to be the crucified Christ where sinners dwell, where the poor are being fed, where shooting and killing is most intense, where Jesus died on the wood of the cross.
I am not afraid. None of us are afraid. We will take greater precautions with our walls. I beg you our friends, you too must not be afraid. Continue to visit with us, be with our Brothers, be with our poor. Your courage is what we need, and our island needs. Your love of Jesus and the poor is what we need. We will increase our works with the poor.
On behalf of the Missionaries of the Poor, I thank Peter Philips, Bruce Golding, Archbishop Burke, and so many friends for their visits, phone calls and messages. I urge you once again, "Do not be afraid!" The Lord is with us, and we want you to be with us, to pray, work, and struggle together as we move forward to build His kingdom.
I said goodbye to Brother Murray yesterday morning as we missioned him to Africa. We will continue to spread the good news by sending our Brothers as Christ in the world to all nations. Soon we will send Brothers to Kenya. Already the light is overcoming the darkness. Christ is coming in a new spring time.
Our Brothers in Haiti, India, the Philippines, Uganda and Jamaica are grieving for a while. But soon the rain will be over and the flowers will once again fill the land!
Father Ho Lung is founder and leader of the Missionaries of the Poor.
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