From the Archbishop's Desk By Archbishop Gomez EASTER MESSAGE BY THE MOST REV’D. DREXEL WELLINGTON GOMEZ ARCHBISHOP OF THE WEST INDIES The human quest for wellness, wholeness and fulfillment has been plagued with the reality of barriers of various dimensions including the psychological, spiritual and the material areas of existence.  In particular, the barriers experienced in interpersonal relationship have played a major role in humankind’s long search for wholeness. The message of the Bible is that this human quest is futile because God and God alone is able to provide the object of the human quest.  The God revealed in the Bible brought the entire creation into being (including humankind) and the bulk of the biblical revelation is concerned with God’s attempt to remove the barriers created by humankind’s rebellion and disobedience.  God’s outreach for our salvation reaches its climax in Jesus whose entire ministry demonstrated total loyalty and obedience to the Father’s will even in the face of death.  Saint Paul described this in the Second Letter to the Corinthians, “In Christ God was reconciling the world to himself.” (5:19). In the Christian tradition, Easter marks a joyful and thankful celebration of God’s mighty act in raising Jesus from the dead as the beginning of His new creation.  At the heart of this new creation is the removal of the barrier caused by humankind’s sin.  The Risen Jesus is God’s confirmation of Jesus as “the way, the truth and the life” and all who believe in him are privileged to participate in this new way of living after the manner of Jesus.  St. Paul describes the situation as follows, “So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!”   As a result of Jesus’ triumphant victory over sin and death, the barrier to wholeness and fulfillment have been removed and humankind, in union with him, are enabled to experience this new way of living in which we are reunited with God and with one another. Our authentic celebration of Easter requires a commitment to the Risen Christ, and the way of life be demonstrated so faithfully in his ministry.  Too many members of the church are content with an ‘outward’ celebration without any commitment to Christ and His saving mission. In The Bahamas and The Turks and Caicos Islands, the failure of members of the Church to embrace the new life offered in Christ creates a situation in which many barriers continue to prevent us from experiencing the wholeness that God offers in Jesus.  I refer especially to three areas of our common life. In the first instance, I draw attention to the continuing disharmony created by a fanatical commitment to a partisan political affiliation.  This state of affairs creates a barrier that prevents consensus on issues that impact national well being. Secondly, I refer to the numerous barriers created in interpersonal relationships and especially in the increase in the breakdown of marriage and family life. Thirdly, I refer to the social deterioration that is taking place in response to an overemphasis on materialism, the departure from established moral norms and the inequitable distribution of our material resources. I pray that more persons will celebrate Easter as God’s wonderful removal of barriers and commit to the removal of all barriers to wholeness and fulfillment in our communities. Every Blessing, The Most Rev’d. Drexel Wellington Gomez ARCHBISHOP OF THE WEST INDIES
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