Dear Friends,

It is always a bit disconcerting when some piece of machinery that one normally relies on, the motor car, washing machine, etc (the list is endless) makes clear to you in one way or another that it needs some particular attention apart from just being used. To the extent that if it doesn’t get the attention it needs it will at some point actually stop being useful, or indeed even worse, cause damage. While machines (and even computers or “smart” phones in my opinion, though there are those whose opinions on that differ) have neither souls nor intelligence they do have huge memories. Neglect at some point will be remembered in the future to the human user’s detriment and it is unwise to ignore such sounds or other signals from a machine that all is not well with it. And yes, my car has been in the shop for a week mostly for some structural work that it has been needing.

Humans and the other living creatures of God’s creation are ourselves part mechanical and it is wise for us also to pay attention to something that comes to seem to us not to be working properly in our bodies. In our case it may also save us an extended visit to “the shop”, i.e. the hospital, if we look after what causes the trouble expeditiously. (And should not this be wisely applied to our current covid reactions?)  In our case moreover Christian people are rightly taught that their bodies are “temples” of the Holy Spirit. It is not strange to have had a measure of healing that came from a source other than ourselves.

My main concernin raising this however is whether a society as a whole is paying sufficient attention or not to the signs of a need for its healing, and actually doing something about them. 

What we might do about such signs may indeed be part “mechanical” as we have described, but because societies are composed of human beings they are also able to expect that there is a significant measure of healing that can and must come from a source outside itself, a Source that it cannot define or manipulate.

The Collect for Sexagesima, the second Sunday before Lent, is

O Lord God, who seest that we put not our trust in any thing that we do: Mercifully grant that by thy power we may be defended against all adversity; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

 I had not checked out the Collect before writing the earlier part of this letter. It seems that the commentary on the Collect has already been written this time. 

The Cayman society has been by the grace of God provided with a Constitution that specifically directs that its Bill of Rights “recognises” the Christian values of the Cayman Islands in all its sections. It is well past time that our lawyers, judges and legislators took more than a passing notice of this direction, which is set out in Section 1(2)(a). 

It is urgently necessary indeed that this is pointed out to the Law Reform Commission who are engaging us in a consultation that closes on the 15th March. I am asking all who are able to to do so. The Commission’s paper is attached. 

For directions about the services this Sunday the 20th February 2022, the Sunday called Sexagesima, please see the website www.TruthWithLanguage.com . 

In faith in the holy Name of our Lord Jesus, who will continue to provide guidance by the Holy Spirit to all His people.

+ Nicholas