-calls on Guyanese to make necessary sacrifices for country’s betterment
THE Good Friday Atonement service, which was attended by thousands of Guyanese citizens from as far as Linden and Berbice, has become an annual event during the Easter season. On Good Friday evening, President Donald Ramotar joined Prime Minister, Samuel Hinds and the large gathering at the Supreme Court Square in prayers for the nation.
Addressing the worshippers, the President said that even though what is being observed on Good Friday occurred almost 2000 years ago, the lessons therein should not be forgotten and should be inculcated into everyday life. He said that the principal lesson is sacrifice.
“It is important for all of us to take that message, because we all need to make a sacrifice, whether it’s time, money, or effort, we need to sacrifice more for our country and our less fortunate citizens… poverty is the worst form of oppression that humankind faces and we have a duty to make the sacrifice to take every single Guyanese out of poverty, so that they can all have a better life,” the Head of State said.
Another lesson is perseverance, until good triumphs over evil. The President explained that at the time when Jesus was crucified, the Christian community was relatively small and the persons who were responsible for his demise thought that his death would have been the end of his ideals and teachings.
However, those teachings lived on and touched the lives of many across the world, so much so, that Christianity has emerged today as one of the greatest religions of the world.
The President called on citizens to be true to themselves and stick to their convictions as long as they are for the betterment of society.
The Atonement ceremony cuts across ethnicity, political affiliation and even religion, and saw performances from bands and choirs from the different churches in Guyana.
President Ramotar said that there is no greater purpose or higher ideal than bringing people together, because, in the final analysis, citizens share similar concerns and problems.

“As parents, we all want our children to do better than we did; as citizens, we want to see our country move forward; and as leaders, we want to rid our country of many of the social evils that we still have to confront,” he said.
This is the fourth consecutive year that the Atonement service was held. (GINA)