Fr. Richard Ho Lung - Diary Of A Ghetto Priest WALLS OF huge speakers boom boxes are erected on the sidewalks. The music begins well before sunset. When one drives past these boxes, you can literally feel the car being shaken as if by an earthquake. You can imagine what the ear has to take in. At this time, however, the music melts away in the noise of the evening traffic.
The Brothers return to the monastery after a full day's work among the homeless, sick and dying at our five homes located in inner-city neighbourhoods. We settle down to do our chanting of the Vespers the Liturgical Prayer of the Church at sunset and a 40-minute period of spiritual reading and quiet reflection. The evening breeze carries the sound from the speakers like the ocean tides louder when the breeze blows toward our monastery and softer when it blows away. At times, we can hardly hear each other when praying together. Still we concentrate and focus on the Lord. After praying the rosary together, we do our house chores washing clothes by hand, cleaning the house, cooking dinner, and so on.
There's always much excitement and laughter around the dinner table as we gather together to share the common meal and our fellowship in the Lord. We find in the Gospels that as the disciples returned from their mission, they related their experiences to the Lord and they rejoiced together. Here, everyone shares about his day's experiences among the poor the amusing things that sometimes happen when you work with mentally challenged people, the anguish and suffering of our sick and dying residents, the touching stories of our HIV/AIDS patients. Who are the new arrivals at the centres today? Who died at the various homes today? What happened to Mr. Vincent or Mrs. Hutchinson at the hospital? Or, the children at Bethlehem Home, how did they behave? At the heart of it all, this sharing is all about our encounter with the Lord in the suffering poor.
STREET BLASTERS
But tonight we have to strain our ears to hear each other. The sound from the street blasters makes it hard to hear and focus our minds. Anyway, we get through dinner. The Brothers then try to spend some time reading, studying or writing letters to their families in faraway countries. Tonight the gainfully loud noise from the blasters poses a challenge to re-main concentrated. Night prayers at 9:00 p.m. By now the silence of the night is totally shattered by the confusing mix of music, lyrics and what sounds like the blaring of machine guns coming out of these speakers. A DJ's incoherent ramblings and screams complete this mix. The volume is progressively increased as one hour slips into the next. By now, sleeping seems to be out of the question no matter how hard one tries.
Midnight. The noise continues with increased vigour and volume. Screaming and frightening screeches are interspersed with the music and the lyrics are most vulgar if and when one can actually understand them. What issues forth from those blasters is far from anything melodic or enjoyable. On the contrary, it's garbage and diabolic. The wild screams and angry shouts can be nothing but the belches and vomit from the deep bowels of hell.
As midnight gives way to the early hours of dawn, the noise continues. It seems to reach its peak some time around 3 or 4 a.m. Then it continues for another couple of hours, finally sounding a bit tired and worn out, after all.
The Brothers and I begin our day at 5:30 a.m. with Mass, Morning Prayers and silent meditation on the word of God. After a quick breakfast, the Brothers are off to the five homes we run for the homeless crippled and orphaned children, sick and dying elderly, HIV/AIDS patients who require intensive care all day. Another day of hard work among the poor, yet so rewarding and joyful.
This kind of music and abusive noise that come out of these speakers is this what we call progress in our island? It is way below our Jamaican standards. It is progress backwards. Just think of all the babies living nearby, the children and students trying to do their studies and assignments. Think of all the hard-working men and women trying to get a few hours of rest and sleep before another day of work. Think of people trying to have a little peace of mind, just to be with their families and loved ones.
AGGRESSIVE BEHAVIOUR
We lament the increasingly aggressive behaviour of our children and students. We lament the deteriorating sense of decency and kindness in our people. We lament the terrible violence that's threatening to destroy our society. But what we sow is what we reap. If we sow restlessness and a diabolic spirit, that's what we will reap. Something must be done to stop this disgraceful behaviour, the intrusiveness of this music it's even a shame we can call this music for real music is enjoyable and relaxes the soul. Such abhorrent and diabolic performances are becoming alarmingly frequent. Last week, we had to endure this every single night. And, from what I understand from other people and friends, it's not only in the inner-city areas, it's cropping up all over the island. And it is frightening that nothing has been done to halt this destructive trend.
If we want our children and youngsters to act responsibly and kindly, if we want them to do well in their studies, if we want a more peaceful and politer society, then we must give this matter urgent attention. I ask those in authority to take this seriously so that ordinary citizens can live their lives and get their sleep, so that our children can do their studies and rest at night, so that hard-working Jamaicans can get some well-needed rest for the body, mind and soul, so that families can spend quiet time with their loved ones.
Father Richard Ho Lung is founder and leader of Missionaries of the Poor.
