Guyana is living through a dark moment. Everywhere we turn, we see news of the ferry disaster. Around one hundred people, including children, are now believed to have died. Behind every number is a name, a family and a home with an empty chair. We mourn the dead, hold the bereaved close and remember the survivors, many of whom will carry the trauma of that night for years.
“Where was God?” This is a familiar cry throughout Scripture. From the cross, Jesus prayed, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Mk 15:34). When Lazarus died, Jesus wept (Jn 11:35). Wisdom assures us that “God did not make death, and he does not delight in the death of the living” (Wis 1:13). This tragedy was not a punishment from God, and those who died were not worse sinners than others. Jesus rejected this thinking, teaching that those killed when the tower of Siloam collapsed were not greater sinners than others (Lk 13:1–5)
Where, then, was God? God was not absent. He was in passengers helping children, fishermen turning towards danger, rescuers searching through darkness, medical workers receiving survivors and families supporting one another. Above all, God was present in the suffering. In Jesus Christ, God entered grief, terror and death from within. The cross tells us that God shares our pain and carries it with us. The resurrection tells us that death will not have the final word.
If God was present, why did he not prevent it? We cannot fully answer that mystery. Perhaps God was speaking through the concerns raised and the warning signs that went unheeded. God does not override human freedom. Sometimes what appears to be God’s silence is our failure to listen and act. That responsibility rests especially with those entrusted with public safety, not with the passengers.
We give thanks for every life saved and for the courage and generosity shown. The loss might have been even greater. Gratitude must never minimize the pain of families who lost everything. Gratitude and grief live in our hearts. “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; and those who are crushed in spirit he saves” (Ps 34:19).
How will we live differently after this tragedy? Faith must also tell the truth. An 87-year-old public ferry served a vital route; passenger records did not match the number believed aboard; and survivors raised concerns about heavy loading and mechanical trouble. A transparent and independent investigation must establish the facts. Responsibility cannot stop with one or two people if a system allowed danger to become normal. Human negligence, weak oversight and disregard of warning signs are not “acts of God.”
Our grief must become moral resolve. We must demand safer vessels, honest inspections, accurate manifests, trained crews, effective emergency systems and real accountability. The poor and those who depend upon public transport, especially our hinterland and Indigenous communities, must never receive a lower standard of safety. Their lives are not worth less.
As Church, we stand with the bereaved and the survivors. We offer prayer, presence, counselling and practical help. We will mourn with those who mourn, seek truth with courage, and work for changes that honour the dead by protecting the living. In this dark hour, Christ remains beside us and calls us to become his hands of consolation, justice and hope.
