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Opt for peace and reconciliation - Catholic Bishops

The message of Christmas is essentially a message of reconciliation and peace. The most significant lesson of Christ was that there could be no peace without reconciliation.

The path of peace and reconciliation is the only path open to a people who are noble and civilised. This we believe is the message we could offer to our people at this juncture of our country's history, said the Catholic Bishops Conference of Sri Lanka in a Christmas message.

The message, issued by Bishop Oswald Gomis stated: "Christians throughout the world celebrate Christmas this year in the aftermath of a period of serious stress and strife. The events of September 11th in the US, the resultant economic depression and heavy unemployment throughout the world, the escalation of war in the Middle East and the war in Afghanistan are some of these events we witnessed in the latter half of the closing year.

In our own country we have had more than a fair share of distress. Besides the international factors mentioned above that affected the different spheres of our life, our own political scene contributed substantially to add a heavy load of a burden on our people. The parliamentary elections just concluded witnessed unprecedented lawlessness, animosity, crime and violence leaving behind a long trail of blood and oppressive bitter memories with deaths and 2332 complaints of crime.

Fresh with a memory of all this our own people, as much as the whole world, are once again looking forward to recall the message of Christmas. We hasten to repeat this message with the hope that it will reach them and go deep into their hearts and minds, to help re-create a society that would cherish the noble values of love, justice and peace.

The message of Christmas is essentially a message of reconciliation and peace. What Christians celebrate at Christmas is the birth of the Son of God as Man.

Our Sacred Scriptures say that He became man like us in everything except sin to be "mediator between God and men" (1 Tim 2:5). The fundamental reason therefore for this Incarnation of "becoming man" was to effect a reconciliation between God and man, who through sin abandoned his relationship with God.

Our Christian faith tells us that man sinned and parted with God making his own life a pool of misery and grief. Jesus the Son of God then came on earth to be the way of return to God through reconciliation.

The most significant lesson of Christ was that there could be no peace without reconciliation.

The old concept that regained the world before the coming of Christ was "an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth". If this were followed, there could be no peace until and unless the last drop of blood was shed in retaliation.

Christ introduced a new concept and gave personal witness to this in his own life. His message was "Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us" (Mt 6:12).

The highest witness to this was His plea to His father to forgive those who were His own murderers when He could have effected their destruction with just one word for He told the disciple who drew out his sword to strike the man who came to arrest Him "Put your sword back into its place; for all who take the sword will perish by the sword.

Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels?" (Mt. 26:52-53). This teaching of Christ is clearly what the Apostles continued to teach "Repay no one evil for evil" (Rom 12:17).

No person professing the Christian Faith is exempt from this path of peace and reconciliation. And this we believe is the only path open to a people who are noble and civilised. This we believe is the message we could offer to our people at this juncture of our country's history.

For long years now, we have been witnessing a rapid escalation of violence both due to the prolonging war in the North and the East and the contemptuous political bitterness that had reigned in the South. The effect of all this is only too evident and clearly manifested in the collapse of Law and Order, the economic debacle and the decline of moral values in the country bringing our international reputation as a civilised nation to zero.

We are aware that members of our own Catholic community have been in the political arena both as candidates and voters. Much as some of them have been Christian in spirit and action we have to confess to sense of profound disappointment with the way that some of them have conducted themselves. We invoke the Lord's forgiveness for these offenders and pray that such misconduct will not be repeated.

It is well for all our political leaders to remember that the responsibility for all what has happened in the past lies fairly and squarely on almost every party that has been in the country's political orbit. As the voters and citizens of the country we should persistently reject all those who tend to make violence and thuggery their philosophy of life, whatever their political affiliation and position in governance be, and help build a new political culture in the land.

Harping on the past is of no importance at this point. The time has now come for reconciliation. It is a time especially for the two major political parties in the country to work together placing their allegiance to the nation ahead of the party. Contentious politics should come to an end. And nation building should begin at once.

Let all of us truly commit ourselves to peace and pray to the Prince of Peace to bless our country and our people in this new effort to usher peace in our beloved land.

Signed Bishop Oswald Gomis,President - Catholic Bishops' Conference of Sri Lanka.

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