Christian Perspectives

Message for the end of Ramadan 'Id Al-FITR 1428 H./2007 A.D. :

Christians and Muslims called to promote a culture of peace

Dear Muslim Friends,

It gives me special pleasure to send you for the first time friendly and warmest greetings from the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue on the occasion of your joyful feast of 'Id al-Fitr, with which the month-long fasting and prayer of Ramadan ends.

This month is always an important time for the Muslim community and gives to each individual member a new strength for their personal, family and social existence.

It matters that all of us witness to our religious beliefs with a life increasingly integrated and in conformity with the Creator's plan, a life concerned with serving our brothers and sisters in ever increasing solidarity and fraternity with members of other religions and all men of goodwill, in the desire to work together for the common good, says in a statement issued by the Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue.

The statement was signed by Jean-Louis Cardinal Tauran, President and Archbishop Pier Luigi Celata Secretary.

In the troubled times we are passing through, religious believers have, as servants of the Almighty, a duty above all to work in favour of peace, by showing respect for the convictions of individuals and communities everywhere through freedom of religious practice.

Religious freedom, which must not be reduced to mere freedom of worship, is one of the essential aspects of freedom of conscience, which is the right of every individual and a cornerstone of human rights.

It takes into account the requirement that a culture of peace and solidarity between men can be built in which everybody can be firmly engaged in the construction of an increasingly fraternal society, doing everything one can to reject, denounce and refuse every recourse to violence which can never be motivated by religion, since it wounds the very image of God in man.

We know that violence, especially terrorism which strikes blindly and claims countless innocent victims, is incapable of resolving conflicts and leads only to a deadly chain of destructive hatred, to the detriment of mankind and of societies.

As religious believers, it's up to us all to be educators of peace, of human rights, of a freedom which respects each person, but also to ensure increasingly strong social bonds, because man must take care of his human brothers and sisters without discrimination.

No individual in the national community should be excluded on the grounds of his or her race, religion, or any other personal characteristic. Together, as members of different religious traditions, we are called to spread a teaching which honours all human creatures, a message of love between individuals and peoples.

We are particularly responsible for ensuring that our young people, who will be in charge of tomorrow's world, are formed in this spirit.

It is above all the responsibility of families and then of those involved in the educational world, and of civic and religious authorities, all of whom have a duty to pay attention to the spread of a just teaching.

They must provide everyone an education appropriate to his or her particular circumstances, especially a civic education which invites each young person to respect those around him or her, and to consider them as brothers and sisters with whom he or she is daily called to live, not in indifference, but in fraternal care.

It is thus more urgent than ever to teach to the younger generations, those fundamental human, moral and civic values which are necessary to both personal and community life. All instances of incivility must be made use of to remind the young of what is waiting for them in social life. It is the common good of every society and of the entire world which is at stake.

In this spirit, the pursuit and intensification of dialogue between Christians and Muslims must be considered important, in both educational and cultural dimensions.

Thus all forces can be mobilised in the service of mankind and humanity so that the younger generations do not become cultural or religious blocs opposed to one another, but genuine brothers and sisters in humanity.

Dialogue is the tool which can help us to escape from the endless spiral of conflict and multiple tensions which mark our societies, so that tall people can live in serenity and peace and with mutual respect and harmony among their component groups.

To achieve this, I appeal to you with all my heart to heed my words, so that, by means of encounters and exchanges, Christians and Muslims will work together in mutual respect for peace and for a better future for all people; it will provide an example for the young people of today to follow and imitate.

They will then have a renewed confidence in society and will see the advantage in belonging and taking part in its transformation. Education and example will also be a source of hope in the future for them.

This is the ardent hope I share with you: that Christians and Muslims continue to develop increasingly friendly and constructive relationships in order to share their specific riches, and that they will pay particular attention to the quality of the witness of their believers.

Dear Muslim Friends, once again I give you my warmest greetings on the occasion of your festival and I ask the God of Peace and Mercy to give you all, good health, serenity and prosperity.

Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue

Christianity - chronicles of a beginning

Miran Perera

Christianity began with the advent of Jesus Christ in Judea, a small hill country on the eastern rim of the Mediterranean sea that separates Europe from North Africa with Asia on the East.

The chief religious centres of the early Romans were the home and the farm and every dwelling had its Gods and images to represent them. Judea had a religious organisation of its own under a high priest and a council known as 'Sanhedrin'.

At that time the Jewish people of Judea were longing for a leader of their own who would free them from foreign bondage. Jesus was born in a stable at Bethlehem, a small town in ancient Palestine.

He was called Jesus of Nazareth in Hebrew, the Messiah or Saviour and in Greek the Christ or Anointed. At the age of 30 years he began teaching and preaching to the masses travelling from place to place in Galilee, Judea and the neighbouring regions.

Jesus gave new meaning to old precepts and practices. He emphasised such things as Justice, love and duty. Jesus so insisted that next to the duty of loving and serving God man's supreme duty is to love his follow men as he loves himself.

Jesus asserted that he was the Messiah or the Saviour and the King promised to the Jews by their ancient prophets. Jesus said bluntly that his kingdom was not of this world that it was the kingdom of heaven, that it could not be seen and that it existed in the hearts of men who should repent of sin and do the will of God. Jesus was denounced to Pontius Pilate, the Roman procurator as trying to make himself King of the Jews in defiance of Rome.

On the urgent entreaty of the Jews, Pilate condemned Jesus to death and nailed to the cross. It is recorded in the Christian gospels that on Sunday after the crucifixion Jesus rose from the dead and during the next forty days he was frequently with his disciples and others and was taken up to heaven which is known as the Ascension. Among the disciples of Jesus were twelve men whom he had chosen for special training as messengers of the true religion.

The Holy Bible says, "With great power he gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. The Apostles preached at Jerusalem and there at the feast of Pentecost they received newspaper through Holy Ghost as Jesus had promised them.

A Christian is the follower of Christ. According to the Holy Bible the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch" (Acts 11:26) and that was about the year 43 AD. The gentiles who were not Jews were also admitted to the Christian fellowship.

Jesus had said that his gospel be given to all nations. Several of the Apostles took part in extending the Gospel to the Gentiles and in convincing the Jewish Christians that this was right but the chief man in this work was Paul.

It was from Antioch that Paul and others first set out on long mission tours for the definite purpose of preaching the Gospel. The first Christian church was organised at Jerusalem immediately after the resurrection and ascension of Jesus. Subsequent to the preaching of the new faith outside Judea churches were established at Antioch, Alexandria, Ephesus, Corinth and other cities in Rome and elsewhere.

When the Jewish tentmaker named Soul of Tarsus known as Paul was nearing Damascus he became convinced of the Messianic claims of Jesus, and became an incomparable propagandist of Christ.

In every place where a number of Christians habitually met together for worship they formed a united body known as 'Ecclesia' or congregation. Each ecclesia or united Christian group was a church. Among the local churches the one at Rome played a prominent role.

The famous Edict of Toleration issued by Constantine the Great at Milan in the year 313 AD indicated the beginning of the ascendency of Christianity. Theodosius the Great (379-395 AD) finally made the Roman Empire a Christian Empire. Theodosius and his successors really made Christianity the State religion exempting the church from taxation relieving the clergy from military service and granting the Bishops a large measure of civil power.

Christians who departed from the official faith were dealt with severely. Jerome (340-420 AD) the Christian Saint translated the Holy Bible from Hebrew to Greek and Latin which became known as the 'Vulgate'.

The triumph of Christianity within the Roman Empire meant that Christian customs and usages became the rule. Sundays and special feast days of the Christian church were regularly observed as imperial holidays.

SEDEC Day and Peace Rally

"There is no way for peace, peace is the only way," said Rt. Rev. Dr. Valence Mendis, who quoted the famous Indian Author Deepak Chopra, in his address at the SEDEC day and peace rally held in Chilaw recently.

Caritas Chilaw Janasaviya - SEDEC organised this event for the 6th consecutive time. The theme for this year was, "Establishing peace through safeguarding the environment and the human person."

At the event, the chief guest, Rt. Rev. Dr. Harold Anthony Perera, Bishop of Galle, speaking on the occasion also expressed his views on peace and on the recent claymore blast which took the life of Rev. Fr. Nicolaspillai Packiranjit, in Mannar. He said that, "the enemy cannot be defeated by enmity but by love and peace. He further stated that," we should also influence the parties in conflict to return to the negotiating table." Fr. Damian Fernando, National Director of Caritas Sri Lanka, in his address referred to the plight of the people in the North and East.

Around 7200 people participated at this peace rally which commenced at the Dematapitiya Junction and then proceeded to St. Sebastian's College Playground, Katuneriya for the day's programme.

Certificates and medals were awarded to children and youth groups that participated in art, essay, song competitions, elle and cricket matches that were organized by the diocesan centre in keeping with the theme, Establishing peace through safeguarding the environment and the human person.

St. Jude's Feast at Indigolla

The annual feast of St. Jude's Shrine Indigolla, Gampaha will be celebrated on October 28.

On October 19, Friday at 5 p.m. Hoisting of flagstaff. October 19-26 at 7 p.m. Novena Mass.

October 27 7 p.m. Evening Service (Vespers) and Eucharistic procession presided by Rt. Rev. Dr. Marius Peiris Auxiliary Bishop of Colombo. October 28th Sunday Feast of the Shrine Festive High mass at 8.30 a.m. presided by Rt. Rev. Dr. Oswald Gomis, Archbishop of Colombo.

Masses - 4.30 a.m. (Sinhala), 5.15 a.m. (Sinhala), 6.00 a.m. (English), 6.45 a.m. (Sinhala), 10.30 a.m. (Sinhala), 11.30 a.m. (Tamil), 12.30 p.m. (English), 5.00 p.m. (Sinhala), 7.00 p.m. (Sinhala).

Nimal Jayasinghe, Gampaha Roving

Holy Rosary, invitation to people

Shirley Wijesinghe

COLOMBO: The recitation of Holy Rosary is an invitation to the people who wants to be close to God or seek His mediation to their life, said Archbishop of Colombo Rt.Rev.Dr.Oswald Gomis delivering homily at the Benediction Service held at St.Joseph's College, Maradana on October 7.

Presiding over the ceremony His Grace the Arch Bishop said, "the Virgin Mary in Her appearances in Lourds,Fatima and elsewhere called upon the children to pray the Rosary." At a time like the present, the solution to the country lies in our deep faith in God and prayer.

There is no person other than Mary, Our Mother, closed to Jesus Christ. We must rally round Her seeking Her help through Jesus, Her Son who will not fail Her", the Lordship said.

The colourful religious ceremony at St. Joseph's College grounds was the end of the "Rosary Rally 2007" held on the theme, "Mary pray for Peace in Our Country", organised by Colombo Central Deanery in collaboration with Colombo North and South Deaneries. The devotees came in procession reciting the Rosary after attending the Service held at the All Saints Church, Borella.