Features | Online edition of Daily News

The centenary celebrations of St Sebastian’s Church, Alawwa was held under the patronage of Bishop of Kurunegala Most Rev Harold Antony Perera recently. Rev Harold Antony Perera who was received at the main gate by Parish Priest Rev H S C Perera being accompanied to the Church premises. Picture - A Keerthisinghe – Alawwa special correspondent

Are we Christ-like Christians?

Christ the role model of Christians introduced a simple way of life not only through His words but also through His own life leaving room for the others to observe it vividly and follow it meaningfully.

The main characteristic was that He let His life speak the doctrine He preached. That was the main challenge of Christ for those who followed or denied Him. Even today this is still a challenge for us Christians. There are certain questions we should ask ourselves in order to find answers. The main question is - Are we Christ-like Christians?

Are we Christians by birth only or by birth and faith? What is important to be a Christian - to be a born Catholic Christian or to be a faithful Christ like Christian? If our faith is strengthened by being a born Christian, is it enough to be Christ like? Shouldn’t we let our way of life speak the doctrine we follow?

Itinerary Preacher

Christ the itinerary preacher who did not have a proper place to rest sowed the Good News wherever possible in the depth of the hearts of the people. Those who accepted the Good News began to follow Him.

Some decided to be His close followers. Those disciples did not expect any material or commercial advantage or any worldly power or pleasure. Most of them were fishermen - average people. Jesus did not select the qualified but He qualified the selected.

Jesus never promised anything either when selecting His disciples or when the others began to follow Him. His way of life was an eye opener for all. He did not have at least a bag to carry and that reflects His simplicity and poverty. Christianity should be a life full of humility, simplicity and poverty.

Why didn’t God Almighty who has the power on earth select a queen and a king to be His only son’s foster parents? Why did He select a stable for His one and only Son’s birth? Why did He select the poor shepherds to publicize the good news of the birth of His son? That is because He is the symbol of humility, simplicity and poverty. Hadn’t God Almighty the power to change this simplicity to pomp and pageantry? The main lesson we should learn here is that whether He is born in a stable or in a palace He is the Son of God.

Birth of New Testament

The birth of New Testament took place thus in such a simple manner at a simple place. The New Testament directed the people to a different direction that was not difficult to follow.

If we follow the teachings of the Good News we should change our ways and means in life. Instead we have changed the teachings of the New Testament to suit our whims and fancies. While introducing certain rituals or traditions that are not in the New Testament and say; ‘Traditions precede the scripture.’ What liars we are! Do we find similar simplicity and poverty in any place where the Good News is preached? I doubt.

Essential quality of Christ was He emptied Himself of all sin which means emptying Himself of worldly passions. On the cross that was what He did. Jesus’ resurrection was emptying Himself to sin.

His behaviour on the cross manifested that. That is what the disciples experience being with Jesus. We cannot be hundred percent like Christ but we have a duty to follow in His foot steps. He is our ideal. Ideals are like stars. We never catch the stars but a sailor charts his course looking at the position of the stars. That is what is expected of us. Which means as we journey through life we have constantly to raise our eyes and look at Jesus. That must be the life of a Christian. How many of us look up and see Jesus on our way ahead?

Priests and Priesthood

Priests are expected to be the followers of Christ which in essence means emptying themselves of all cravings at to the degree possible. In concrete life it means shunning power, avoiding money and avoiding pleasure. These were the temptations of Christ too. St. John speaks of these temptations throughout the life of Christ. So a Christian layman today does not see that example of Christ in many priests.

Priests need not suffer. They need to lead a happy life because they have left behind their families and their worldly pleasures.

At the same time they should remember that they have vowed to serve in the Lord’s vineyard. If the luxury way of life is an obstacle for the priests to serve the people and for the people to see Jesus in them and through them, they need to question themselves and take an immediate positive and practical action for the good of all.

Close to People?

Christ was extremely close to people. He sympathized and felt for the people. How many of our priests are close to people? There are some priests who keep their finger tip on the pulse of his parishioners or his people and work rubbing against their shoulders.

They are deeply respected. Such priests are rare and they are very much in need today.

Priests and Bishops are very busy saving the Holy Mother Church and not the people. What is Church? Church means people or the faithful. On the other hand nobody should save anybody because Jesus on the cross has done it. Priests and Bishops only can help people by way of sacraments to be Christ-like.

Experience

Sometimes we are lost between the religious and the religious spirit. Let me share my experience with you. Once I was teaching at a school administered by a priest and there is a religious institution in the close proximity to the school administered by a priest. That institution directly involves in the Lord’s vineyard.

I was on the academic staff of that institution as well. There was a misunderstanding between the two administrators and they were throwing stones at each other by being in glass houses. Both of them were like serpents under the grass and attacking each other in public.

It was odious and once I told the administrator of the school that he should not forget that he was a priest and should be an example to all.

From that moment onwards he began to attack me from left and right. He became more dangerous than a serpent.

Gradually the dispute between the two priests was settled and they became friends and both of them got together and began to attack me, tarnished my image and as a result I had to stop stepping into both the institutions.

Those who were intelligent knew what and where it went wrong but those who were ignorant to the truth and the blind followers of those administrators still frown at me.

Then I say to myself, ‘Ignorance is bliss.’ This is one of the many instances when people have been suppressed by the inhuman acts of the clergy. For such instances we should say aloud, ‘Father forgive them for they do not know what they do.’

Ajith Perera Wennappuwa

Fr Steffanizzi remembered

The first death anniversary of Rev Fr Angelo Steffanizzi, SJ was held with a Holy Mass at St Anthony’s Church, Dehiowita, organized by Sri Lanka Kolping Society, founded by the late priest.

Fr Damian Fernando addressing the meeting

Rev Fr Damien Fernando Procurator General of the Ratnapura diocese addressing a meeting said that the late father from Italy although born to a rich family chose to lead a simple life.

He became a priest to serve the downtrodden people. He came to Sri Lanka in 1952 and served in the Thun Korale. He set up Kolping Society at Deraniyagala and helped the poor to engage in self employment.

When there was a dearth of teachers in schools he provided voluntee teachers. He also put up houses for the poor.

St Mary’s Church, Nayakakanda celebrates 150th Jubilee

The Majestic looking Church edifice dedicated to Our Lady of Purification (St Mary’s) stands in the sharp elevating point of the leader-mountain “ Nayaka-kanda”, Wattala and entered the ‘150th Jubilee Year’ with the celebration of Festive High Mass Sunday, February 6, offered by the priest-sons along with the religious nuns, the daughters of the Nayakakanda Parish.

St Mary’s Church, Nayakakanda

The devotees from all over Wattala and surrounding parishes used to come in large numbers to attend the feast of the Presentation of Our Lord on February 2nd to offer their children to God in pursuance of this long standing tradition, even today.

The observances of this ritual go back to the times of the Old Testament and we read in the New Testament that Jesus was taken to the Temple to be as the Law of Moses demanded.

With the announcement of the Jubilee Year 2012, on Vespers day, the Nayakakanda Parish community has got involved in a number of activities both spiritual and social (temporal) to renew and uplift the lives of the devotees belong her, under the guidance of Rev Fr Mahendra Gunatilleke, Parish Priest.

Mission

The Mission being the largest in the Archdiocese of Colombo with well over 4827 families comprising different ethnic groups has 32 parish-based societies to cater to the divergent aspects of spiritual and temporal life of her members. As the main Church, she also serves the Catholic belonging to Our Lady of Perpetual Succour Church at Balagala and St Joseph’s Church, Kerawalapitiya, the two sub parishes with 750 and 1400 families respectively.

The area known as Nayakakanda comes within the portals of Maha Hendala which formed a part of the Hendala Peruwa, knit to the Ragam-paththuwa of the Colombo Dakunu Aluth Kooru Korale and the area was blessed by numerous visits of the Blessed Joseph Vaz, the Apostle of Sri Lanka.

Nayakakanda is well within the seven villages of Hendala. The Old Canal divided Hendala from Wattala.

The villages are Muthurajawela, Matagoda (Matta-goda), Kelawarapitiya, Thimbirigasyaya, Palliyawatta and Hekitta.

The present Balagala was the Balumgala during the times of Dambadeniya King Parakrambahu ii (Year 1225 -1269A.D.), and the area was protected by his son Prince Thilokamallawa.

While the Siyane-Korale Mission formed by the erudite scholar of oriental languages Rev Fr Jacome Gonsalvez who worked in hand in glove with the Blessed Joseph Vaz and by the early years of 1870s the emerging infant Catholic community at Hendala became a part of that Catholic group which covered a vast land area from Kelaniya to Pamunugama with 19 churches in it. The Catholics had to walk all the way to Peliyagoda to attend divine services.

History

History records that there was a cadjan-hatched church in 1860s at Hendala, and due to an unfortunate incident that Church was reduced to ashes. The unfortunate incident occurred the day following the first festive Holy Mass and it turned to be a blessing in disguise to create amity, a strong bond between the Catholics and the Buddhist living in the area along with the rest of the community practising other faiths.

It is on record that the day after celebrating the first Mass in the church temporally put up with cadjan was burnt down due to unintended action of Galkande- Juwan-wedarala, son of a Kattandiya whom the villages knew as Heeralu-gurunnanse. Juwanwedarala who was not in senses after taking liquor was on his way through Hendala Maradana to reach his house at Gal-kanda in the night.

To be continued

Catholic Music in Sri Lanka

It was due to the Catholic Missionaries who came to Sri Lanka during the Portuguese times in the 16th century that the Catholic faith took a firm root in Sri Lanka.

These missionaries who came from far distance lands in Europe underwent hardships, get used to the climate here, adjusted to the life in our country to spread the message of God and died and laid their bones in Sri Lanka. They learned the native languages by the direct painful method and produced and presented religious workes, payers and hymns in Sinhala and Tamil.

For centuries before coming of the missionaries during the Portuguese times, Buddhism had guided and moulded the religious traditions in our country. The Theravada Buddhism discouraged music for the religious purposes.

The Catholic missionaries on the other hand made use music for the instruction and edification of the faithful. It is on record that the European missionaries had trained young men at Malvana to sing in Sinhala.

During the Portuguese times a Fransican friar at Matara called Antonio Peixoto had presented Sinhala drama on the lives of Saints.

At Kammala in 1651 that there had been a nativity play on the incarnation of Christ. Alphonsus Didacus writes in 1643 that at a church in Vadukkodai on Saturdays Ave Maria and Salve were sung in Tamil.

In 1658 the Dutch ousted the Portuguese from their domains in the maritime provinces and took over their possessions.

For both political and sectarian reasons the Dutch turned their face against the Catholics and persecuted them. They took over Catholic churches and schools banished the Catholic priests under the pain of death and proscribed the Catholic religion. For 30 long years there was not a single priest in Sri Lanka to look after the spiritual needs of Catholics. It was in this plight of the Catholics that in 1687 Blessed Joseph Vaz came to Sri Lanka under the guise of a coolie.

Blessed Joseph Vaz not only saved the Catholic faith from extinction but also laid the foundation for a church adapted to the country, suited to its need and circumstances. Blessed Joseph and his fellow Oratorians being Easterners were in a better position that the European missionaries to understand our culture. Blessed Joseph Vaz organised Catholic feasts and processions with a national outlook.

There were dances with sticks Lee Keli Natum and traditional music at the feast of St Anthony celebrated at Kandy under the patronage of Blessed Joseph Vaz during the reign of King Vimaladharmasuriya the II. Blessed Joseph Vaz entrusted the main task of presenting religious literature, Catholics hymns and drama to his companion, assistant and successor Fr Jacome Gonsalvez. Fr Jacome Gonsalvez right royally rose to the occasion and presented Catholic hymns and drama with Carnatic Ragas and folk music well known in the soil.

His work Mangala Geethaya contained hymns set to Pel Kavi, Nelum Kavi and Goyam Kavi. The concluding hymans were composed in the Jayamangala metre.

It was Blessed Joseph Vaz who introduced the Passion Plays to Sri Lanka on the model of puppet drama he had witnessed in Goa. Fr Jacome Gonsalvez improved these Passion Plays. He composes a series of sermons to be recited while the dumb show was on.

To break the tedium of listening to sermons he composed ‘Pasan’ to be sung in a plaintive tone. Even today Pasan is sung during the season of Lent. People love not only to sing Pasan but also to listen groups singing Pasan. ‘Pasan’ is also sung during the Passion Plays.

When Fr Jacome Gonsalvez was residing at Bolawatta, there were lively scenes of Catholic drama and hymns composed by Fr Jacome Gonsalvez. However the Catholic music composed by the Oratorians were over shadowed by the compositions of the European missionaries. They composed Church music based on Latin and Western music.

At the beginning of the 20th century composing the hymns following the Western music was the order of the day. However there were some hymns set to Western music too that appealed to the Catholics. A clear example is the ever popular hymn.

To be continued

The Inevitable

Inevitable situations-unable to avoid, certain to happen,
Have to be accepted with resignation in normal fashion.
They cannot be otherwise-we have our choice,
To accept and adjust or rebel in a nervous hoist.

Be willing to have it so-avoid consequences of misfortune,
As first step on the road to recoup in a way that is opportune.
Accept fate but certainly not be fatalistic,
As taking the road to recovery is fantastic.

Accepting the inevitable-cooperating with the bottom line,
The level from which you cannot fall further-and accept what is thine.
The only movement then is upwards-to improve on the worst,
Until you reach the goal that you now set with an enthusiastic burst.

Neither should you cry for the moon nor over spilt milk,
That has gone down the drain collecting filth
Circumstances do not decide your happiness
But your reaction to circumstances makes all the difference.

Kingdom of heaven is within you and so is the kingdom of hell.
Either is determined by the free will used well.
Two men looked out from prison bars-one saw mud the other stars.
You have the choice to accept the inevitable and look above for stars.

Say you lose your sight-Is that the end of it in life?
If you lose all five senses yet you could live in the mind in style
For it is in the mind we see-in the mind we live,
Whether you like it or not, till the last the breadth we release.

Nothing in life is beyond endurance for in any case you will endure,
Now or shortly after and that is the meaning of life for sure
Not to mean that you give up and be a recluse
But to look around for opportunities to overcome the inevitable deluge

If we rail and kick against the inevitable and grow bitter
We won’t change inevitable-would change-but not for the better
Refuse to accept the inevitable-you turn nights into hells of insomnia
After needless self torture you accept what you had to-now with no mania

When the angel announced the virgin birth to Mary
She immediately said-Be it done according to thy word-she was not vary,
Though she knew what a virgin birth would mean in the world
She treasured and pondered in her heart inevitability of God’s Perfect Word

Mother Goose rhyme says:
For every ailment under the sun
There is a remedy or there is none
If there is one try to find it
If there is none never mind it!

Prayer by Dr Reinhold Niebuhr:
God grant me the serenity
To accept the things I cannot change
The courage to change the things I can
And the wisdom to know the difference.