Christian Perspectives

‘Now is the time for healing’ - Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith

Charmaine Fernando

Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith presiding at the Annual Prize Giving of St.Benedict’s College recently stressed that it was unbecoming to a democratic country’s national self-esteem when world powers seek to dictate to a country on internal problem affected by a prolonged and senseless war.

The Cardinal reminded the nation that a new opportunity had been made available to the people to begin again a genuine process of healing, reconciliation and nation building on the basis of the acceptance of the dignity and nobility of all the different cultures that share the land and its economic and social development.

In a powerful call for peace and appeasement the Cardinal exhorted the nation and its people to help bring about a new understanding. He urged all Sri Lankans to strive for a change in people’s attitudes. He reminded the gathering, of the dire importance to mend and close the rifts in our wounded society.

The head of Sri Lanka’s Catholic Church appealed to all citizens of the country to carry the message of healing and forgiveness. Recapping the horrors of the conflict which divided the nation for almost three decades he stressed that the people themselves must attempt to be a genuine force for healing.

Here are some excerpts of the Cardinal’s address:

“I state this in order to share with you some concerns that have become important in the present context of our own country. On the one hand it is demeaning to our national dignity that the powerful in the world seek to dictate to us about what we ought to be doing to solve an internal problem, affecting our motherland, today.

It is true that the 30 year war was a very sad chapter in the history of our beloved home – Sri Lanka. It was truly an unnecessary conflict nurtured and cultivated by certain political forces in the North and in the South for their own selfish needs.

“ A new chance has been made available to this country to begin again a true process of healing, reconciliation, nation building on the basis of the acceptance of the dignity and nobility of all the different cultures that share this land and its economic and social progress. Many valuable lives were sacrificed in order to achieve that.

We should therefore make maximum and speedy use of this new air of freedom to heal any wounds of shame or defeat that anyone would have felt as a result of what happened.

We should create in the hearts and minds of our people, Sinhala, Tamil or Muslim, not an “I win – you lose” psyche but an “I win – but you too win” situation. Creating such a sense of self confidence among all, helps very much. “

“ My own visits to the North of this country convinces me that the government indeed is trying its best to develop the affected areas especially in matters of facilitating easy transportation, provision electricity, freedom of movement and industrialization. Much money is being invested in this venture.

“ This country belongs to all of us and it is my feeling that the religious convictions of our people and their political maturity are good enough for us to work out our own way of solving what can be called, strictly internal issues.

If these external forces wish to help the process of healing in this country, they should cooperate with the political leadership of the government and the opposition to expedite the political, social and economic re-building of this country, especially in the war affected areas.

“ It is not fair to expect all the development work to be completed immediately as the destruction had been immense. I do not think that the nations of Europe or Asia destroyed by the Second World War were restored as urgently as some western nations would demand Sri Lanka to do. Might I remind them that it is only two years since the 30 year war in Sri Lanka ended.

“We do not in any way condone such high handed interference on the part of foreign forces, governments or otherwise, in these internal matters which amounts to undue meddling in our sovereignty as a free and historically ancient nation.

Yet, I feel that we should not leave any room for such forces to meddle here by being complacent or slow in attending to the needs of the people affected. They do have problems and we need to urgently engage them in a process of dialogue and participation in resolving them.”

“ We as Catholics should be in the forefront of this process of healing. Creating, in this matter, a new sense of belonging to Sri Lanka especially among the members of the Tamil community becomes important and urgent.

They should not be left to “fend for themselves” but through an ambitious and expeditious programme of re-integration should be made to find their identity and dignity within this country.

They are not aliens here. This would avoid their falling prey to those who propagate separatism or who wish to destabilize and weaken our beloved motherland – Sri Lanka. Treating them in this manner is true patriotism for it would help rebuild urgently a united and prosperous Sri Lanka

“ May we all live to see our beautiful motherland re-born and adorned that way. God bless Sri Lanka.”

Mons. Raymond Kingsley Wickramasinghe:

New Bishop of Galle

Mons. Raymond Kingsley Wickramasinghe has been appointed as New Bishop of the Diocese of Galle, Sri Lanka says in a Press Release of the Vatican issued today.

The diocese of Galle fell vacant with the transfer of Bishop Harold Anthony Perera to Kurunegala. His Lordship Bishop Harold Anthony Perera was appointed as the Bishop of the diocese of Galle on15th of February and was installed on 8th March 2005. After the retirement of Bishop Raymond Peiris, Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI appointed His Lordship Bishop Harold Anthony Perera as Bishop of Kurunegala on 14th May 2009 and thereafter Very Rev. Fr. Nihal Nanayakkara was appointed as the Administrator of Galle diocese.

Mons. Raymond is a priest of the diocese of Galle and is presently serving as a Professor in the academic staff of the National Seminary, Kandy.

Ordained priest in 1989, Mons. Raymond holds a doctorate in Moral Theology from the Alphonsian University in Rome and also has a Baccalaureate in Philosophy and a Licentiate in Theology from the Propaganda University, Rome.

Mons. Raymond 49, born on 31st August 1962 at Uthuwankanda in Kegalle District, Sabaragamuwa Province, is the seventh child in a family of nine. Having had his primary education at the Pilapitiya R.C. School in Kelaniya and the Mayurapadha Primary, Mawanella, he did his Advanced Level studies at the Piyatissa MV in Kalegana, Galle. He had his priestly formation at St. Francis Xavier’s Seminary, Kalegana and the National Seminary, Kandy.

As an assistant priest he has served in the parishes of Ratnapura, Galle and Balangoda; and as parish priest in the parishes of Rakwana, Kalegana and the Cathedral parish of Galle. He served two Bishops of Galle, Most Rev. Dr. W. Don Sylvester and Most Rev. Dr. Elmo Perera as secretary. He was also the rector of St. Francis Xavier’s Seminary, Kalegana during two different terms.

Keenly concerned with social welfare he served as the Diocesan Director of Social and Economic Development and in charge of Migrants and Healthcare Workers, Tourists and Prisoners. In addition he has also been the Director of the Family Apostolate in the diocese of Galle.

With three others Mons. Raymond represented the young clergy of Sri Lanka at the Young Clergy Conference organized by the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences in Manila.

He also represented Sri Lanka at the Asian Human Rights Commission held in Hong Kong in 2006 and the Conference on the Family in Pataya, Thailand in 2007. In 1998 he served as one of the secretaries at the Asian Bishops’ Synod in Rome.

The Episcopal Consecration of the newly appointed bishop will be notified later.

St. Marcellin Champagnat, founder Marist Brothers

Ajith Perera - Member Lay Marist Association

‘Let us not offend God, asking him very little. The bigger is our demand, the more we will be pleasing to God.’ - Saint Marcellin Champagnat, the Saint of the Poor and the Down Trodden Youth By Ajith Perera – Member Lay Marist Association

The death anniversary of Saint Marcellin Champagnat, the founder of the Marist Brothers falls on June 6. St Marcellin who died in 1840 was ordained a priest in 1816, and was part of a group led by Jean-Claude Colin which founded the Society of Mary, also called the Marist Fathers and Brothers, a separate religious congregation to the Brothers Marcellin later was to found.

Marcellin was born in Rozet, village of Marlhes, near St. Etienne (Loire), France. He was deeply aware of the love of Jesus and Mary for others. This inspired in him the passion of an apostle. He dedicated his life to sharing this love. In Saint Marcellin’s encounter with the dying young man, Jean-Baptiste Montagne, we see how disturbed he was to meet a boy facing the end of his life without knowing the love God had for Him.

This event was for him a summons from God. His compassion aroused him to immediately to put into action his foundational insight, ‘‘We must have Brothers!” Thus Saint Marcellin Champagnat installed the religious order – Marist Brothers.

Key among the formative influences that shaped his spirituality was Saint Marcellin’s personal experience of being loved intensely by Jesus and called by Mary. Saint Marcellin and Stanislaus were lost in a snow storm. With his companion unconscious at his feet, Marcellin believed that“if Mary does not come to our aid, we are lost.” Placing his life in God’s hands, he prayed the ‘Memorare.’ His prayer to Our Lady was miraculously answered.

Since Saint Marcellin’s time the Church has deepened its appreciation of Mary as the First Disciple Marists therefore have a growing relationship with Mary as their Sister in Faith, a woman with dust on her feet, a woman who was disturbed and puzzled by God, who was challenged to trust and give without knowing all the answers, whose faith life was a journey of trust in God, unaware of God’s next move in her life.

Saint Marcellin firmly believed in God’s presence and love. He had a great faith and trust in Him. He experienced the love of Jesus and His Gospel. The relationship of Saint Marcellin to Our Lady was deeply marked by an affective and total trust in her, as streams of living water. As a result the stream of living water will flow from the believers’ hearts.

Recognised for his great work and holiness, Marcellin was canonised a Saint by Pope John Paul II in 1999. Since this year marks the centenary of the arrival of Marist Brothers in Sri Lanka it is a good opportunity to recall the services rendered by the Marist Brothers and especially of their founder to the disciplinary Christian education in our country.

Although Saint Marcellin is not in the list of popular saints in Sri Lanka, he is on top of the list of the saints who devoted their lives for the education of the poor and the needy. His charisma is made alive by the Marist Brothers around the globe including those in Sri Lanka. The Marist Brothers are chosen to educate the youth. The same spirit encourages them to develop a simple style of life full of spirituality. Young people are attracted to this simple spirituality.

The image of God they offer the children and the youth touch the hearts with passionate love for God. Marist Brothers believe their more their evangelization and catechesis are rooted in their distinctive Marist spirituality, the more effective they become.

As a past student of Marist Brothers, together with so many thousands of others, I owe a debt of gratitude to them. May they prosper in their mission, faithful to the charisma of their founder, “To make Jesus Christ known and loved.”

Weekly devotions:

Spiritual truths through belief

Sunitha Sahayam

The best description I find is in the Bible about belief and faith is in Hebrews 1: “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. Yes here is a good explanation, because when it comes to spiritual things one cannot depend on your senses to trust.

“We cannot see God with our naked eyes - in order to have belief in God we have to depend on Faith - thus we have to accept things which in the natural realm we use our senses, but in the spiritual we cannot.So, when we weigh the pros and cons of the natural and spiritual -whereas the natural uses our senses, the spiritual has to be replaced by faith.

So when you operate by faith we have to say good bye to common sense and hello to impossibilities as faith takes over!Hebrews 11 as you read on says: ‘”It is impossible to please God without Faith, because anyone who comes to Him has to believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him. Here again it comes out clearly to believe in God we need that vital ingredient called ‘faith”.

In order for you to accept that these words are special as they were used by God and had creating power in it - you need faith - people who depend on facts and head-knowledge cannot work this out - this is only possible for people with faith to understand. - Hebrews 11:3Jesus was given birth into this world by a virgin called Mary, now even to believe in the virgin birth, our natural senses are not enough, no we need faith, because spiritual forces are at work here -

The Holy spirit has to reveal this truth to us.There are several beliefs we cannot accept without faith - we have to shed the flakes off our natural eyes and see through our hearts, which has to be opened by the Holy Spirit. True revelation pertaining to Godly matters are brought about only through God, the Holy Spirit through faith. As we desire in our hearts to believe, may the Holy Spirit breathe on you and take away the scales from your heart,replacing it with beliefs brought about by faith that God exists.

Prayer

Lord even as an earthly father cried unto you whilst looking to you for healing of his child - ‘Lord help my unbelief! ‘ I too cry to you, as I am so natural - I so depend on my senses, and my common sense a block to my spiritual thinking.

Holy Spirit, work in me to see you through spiritual eyes, believe you and your words spoken through the Bible - increase my faith so that I can believe. Thank you for all the spiritual truths that are open to me - Lord let me not have eyes that cannot see and ears that cannot hear but through the mercy and love of Jesus Christ who died to set me free - help me to receive the truth, the truth that will set me free into life everlasting promised by you. In Jesu’s precious name I ask.

Amen