“registered in the department of posts of sri...

CATHOLIC PRESS HOLIDAY NOTICE

Colombo Catholic Press will be closed for busi-ness on March 24 and 25 and will reopen on Monday March 28. Please also note that the Colombo Cath-olic Bookshop will be closed from March 16 to 26, in view of annual stock-taking and Holy Week. The bookshop will open on March 28.

Director

Chrism Mass

“ R E G I S T E R E D I N T H E D E PA RT M E N T O F P O S T S O F S R I L A N K A” U N D E R N O. Q D / 1 1 / N E W S / 2 0 1 6

EASTER ISSUE Sunday, March 20, 2016 Vol 147 No 12 24 Pages Rs: 30.00 Registered as a newspaper

THE CATHOLIC WEEKLY OF SRI LANKA

“Rabboni” The face of theFather’s Mercy

MERCYThe fundamental law that dwells in the heart of every person who looks sincerely in to the eyes of his/her brothers and sisters on the path of life”

The Blessing of the Holy Oils will take place on March 21, at St. Lu-cia’s Cathedral, Kota-hena presided by the Archbishop of Colombo His Eminence Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith.

CBCSL Easter Message

Implore the Risen Lord for the Gift of PeacePg.2Contd on

Easter Blessings

- Misericordiae Vultus

At Easter we bring the Liturgical Year to its climax pro-

claiming Jesus of Nazareth as the Risen Lord and Sav-iour. We let the words of

the angels resound in our ears, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here, but has ris-en” (Luke 24: 5). This year we make this joyful proc-

lamation as the universal Church celebrates the Year of Mercy, proclaimed by Pope Francis. The Pope urges everyone in the Church

to discover in this year of mercy, the joy of experi-encing the merciful love of God which was given to us by the supreme sacri�ice of Jesus on the Cross. We are

called upon to be witness-es to this unfathomable love of God manifested in the Experience of Easter.

“

Contd. from Pg. 1

Implore the...While we rejoice that Christ has conquered death, at Easter we also thank God for the gift of our faith in the person of Jesus, the Christ. God has bestowed upon us this unique gift of our faith in God’s only begot-ten Son in order to experience His loving mercy towards us. And so the joyful season of Easter invites us to deepen our knowledge of Jesus and to be re-newed in the awareness that the Risen Saviour is alive in our midst. Our faith in the Risen Saviour gives us comfort as He journeys and ac-companies us amidst the trials and the challenges life consists of. East-er reminds us that Christ does not abandon His �lock and that He is al-ways with us as a living, life giving experience. This becomes the root cause of Christian joy. The Risen Saviour ap-peared to His disciples and granted

them His gift of peace. Let us invoke the same gift of peace as we strive to foster peace and reconciliation in our country. We cannot forget that true peace is a result of justice. It is the responsibility of those who gov-ern our country to establish a true democratic framework where all citizens irrespective of their caste, creed or colour are able to live with dignity and freedom. While the dis-cussions being carried out now in this regard are to be appreciated, the people are yet to see that their aspirations for a decent life are achieved. We see the poor strug-gling and crying out asking for the basic requirements in life. While there is a certain material devel-opment in certain aspects, there is also the ever widening gap between the rich and the poor in our moth-erland. Amidst the ever sky rocket-ing prices of consumer items, day-to-day life is being made more and more burdensome to the poor. Our Christian discipleship always invites us to care for those in

need since it is our duty to recognize the face of Jesus in those who suffer. We need to do all we can to alleviate the pains of those around us. May they recognize in and through us the joy and the beauty of believing in Jesus and of becoming His disci-ples. May we become the agents of the peace and reconciliation that the Risen Saviour communicated to his disciples. We wish all our faithful and our readers the Joy and the Peace of the Risen Saviour.

� His Eminence Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith

President,Catholic Bishops’ Conference in

Sri Lanka.

� Rt. Rev. Dr. D. Valence MendisSecretary General,

Catholic Bishops’ Conference in Sri Lanka.

Easter Message from the Minister of Christian

Religious AffairsIf the Sacri�icial Death of our Lord on the Cross is the paramount event His ‘Resurrection’ becomes the focal point of our Christian Faith. The great enduring signi�icance of the Resur-rection is proof of the Di-vinity of Our Lord and His power to save mankind, giving hope to all who fear death. Jesus overcame the power of darkness which

we see socially as forces of crime, corruption, hate, vengeance and deceit. His victory is manifested in over-coming such evil forces through righteous action and benevolence to all. Let us commemorate Holy Easter with joy re-newing our resolve to stand against dark forces that pervades the human society.

John A.E. Amaratunga,Minister of Tourism Development,

Christian Religious Affairs and Land

It is with great sorrow that we learnt of the passing away of the Most Venerable Galagama Attadassi Thera Mahanayake of the Asgiriya Chapter. The Venerable Prelate has rendered a great service to the nation by his committed leadership in matters of national importance. We also appreciate deeply the contribution the

Venerable Mahanayake Thera made towards fostering inter-religious harmony in our country. We offer our condolences to the Venerable Anunayaka Theros and the Venerable Members of the Asgiriya Chapter as well as the entire Buddhist brethren of Sri Lanka on this sad occasion.

Condolence Message from the Catholic Bishops’ Conference in Sri Lanka

� His Eminence Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith � Rt. Rev. Dr. Valence Mendis President, Secretary General, Catholic Bishops’ Conference in Sri Lanka. Catholic Bishops’ Conference in Sri Lanka. 10th March 2016

A farewell to Rev. Fr. Bonnie Fernandopulle outgoing Rector of St. Sebastian’s College, Mor-atuwa was held on March 15 at the open air stage in the College Quadrangle. Fr. Bonnie who served 13 years as Rector of St. Sebas-tian’s was the �irst Rector of the College after it was handed over to the Archdiocese of Colombo by the De La Salle Brothers. Under the Rectorship of Fr. Bonnie, the school grew in both education and stature and has

come to be recognized as one of the most sought after and recognized schools in the Colombo District. At a touching farewell ceremony which was graced by the Archbishop of Colombo, His Eminence Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith and His Lordship Rt. Rev. Dr. Maxwell Silva, Auxiliary Bishop of Colombo, the stu-dents, staff and past pupils did not hesitate to show how much they appreciated their outgoing Rector.

What you give to the LordGod will give back in abundance

Rev. Fr. Ranjith Andradi who takes over as the second Diocesan Rec-tor of St. Sebastian’s College, Moratuwa was given a warm welcome by students and staff of the school. Among those present to welcome Fr. Andradi were the Aux-iliary Bishops of Co-lombo, Their Lordships Rt. Rev. Dr. Emmanuel Fernando and Rt. Rev. Dr. Maxwell Silva. General Man-ager of Catholic Private Schools, Rev. Fr. Ivan Perera was also present. After an emotional service the outgoing Rector, Rev. Fr. Bonnie Fernandopulle handed over the reins of the College to Rev. Fr. Ranjith Andradi. Fr. Andradi has served as Rector of St. Joseph’s College (Branch), Wattala, Loyola College, Negombo and St. Joseph’s College (Branch), Kadolkele, Negombo. After a long period of experience in the �ield of education, Fr. Andradi takes upon himself the role of leading one of Colombo District’s esteemed educational institutions.

A farewell and a welcome at St. Sebastian’s Moratuwa

‘General Introduction to the Holy Bible’

The Faculty of Theology of Aquinas University College, Colombo 08 will commence a new short course on Sat-urday, April 2, 2016 on the above theme. The course will span four consecutive Saturdays from 8.00am – 12.00pm. Lectures will be conducted by Rev.Fr. Claude Perera.For details contact:Sr. Mary Kathleen -2694012/5; 4616311/8689; 27389115 /ext.229

MESSENGER E-MAIL ccpmessenger @yahoo.com

[email protected] Website:colomboarchdiocesancatholicpress.com

Rev. Fr. BonnieFernandopulle

Rev. Fr. Ranjith Andradi

Ad Multos Annos !St. Anne’s Talawila Feast

The feast of St. Anne’s Church, Talawila was held last week with Festive Holy Mass concelebrated by Their Lordships, Rt. Rev. Dr. Valence Mendis, Bishop of Chilaw and Rt. Rev. Dr. Justin Gnanapragasam, Bishop of Jaffna.

Dickson Anthony

The annual Lenten Spiritual Retreat organised by the Waragoda Legion of Mary was held for the sixth success-ful year at St. Paul’s Church, Waragoda, Kelaniya. Picture shows Rev. Fr. Jude Algama conducting the praise and worship service.

Clarence Leonard

Lenten Spiritual Retreat

March 20, 20162 The Messenger

March 20, 2016

Email:[email protected]:colomboarchdiocesancatholicpress.com

Telephone: 011 2695984

EDITORIAL

SINCE FEBRUARY 1869

The Light of Easter on a New WorldE

aster changed it all. The glow of the Risen Christ had cast out all fear and re-ignited the �lame of Faith. Doubts and anxieties dis-appeared and an exuberant sense of peace

�illed Jesus’ closest associates, the Apostles. The lu-minous phenomenon however had its casualties. The whole company of disciples had abandoned their Lord leaving Him alone to face His most dif�icult moments. Some of them had slept when He agonized in prayer, for the impending tragedy was sure to strike. Judas the betrayer had destroyed himself being inundated with bouts of despair and frustration; a victim of �ilthy lu-cre and the kiss of betrayal. Simon Peter, the rock on which Jesus pledged to build His Church let Him down by thrice denying acquaintance with the Master. Finally, there was Thomas, the doubting disciple, the epitome of all who either fail their faith or struggle with it. On the contrary there were the women who held on to the Cross with Mary, the mother of the Lord and there was the joy of Mary of Magdala, who poured tears of repen-tance at the feet of her “Rabboni” (Master) now being reassured near the empty tomb that the Risen Lord had not forgotten her name at all. She is the �irst missionary of the Risen Lord. As the news of the Resurrection broke out, thanks to Mary Magdalene, who saw the gardener at the tomb trans�igured into the Risen Lord, Peter, the rock of the Church’s faith and John, the son of thunder, turned the disciple whom Jesus loved, had run in haste to the sepulchre and both regained their faith that their Rab-bi had risen as He had said. Now it was Peter’s task to rally round his companions in Jerusalem and whoever else believed in Jesus well encouraged by the Mary, the mother of Jesus. It was to be in expectation of the de-scent of the Holy Spirit. This singularly powerful event was to mark the beginning of the Church; The proclaim-ing and witnessing group of the Lord’s disciples, the dramatic outburst of faith with thousands in Jerusalem city embracing the Lord Jesus as their Saviour and con-fessing His name. The Risen Lord had brought in a radi-cal change visiting them in the beaches of their labours, greeting them in their hide-outs of common prayer and accompanying them in their travels laden heavily with doubts and uncertainties. In addition to the touching scene of Thomas called to touch the wounds, there was the imposing event of Simon Peter having to so embar-rassingly repeat the confession of his personal love for the Risen Master. As a reward for that love, he was given the shepherding task of taking care of the lambs and feeding His sheep. At the conversion of Simon at the beach of Galilee, it was given to him to launch into the deep for a vast and incredible catch. It is a characteristic feature of the Risen Christ to carry in His glori�ied luminous body, the marks of His cruci�ixion as if to say that the Passion of the Cross and the glory of the Resurrection belong together. The Cross, the symbol of shame and instrument of pain and death has now been transformed into a tree of life in contrast with the tree of Eden that felled our �irst par-ents, lured them to eat of the forbidden fruit and had them driven out of this wonderful garden graced with God’s presence and where they walked with God. Je-sus the Nazarene had revolutionized the image of the Cross, which in the hands of the powers that be, was a tool of excruciating and violent punishment and a way of humiliation. Today, the cross reigns in our Basilicas, cathedrals, churches, chapels, in our street corners and indeed round the necks of every devoted Christian. It is our distinct symbol and sign. All blessings are given with the sign of the cross and exorcisms done in its power when evil spirits �lee in its face. It teaches the lesson that Love of God and Love of neighbour has to intersect through penance and change of mystery of the cross came to Mary of Magdala at her conversion. With the Resurrection of Christ, all what He was hidden in His human frame, His mysterious teach-ings that raised eye brows, compared with what the Jewish religious authorities propounded were vindicat-ed. His powers of healing that brought cure and relief to the blind, the lame and the deaf, with life even for the dead were validated. His power over all evil spirits and

wicked demons that bound the innocent, freeing those who were af�licted thereby was seen as divine and not as works of the prince of demons. All these happenings were vivid signs that the Kingdom of God has come among the people. Later we see, how Christian com-munities came to the understanding that Jesus Christ Himself was the manifestation of the Kingdom God. His life is a beautiful emblem and epitome of what God’s Rule and Mercy stands for. In this kingdom, a person can be forgiven seventy times seven, both the Jews and the Samaritans can embrace, love and succour one an-other. Lepers can walk freely in open society and can be touched and healed. We can experience the living presence of Jesus in those who are hungry, naked, in thirst and in prison. In their agonizing faces is seen the countenance of the suffering Jesus. Our �idelity to obli-gations towards their relief and solace in His name, will see us judged favourably on the last day. In this new world women and children will have their important place as are mothers and their in-fants. Children are a sign of God’s Kingdom where adults are invited to be childlike and avoid being scandals to them. The last shall be �irst and vice-versa. Those who feast at exotic banquets laden with sumptuous menus while the wretched of the earth lie at their doors with dogs licking their wounds, will be chasms away from the poor in the world to come. It will be a reversal of fortune and turning of tables! Ever since the Resurrec-tion believers lived in communities sharing their assets, listening to the Word of God and taking care of the poor. They would even openly risk their lives in martyrdom for the sake of their Faith. They were believers of cour-age and conviction, joyous in their faith. Ever since the spirit of the Easter Lord was poured out on the Church, she had defended her faith, struggled with the poor for their dignity and rights and fostered social justice espe-cially in the world of the peasants and the workers. She has challenged the worship of the “Golden Calf” in all its modern subtle forms that tend to evaluate even human beings as commodities. She defends the elderly, the ter-minally sick and those otherwise able and sides with the poor for their liberation. Those who gather with the Risen Lord live a culture of life and work painstakingly for a civilization of love. Fullness of life for all and hu-man solidarity are the Blessings of Christ’s kingdom. This new wine has to be received in new wineskins. The old leaven has to dry out and new salt has to be found. It is a new world the construction of which is fraught with innumerable risks and hazards. But like the Lord, once we put the hands to the plough there is no turning back! Easter is the triumph of Jesus’ �idelity to His man-date. God vindicated Him. The Cruci�ied and Risen Lord is our anchor and hope.

Rev. Fr. Leopold Ratnasekera OMI

My Cathedral Christianity’s holiest week begins this Sunday March 20 with solemn events to mark Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday climaxing with the great-est day in history, Easter Sunday or the Resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. On Holy Thursday besides the beginning of the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist and the priesthood we also celebrate the astound-ing and outstanding servant leadership of Jesus - a hallowed principal which no other religion or ideol-ogy has. It was emphasized by Jesus when He told the apostle, “anyone who wants to be the greatest among you must be ready to be the servant of all.” On Good Friday we commemorate the great-est manifestation of God’s amazing grace uncon-ditional love and unending mercy. As we solemnly adore the cross on that day we need to be aware that from the cross Jesus is telling us, “Even if you betray, deny or desert me, even if you whip or strip me and hang me on a cross like a criminal of criminals, I will still love you because my nature is love.” When we come as we are and accept this love, our lives are gradually transformed to be more in the image and likeness of God. Next Sunday March 27, we celebrate the Feast of the Resurrection. The vi-tal importance of this event is emphasised by St Paul when he says, “if Christ has not been raised from the dead, our preaching is useless and so is your faith,” (1 Corinthians 15:14). That means all that we do in our Christian lives—including religious services prayers and pilgrimages - are in vain if Christ has not being raised from the dead. St Paul is telling us here that while dogmas, doctrines and canon laws are needed Christianity essentially is a person - the Risen Lord. Based on that scriptural reality we could then re�lect on who is a Christian. Is a baptism certif-icate and regular participation in religious services enough? Apparently not, because as the scriptures say Christianity is essentially a Person, the Risen Lord. Therefore, a Christian is someone who has met the Risen Lord and has a deep growing relation-ship with Him. St Paul makes this clear, pointing out that he became a Christian when he met the Lord on the road to Damascus (Acts 9). Indeed that meeting changed history because Saul - the greatest persecu-tor of Christians became the greatest propagator of the faith, being inspired to write 13 of the 27 books in the new Testament, books which are today giving hope, courage and inspiration to hundreds of mil-lions of people. In a pre-resurrection prophecy, Jesus Him-self tells us, “Just as I live in you, you must live in me” (John 15). How do we do this and connect ourselves to the Risen Lord so that we could bear rich fruits for Him. Jesus Himself gives the answer when He says we would connect ourselves and draw divine power from Him by obeying His single command-ment to “Love each other as I love you” (John 15;12). While there are many ways of loving one another as Jesus loves us, the New Testament also refers to one special way. It is found in Mathew 18:19-20 which is also known as the telephone number to heaven. Jesus says, “Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.” That means the Lord is present in unity, every Christian has the power to bring about a manifesta-tion of the Lord by positing acts of unity, acts such as love and mercy and forgiveness, sharing and caring and sacri�icial service to others. The greater the uni-ty the more powerful the manifestation of the Lord. So in this Jubilee Year of Mercy when we are called by Pope Francis into the deep dimensions of eco-education and eco-spirituality let us remember that God’s greatest classroom is nature - a cathedral where the ceiling is the sky and the carpet we kneel on is Mother Earth, made by God’s own hand.

3The Messenger March 20, 2016

Speaking days af-ter the death of a homeless man on

the streets of Rome, Pope Francis during Holy Mass on Monday re�lected on the challenge of trusting to God in a world where the innocent suffer. “Three days ago a homeless person died here, on the street,” the Pope said, according to Vatican Radio’s transla-tion: “He died of cold.” Observing how the man had the opportu-nity to receive the neces-sary care, he asked: “Why, Lord? Not even a caress ... But I entrust myself to you because you never let me down.” Pope Francis’ in his March 14 homily at the chapel of the Vatican’s

Santa Marta residence touched on other recent tragedies as well, includ-ing the recent murder of four Missionaries of Char-ity in Yemen. He spoke about those suffering in Italy’s Campania region, where high cancer rates have been linked to the illegal burning of toxic waste. The Pope also cited the number of refugees who are denied shelter. “Even when we do not understand – for instance, in the case of a sick child – let us put our-selves in the hands of the Lord who never abandons his people” he said. He also said we should think of those who die without being ca-ressed one last time. The Pope centred

his re�lection on the day’s reading from the Book of Daniel, in which Susanna is soiled by the evil desires of two judges who try to seduce her. He recalled that Susanna trusted in God rather than succumb-ing to their advances. Likewise, we must trust in God when we �ind ourselves in a “valley of darkness,” the Pontiff said. Whether they are sufferings we cannot control or are the result of something we have done, there is the tendency to ask: “Lord, where are you?” The Pope consid-ered the many dark val-leys and misfortunes and the fact there are so many people dying of hunger, there is war, there are so

many children with dis-abilities” – some of whom are suffering from rare disease. “When you look at all this you ask, ‘Where is the Lord, where are you?’ ‘Are you walking with me’?” “Look at those four slain Missionaries of Charity. They were serv-ing with love; they ended up murdered in hatred!” he said. Similarly, with refugees when you see that doors are being closed to refugees who are left out in the cold… you say: ‘Lord, where are You?’ “ Pope Francis ac-knowledged the dif�iculty in understanding why these tragedies occur. “How can I en-

trust myself to God when I see all these things? And when things happen to me, each of us may say: How can I entrust myself to You?” “Why does a child suffer? I do not know: It is a mystery to me,” he said. Pope Francis turned to Christ’s agony in the Garden of Gethse-

mane and His last words on the cross: “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.” Pope said: “To entrust myself. I cannot explain it, but I place my-self in your hands. You know why? He who en-trusts himself to the Lord our Shepherd, shall lack nothing.”

In the face of suffering, let us entrust ourselves to God – Pope Francis

After months of anticipation, the date of Mother

Teresa’s canonization has �inally been announced. It falls on September 4, which this year will also mark a special jubilee for workers and volunteers of mercy. Though it is been rumoured for months that Mother Teresa’s can-onization will take place on September 4, the Vati-can made the date of�icial during a March 15 con-sistory of cardinals. Mother Teresa was born Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu August 26, 1910, in Skopje, Macedo-nia. After joining the Sis-ters of Loretto at age 17, she was sent to Calcutta, where she later contract-

ed tuberculosis and was sent to rest in Darjeeling. On the way, she felt what she called “an order” from God to leave the convent and live among the poor. After she left her convent, Mother Teresa began working in the slums, teaching poor children, and treating the sick in their homes. A year later, some of her former students joined her, and together they took in men, women and children who were dying in the gutters along the streets. In 1950, the Missionaries of Charity were born as a congre-gation of the Diocese of Calcutta. In 1952, the government granted

them a house from which to continue their mission of serving Calcutta’s poor and forgotten. She died Sep-tember 5, 1997 and was beati�ied just six years later by St. John Paul II Oct. 19, 2003. In addition to Mother Teresa, the consis-tory also decided on the canonization dates of four other Blesseds: Bl. Maria Elisabetta Hesselblad, Bl. Jose Sanchez del Rio, Bl. Stanislaus of Jesus Mary and Bl. Jose Gabriel del Rosario Brochero. The canoniza-tion of Bl. Jose Sanchez del Rio is also notewor-thy. He will be made a saint October 16, along-side Bl. Jose Gabriel del Rosario Brochero.

Mother Teresa to be canonized on September 4

During Lent, Christians examine their con-science to consider the steps they can take to change their lives to better follow Jesus. In his recent encyclical letter “Laudato Si’: On Care for Our Common Home,” Pope Fran-cis has called us to examine our conscience about our relationship with the earth and how we treat it. Re�lecting on the contents of this letter and its challenges for how we live on this planet seems a valuable Lenten exer-cise. The encyclical takes its name from the prayer of St. Francis of Assisi, begin-ning with the words, “Praise be to you, my Lord.” The Pope, citing his namesake, notes that St. Francis thought of the earth as his sister “with whom we share our life and a beautiful mother who opens her arms to embrace us” and sustain us. The Pope then says that “this sis-ter now cries out to us because of the harm we have in�licted on her by our irresponsi-ble use and abuse of the goods with which God has endowed her.” No longer seeing ourselves in a personal relationship with the earth, too frequently we “see ourselves as her lords and masters, entitled to plun-der her at will.” The earth, says Pope Francis, has been wounded by our sin and “is among the most abandoned and maltreated of our poor; she ‘groans in travail’ (Rom 8:22).” We have forgotten that we are only a part of God’s creation, and we are “dust of the earth; our very bodies are made up of her elements, we breathe her air and we receive life and refreshment from her wa-

ters,” as Genesis 1 and 2 remind us. In calling us to a conversion of heart, the Pope quotes the spiritual head of the Orthodox churches, Ecumenical Patri-arch Bartholomew of Constantinople, say-ing that we are called to repent of the ways we have harmed the planet, and acknowl-edge our contribution, smaller or greater, to the dis�igurement and destruction of creation. We must come to understand that to commit a crime against the natu-ral world is a sin against ourselves and a sin against God. The Pope challenges us to consider the “ethical and spiritual roots of environmental problems” and to look for solutions �irst in the heart. Again citing Patriarch Bartholom-ew, Pope Francis asks us to to replace con-sumption with sacri�ice, greed with gener-osity, wastefulness with a spirit of sharing and to develop “an asceticism” that em-powers us to give and not simply to give up and to develop a way of loving that allows us to move gradually from what I want to what God’s world needs. While the encyclical provides spe-ci�ic detail for living an ecologically sound life in keeping with Catholic social teach-ing, its core can be found in these words from the ecumenical patriarch quoted by Pope Francis: “It is our humble conviction that the divine and the human meet in the slightest detail in the seamless garment of God’s creation, in the last speck of dust of our planet.”

A conversion of heart for the Planet’s sake



In 1 Corinthians Paul is quoting an oral tradition among the �irst Christian community. “For I handed on to you as of �irst impor-tance what I also received that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures. That he was buried and he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scrip-tures. That he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve, after that he appeared to more than 500 brothers at once, most of whom are still living….he appeared to all the apostles and last of all…he appeared to me” (1 Corinthians 15:3-8).

The Risen Lord among us The Risen Christ amongst us is in our brothers and sisters. Matthew records what Christ preached about the last judgment. On the day of the last judgment the angels will separate the righteous from sin-ners. Then the judge will address the righteous. “Come you who are bless-ed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hun-gry and you gave me food,

Peace TV, beamed from Bombay is a 24 hour Is-lamic channel with a

world-wide viewership said to cover over 100 million people including hundreds in Sri Lanka. Initiated by the renowned Islam-ic scholar and medical doctor Zakir Naike, its programmes in-clude live debates pitted against Hindu and Christian preachers, talks, prayers and lectures on contemporary religions from an Islamic perspective, before a live audience. What is irresist-ible is the opportunity they af-ford to non-Muslim participants who often dare to ask questions challenging various Islamic ten-ets. Besides, one of the bold claims they often make is that Islam is the fastest growing re-ligion on earth. They agree that Chris-tianity and Islam are closely inter-related. They accept Mary as the most blessed of all wom-en in addition to the virgin birth of Jesus. They accept that Jesus will come again to earth at the end to judge all humanity. But what brings them into intrac-table con�lict with Christianity is their denial of Jesus’ divin-ity saying; “God neither begets nor is begotten.” From such a stance comes their denial of Christ’s cruci�ixion. They scoff at our belief saying its “CRUCI-FICTION.” Similarly they dis-

miss the central tenet of our faith - the Resurrection of Jesus. “He appeared to have died but infact he was alive in the tomb,” they retort. Thus, over 1.2 bil-lion Muslims reject what more than 2.2 billion Christians hold as undeniably true.

The Dual Reality - Death and Life Without the cross and resurrection, our faith is barren, we af�irm at all times. Yet, the two corner-stones of the mys-tery of salvation present to us a dilemma - the dialectical inter-penetration of the opposites, of life and death or better de�ined as “death and new life in resur-rection.” This dual reality struck a strange chord in me some years ago. At that time I was serving as the National Basket-ball Coach and I was given the responsibility of organising the tour of the visiting team ‘Sports Ambassadors’ from USA, to various parts of Sri Lanka. All members of the team were world class players and even more, they were promoters of Evangelical Christianity. At the end of all promotional Basket-ball programmes they pleaded, “Accept Jesus Christ as your personnel Lord and Saviour,” much to our embarrassment. This happened even at the end

of one such camp at Ananda College, Colombo and the plea almost came out of the blues. However, what remains fresh in my mind is an incident that occurred as these play-ers and I were travelling along the Colombo-Negombo Road. Although pleasantly surprised at the sight of several Catholic Churches studded along the way, one of them remarked to me that it was improper and incongruent to display the �ig-ures of the cruci�ied Christ, as we Catholics do, on the crosses adorning the churches. “Christ is Risen, why put Him back on the cross,” they asked me. With a strange inspiration that sprang within me I replied: “In a poverty stricken third world country like ours, this Christ on the cross is more relevant to the masses of our people. The suffering God knows our own wretchedness more intimately.” This answer of mine did not evoke any reply from them. Their long drawn silence made me feel that they were seriously re�lecting on what I had said.

Af�irming Cruci�ixion and Resurrection The answer to the di-chotomy of cruci�ixion and res-urrection, in my view, is strik-ingly presented in the scene that unfolded in the Upper

Room where Christ’s disciples were in hiding. Appearing for the second time, our Blessed Lord unashamedly exposes His raw wounds, on His feet, hands and chest. The Master challeng-es the disbelieving disciple to clinically verify the injuries. An empirical test, we might even say. However, there was another profound message that came across blaring. Christ was saying, “My wounds are now my credentials.” The glory of the resurrection now comes ir-resistibly with the raw wounds, in a single package.

The Duality well exempli�ied Indeed the mystical duality of the Cruci�ixion and Resurrection is well captured in the heroic saga of the Early Christians, who walked into the jaws of cruel death sing-ing joyfully. Even as they were being mortally wounded, with their bodies torn to pieces, their songs faintly waded through Rome’s crowded arena dumb-founding their tormentors. The imperious rulers faced a differ-ent duality. What they sought to destroy spread like wild �ire. No further proof theologically or historically was needed to prove Christ’s death and resur-rection.

Good Friday and Easter Sun-day to our lives Undoubtedly therefore, are we not called upon to af�irm the dual reality of Good Friday and Easter Sunday in our own lives? The answer to those members of the ‘Sports Ambas-sadors’ team of US, referred to earlier and the people of Islamic faith obviously is the same. If our lives as Christians re�lect the essence of the reality of the Risen Lord still bearing the raw wounds, then that would go well beyond all the arguments against to prove we hold sacred the foundation of our faith beyond dispute. Truly, we are called upon to weep with those who weep, share the pain of those in pain, yet at all times providing a sure promise of the joy of resur-rection to all around us. A world of opportu-nity lies before us, Christians, to reach out to those who are in need and to give everyone the hope of a new Easter - the dawn of a new, just and peace-ful world. Indeed we are privi-leged to live in an epoch-mak-ing era under the leadership of Pope Francis to turn the world around. Only then Christianity will globally triumph.

Doubting the Crucifi xion and denying the Resurrection

By Francis D’ Almeida

We commemorate the historical Christ in our litur-

gy from Advent to Lent. Good Friday is the last day that we remember the death of Christ on Calvary. This is the end of the historical Christ who was born in Bethlehem and preached and worked miracles mainly in Galilee. All the time during His min-istry He told His disciples, “I will go to Jerusalem and suffer many things…and be killed but will be raised up on the third day” (Mathew 16:21). The disciples could not grasp the meaning of what He was saying. Peter himself objected, “God for-bid this O Lord. This will never happen to you.” Christ rebuked him and even called Peter, “Satan.” During Easter we commemorate the living Christ who conquered death and was victoriously resur-rected from death and the con�ines of a tomb. We are talking about Christ who is living amongst us. No other founder of any religion ever professed to conquer death and to live amongst his be-lievers for ever. Only Christ

Historical and Living Christ said that He will be with us till the end of time (Mathew 28:30).

Scripture Accounts All the Gospels record the Resurrection of the Lord. Jesus ap-peared to His disciples several times after His resurrection. He talked to them, ate with them to convince them, so that they will become the wit-nesses of His resurrec-tion. One of His disciples betrayed Him to the Ro-mans. Peter denied Him thrice. Only John was present at Calvary to wit-ness the death of Christ. After His death they were hiding in fear of the Jew-ish leaders, thinking that they too would be put to death like their master. Their behaviour demon-strated that they were cowards. When they were �illed with the Spirit of God and saw the Risen Christ they became cou-rageous preachers who proclaimed Christ. If we turn to the second chapter of the Acts of

the Apostles we wonder whether these were the same disciples who were hiding to safeguard their lives. Peter preaches about Christ whom the Jews had killed a few days earlier. He declared that He is no more among the dead. He rose from the dead. He is alive. Peter referred to Jesus of Nazareth when he said, “You cruci�ied and killed him by the hands of lawless men. But God raised him up, releasing him from the throes of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it (death)” (Acts 2:23-24). “This Jesus, God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses” (Acts2:32). Peter was imprisoned, tortured and ultimately cruci�ied in Rome. All the apostles, except John gave up their lives to uphold the truth of His resurrection. The disciples who were once so afraid they deserted their Lord. But after His resurrection they courageously proclaimed the news of the resurrec-tion even risking their

lives. Their bold and auda-cious behaviour does not make sense unless they knew with absolute cer-tainty that Jesus had been raised from the dead.

Importance of the Resurrection Gary Habermas, once an agnostic, says, “Everything about Christ was unique; the prophecies of his coming. His birth. His life. His teachings. His miracles. His death. And especially his resurrection. It is history’s most signi�i-cant event. The validity of Jesus’ claims about himself rests on the Resurrection… whether He rose from the dead or remained in the grave.” The Apostle Paul in his First Letter to the Corinthians says that if Christ did not rise from the dead our faith is in vain. “If Christ has not been raised then our preaching is emp-ty. Then your faith is empty too. Then we also become false witnesses to God be-cause we testi�ied against God that He raised Christ…(1Corinthians 16: 14-15).

I was thirsty and you gave me to drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me. Then the righteous will ask him, “Lord when did we see you hungry and fed you, thirsty and gave you to drink…naked and clothed you?” Then the judge will say in reply, “Amen I say to you whatever you did for the least brothers of mine, you did it to me.” We must recog-nize the Risen Christ in the poor, hungry, naked, ill, and in imprisoned brothers and sisters. Can we �ind Him in our needy brothers and sisters? The Risen Christ is amongst us when we gather together to pray or to read and re�lect on the scriptures. In the gospel of Mathew Christ says, “If two or three of you gather together in my name I will be with them” (Mathew 18:20). So when we gather as a family to say our daily prayers, or to read the scriptures, the Risen Lord is with us. This may be tru-er when we gather in the Church for prayer or scrip-ture readings.

(Contd on Pg. 15)

By Francis Madiwela


The unmerciful servant In reply to Peter’s question about how many times it is necessary to forgive, Jesus says: “I do not say seven times, but seventy times seven” (Mt 18:22). He then goes on to tell the Parable of the “Ruthless Servant, who, called by his master to return a huge amount, begs him on his knees for mercy. His master cancels his debt (Misericordia vultus, 9). But he then meets a fellow servant who owes him a few cents and who in turn begs on his knees for mercy, but the �irst servant refuses his request and throws him into jail. When the master hears of this, he becomes infuriated and, summoning the �irst serv-ant back to him says, “Should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?” (Mt 18:33). Jesus concludes, “So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart” (Mt 18:35). The Lord speci�ied the amount owed by the ruthless servant. It was ten thousand talents. That was an enormous amount of money. In our present currency it could run to millions of dollars! In Jesus’ times, it could even surpass the total revenue of a Roman province. In turn, the amount may even exceed the cost to ransom a king. His fellow worker, on the other hand, owed him some one-hundred-thousandth only of his own debt. But he refused to forgive the former.

Trademark of God’s children Pope Francis pointed out that this parable con-tains a profound teaching for all of us. Jesus af�irms that mercy is not only an action of the Father, it becomes a criterion for ascertaining who His true children are. “In brief, we are called to show mercy because mercy has �irst been shown to us. Pardoning offences becomes the clearest expression of merciful love and for us Christians it is an imperative from which we cannot excuse ourselves. At times how hard it seems to forgive! And yet pardon is the instrument placed into our fragile hands

to attain serenity of heart. To let go of anger, wrath, vi-olence and revenge are necessary conditions to living joyfully. “Let us therefore heed the Apostle’s exhorta-tion: “Do not let the sun go down on your anger” (Eph 4:26). Above all, let us listen to the words of Jesus who made mercy an ideal of life and a criterion for the cred-ibility of our faith: “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy” (Mt 5:7): The beatitude to which we should particularly aspire in this Holy Year. “The mercy of God is his loving concern for each one of us. He feels responsible; that is, he desires our wellbeing and he wants to see us happy, full of joy, and peaceful. This is the path which the merciful love of Christians must also travel. “As the Father loves, so do his children. Just as he is merciful, so we are called to be merciful to each other (Misericordia vultus, op.cit).”

Always forgive The lesson is crystal clear. No offense our neigh-bour can do to us could ever compare with the debt we owe God for the sins we have committed against Him. We must bear in mind that in order to ransom us from sin, the Father had to send His only begotten Son to suf-fer and die on our behalf. If God has forgiven us our debt, we too, must forgive others of their debts. In order to be forgiven, we must forgive. This is what we repeatedly pray in the Our Father, “Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.” This parable portrays eloquently our situation before God. We lack the wherewithal to pay our debts to Him due to our sins. Moreover, our personal sins com-mitted everyday of our lives further aggravate the of-fenses against his most loving and merciful heart. Even though we suffer a lot and give our lives as an offering to payout the debts that God has forgiven us. However, God’s mercy more than make up for the impotence of human justice. He remits our trans-gressions, many and grave though they be, because He is Good and His mercy endures forever (Dan 3:67).

Be sowers of charity Every Christian is called to be a sower of char-ity, peace and joy. Our Lord’s impera-tive command to love is universal. It concerns all of us. It admits no excep-tion. L o o k -ing at our daily lives, however, we see that there are constant brush-ings and misun-derstandings with those who live or work with us. In our dealings with one another fric-tions inevitably arise. We are all sinners and laden with defects. As a consequence, there will always be occa-sions of feeling hurt or offended. Even if they are not meant to be offensive, the actions and comportment of others could rub us the wrong way. But we always need to forgive from the heart. What good reason can you give for not loving? St John Chrysostom asked. Someone responded to your kind-ness with injury? If your love passes through Jesus’ heart, such adversity will only lead you to love others more. That which destroys worldly friendships serves to strengthen Christ’s charity. How is this? First, because the ungrate-ful bring you a greater reward. Second, because they are more in need of your help and attention. We have to bear the offenses without growing cold in our mutual dealings. Otherwise, how could we practice the commandment to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us (cf. Mt. 5:44)?

FORGIVE FROM THE HEART

By Rev. Fr. Daniel Icatlo

Just as Jesus said of Himself: “I am the Way,” He also said, “No one knows who the Son is except the Fa-ther and who the Father is except the Son and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him” (Luke 10.21-22). Therefore the only Way to the Father is through what Jesus reveals to us of the Father. One of these greatest revelations is that the Father’s way is one of Love and Mercy. What we know of the Father is what we know and see and hear in the Son. “His voice you have never heard, his form you have never seen, and you do not have his word abiding in you, for you do not believe him whom he has sent. ….yet, you refuse to come to me that you may have life” (John 5. 37-40). God is a loving Father who takes joy in being merciful. This is the one reason why He sent his Son upon earth - to be a “Saviour.” “She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus (Yeshua = God saves) because he will save his people from their sins” (Matt.1.20-21). God does not wish anyone to perish. From the begin-ning of time, we see God taking joy in forgiving man-kind instead of condemning him once and for all into oblivion. With the Lord there is always another chance! The scriptures give us this Good News: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3.16). However, it cost the Father the tremendous sacri�ice of His beloved Son. This same God tested Abra-ham, but prevented him from sacri�icing Isaac his only son. He then even provided an animal for the sacri�ice. Yet, God did step back from sacri�icing His own Son, for He so loved the world, so loved us. This is the apex of mercy. This 2016 Lenten season becomes especially signi�icant for us in the backdrop of the Year of Mercy declared by Pope Francis. His one message is that Je-

sus is the face of the Father’s mercy. All the words and deeds of Jesus, His very life, manifest the Father’s Mercy. Even during His passion and death, we see Jesus always choosing a path of non-violence as He never reacts or retaliates but accepts and embraces the cross freely. Be-ing fully human He suffered physical and mental torture and yet, never used his divine power to escape from it. The point of His suffering is LOVE and MERCY. So great is God’s love for us that in His Mercy He is will-ing to take our place and pay the price. “.. God, who is rich in MERCY, out of the great LOVE with which He loved us, even when we were dead through our tres-passes, made us alive together with Christ and raised us up with him…” (Eph. 2.4-6). We are indebted to God and need to come to the conviction that Jesus has loved us even unto death. He Himself said that there is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. We were made His friends, even while we were sinners, because of His great love and mercy. It is this realisation that should lead us to a better life, a sinless life, in which we return love for love. Our desire for conversion is not out of fear but out of love. What more can I ask of Jesus to prove His love and mercy towards me? Every time I look at the cross it must speak volumes to me. Every station of the cross is a message of love and mercy. The power of a cruci�ied love can truly transform us. Then, as we go through our own “dyings” and “risings,” fac-ing the ups and downs of life, we too will become loving and merciful, especially to those who harm and hurt us. We shall also realize oftentimes that our problems are minimal when compared to the struggles so many face in the world today. It is with this experience of God’s Love and Mercy, in our own lives, that we can reach out to others who are needy, lonely, sick and marginal-ized. The renewed interest in the corporal and spiritual

A LOVE that is rich in MERCYworks of mercy is a needed call for the times. A visit of mercy, time spent to share love and mercy, words of encouragement and comfort, sharing of material goods with the poor, are Jesus-like actions. Whatever we do to them out of merciful love, He said, we do to Him. Let us �ix our gaze on the cross in our Lenten meditations and contemplation for this is the icon of Love and Mercy. It not only transforms us but pushes us to “go forth” and share the joy of the Lord’s Gospel of love and mercy with many others. Let us allow the Lord to speak to us.

Beneath the CrossI am afraid of violence

I can hardly look at blood …I turn away from tragedies

Even on the TV screen.

One day I gazed upon the crossOn which my Saviour died …

I saw His bleeding faceAnd pleading eyes –

Speaking gently to me …“I love you, “ He said,

“So much, I’d do it again for you.”

I wept bitter tears of shameFor my neglect of a LOVE,

A love so great, so true,Which no one else can give.

Sr. Cynthia Mendis, PH

(Contd on Pg. 15)


Holy WeekAs we reach the �inal week of Lent, let us continue with enthusiasm our way to Easter and a New beginning. May our Lenten observance be a joyful journey — and not a forced march. The paint-ings selected are from different eras and different styles found in Sri Lanka. Top, left to right: Entry into Jerusalem by Nalini Jayasuriya, The Last Supper by Richard Gabriel at Minor Semi-nary Borella, Washing of the Feet by David Paynter at Trinity College Chapel Kandy, porcelain Dutch Delft tiles at Ridi Viharaya Kurunegala, medallions on the Passion by Richard Gabriel at St. Theresa’s Church, Thimbirigasyaya, Gethsemane by Joseph Silva at St. Michaels Church, Nagoda, Kalutara,Way of the Cross from St. Vianney Seminary, Colombo 15.

A Picture Meditationby: Kishani S. Fernando

Legend has it that St. Joseph’s Col-lege, Wattala, was born in a shed housed with 29 children for Mon-

tessori education, in 1995. Its �irst step was to an adjoining two class-roomed school which was of�icially declared open in January 1996. The small seedling thus planted in 1995 has now grown to be a large shel-tering tree which provides education to about 1,500 students in all streams from Grade 1 to Grade 13. The humble begin-ning has always been remembered, rem-inisced and cherished. The spontaneous chuckling is inevitable when recalling the invasion of early classrooms by wa-ter snakes, making the teachers �ind refuge on chairs and panic-stricken chil-dren running helter skelter like a newly hatched brood of chicks when attacked by an eagle. The hilltop shed that housed the Montessori surrounded by shrubs, swamps and bushes overlooking far stretched marshy land had not been without fascination. However, the humble beginning and the subsequent growth have never been without sacri-�ices and hard work of many. We recall with heartfelt gratitude many a person, whose memory is still wet in the back of our ears when going down memory lane. The far sighted concept, that gave the golden opportunity for the Co-lombo leading schools to branch out, was introduced and put in place through the legislature, by the then Auxiliary Bishop of Colombo His Grace Most Rev. Dr. Oswald Gomis. His Grace Most Rev. Dr. Nicholas Marcus was the Archbishop of Colombo at the time. The �irst block of land on which the school was built was donated to the Church by Mrs. Esther Senevirathne, wife of late Wilfred Sen-evirathna. It goes without saying that the branch schools that educate and give formation to thousands of children liv-ing away from metropolis would not have been a �lourishing success, as it is today, had it not been for the blessings of His Eminence Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith, Archbishop of Colombo. St. Joseph’s Col-lege, Wattala is the second school of this kind, St. Peter’s College, Gampaha being the �irst. The Late, Rev. Fr. Stanley Abey-sekara was the Rector of St. Joseph’s Col-lege, Colombo 10, during the introduc-tion of the concept and the subsequent start of the school. Having taken all nec-essary steps to put the entire required infrastructure in place to start off the school, Rev. Fr. Stanley Abeysekara left for overseas when the school was three months old. His successor Rev. Fr. Vic-tor Silva soon laid a foundation stone for the �irst building and the school was

formerly declared open on January 10, 1996 with two classes and three prima-ry teachers namely Mrs. Berney Perera (the Head Mistress), Mrs. Trini Perera and Mrs. Joslin Mary Perera who worked with Rev. Fr. Victor Silva hand in glove to take forward the project. Rev. Fr. Kennedy Perera was subsequently appointed as the Priest-in-charge of St. Joseph’s College, Wat-tala Branch, to run the affairs. He found a contractor to build the two storied millennium building at a cost of Rs. 10 million. In 2001, when Rev. Fr. Kennedy Perera left the country for his higher studies, Rev. Fr. Sudath Gunathilake took over the position of Priest in Charge. Rev. Fr. Sylvester Ranasinghe then became the longest serving Rec-tor of the mother school and its branch schools. St. Joseph’s College, Enderam-ulla, Wattala, achieved many a goal dur-ing his tenure in of�ice. Fr. Sylvester is a strict disciplinarian and maintained strict discipline in the colleges. He was strong enough to face every challenge and proved to be correct in his decisions, which were time consuming and hard at times, in managing the gigantic affairs of the mother school and its branches. During Rev. Fr. Sudath Gu-nathilake’s tenure, the school grew to have three two-storied buildings and one three-storied building to accommo-date children up to Grade 9. He worked with the parents and strongly believed in team work. This belief to promote cordial relationships bore much fruit and the school grew to greater heights. Having built the school to a great extent, Rev. Fr. Sudath left the country in 2000 to USA for higher studies and returned to the island in 2004 and restarted his services to the school until 2006. Rev. Fr. Sudath Gunathilake was thus the longest

serving Priest-in-charge of St. Joseph’s College, Wattala serving two terms. Rev.Fr. Sam Quintus was then appointed as the successor to Rev. Fr. Su-dath Gunathilake in 2006 who is known to be a cheerful giver. The word ‘No’ was

not in his vocabulary. He has a large heart and wants to give everything to the teachers as well as to the students. When it came to spending, he multiplies what he has in his pocket and serves in full measure pressed down, shaken together over�lowing. Rev. Fr. Anthony Fernandopulle who took over the College as the Princi-pal of the school is a very ef�icient and methodical administrator, an environ-mentalist and an artist. Rev. Fr. Anthony depicted Christ-like character by taking all responsibilities upon his shoulders. His kindness and mercy was a great strength to the teachers and students. He was able to acquire two blocks of land for the extension of the school

without which the growth of the school would have been hindered. The only hall which can accommodate the entire child population of the school, ‘Nimala Piyasa’, a hall dedicated to mother Mary was built during his tenure as it stands today as a monument for his invaluable service and piety and deep devotion to Mother Mary. Rev. Fr. Ranjith Andradi’s era which gave a new outlook to St. Joseph’s College, Wattala began in 2008. His name goes down in history as the �irst Resident Rector of the College. His elo-quent orations moulded and shaped not only the lives of students and teachers but also the parents. He thus gave a new strength to the Josephian family making the College community spiritually very strong for the forward journey by form-ing religious societies to help each other. He always had a soft corner for the less privileged and the marginalized. He had wonderful relationships with people lo-cally and internationally who came for-ward to assist the school in a conspicu-ous way. The College was gifted with a

state-of-the-art library with internet fa-cilities, computer lab and a science labo-ratory during his term of of�ice. Having developed the lives and the school to a very greater extent, he laid a foundation stone for a four storied spacious build-ing for the primary section of the college. The tutorial staff of the College expanded rapidly with his recruitment of members to the tutorial staff ensuring a very high academic success of the College. Rev. Fr. Gemunu Dias, the pres-ent Rector of the College took over as the second Rector of St. Joseph’s College, Wattala Branch, with all the resources at his disposal. However, the College was facing �inancial constraints to complete the proposed four storied building for its primary section. Contd. on Pg. 15

St. Joseph’s College, Wattala Branch, reminisces its forward journey of 20 years

Shelton RodrigoMember of Tutorial Staff


Ballet, as we know it today, began during the Renais-

sance around 1500AD in Italy. In the late 17th cen-tury Louis XIV founded the Academie Royale de Musique (the Paris Opera) within which emerged the �irst professional theatri-cal ballet company, the Paris Opera Ballet. Theat-rical ballet soon became an independent form of art and spread from the heart of Europe to other nations. The passion play or Easter pageant is a dra-matic presentation depict-ing the Passion of Jesus Christ: His trial, suffering and death. History of pas-sion plays in Sri Lanka run down to the Portuguese colonial era. Some geographi-cal areas have dominated the history of passion play in Sri Lanka. Passion plays have become a part of their culture in Duwa,

Negombo, Boralassa and some other areas with a Catholic majority. A ballet has its own artistic moves to express strong feelings but how an audience so used to traditional pas-sion plays with actors and voice with no dance would captivate the message of a ballet Eas-ter pageant was a major concern and a hurdle to overcome when the idea of ‘Tharakayano’ passion ballet �irst man-ifested within the trio, Namal Wewaldeniya, Prabath Aloka and Ranil Fernando. That is when they approached a se-nior lecturer of the University of Kelaniya, Christian Culture fac-ulty, Vijith Rohana who had thoroughly studied the passion play culture of Sri Lanka and had pub-lished his own book on this subject to write the script of the world’s �irst ballet Easter pageant. The name ‘Thara-kayano’ was taken from

the ‘Parama Puda’ passion play of Pandit Charles De Silva who was a Buddhist. Making the imag-ination of the team a re-ality, ‘Tharakayano’ was �irst staged in 2012 at the Kadolkale Public Grounds

in Negombo with a huge public response. In 2013, Nelum Pokuna theatre hosted ‘Tharakayano’ and was again well received by the audience. ‘Tharakayano’ consists of the Bible contents of

Genesis, the Exodus, Bap-tism of Jesus, selection of disciples, forgiving the sinful woman, Sermon on the Mount, Raising

of Lazarus and other miracles of Jesus, Jesus’s glorious arrival at Jerusalem, cleansing of the Temple, the judgment, fur-ther climaxing on Jesus, meet-ing Mary, cruci-�ixion, the jour-ney to Emmaus and other major incidents. The bal-let has earned full respect in all aspects of drama over the years and is yet

again ready to come on stage on March 22, in Ne-gombo, Kadolkala Public Grounds. This time on a gigantic, 100 feet long stage and with improve-ments, ‘Tharakayano’ will

depict the holiness of Our Lord Jesus Christ. ‘Tharakayano’ Easter pageant is choreographed by Namal Wewaldeni-yai who says, “Jesus and Mother Mary are sacred characters and I have kept the ballet move-ments minimal on these characters.” Music Director Dr. Prabath Aloka says, “I have created a passionate tune to increase respect-fulness for Jesus Christ and used voice �luctuation to express feelings of the scenes. I used the rhythm of the litany of passion. Ranil Fernando the stage and dress de-signer says, ‘Usually ballet dancers wear short cos-tumes, but I designed all dresses suitably for a pas-sion play’. All are welcome to witness the world’s �irst ballet passion play on March 22, at 6.30 p.m. at the Kadolkele Public Grounds.

Tharakayano to be staged on March 22 at Kadolkele Public Grounds, Negombo

In mid-January, inter-national news media reported moves to

set a common date for Easter. Media cited Can-terbury Archbishop Jus-tin Welby predicting that “within �ive-to-ten years” Anglican, Catholic, Coptic and Orthodox Christians would observe Easter on a common date. A most welcome move, though not quite new! Similar news was heard two decades ago from currently war-rav-aged Syria’s former Chris-tian city of Aleppo. A 1997 inter church meet there echoed like-aspirations ex-pressed earlier at the Cath-olic Church’s Second Vati-can Council, 1962-1965. Liturgical reform was one of the earliest topics discussed by that Council. Some delegates from Eastern Churches

and Asia were eager to �ix a common date for Easter. Among them was the late Sri Lankan Cardinal Tho-mas Cooray. As then Arch-bishop of Colombo, the Servant of God knew the wisdom of such a move. As much as he knew the ecumenically unitive po-tential of such a move, he foresaw that setting East-er for early-April would encourage Sri Lankan Christians to celebrate the mid-April National New Year with Buddhists and Hindus. In particular, he wished to free his �lock of hassles experienced whenever the April 14 Sinhala and Tamil New Year fell in Holy Week, which marks Lord Jesus’ Death and Resurrection. Even though the proposal failed to win enough votes, Cardinal Cooray hoped that his ini-

tiative to set a permanent date for Easter would be realised some day. With prophetic foresight, he promoted Christians’ par-ticipation in Avurudu cel-ebrations. He was happy to see his Archdiocesan Cultural Committee, led by then Auxiliary Bishop Oswald Gomis (his later successor), study the Christian signi�icance of Avurudu observances.

That study noted commonalit ies between Holy Week Paschal rites and Avu-rudu rituals. It showed the cos-mocentric cen-trality of �ire, wa-ter and oil linking the twopastoral rites of passage co-symbolising the Judaic Passo-ver and the zo-diacal transition

from Pisces to Aries. The Paschal rites of lighting new �ire, blessing of water and oil �ind para-liturgical parallels in Avurudu-time folk rituals of lighting the hearth, ritual bathing and anointing. These and similar folk rituals have for long been part of the mid-April Spring Festival observed by pastoral communities

in several South Asian and South-east Asian coun-tries. They are part of the annual cultural festivals in countries such as India, Bangla-desh, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Myanmar. Setting an early April date for the currently variable Paschal Triduum would be for the conven-ience of Christians in these countries. While Churches seek to �inalize a common date for the Paschal com-memoration, liturgists may well build on the late cardinal’s pastoral wis-dom in facilitating Sac-ramental convergence of Paschu-Avurudu liturgies and para-liturgies. Reviv-

ing that heritage can be a blessing-in-waiting to upbuild multiculturalism. Additionally, it could re-inforce the Paschal Trid-uum’s sanctity, now dis-sipated with frivolities of Easter eggs and bunnies.

Happy Paschu-Avurudu to all!

Hector Welgampola

Unitive potential of Paschu-Avurudu festivities in Sri Lanka

This is a special faith exercise in art form. Most critics who watched this presentation have expressed their appreciation. This year too, several Catholic ar-tistes will showcase their talent as they present ‘Tharakayano’ at the open air stage at Kadolkele in Ne-

gombo on March 22, 2016.

Very Rev. Fr. Patrick PereraEpiscopal Vicar - Negombo Region

CONGRATULATIONS ‘THARAKAYANO’

‘Tharakayano’ is among the national and international passion plays reminding one of further climaxing of Our Lord Jesus Christ - the Resurrection and the journey to Emmaus.I congratulate the organisers and recommend it.

His Eminence Malcolm Cardinal RanjithArchbishop of Colombo

By Shiran Maithri



The shroud of Turin is widely venerated as the Burial Shroud of Jesus Christ. Pope Francis in a recent visit to Turin venerated the Holy Shroud.

However the Catholic Church takes no stand on the au-thenticity of the Shroud only stating that it is a matter for scienti�ic investigation. It is a fact that millions of pil-grims see in the Shroud a sign of the mystery and pas-sion of the death of Christ. The Shroud and its image are deeply intriguing. A number of Scientists have theorized on the origin of the image of the shroud. In 1978 an international team of experts known as “the Shroud of Turin Research Project (STURP) could not deliver any clear explanation as to how the cloth came to bear the impression of a man bearing the wounds of scourging and cruci�ixion. I have collated the various theories and expla-nations as to the origins of the Shroud in Question and Answer form so as to provide a clearer understanding of the Shroud.

Q: Is the image on the Shroud a painting?

A: This image is very clearly not a painting as scientists have not been able to identify any pigments by scien-ti�ic analysis. The Shroud does not provide any evidence of brush strokes being used. The colouration on the Shroud has not been caused by any darker substance but rather the colour and image are infused into the linen �ibres. The STURP Group asserted that the image “is the real form of a cruci�ied man…….and not the prod-uct of an artist.” There are genuine blood stains on the cloth (blood group AB). They also found traces of DNA although badly degraded.

Q: Was the image made by a chemical process?

A: Some scientists have theorized that the shrouds im-age is the result of chemical change .For instance Ray-mond Rogers of the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico suggested that where a person died of hypothermia or dehydration the body could reach tem-peratures of 40 degrees Farenheit. In this case a simple chemical transformation would discolour the carbohy-drate compounds that might be found on the surface of cotton �ibres. There is little evidence for this as it does not occur in other funeral shrouds.

Q. Is the image a photograph?

A: The development of photography from the late 19th century onwards brought a new dimension to theo-ries on the origin of the image on the shroud. In 1898 an amateur photographer named Secondo Pia discov-ered that the image on the shroud is a negative- it was dark where it should be bright. His photograph showed the image of a cruci�ied man with marks of scourging.

Since the shroud predates the invention of photogra-phy by many centuries the photograph theory hinges on the knowledge and materials available to medieval scholars. Critical to the photograph theory is whether light sensitive silver nitrate –the substance that darkens the emulsion in the �irst true photographic plates- was available many centuries ago. This substance was not known in the middle ages. The South African art historian Nicholas Al-len has stated that something resembling silver nitrate has been described in the writings of the 8th century alchemist Jabir Ibn Hayyam and also by the German Dominican alchemist Albert Magnus. According to this theory it could have been coated onto a cloth in a dark-ened chamber and exposed to sunlight through a lens made of quartz(not glass)since silver is darkened by ul-tra violet light which glass absorbs but quartz does not. But how the image stays on the cloth when the silver is removed and how and how medieval forgers managed to gather all this sophisticated knowledge about optics and chemistry without leaving any record in surviving documents raises serious doubts on this theory. At best this theory is a triumph of ingenuity over plausibility.

Q: Was the image on the shroud made by a burst of energy emanating from Christ’s body?

A: A group calling itself the “Yahoo Shroud Science Group” have made the hypothesis that “the image is correlated to an energy source coming from a wrapped

man” The Italian chemist Giulio Fanti of the University of Padua has proposed that the image might have been burnt into the upper layers of the cloth by a burst of radiant energy –a bright light, ultraviolet light, X-Rays or fundamental particles emanating from the body it-self. He quotes St.Luke’s account of the Trans�iguration (Luke 9.29): “As he was praying the appearance of his face changed and his clothes became as bright as a �lash of lightening.”

Q: How Old is the Shroud?

A: The answer to this question is critical to determin-ing whether the Shroud dates back to the time of Christ and whether the “Cloth” venerated over many centuries is in fact the authentic burial shroud of Christ. In 1989 the results of a scienti�ic study ap-peared to date the shroud to two to three centuries after the death of Christ which meant it was a medieval item made long after the death of Christ. In this study three independent groups of scientists were given scraps of linen from the edge of the shroud. Their �indings dated the shroud to anywhere between 1260 and1390. But immediately objections were raised by other scientists. Some argued that the samples had been taken from later additions to the original cloth. An even more important objection was raised. It was pointed out that in the 16th century a �ire which broke out in the church in which the shroud was preserved had damaged the shroud and had therefore distorted the radio carbon “clock” so that the �indings dating the shroud to nearly three centuries after the death of Christ were suspect. In 2013 Giulio Fonti used what was called a non standard method using spectroscopy (the absorption of light of different colours). This method dated the shroud to between 300BC and 400AD which gave scienti�ic cre-dence to the age of the shroud as possibly dating back to the time of Christ’s death. The belief of Christians that it is in fact the burial shroud of Christ was vindicated.

Conclusion The shroud of Turin remains an object of ven-eration to millions of Christians. As shown above sci-ence has not been able to prove or disprove the age and authenticity of the shroud. It is a curious fact that it has not been possible to duplicate the image of a cruci�ied man(ie a negative image) on a similar piece of linen to demonstrate how the image on the shroud was made. There is therefore more than a strong conjecture that this is indeed the burial shroud of Jesus Christ. (This article is based on a BBC blog “How did the Turin Shroud get its Image” and on the talks and book on the Shroud of Turin by Fr. Louis Navaratne).

Q and A on the Shroud of Turin

“Produce fruit in keeping with Repentance” - (Matt 3:8) Repentance is one of the main themes which we discuss during the sea-son of Lent., the need to get ready to welcome Je-sus into our hearts in this phenomen of the passion, death and resurrection. Most of us don’t look into the depth of the meaning of this action repentance. This is not a spiritual cli-max of this season but it is an exercising of having an extended intimacy with God within our own life. But if we do these things for the sake of doing noth-ing will happen within our life, so we need to have that thirst of searching the

root causes of why I should repent and for which I should repent within my own spirit diligently. In these circumstances if your pride hinder you from repenting, get over it, if your laziness drowns you down take courage. But this very fact doesn’t emphasize that we should repent for my own sins like stealing, lying, fornication, hatred, lust, drunkenness etc.. This is a clear demarcation where we go wrong on our atti-tude towards repentance. Anyone can be convinced through the Holy spirit that you are disobedient. The point I like to exagger-ate here is that we should repent for our inequalities.

Inequalities are the hidden sins which we don’t see. The areas of sinfulness we fall, through our thoughts, motives, feelings, desires to the extent of pride, un-belief, envy, sel�ishness, greediness, lustful ambi-tions, etc.. We as people who get tempted to sin most of the time, cannot look into these hidden places without God’s help and mercy. So God will give that assurance of His medi-ation during this season of lent. God has His own ways of making us conscious to fall in line with His will even in these inequalities. What is important is, rec-ognizing our own sinful-ness, turning away from our sins and sinfulness

and turning back to God holding on to His promises and assurance. If we repent whole-heartedly concen-trating on this, God’s di-vine words will reveal to us by the expressing of the pleasures and happiness of God the Father within our own hearts. Let us take a �irm determination not to �inish this season of lent same as the previous years we passed, but to take fer-vent courage to have a true repented mind and a soul as we enter into this Holy week.

BE A GOOD REPENTER

Bro. Ashan Peiris 1st Year Philosopphy

The Secret of Rapid Repentance TURN TO GOD AND TRUST IN HIS MERCY

With the declaration of the Jubilee Year of Mer-cy, the Catholic community has brought the adoration of the mercy of God to the heart of its worship. Since the revelation of the Lord to Saint Faustina in 1931, the Divine Mercy has been venerated in most Catholic households with the miraculous 3 o’clock prayer as a vi-tal part of their daily devotions. Faithful to the wishes of Jesus, the Feast of the Divine Mercy is celebrated on the �irst Sunday after Easter. It is also noteworthy that the novenas held in preparation for this feast commence on Good Friday when the faithful the world over commem

(Contd on Pg. 13)


Hi Young Builders!

Easter ... the Lord is RisenSo it’s Easter, Our Lord is no longer in the tomb. He has overcome death. You know builder’s, St. Paul tells us that our faith is in vain if Jesus did not rise from death. Jesus now invites all of us to live the Resurrection in Faith. The apostle Thomas wanted to see and touch Jesus for him to believe. I am sure you know that we at times call him “Doubting Thomas.” One day Jesus proved to Thomas that he has truly risen, and Thomas answered; My Lord and my God, Jesus then tells Thomas “Do not doubt but believe”. So my dear builders let us ask the Risen Lord to give us the courage to live our lives with joy. God’s blessing on all of you and your loved ones.

Girl's come and help us! Boy's come and help us!

Colour the picture

Annunciation of the Lord Feast day 25th March

When the time arrived for Jesus to come down from heaven and save us from our sin. God sent His glorious Archangel Gabriel to Mary’s little house in the town of Nazareth and found her praying. “Hail Mary, full of grace!” said the angel. “The Lord is with you, and you are blessed among women.” Mary was startled and surprised to hear the angel’s. words of praise. “Do not be afraid, Mary” said Gabriel. He told her that she was to be the mother of Jesus, Our Saviour. Mary was confused but understood what a great honour God was giving her. And she said, “Behold the handmaid of the Lord!” She only wanted to serve God and was will-ing to do as He commanded. At that very moment, through the power of the Holy Spirit, she became the Mother of God. Nine months later, on the 25th of December, Jesus was born. Mary knew that as the Mother of Jesus, along with great joy she would also have many sorrows. She knew she would have to suffer when her son suffered. Yet with all her heart, she said, “Be it done to me accor-dign to your word.” Re�lection - This feast celebrates Mary’s re-sponse to God, and the awesome moment of the Incarna-tion. Take some time to think about how greatly our lives have been changed because Mary said “Yes” to God.

Laughteris

God's Blessing

The Sunday School teacher had explained the parable of the prodigal son - 'Now,' said she, who was not glad to know of his return? 'the fatted calf' replied one little boy.

What is Living Your Faith?

It means livingeach day in waysthat show your lovefor God by:DISCOVERINGGod‛s purposesfor your lifeand workEXPRESSINGyour beliefseach day byacting accordingto Christ‛s exampleLOVINGGod, yourself and others inthe same way Jesus loved.

He is Risen

How Catholic are you? Take the quiz and �ind out

1. Pope John Paul II instituted a new set of mysteries to the Rosary called the ______Mysteries. It is sug-gested by the Church to say these mysteries on _______ .

2. The 3rd Glorious Mystery of the Rosary is the ________.

3. Saul saw Jesus as a bright light on his way to _________.4. The �irst Christian in the New Testament, as well as

the �irst evangelist, was _______.5. Paul describes Jesus as the new ______.6. The Ark of the Covenant contained three items, ac-

cording to Paul, including ____, ____, & _____ .7. There are at least 3 righteous people mentioned in

the Book of Luke, ____, _____, and _____.8. According to the Bible, _______ is the prince of the air.9. The �irst murderer in human history was _________.10. Adam and Eve’s third son was named _______.11. Jesus is a priest forever, in the order of _______.12. True or False--The Catholic Church added the 7

books of the “apocrypha” to the Bible after the Protestant Reformation.

13. True or False--The Bible condemns all tradition. 14. The Liturgy of the Hours draws mainly from the Bib-

lical book of ______.15. __________ was completely forgiven for his sin by God,

but still had to endure the death of his child as punishment.

16. _______ told Mary that a sword would pierce her heart.

17. Psalm _____ foretells the cruci�ixion of Jesus and that lots would be cast for his clothes.

18. Bethlehem means _______of _______.19. The prophet _______ foretold that Jesus would be

born in Bethlehem. 20. The prophet _______ foretold that Jesus would be

born of a virgin.

Answer in your Messenger next week.

Holy Thursday - Finding relief against death, and Solipsism

During the Holy Week of Easter Catholics all over the world

celebrate during this peri-od the Easter Triduum or the three most important days beginning with Holy Thursday. Jesus realising His impending fate found solace in His disciples �ighting against His inner solitude and solipsism, in death, the view that Him self is all that can exist thus breaking away from loneliness. On Holy Thurs-day Jesus entertained His disciples thus washing and wiping their feet welcom-ing them to a meal which was held a day before He was cruci�ied to death. Here He broke bread, shared with His disciples at the last supper. Every human being is a solipsist when realising death and that is why ones loved and those closer are around as death nears. (Jn. 13:1-17) nar-rates the incident of Je-sus washing His disciples feet. As the evening meal was being served the Lord girded Himself with a

towel took water and began to wash His disciples feet. The disciples were given an object lesson in personal humility. Their be-loved Leader, Lord and Master was personally wash-ing their dusty feet. Undoubtedly the lesson struck home and no room for pride here. The last vestige of excuse was swept away with the words; ‘Now that I, your Lord and teacher have washed your feet, you also should wash one an-other’s feet. I have set you an example (Jn. 13:14-15). This example and its importance come down to us today, in another way implying the commonal-ity of death, thus relieving solipsism. From the time Jesus was arrested by the Roman soldiers, as a hu-man being He found him-self alone.

Was Jesus Christ a Solipsist?

On the contrary

he was exactly the very op-posite but as a human be-ing envisaging death His nature became solipsistic perhaps feeling extreme loneliness. Thus we should stand by Him relieving His solitude, sharing His cross today. Jesus proved wrong of solipsism in solitude. Therefore this washing of the feet is more than an act of humble service, a relief against solipsism when envisaging death. It points to the very nature of the saving life and work of Jesus. This means that we do not save ourselves by anything we do or by allowing Jesus to wash our feet. In the washing

of the feet Jesus is proclaiming Him-self as the only saviour. Unless we are washed in the waters of baptism into Christ’s death and Resurrection we cannot have a share in the salva-tion He won for us. Jesus sat and ate the last supper with His disciple friends before He went out to the garden of Gethsemane where He prayed before being arrested. Indeed Jesus was not a solipsist but in every sense He gave Himself up for our redemption thus making up for our fault, to save us from sin and evil and to ful�ill the promise of salva-tion. Jesus striving and living against solipsism found much preference as a humanitarian. Such an attitude in Jesus among many other instances can be brought to light especially on a day like Holy Thursday, where His humani-

tarian qualities became signi�icant. At the Last Sup-per the simple meal of bread and wine or the Eucharist is much more than a farewell party with friends and followers and more than a religious rite to commemorate the Jew-ish Passover. It is during this Eucharist that each of us is called to be a true and faithful disciple, to be another Christ. Jesus as He sat with His dis-ciples to eat the paschal meal celebrating one of the oldest festivals of the Jews said; ‘Take ye and eat, for this is my body,’ and shared the bread and ate with those around. He took the cup of wine and said; ‘Take ye and drink for this is my blood which shall be shed for you and all mankind till the end of the world. Today all Cath-olics accept the great mystery of ‘Transubstan-tiation’. In this profound mystery the consumption of the body which was once bread and blood which was wine changed at the words of the priest. Thus Holy Thursday is signi�icant as the �irst day of the triduum. By washing the feet of His disciples and having the last supper before His death the solipsism felt by any human facing a cruel death or anticipation of such took the role of a Hu-manitarian thus proving His divine qualities. Holy Mass on Holy Thursday is a commemoration of the washing of the disciples feet by Jesus and of the last supper. The Last Supper being the �irst mass pre-ceded by Jesus Christ on Holy Thursday was a mo-ment where all the apos-tles of Jesus Christ shared the divine love. Today we also as one family share the divine Love of Jesus through our daily Mass.

Christ has Conquered Death…Alleluia!

To experience the power of the Risen Lord,Calvary is the Supreme testimony of God’s love,Not only Jesus loved us unto death,But conquered death.When the lights were dim and low,Silver chord was at the point of breaking,Jesus lovingly thought of HumanityWith His healing and forgiving love. As she was passionately in love with JesusGreatly sinned, yet much loved and forgiven,She ran to the tomb hastily,Still stooping down and searching for Him,At least to see the body of Jesus,And to apply ointment as the gesture of Gratitude,It was still a natural and human desire. When she heard her Master’s familiar Voice ‘Mary’She recognised Him saying ‘ Rabboni’All her anxiety and fear vanished,Her joy was beyond compare.She was about to cling to Him,But He said to her “Do not cling to me,I have not ascended to my Father’.” The days of loss are over for Mary Magdalene,Now with new vigour and fervour,Mary Magdalene as chosen and spotted out,As an Apostle of the Resurrected Christ,To share her experience of encountering the Risen Christ,Took upon the Ministry of Proclaiming,“I have seen the Lord.”

Sr. Fatimanayaki.A.C

Value of Blessings

Life itself is a great blessing that we have re-ceived from our Heavenly Father. But very seldom do we remember to Thank Our Lord. There are so many little things in life and not

so little things, that we tend to take for granted. Most of the time, we only realise, the value of someone or some-thing, when we don’t have them anymore. For example, our parents. Some of us, may have them both, some may have just one and yet some may have lost them both, in their lives. For those, who actually have them both, have you ever properly thanked the Lord for keeping them with you for all these years, in a world where so many don’t have them around. Have you ever been truly grateful to your God and also to them for all that they have done for you. Have you ever expressed this gratitude, which you must have, deep inside of you. Well, it is about time, to realise their worth and how lucky you are to have them around. And of course for those, who have one parent, or have lost their parents, still have so much to be grateful, when remembering what has been done to their lives, through their parents. And then we are blessed with siblings, and our extended family with grandparents, aunts and uncles and cousins. Some of us, may not be too close to them but for those of us, who actually are close to them and are blessed with their love and concern, we should re-member how lucky we are. Yes, this extended family is a great blessing, that most of us, tend to forget, or not appreciate. Not everyone is blessed with close extended families. This is a blessing that we need to be continu-ously thankful to God for, and value in our hearts. Next, we have close friends. Some of us, may have many close friends and yet some of us may have very few friends whom we consider close to us. Never-theless there are those, who do not have the privilege of associating with good close friends. So, we must truly be grateful for the blessing of close friends and appreciate their presence in our lives. Thinking about our physical appearance, how often have we been thankful to our Lord, for blessing us with ever part of our body and senses. So many, in this world, are deprived of such, sometimes from birth and sometimes due to incidents that happen thereafter. Actually, it is a huge blessing to be physically complete. But how often, do we realise how lucky we are, for this blessing. Just imagine, a life as a handicapped or with-out hearing or vision or something like that. Of course, thereafter, we have had education, jobs, and certain comforts in life, that so many in this world are deprived of. The list could go on. The point is, we go by our daily lives and issues, sometimes big and some-times small and have a tendency to think how unlucky we are, in life. But the fact is, each person is �ighting his/her own battle in life because this world is not perfect and is �illed with sin. We all, will only receive complete peace and contentment, when we reach our heavenly shores, so we cannot expect this feeling completely, on earth. That is why, God is always trying to reach out to us, to help and console us. He sent HIS only Son to be cruci�ied and res-urrected for us. And HE sent the Holy Spirit to overcome, console and guide us, through our daily struggles. But it is, upto us, to seek HIM wholeheartedly. So whenever you feel down with life’s issues and challenges, remember the many Blessings that God has bestowed upon your life and seek HIS comfort and guidance.

Thusini De Silva

Risen life in meFear is rolled away,like the rough, cold stone;A new life and light shine throughbecause of Him.

He calls me by nameIn the old familiar way,But now with a new powerIn His risen glory.

His love surges within me,I feel strong and bold. I will run to tell the world,“My Lord lives.”

Sr. Cynthia Mendis, PH

Miran Perera

D



All Christians who lived in the past, lives at present and

would live in the future, would have one wish that is to see the God Almighty during their earthly life itself. This was equally true of disciple Philip who asked Jesus, “Lord show us the Father, that is all we need” (John 14:8). Jesus answered “Whoever has seen me has seen the Fa-ther’ Why, then, do you say ‘show us the Father’ (John 14:9).” So the answer is clear that those who saw Jesus has seen God al-mighty. Those who pray to Him also pray to God. For many theo-logians this may seem a theological statement re-corded by Gospel writer John. Of course it is a state-ment with a theological background but it is also a statement that has clear

the language. Jesus is tell-ing the Truth but our lan-guage limitation prevents us comprehending what is meant by Jesus. Jesus’ mission was explained at the be-ginning of His mission in Luke 4:18, “The spirit of the Lord is upon me be-cause he has chosen me to bring Good News to the poor.” When Good News is brought to the poor Jesus has to speak the common language of the people and not the mystical language of the elites. In those times Jesus’ secrets of the world were within the ex-clusive knowledge of the higher class of people as the common people were categoriezed unsuited to know them. Even prior to that in Eastern Mysti-

cism there were attempts to explain things of the material world but it was for Brahmins and for up-per echelon people born into those families. It is Jesus who brought that knowledge of the world beyond material world to the common and ordinary and that is why Christian-ity is spreading among the poor and less educated as well. Though it was never revealed to the poor till the time of Jesus, eastern mys-tics who lived in the Hima-layan mountains tried to understand the nature of human existence and ma-terial world. They taught that the material world is ‘Maya’ or a delusion not in the sense that matter is not real but human mind com-prehend material world

Resurrection is the ultimate result of the Passover. Passover means reaching a better place from where

one had been earlier. Within a week’s time the Christian world will celebrate the festival of Easter to commemorate the resurrection of Jesus Christ on the third day since His burial soon after the death on the cross. The Resurrection of Jesus Christ is the core of our practical life of Christianity as St. Paul says as “If Christ has not been raised from death, then we have nothing to preach and you have nothing to believe (1 Cor 15:L 14). The present day Easter is the reoccurance of the Passover of the Old Testament with a new meaning. Passover means to reach a new situation from the state one had been forced to live. The result of the Passover is always a better life style with restoration. For exam-ple it is justi�iable to mention the Passover of Israelites from Egypt to the land of Sinai crossing the Red Sea and the return of the people taken to Babylon as slaves again to Jerusalem known as from the Exile of Babylon. Though these are two very important occa-sions there are very many Passovers included in the Old Testament. All these Passovers are foreshadows of the present Easter.

In all these occasions after the Passover those who par-ticipated had a new life with a spiritual upliftment and rose to a higher position in their life style. Israelites after their Passover became a pow-erful nation under the in�luence of the Ten Command-ments and settled down in their promised land having their own rulers and kings. God’s chosen people after their restoration

The Answer all Christians like to know

Passover and Resurrection

and distinct basis in the material world. Since Je-sus was living among peo-ple and lived in this mate-rial world. Then let us see what is meant by this state-ment of Jesus in answer to Philip. The �irst dif�iculty arises in the language we use to communicate. The famous Zen Buddhist who became an intellectual accepted by the western scienti�ic world D.T. Suzu-ki, who authored several books states, “The contra-diction so puzzzling to the ordinary way of thinking comes from the fact that we have to use language to communicate our in-ner experience which in its very nature transcends linguistics” (The Essence of Buddhism-Hozokan, Kyoto, Japan 1968). So when Je-sus says whoever has seen Him has seen the Father we encounter limitation of

orate the unfathomable love of God who gave His life for the salvation of mankind. It is thereby most �ittil1g that the children of this loving Father gather in one accord to praise and glorify Him for His in�inite mercy by which we are once again righteous in His sight. The devotion of the Divine Mercy comprises mainly priase to this merci-ful God, supplication to His mercy, meditation on the na-ture of Christ’s mercy and the dedication of oneself as a channel of God’s mercy. In preparation for the feast, the devotees also make their confessions on the day of the feast. Over the years there are many divine favours and miracles that have been attributed to this devotion. Following a lapse of several years, the Divine Mercy Feast will be celebrated this year at the Church of St. Joseph the Worker, 4th lane, Ratmalana, under the patronage of its Parish Priest _ Rev. Fr. Sunil De Silva. The novenas leading up to the feast will commence on Good Friday, 25th March, 2016 at 2.30 p.m. The fol-lowing novenas will be made before or after the daily masses. Confessions too will be’ heard before the feast on 03,d April which commences at 2.00 p.m. All are cordially invited to celebrate the Feast of the Divine Mercy with the parishioners of Ratmalana.

Melanie Pereira

as separate entities. The material world is not sepa-rate but a uni�ied whole. In the Brihard-Aranyaka Upanishad this concept is clearly stated. “Where there is duality as it were, there one sees another, there one smells another, there one tastes another...” But where everything has become just one’s own self then whereby and whom would one see, smell or taste.” Nagarjuna the fa-mous Buddhist thinker says, “Things derive their being and nature by mu-tual dependence and are nothing in themselves” (Nagarjuna quoted by TRV Murti in the Central Phi-losophy of Buddhism Allen and Unwin London 1955). It was Jesus who brought this concept to the

By P.V.D. Leo Samson

poor �ishing folk in Gali-lee. The message of Jesus in the unity of all is clearly seen in John 17: 22-23. “I gave them the same glory you gave me so that they may be one just as you and I are one. I in them and you in me, so that they may be completely one.” The unity of all people is accomplished when Jesus becomes one with the Father and believ-ers become one with Jesus. So to see God Almighty one needs to see Jesus and be in union with Him. A per-son who wishes to see God will see God in Jesus, if he/she follows the command-ments of Jesus.

from exile of Babylon rebuilt the Temple of Jerusalem and empow-ered to be an active na-tion in their own land. In the New Tes-tament Jesus Christ’s resurrection is the landmark of the new Passover. Through the merits of the new Passover sacri�ice of Calvary the followers of Jesus with a spir-itual upliftment reach a new life from their life of slavery to the wrong

worldly pleasure. The message of Jesus is to pass over to the life of God’s mercy from the abyss of slavery to the sinful livelihood and satan’s temptation. So the Easter-tide message is to pass over from the present injusti�ied and unworthy life to a meritful new life and the Easter-tide resolution would be the same.

Pius Fernando

The students, lecturers and the members of

the staff of Aquinas Uni-versity College, participat-ed in a special Lenten pro-gramme to mark the Year of Mercy at the Basilica of Our Lady of Lanka at Te-watta on Monday, March. The day’s pro-gramme consisted three major parts. The �irst was a very inspiring talk on “Breath of Life” by Rev. Fr. Prasad Harshana from St. Aloysius Minor Seminary, Borella which was focused mainly for the students. This was followed by the way of the Cross preached by Rev. Fr. Gihan Sheno Silva, Asst. Priest at the

Aquinas University Col-lege. The participants had the opportunity of passing through the Holy Door of Mercy at the Shrine of Our Lady of Lanka and receiv-ing the indulgence.

Aquinas special Lenten Programme at Tewatte

Tewatta Shrine, which was a very deep spiritual exer-cise. The post lunch session conducted by Rev. Fr. Priya-ntha Silva, a Vice Rector of Aquinas College on recon-ciliation was a soul search-ing programme, during

which the participants had the opportunity of making their Confession. The day’s pro-gramme concluded with the celebration of the Holy Mass by Very Rev. Fr. Susith Silva, Rector of

(Contd from Pg. 10) Turn to God ...

Palm Sunday Aid Story

Some years ago in a New York Street a woman dressed in the latest fashion

was seen kneeling on one knee beside a gutter with her arm bared to the elbow, searching for something in the mud and mire. A crowd soon gathered. A police-man approached. “What’s the matter, lady? Lost something?” “I lost my ring,” she nodded. “It is a ring my husband gave me before he went away to the war. He never came back. It is the only thing I have belonging to him. I would not lose it for the world.” This explained why a beautiful woman dressed in a beautiful dress was �inger-ing through the slime of the city gutter. Her love was so great that she stooped to mingle with faith in order to �ind the keepsake of her love. Likewise, it was love, in�inite love that made Christ stoop to the suf-fering of His passion in order to save us. Because of His love for humanity, Christ was willing to be misunderstood, mis-represented, mistreated, manhandled

and �inally murdered. The price, the value of our soul is best seen in the price paid for them-the Passion of Christ.

Maundy Thursday Aid Story A Chinese Mandarin held a big banquet to which he had invited many important people. The rain poured down and collected into a large puddle of wa-ter right in front of the main entrance to the palace. One of the dignitaries while getting down from the carriage slipped and fell into the muddy hole. The guests made fun of the unfortunate man. He felt so bad that he wanted to go back. The Mandarin of the palace rushed to him and requested him to stay back. The visitor refused. Then the master of the palace let himself fall on the muddy hole and then took the visitor by the arm and the two of them entered the palace. No one dared to say a word.

Good Friday Aid Story During World War I, families with a son in the war would place a star in the window. A man was walking along with his grandson. His grandson asked, “Why do all these homes have stars in the windows?” The grandfather explained to the son what the star symbolised. They walked along and every time they passed a home with a star in the window the boy would smile and clap his hands together. Then the boy pointed up to the sky and pointed to the stars, “Look,” he said, “God must have given many sons!”

Easter Sunday Aid Story Every year thousands of Rus-sians crowd their way into a rather small building on the Red Square of Moscow. It

is the burial place of Nikolai Lenin, who died almost three decades ago. There, through a glass window at the head of the casket, Russians can gaze on the face of Lenin. By a secret process, Soviet sci-entists have embalmed the body of their hero in the hope preserving it perfectly. At the time of Lenin’s death the communist Congress issued a statement with the sentence: “He was the greatest leader of all times, and of all peoples. He was the Lord of the new humanity, the saviour of the world.” What a contrast between the grave of this god of the godless and the grave of our God; we stand at the door of an empty tomb, knowing that Jesus, our leader, rose from it by His own power. Long after Lenin Is forgotten, Christ will still be the greatest leader, the true Sav-iour, the only Lord of all humanity.

Rev. Fr. Ciswan De Croos

Holy Week

1. On this Palm Sunday, Jesus triumphantly enters into Je-rusalem as King and the Church, while singing and wav-ing palm branches, enters upon the Paschal Mystery. As Jesus enters into the City of Destiny, His ministry in Galilee ends, His long journey started from Galilee ends (Luke 9 – 19) and His lengthy ministry in Jerusalem, culminating on the Cross and in the Tomb, begins.

2. How does Jesus enter the City? He rides a colt. He rides on a colt “on which no one has ever sat,” just as He would be laid in a tomb “in which no one had yet been buried” (23,53). This action of Jesus is in stark contrast to the Kings of Judah who rode in chariots and on horses to enter through the gates of the City (Jeremiah 17,25; 22,4).

3. Why does Jesus not choose a horse? Why does He choose a colt? Colt is a symbol of peace, as opposed to the war-horse. Historically a prince coming to a city in peace would portray this fact symbolically by riding an ass and not a war-horse. Jesus is not a conquering war-rior leader. Hence He does not come like a conquering warrior to Jerusalem. But He comes in lowliness, hu-mility and peace.

4. Jesus is not the �irst to travel on a colt. The princes of old rode on asses: Judah (Genesis 49,11); leaders of Israel (Judges 5,10); sons of Jair, one of the judges of Israel (Judges 10,4); the sons and grandsons of Abdon, another judge of Israel (Judges 12,14). The saddled asses were a sign of their rank and wealth. Now Jesus rides on a colt. Does it show any rank or wealth of Jesus? The colt does not belong to Him but to “its owners” (v. 33). Here He performs another pro-phetic symbolic action – like writing on ground, dining with sinners and footwashing. He does it in utter hu-mility and peace.

5. The divine prophecy had this, “Rejoice heartily, O daughter Zion, shout for joy, O daughter Jerusalem! See, your king shall come to you; a just saviour is he, Meek, and riding on an ass, on a colt, the foal of an ass” (Zechariah 9,9). Now Jesus rides on a colt. The proph-

ecy is literally ful�illed. Jesus is the King and Saviour so meek and just!

6. How is Jesus welcomed into Jerusalem? As the victorious king and his people, who triumphed over hostile nations with the refuge of the Lord, entered the Temple in a victory procession to offer the thanksgiv-ing sacri�ice, the priests blessed them at the Temple gates with “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD. We bless you from the LORD’s house. The LORD is God and has given us light. Join in proces-sion with leafy branches up to the horns of the altar” (Psalm 118,26-27). Now the multitude of His disci-ples, who recognized the signi�icance of Je-sus’ gesture of riding a colt, give Him regal honours and imparts blessing to Him, the King of all kings who is determined to tri-umph over sin and death, “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord. Peace in heaven and glory in the highest.” This cry of the disciples will move us back and forth in the Gospel. It reminds us of what angels sang at the Birth of Jesus (in the beginning of the Gospel): “Glory to God in the high-est and on earth peace to those on whom his favour rests” (2,14). This cry will reach the house of Pilate (in the end of the Gospel) as the members of the Sanhedrin charge against Jesus, “We found this man misleading our people … and maintains that he is the Messiah, a king” (23,2).

7. Prophecies and Psalms begin to see the light of day, as Jesus rides on a colt. The colt has this to say, in hum-ble jubilation:

THE DONKEY by G. K. Chesterton

When �ishes �lew and forests walkedAnd �igs grew upon thorn,Some moment when the moon was bloodThen surely I was born.

With monstrous head and sickening cryAnd ears like errant wings,The devil’s walking parodyOn all four-footed things.

The tattered outlaw of the earth,Of ancient crooked will;Starve, scourge, deride me: I am dumb,I keep my secret still.

Fools! For I also had my hour;One far �ierce hour and sweet:There was a shout about my ears,And palms before my feet.

Let us, kings by Baptism, take the path of Jesus – the way of lowliness, humility and peace in this world of pomp and glory, war and violence.

Rev. Fr. Don Anton Saman Hettiarachchi

“Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord”(Luke 19,28-40)


Contd. from Pg. 6

Forgive from...Forgiving is loving The servant in the parable had no way of paying back his debt. When the master ordered him to be pun-ished, the servant fell on his knees, imploring him, “Lord, have patience with me and I will pay you everything (Mt. 18:26).” And out of pity for him the Lord of that servant released him and forgave him the debt. St John Chrysos-tom comments: God will also ask us to give an account of the commandments we have received, though no amount of service is enough to pay back all that we owe. We do, however, have a simple means to make amends for our enormous debt: never to hold a grudge against anyone. The second part of the parable is counterpoint of the �irst. The servant, whose huge debt has just been cancelled, took no pity on a fellow servant who owed him only a hundred pence. And it is here that the mean-ness of his heart comes to light. Strictly speaking, no one will deny him the right to demand what is his, St. Josemaria comments. Nevertheless, there is something inside us that rebels and tells us that his intolerant attitude is very far from real justice. It is not right that a person who only a mo-ment previously has been treated with mercy and un-derstanding, should not then react with at least a little patience towards his own debtor. Aware of the offence of his hard-hearted ser-vant, the master commanded him to be punished. Our Lord concludes: “So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not each forgive your brother from your heart (Mt. 18:35).” From the experience of St. Josemaria in guid-ing souls spiritually, he said he need not learn how to forgive because our Lord taught him how to love. It is very true that charity in practice is shown in forgiving others. We can validate this through our daily expe-riences. How quickly we overlook the offences if they come from a person we love! On the other hand, how dif�idently we pardon those whom we do not care for that much. The solution is to love. Then we will learn how to forgive from the heart.

Forgive from the heart Authentic forgiveness is one that springs from the deepest recesses of our hearts. This is how the Lord forgives us. It is not always easy, but then again He has obtained in�inite amount of graces for us to be able to live in a godly and Christ-like manner. In the Sacrament of Penance, Jesus forgives and forgets. In like manner, we will strive to imitate His way of forgiving since we are called through our Baptismal calling to be identi�ied with Jesus, our model. Once, someone con�ided to a saintly person that Jesus appeared to her. Trying to verify the authenticity of such apparitions the saint told her, “if he appears to you again ask Him what were the sins I committed.” The next time they met, He asked her what the Lord told her. She said Jesus had forgotten those sins because they had been confessed and forgiven in the Sacrament of Penance. We forgive from the heart if we do not nurture grudges. But we might say, “but that is impossible.” Je-sus is the one who gives the answer, “with God all things are possible (cf. Mt. 19:26).” It is impossible if we rely on our meager strength and resources. But not so if we trust on the grace of God, which will never be lacking if we humbly and persistently beg him for it. Our Lady, the Mother of Mercy, will help us to forgive from the heart, if we incessantly turn to her powerful intercession.

Contd. from Pg. 8

St. Joseph’s College... However, Rev. Fr. Gemunu’s ability, skills, strengths, experience and con�idence together with faith are greater. He launched a fund raising project without anyone being burdened. The organization of the ‘Jose-phian Walk’ goes down in the history of the College as the �irst of its kind ever. Having ably led the College for two years, this year has become a grace �illed year for St. Joseph’s College, Wattala, as we celebrate the 20th anniversary of its existence and mark this all important milestone. The journey of Rev. Fr. Gemunu Dias seems to be quiet but steady. He never gets disheartened and has a very deep vision. The depth, breadth and width of his vision are beyond the comprehension of many. St. Joseph’s College, Wattala Branch, has grown and is recognised today as a reputed private Catholic School in the Gampaha District. Multi storied buildings

Contd. from Pg. 5

Historical and living...Risen Lord in the Sacraments Sacraments are valid precisely because the Ris-en Jesus is living amongst us bestowing graces through them. The historical Christ lived two millenniums ago. Today Christ encounters us in the Sacraments. In the letter to the Romans Paul takes the symbol of Baptism by immersion. “We are indeed buried with him through Baptism into death, so that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might live in the newness of life” (Romans 6:4). Paul says that the old sinful life before Baptism died when we received the Sac-rament of Baptism and we live a new, pure Christian life with the resurrected Lord. In the Sacrament of Eucharist we receive the body and blood of Christ as our spiritual nourishment. In chapter six of John’s Gospel, Christ reiterates several times that He is the bread of life that was sent by the Fa-ther and whoever eats this bread will have eternal life. “This is the bread that comes down from heaven so that one may eat and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven so that one may eat it and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever and the bread that I give you is my �lesh for the life of the world” (John 6: 50-51). It is not the historical Christ who is present in the Eucharist but the living, risen Lord. Through the Sacrament of Penance God forgives our sins. In one of the post-resurrection appearances of Christ in John Chapter 20, Christ gives power to His disciples to forgive sins. When we receive the Sacrament of Penance and confess our sins we do so to the repre-sentative of Christ Jesus. It is Christ who forgives our sins. “Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them and whose sins you retain are retained”

(John 20:22-23). In our family life when we struggle to make ends meet as husbands and wives, as fathers and mothers the Risen Christ is with us as He was at the marriage in Cana. At the request of His mother He wrought His �irst mir-acle of turning water into wine to help a young couple get over the embarrassment of not being able to serve enough wine to their guests (John 2:1-11). Through the Sacrament of Matrimony Christ assures us that He is with us during good as well as the bad times.

Lord in the Scriptures The Church believes that the Holy Scripture is the Word of God. When we open the Bible and read the verses of the Bible the Risen Lord is with us. The Word of God and the second person of the Blessed Trinity is Christ Himself. He is present in the Word of God. The Old Testament books grew as the books of the Israelite com-munity. The 27 books of the New Testament grew as the holy books of the Christian Community. Their writers were inspired by God. John at the beginning of his Gospel called Jesus Christ the Word of God. “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God. All things came to be through him…The Word was made �lesh and made his dwelling among us and we saw his glory, the glory as of the Father’s only Son full of grace and truth” (John 1: 1-13). Paul in his letters repeatedly refers to the Res-urrection of Christ as the victory that was bestowed on His Son by the Father for his faithfulness to His plan of redemption. Paul writes this triumphal hymn:

“Death is swallowed up in victoryWhere, O death is your victory?Where, O death, is your sting?” (1 Corinthians 15: 54-55).

stand erect over a few acres of land providing shelter to about 1,500 students at present, replete with academic, sports and other facilities. The College consists of a state of the art Computer Lab, a Science Lab and a Library. The huge four storied building for primary section consisting of a large spacious auditorium and Priests’ quarters is nearing the completion. The College has gained many an achievement in the �ields of education and sports. As a re-sult of the appreciable formation given to its students in a Catholic environment, many religious societies have been established and run by its students with the guidance of the teachers to extend a helping hand and to show mercy to the needy in the society. Many a person, Priests and the laity have gen-erously contributed spiritually and substantially for the success of the College which magni�icently yet humbly celebrates its 20th anniversary on March 17, 2016 co-inciding with the feast of St. Joseph, the patron Saint of the College who has always been the comfort for anyone who sought his aid and will not refuse to grant them fa-vours beyond human ability, with Jesus in his arms.

Easter Special Programmes over Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation for 2016

24th March 2016 Maundy Thursday -12:30 p.m. - by Rev. Sr. Angela25th March 2016 Good Friday -11:30 a.m. - by Mrs. Maxine Jesudasan26th March 2016 Holy Saturday -11:30 a.m. - by Mr. Trevor Ludowyke27th March 2016 Easter Sunday -12:30 p.m. - by Rev. Fr. Tony Martyn Good Friday ( Thought for the Day) -06:00 a.m. - by Rev. Fr. Tony Martyn Easter Sunday ( Thought for the Day) -06:00 a.m. - by Rev. Fr. Tony Martyn

SLBC has informed us that there is a change in times of broadcasting of Catholic English Radio Programmes from 13th March - 3rd April 2016. Following are the new schedules.

• Catholic Half Hour on Sunday - 05:30 a.m.-06:00 a.m.• Calling All Children on Sunday - 02:45 p.m. - 03:00 p.m.

Rev. Fr. Cyril Gamini FernandoDirector

National Catholic Of�ice for Social Communication

“Do not abandon yourselves to despair. We are the Easter people and hallelujah is our song”

- Pope (St. ) John Paul II



The story of Easter in all its glory has been

told and retold count-less times during the past 2000 years, starting with the chronicles of Mathew, Mark, Luke and John. Along the way, these tales have been adorned with a wealth of folklore and legend, thus making myth and symbol play an impor-tant part in the narration of Christ’s resurrection. From time to time, down through the ages, sym-bols have come into sharp focus and in this day and age, serve to pinpoint the

signi�icance of the Easter sea-son for all of us. “Except a corn of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it abi-deth alone but if it dies, it bringeth forth much fruit." I n these simple words, Christ summed up the fact that life depends

on death and resurrec-tion. Christ was cruci�ied on Passover Day. This im-portant feast in the Jewish calendar was observed in thanksgiving for the de-liverance of the Israelites the night before they �led from Egypt. In the Hebrew tradition, food shared to-gether has always been in itself a pledge of friend-ship and loyalty. The tra-ditional table is laid with symbolic foods and the stirring story of the Exo-dus of the children of Is-rael from Egypt is read , so that the Jewish people re-

live their ancestors dra-matic �light from Egyptian bondage. Pride of place on the table goes to the Mat-zo or unleavened bread called the bread of af�lic-tion, because the Israelites had left in such haste that their women had no time to leaven the bread. Then comes the roasted lamb to commemorate the sacri-�ice made by the Israelites in Egypt before leaving for the Promised Land, a roasted egg to symb-olise mourning for the destroyed Temple. Bitter herbs dipped in vinegar, as a reminder of the bit-terness of Israel’s slavery in Egypt. Charoset made of chopped almonds, grat-ed apple, �igs, dates, wine, sugar and cinnamon to symbolize the mortar with which the Jews were forced to lay bricks for Pharoah and which was the colour of common brick and salt water, sym-bolizing the Red Sea that parted miraculously to let the Israelites escape. Innumerable leg-ends and folk beliefs are associated with the Lent-

en season and Easter-tide. Many of the ancient liturgical customs of the Early Church are being adapted to give greater symbolic meaning to tra-ditional forms of service. In the Old World, little or no work was done on Good Friday. Household chores such as weaving and laundering.were ta-boo. It was believed to be a good day to graft fruit trees. No self respecting blacksmith would drive a nail because of the use to which hammer and nails were put on Good Friday. Iron, as tradition goes, should not be driven into the ground, for the same reason. The Egg was a symbol of the creation of the world. The Phoenix represented the Risen Christ. It was chosen for the belief that it died and came to life again. On Easter Eve, people gather in a dark-ened church to remind them of Christ in the tomb, as they witness the mak-ing of light when new �ire is kindled. Once the �lame

is made, the Paschal Can-dle is lit, followed by the lighting of other candles in the church. These candles, symbols of Christ as the maker of light, provide an

aura of glory that makes a profound impression on the faithful, as they wait through the night, watch-ing for the dawn.

The Symbolism of Easter

On the day of Good Friday, Mary Magdalene was a prominent character that went on the way of of the Cross, with Mother Mary. Mary Magdalene,

stood by the side of the cross with Mary for over three hours, facing physical and mental harassment and agony from soldiers. She stood by with Mother Mary to pay her last respects until the sacred body was laid in the tomb. Mary Magdalene adhered to the Sabbath period proce-dures, on paying last respects after the cruci�ixion. On the night of Good Friday and the following Saturday, she spent the time with grief, sorrow and lamentation. On Sunday early morning, Mary Magdalene ac-companied by other women rushed to the tomb. When they got to the tomb, they were surprised and noticed that the stone had been rolled away. As they got closer, they found an angel seated at the entrance of the tomb. The angels was dressed in dazzling garments. Addressing the women he said do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus who was cruci�ied. He is not here. He had risen just as He said. Come and see the place He lay. Go quickly and tell His disciples. Mary Magdalene who found that Jesus’ body was no longer in the tomb, ran to the disciples and in-formed that the body of Jesus was missing. Then Simon Peter and John with Mary Magdalene ran to the tomb and found it empty. The two disciples returned while Mary Magdalene stayed and kept looking for the Jesus. Then, she heard a voice calling ‘Mary, Mary. She replied “Rabboni” which means “teacher”. At that moment Mary Magdalene tried to embrace the feet of Jesus but He said to her “Do not hold onto me for I have

not yet returned to the Father. Go instead to my broth-ers and tell them “I am returning to my Father and your Father and to my God and your God” (John 20:7). Mary Magdalene rushed to the disciples with the news, “I have seen the Lord." She was thus the �irst witness of the Resurrection. Mary Magdalene saw and heard Jesus. She was convinced that He was alive. At the tomb Mary Magdalene was given instructions. She was told by Jesus “Go to my brothers and tell them." Mary then went and announced. With these words Mary

Magdalene was commissioned as an Apostle to Apos-tles." Mary Magdalene was chosen by Jesus to be the �irst to be given the Good News of the resurrection. The message of victory over sinand death. Later she searched for the sacred body of Christ, but she found the resurrected Christ. Isn’t Mary Magdalene like the morning star that shone at the dawn of Easter Sunday.

Padminie Nanayakkara

Morning Star Shining On Easter Sunday

REDEMPTIONA mangled form from which

Blood merged with sweatDid trickle down.

Thongs that bruised the fleshA sword that pierced the side

From whence the blood and water flowed.By blood reclaimed we could rise anew

As did Christ on Easter morn.Ah! but do we claim

to be reclaimedOr do we wallow still in sin and

shameWas His precious blood

then shed in vainFor man who opts to remain unreclaimed

Jeannette Cabraal

By Therese Motha


Pope Francis tells teen prison inmate to take advantage of the Door of MercyWhen a juvenile inmate in a California prison wrote to Pope Francis, he did not expect a response. But he received one, in the form of a letter on January 21 from the Holy Father, in-viting him to take advan-tage of the Holy Year of Mercy.

“Know that the Holy Fa-ther is thinking of you and praying for you and please remember to pray for me, because I greatly need your prayers,” the Pope said in his letter.

Carlos Adrian Vazquez Jr., now 18, spoke to CNN about the letter. “I couldn’t believe it. I didn’t think the Pope would write to someone who's behind bars,” he said. Vazquez was sentenced to 11 years in prison for manslaugh-

ter. He began serving his sentence at age 16.

The Pope’s letter began: “Dear Carlos, May the peace of Jesus Christ be with you!” Pope Francis encouraged Vazquez and the other inmates to make use of the Holy Door of Mercy that the Archbish-op of Los Angeles would open at the prison.

Catholics who meet cer-tain conditions – includ-ing receiving Confession and Holy Communion, and praying for the inten-tions of the Holy Father – may receive a plenary indulgence when they pass through a designated Holy Door, a special door set aside for the Catholic Church’s Jubilee of Mercy.“I pray that as you and your fellow residents

celebrate the opening of the Holy Door, you may receive these gifts and be �illed with peace and hope,” the Pope said.

Vazquez needed to hear that message. He had dropped out of school at age 15 and joined a gang. He said that his crime was connected to a gang �ight in which someone was killed.

“I wasn't the one who did it, but because I was there I was charged with the same crime,” he said.

Although Vazquez had wanted to end his life, ac-cording to CNN, the Pope's letter changed that. He now sees hope and a fu-ture. He has written to the family of his victim.

“I ask them to forgive me and told them no words would ever give them back the life I destroyed, but I hope one day they can forgive me for my ac-tions and now I just ask for forgiveness and I want to live the life that my vic-tim didn't have a chance to live and be good,” he appealed.

“If society does not forgive me, I know God forgives me for my sins,” Vazquez added.

He characterized the Pope’s letter as “a message from God, that we are all humans.” He told CNN that the Pope “gives us hope that God wants all of us to be equal and we all com-

mit mistakes and we can get up and continue.”

Vazquez had written to the Pope saying: “Being an outcast of society, I want the world to see us for who we truly are: Hu-man beings, who make mistakes like everybody else but we are able to rise again like a Phoenix.”

He told the Pope he wants to become a leader like labour advocate Cesar Chavez, civil rights advo-cate Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., South African Pres-ident Nelson Mandela and Pakistani human rights ac-tivist Malala Yousafzai.

Father Michael Kenne-dy, S.J., gave guidance to Vazquez and other youth people who wrote letters

to the Pope. Fr. Kennedy said that Vazquez got into many �ights and was very focused on his gang when he �irst arrived in the juvenile facility. But after receiving his �inal sentence and after many weekly visits from his an-guished parents, he began to change.

“It's easy to say you've changed, but the change is in the actions of someone,” Fr. Kennedy told CNN. “He started to read a lot of ar-ticles about the Pope and he felt he was a person who had transformed his own self and he knew that the Pope had a special place in his heart for the inmates, prisoners.”

Vazquez is preparing for a transfer to Ironwood State Prison in Blythe, California.

A cemetery on the mountain facing the eastern sea of Taiwan: the dead are waiting to rise.

RESURRECTION: The Destiny of HumanityFor many years, we

have been hearing of discourses on “in-

carnation” and “creation” from respective quarters of theologies and spirituality. Today, creation has much appeal to environmental-ists and feminists as well as some pneumatologists to whom the Holy Spirit is more appealing than Christ and Christology. Some creationists appear to have become pantheistic and give no importance to Christ’s salvi�ic role while some pneumatologists too seem to �ind it dif�icult to recognise the primacy of Christ in salvation history especially when it comes to inculturation and inter-religious dialogue. These reveal the confused state of affairs at a deeper level. Traditionally, it was “incarnation” with its focus on sin that dominat-ed theological and pasto-ral discourses and today, its appeal for the West as well as for the elite and the young of Asian contexts seems to have

waned. Moral relativism that has come to charac-terize the postmodern generation of the west, was born out of mistrust of all institutions induced by the historical experi-ence of moral duplicity of institutions of power and hypocrisy of the pub-lic, which the mass media thoroughly exposed. It is not an exaggeration to say that same moral re-�lexivity is fairly common among the young, even in so-called traditional so-cieties of Asia. To these, incarnation and its idea of sin are not palatable. U n f o r t u n a t e ly what we need to hear is eclipsed and that is “res-urrection” which is the very foundation of our faith. As St. Paul says, “If Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain” (1 Cor. 15:14). It was the Resurrection that produced faith in the disciples and followers of Christ, it was Resurrec-tion that enabled them to understand Christ, what He taught and the Old Tes-

tament and prophets, and it was resurrection that infused in them the zeal to preach Christ they experi-enced. It was the ultimate understanding of human existence demonstrated by the resurrection in their experience that turned them into martyrs for a new religion. Then, the question is, could not it be the driving force of Christianity today.

Resurrection of Christ was a very unique historical experience. Of course among the Jews the idea was present at the time of Jesus and it had become a debated issue for which the Pharisees were in favour while the Sadducees were against. Sadducees tried to mock at Jesus by putting to Him the question whose wife the woman that married

seven brothers, but with-out children, would be in heaven, but Christ in His answer indicated that the state of existence after resurrection would be a totally different one. We have no way of under-standing that state of ex-istence because no human being, apart from Christ, has had that experience. The apostles had a sec-ondary experience of see-

ing the resurrected Christ. St. Thomas the apostle was told to put his �inger in the wounds of Jesus and Jesus ate with the dis-ciples, demonstrating that there was some continua-tion of the earthly human body. However, Magdalene was told not to touch Him and it indicated that the resurrected body was not the same as it was before.

Contd on Pg. 18

By P. M. Fernando

However, what they experience was real enough to be so convinced that they would give their lives, knowing that they would share in His resurrection one day. Resurrection was a new creation of man through a radical transformation, which was nothing but a revolution. Evolution is the idea that life forms adapt to the changing environment in order to pro-cure survival and that adaptation is to acquire features, skills and knowledge etc that are functional and effec-tive. It is supposed to be a gradual process. But resur-rection of the dead human body into a new state of ex-istence is a transformation that took place overnight, or in a very short time. But, with that transformation, the fragile body destined to decay and eventual death and subjected to hunger, thirst, and many malaise, made of dust destined to dust, became eternal and beyond any weakness of material conditions. It sounds mythologi-cal and yet, it is undoubtedly historical as the disciples have attested to it with their lives. This transformation of human body and exis-tence changed the very understanding and the destiny of human existence. There is a state of existence in the transformed body, which is beyond time and space and beyond all limitations and which is the human destiny. Christ by rising from the dead has affected the whole of humanity as there is interconnectivity through the psy-chic unity among the human beings. At the resurrec-tion, Christ has unleashed tremendous energy, which we may call grace, into the cosmos and it is available for all human beings. We have seen throughout human history the transformation of people like St. Francis Xavier who had come under the in�luence of that energy and whose

mortal body has survived decay for centuries. De�i-nitely, the energy released by Jesus at resurrection has been a massive historical force transforming humanity from within. This is the message that Christianity offers to the world. Resurrection presented not just the future des-tiny but a transformed earthly human existence. Exis-tence came to be de�ined by a con�idence freed from existential anxiety and converted all rightful suffering into sources of energy and joy. Existence came to be de�ined not by death but by eternal life. Life came to be a force of regeneration, re-creation, and redemption beyond survival and self-perpetuation. Resurrection replaced misery and hopelessness of humanity with gladness and hope. That is a treasure beyond all imagi-nation. What else could this earthly human existence hope for? Those who have been touched by the energy of Resurrection have always known that they have got the ultimate treasure. In spite of the present lull, or even the decline as found in the West as well as in most Asian contexts, Christ and His greatest gift to humanity, the resurrect-ed existence, will be rediscovered sooner or later as humanity cannot now go back on the recreated human existence and as the energy of Resurrection continues to touch and transform lives silently and de�initely. What is perhaps preventing people from surrender-ing themselves to the impact of resurrection is the old language that masks the truth of resurrection. In this scienti�ic world, the new humanity may understand grace better as a form of energy unleashed by Christ at resurrection. The culture of the younger generation ev-erywhere in the world today is focused on the body which has become the political, cultural, economic and

biographical playing-�ield and which is also the major reason that has been alienating the young from the tra-ditional institutional religion. St. John Paul II as Pope at-tempted to address this problem in his theology of the body. However, resurrection or the newly created body with its vistas of energy and the wonderful experience of a new existence could present to them a challenging and appealing new culture of the body if explained in a language intelligible to them, the body as the ultimate beauty apart from God to be admired and experienced as a massive creative force and the resurrected body as the ultimate wonder, joy and adventure. On the other hand, the present generation is tired of discourses on sin, even though sin is a real-ity to be concerned about and the young today seek new sources of positive energy that could raise them up from the dungeon of stress-�illed and competition-driven existence. It is also necessary that the young are helped to overcome their mistrust of institutions, spe-cially the religious institutions, by introducing them to the Risen Christ. Of course, as it places Christ at the centre, the Resurrection theology and spirituality may not help programs like inter-religious dialogue or the vested-in-terests of some politically motivated groups seeking le-gitimization of their political agenda. Nevertheless the idea of resurrection has been found in Asian contexts, but not theologically explored. One such occasion is the Chinese belief in the coming of a deity and rising of the dead. In Taiwan, the dead are buried in small houses facing the east; the dead are waiting to rise with the coming of the deity one day. It is necessary to explore on such beliefs and practices.

Resurrection: The destinyContd From Pg. 17

In this extra-ordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy, let us re�lect on how

much merciful we have been to our neighbour in real life. Forgiveness and Mercy is perhaps the most dif�icult qualities a human could ever possess. Imag-ine forgiving a person who has destroyed your name, spread rumours about you and insulted your family or even per-haps going to the extreme of murdering a loved one. Is the act of Mercy pos-sible in our society? Yes, it is possible. One whom de-pends totally on God, who listens to His Lord’s voice and �irmly believes in His Holy Word can be Merci-ful to any individual, no matter who he or she is. Christ constantly reminds

us the signif-icance of for-giving in life throughout the Gospel. He relates c o u n t l e s s parables to us in order to illustrate this Joyful message. J u s t i m a g i n e , what a lot of hatred

and anger you have to a person whom you brand as your enemy. Your soul is never peaceful at such times. At the same time, what if you looked into the heart of your enemy, what do you think you would �ind that is differ-ent from what is in your heart? This is a question which you should answer yourself. Knowing Christ and calling yourself a practicing Christian what difference does it make between your oppressor and one, who hates him and prays for his doom? Re�lecting on these basic elements will make a path for us to re-pent and change our mind set of having hard feel-ings about others. Just,

imagine the peace and happiness you gain from being Merciful. You are free of stress and hatred, you are indeed blessed! Furthermore your deed of forgiveness may per-haps awaken your former enemy. He or she may be-gin to feel repented for all the sins they committed against others and start a new life with the Lord. Your forgiveness make such helpless souls to ex-perience the Risen Lord. There are many other things which Mercy causes. Your act of Mercy permanently cancels the sins of your oppressor. You who forgive and for-get what they have done against you gives God the chance to erase that sin, because it is wiped away from the History Book of God. Hence, you are a part of helping in God’s judge-ment. Your Mercy reduces the sins of others and making way for His salva-tion. Indeed, isn’t it amaz-ing to be Merciful! The �irst step in being merciful may be painful, but from that point there is no vain but countless gains. The joy of forgiving is perhaps the best gift one could

ever achieve. One must be aware of the fact that no one is perfect or nearly perfect and hence be able to understand what oth-ers do and think. If Christ, being the Son of God can forgive all those who whipped, stripped and cruci�ied Him, why cannot we all be merciful to those who disappoint us for unwanted reasons? Life will be worth living when all of us start working on achieving these acts of Mercy. During this season of Lent rather than just sacri�icing certain worldly things and forgetting the act of love, why not be-gin a new chapter in life based on mercy? In the Gospel, Christ �irmly says that He wants love not just mere sacri�ice. Thus, why are we not striving to love others by forgiving all their wrong-doings? You have an open invita-tion to experience the Joy of Mercy, are you ready to accept it? “Ask yourself, “Why do I play hide and seek? When I can be trans-parent, humble and meek”

Avishka Mario Senewiratne.

St. Joseph’s College, Colombo 10.

“Blessed are those who are Merciful!” THERESURRECTION

Lifeless became Jesus's body,It seems that now He has failed,After all His self sacrifi ce has been accomplished,For He fought a great fi ght over sin and hell,

God did not leave Him in the grave,Nor did He allow His body to decay,The greatest miracle was Jesus raised to life,And proud satan's power Jesus over came.

If Jesus did not rise from the dead,We would not see Him face to face,Because the Son of God is among the living,From the grave we shall rise with Jesus' grace,

The mighty clouds of grace and love,Poured incessantly from above,And the perfect peace of heaven,Fill the earth with Jesus' love.

J. A. Dulcie Perera


“registered in the department of posts of sri...

Documents