Sunday, November 5, 2017 Vol 148 No 43 24 Pages Rs: 30.00 … · 2017-11-06 · ST.JU D E VE N E R A T E D “REGISTERED IN THE DEPARTMENT OF POSTS OF SRI LANKA” UNDER NO.QD /128

S T . J U D E V E N E R AT E D

“ 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 2 8 / N E W S / 2 0 1 7

Sunday, November 5, 2017 Vol 148 No 43 24 Pages Rs: 30.00 Registered as a newspaper

THE CATHOLIC WEEKLY OF SRI LANKA

“Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to his disciples” (Matthew 23,1)

November 9

Pg.15 Contd.

THE DEDICATION OF THE LATERAN BASILICA

Santo subito!Santo Subito or ‘Soon a Saint’ was the cry of every heart over the weekend, as the Church remembered the Servant of God, His Eminence Thomas Cardinal Cooray OMI, on the occasion of the offi cial closing of the Diocesan phase of inquiry and process leading to the Canonizati on.

His Lordship Rt. Rev. Dr. Joseph Ponniah, Bishop of Batticaloa was the Chief Celebrant at the Festive Mass of St. Jude’s Shrine, Thethathivu.

“If God is in our lives, our lives will change for the better”

“Have we kept God out of our lives?” This was the question posed by His Lordship Rt. Rev. Dr. Justin Gnanapragasam, Bishop of Jaffna to the Catholic Doctors’ Guild as they gathered together at the annual Gold Mass held at St. Peter’s Chapel

◗ At Indigolla, Gampaha

‘Catholic Schools in a changing social environment’Very Rev. Fr. Ivan Perera,

delivering the Thomas Cardinal Cooray Memorial Oration recently, said that the late Cardinal was anxious to respond to the social needs of the time by

giving students the best opportunities in the world, especially with regard to work and occupation. He said the aim of His Eminence was not to train them to live

a westernised life but to prepare students for responsible positions, entrepreneurship and professional careers

Archbishop of Colombo, His Eminence Malcolm Car-dinal Ranjith said that we need to move away from

jealousy, greed, cruelty and all the enticement of this world and live our life in accordance with the Will of God. That was how the Saints lived in this world – a life that we can emulate. Delivering the homily at the Festive Mass at

◗ At Thethathivu, Batticaloa

A New Bethel

“In the present day most people lead lives with an in-different attitude towards religion. Human ethos guides their beliefs and ideals.” Pg.15 Contd.

at the National Hospital, Colombo, recently. Delivering his homily at the Mass, His Lordship told the members of the Guild of St. Luke and Saints Cosmos and Damian or the Catholic Doctors’ Guild,

Pg.15 Contd.

◗ At Mattegoda, Pannipitiya

“Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect” The diocesan phase of

the inquiry involving the work of preparing the documentation required for the canonization of the

Servant of God, Thomas Cardinal Cooray, OMI was officially brought to a close on Saturday October 28, at a special ceremony held at

the National Basilica of Our Lady of Lanka at Tewatte presided over by the

The parishioners of St. Jude’s Church, Mattegoda rejoiced in the celebrations of the Silver Jubilee

held last Sunday, with Festive High Mass. The occasion was graced by the presence of His Lordship Rt. Rev. Dr. Maxwell Silva, Auxiliary Bishop of Colombo, who extracted the Lord ‘s words from the Scriptures to

Pg.15 Contd.

Pg.15 Contd. Pg.15 Contd.

2 The Messenger November 5, 2017

“saying, ‘The scribes and the Pharisees have taken their seat on the chair of Moses’” (Matthew 23,2)

Retreat for Priests of Colombo

Venue: Tewatta Retreat HouseDate: November 13 - November 18, 2017Preacher: Rev. Fr. David Hore

1. Rev. Fr. Tharanga Sampath Perera 2. Rev. Fr. Shihan Indika Perera 3. Rev. Fr. Kamal Niroshan N. Fernando 4. Rev. Fr. Edrich Rodrigo 5. Rev. Fr. Anton Gromik Cooray 6. Rev. Fr. T. S. Sebastian Sudarshan 7. Rev. Fr. Lalith Felix Perera 8. Rev. Fr. Freddie Shanthikumar Fernando 9. Rev. Fr. Joseph Anthony Perera10. Rev. Fr. Cyril Gamini Fernando11. Rev. Fr. Nuwan Nilanga Rowel12. Rev. Fr. Malith Thiwantha Kaluarachchi13. Rev. Fr. Thilina Pathum Fernando14. Rev. Fr. Milan Asantha Bernard15. Rev. Fr. Chanaka Dilan Jansz16. Rev. Fr. Shameera Sudarshana Rodrigo17. Rev. Fr. Terrence Kithsiri Perera18. Rev. Fr. Claude Nishantha Nonis19. Rev. Fr. Nihal Ivan Perera20. Rev. Fr. Joseph Lakshman Tony Pinto21. Rev. Fr. Ananda Vithana22. Rev. Fr. Nilantha Uduwaka23. Rev. Fr. Nilantha Ranjula Fernando24. Rev. Fr. Buddika Dananjaya Jayamanne25. Rev. Fr. Suraj Gayeshan Peiris26. Rev. Fr. Don Sanjeewa Appuhamy27. Rev. Fr. S.N. Anura Padeep Dias28. Rev. Fr. Anthony Nishan Poobalarayan29. Rev. Fr. Vikum Anton Kumara

Rev. Fr. Patrick PereraPriest-in-Charge of the Annual Retreats

The First Birthday of Aquinas Waga Branch

The Waga Branch of Aquinas College of Higher Studies, which conducts English Diploma Courses, celebrated its First Anniversary on October 6, 2017. Picture shows the Head of the Branch Ms. Sri-yani Mudalige, Staff and students. This Branch was established on October 4, 2016, under the auspices of Very Rev. Fr. Susith Mark Silva, Rector, Aquinas College of Higher Studies.

Pic & Text. Sarath Athukorala

Book launch at Katukurunda

A book on faith titled "Kithu Dahame Wicashanaya" au-thored by Mr. Hemal Perera, was launched at a ceremony held in Kalutara, Katukurunda recently. Very Rev. Fr. Daya Shelton Welikadaarachchi, Rector, St. Joseph Vaz Deva Dharma Niketanaya was the Chief Guest. Picture shows the author presenting the first copy of the book to his sister, Rev. Sr. Mary Eymard, Su-perior, Holy Angels Convent, Indibedda, Moratuwa.

D. Anselm Fernando

150th Jubilee celebrations of Holy Rosary Church, Bandarawatta

The 150th Jubilee of the Holy Rosary Church, Bandara-watte in the Chilaw Diocese was celebrated recently. "Life cannot be measured in rupees and cents but by planting the seeds of love, sharing, patience, peace and unity among the peoples;" so stated the Chief Celebrant of the Festive Holy Mass His Lordship Rt. Rev. Dr. Devs-ritha Valence Mendis, Bishop of Chilaw. Picture shows His Lordship at the Eucharistic Service together with Rev. Frs. Janith Kaushalya Fernan-do and Nuwan Pradeep. The festive celebrations were organised by Rev. Fr. Rohan Guys, Parish Priest together with the Parish Pastoral Council.

Joe Sangapalaarahchi, Prasadi Nisshanka

Elders' Day at Peradeniya

An Elders' Day was organised by Rev. Fr. Sudath Rohana Perera, Parish Priest, St. Theresa's Church, Peradeniya together with the members of St.Vincent De Paul So-ciety of the Parish. To mark this occasion a Eucharistic Service was conducted and thereafter breakfast and lunch were provided for the elders. Picture shows children lined up in front of the elders to pay obeisance by offering them with sheaves of betel leaf as a mark of respect.

Feast of St. Michael's Church Koralawella, MoratuwaThe Annual Feast of St. Michael's Church, Koralawella, Moratuwa was held recently. The Vespers Service was conducted by Rev. Fr. Joseph Indika, Director Liturgy, Archbishop's House and the Chief Celebrant of the Festive Holy Mass was Rev. Fr. Jude Asitha Hettiarachchi of Kalutara Seminary. The festive arrangements were organised by Rev. Fr. Shihan Indika Perera, Parish Priest together with the parishioners. Picture shows the statue of the Saint being taken in procession. Roshan P. Fernando

Felicitation of Silver Jubilarians at Burulapitiya ParishA Thanksgiving Holy Mass was held at St. Hugo's Church, Burulapitiya, recently in connection with the Silver Jubi-lee celebrations of seven Oblates of Mary Immaculate and of Rev. Fr. Chamika Sudarshana Assistant Parish Priest who celebrated his First Anniversary, serving in the Vineyard of the Lord with the participation of His Lordship, Rt. Rev. Dr. Norbert M. Andradi, Bishop of Anuradhapura. The Liturgy and other activities for the celebrations were organised by the Pastoral Councils of Burulapitiya, Udugampola, Polwatte and Nilpanagoda together with the parishioners under the leadership of the Parish Priest of Burulapitiya.

An altar for the Wattala Catholic Cemetery

Picture shows the traditional oil lamp being lit by the celebrants. Venetius Anthony

A long felt need to build an altar at the Wattala Catholic Cemetery, belonging to St. Anne's Church was accom-plished with the assistance of the Catholic Community and the residents of the area under the leadership of Mr. Justin Fernando recently. Picture shows the erected altar and the enclosure. Merill Gomes

Feast of Our Lady of MatugamaThe Annual Feast of Our Lady at the Matugama Parish was celebrated recently. P i c t u r e shows the beauti-ful pandal erected by the 'Sarana Seva Society' which adorned the en-trance to the Church. Sunitha Malanie Wijesinghe

NOTICEKindly be informed, that His Eminence Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith has made the following appointments, effective December 1, 2017. Rev. Fr. Dinesh Tharanga Keerthisinghe - Parish Priest - Hapugoda

Rev. Fr. Kirul Jayanath Silva - Actg. Parish Priest - Uswetakeiyawa

Rev. Fr. Noel Sampath Perera - Actg. Parish Priest - Diyalagoda

Rev. Fr. Niroshan Perera - Assistant Parish Priest - Thoppuwa

Rev. Fr. Reshmi Suresh Chinthaka - Assistant Parish Priest - Hapugoda

Rev. Fr. Deninton SubasingheSecretary - Administration


A day in early August, 1932 a boy was born to a well to do family at Kala-eliya in Ja-ela being the seventh son

respectively. No one expected at all that the boy named Anthony Leopold Raymond Peiris would dedicate himself as an Apostle of God offering his best for the future of the Holy Church. The day, December 20, 1958 was a memorable day in his life. The young Raymond Peiris was ordained to the Priesthood by His Eminence Thomas Cardinal Cooray, OMI at St. Lucia's Cathedral in Kotahena. Being the Par-ish Priest in various churches for several years Rev. Fr. Raymond Peiris was fortunate enough to assume duties as the Procurator General of the Colombo Archdiocese. In 1987, Rev. Fr. Raymond Peiris was appointed Bishop of Kurunegala which was a new diocese in the island. His Lordship held office from July 18, and had taken valuable, well timed, significant steps to uplift the inac-tive underprivileged Catholic community of the Diocese till his retirement in 2009.∗ Observing that the lack of priests af-

fected the Diocese very badly, a minor seminary was established at Millawa.

∗ Introduced ‘Small Christian Communities’∗ Several convents were set up.∗ Special attention was given to the re-

tired Priests as well as the elders.∗ Formed ‘Janasetha’ institute at Pellandeniya.∗ Built a Church in memory of St. Joseph

Vaz at Maha Galgamuwa and popular-ised the devotion.

∗ Launched the magazine ‘Pahantamba’ to provide necessary information of the Diocese.

∗ ‘Sathpahana’ pastoral centre was es-tablished at Kuliyapitiya.

∗ Constructed a new Bishop’s residence at Malkaduwawa to have a close rela-tionship with the Catholic community.

∗ New Churches were estab-lished.

His Lordship was a leader in all his majesty and dignity. His intentions were very clear and simple. He spoke the truth at all times. He never insulted others. He ad-vised very often to get rid of self deception at all times. Other than his duties he was in the habit of meeting people outdoors. He helped the helpless. The hospitality towards visitors is to be highly appreciated. Whenever a prob-lem arose he settled it in a tactful manner with much understanding. He treated all priests under his lead-ership as a kind loving father would, listening to them patiently and doing everything pos-sible for their good and the good of the Church. He joined hands with other religious leaders as well as politicians and moved with them in a friendly manner. He was never bored work-ing all day. Everyone appreciated him for his humble attitudes and appearance. He is re-membered by every Catholic for his contribu-tion towards eradicating poverty. His Lordship seems to have spent his retirement thinking over his pastoral achieve-ments. He avoided going out during the last few months due to his illness. Nevertheless everything is not everlasting. He finally ac-cepted the call of God and left all of us unex-pectedly. Obviously there was much pain and sorrow in the hearts of us. In conclusion, I say good bye my Lord and may you rest in the hands of God forever.

Aloy Ranjith de Silva Pellandeniya

Email:[email protected]:colomboarchdiocesancatholicpress.com

Telephone: 011 2695984Fax: 2692586 / 2670100

November 5, 2017

EDITORIAL

SINCE FEBRUARY 1869

“Therefore, do and observe all things whatsoever they tell you” (Matthew 23,3)

Omnia OmnibusOOmOmOibibi uss

A Remarkable Character

Reconciled to the Cosmic Christ at the End

God the Creator of the Hebrew Scriptures becomes God the Father in the Christian Scriptures. He is related to His creation without excluding anyone or anything. Each one of them – whether it is man, bird, flower or grass – is precious in God’s caring eyes: “Are not five sparrows sold for two small coins? Yet not one of them has escaped the notice of God” (Luke 12,6); “Look at the birds in the sky; they do not sow or reap, they gather nothing into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them … Learn from the way the wild flowers grow. They do not work or spin. But I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendour was clothed like one of them. If God so clothes the grass of the field …” (Matthew 6,26.28-30). Jesus could thus invite others to be attentive to the beauty of creation because He Himself was in constant touch and full harmony with His Father’s creation. He constantly read the book His Father had written in the beginning – the “precious book whose letters are the multitude of created things present in the universe” (Laudato Si’, # 85). This New Adam, walking in the Land of Promise, often contemplated the beauty sown by His Father in nature. At the carpentry hut of Nazareth, He gave form to the matter created by the Father. Pope Francis is absolutely right when he says, “… the destiny of all creation is bound up with the mystery of Christ …” (Laudato Si’, # 99). An early Christian hymn, known to the Colossians and taken up into the Letter from liturgical use, presents the Son as Mediator of creation, “the firstborn of all creation” (1,15). It was in and through Him that the whole of the cosmos was created and it was also for Him that it was done so: “For in him were created all things in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible … all things were created through him and for him (1,16). Further, “in him all things hold together” (1,17). When raised from the dead as 'the firstborn from the dead,' He is made the crown of all creation with the role to reconcile all things: “And through him to reconcile all things for him, making peace by the blood of his cross (through him), whether those on earth or those in heaven” (1,20). It is crystal clear from this Christological Hymn that from the genesis of all things, the Mystery of Christ is at work in a hidden manner in the created cosmos. Now the Glorified Christ is present throughout creation by His universal Lordship and mysteriously holding all beings towards fullness at their end. “The very flowers of the field and the birds which his human eyes contemplated and admired are now imbued with his radiant presence” (Laudato Si’, # 100). At the end of time, He will deliver all things to the Father. Now from the ‘Gospel of Creation’, we turn to a quite pragmatic point. At the Asian Buddhist Animal Rights Conference held in Colombo on October 26, a reputed nutritionist Dr. Damayanthi Perera spoke on the topic of ‘Perils of Meat and Milk and the Power of Plant Foods.’ In her speech, she stressed that excessive meat eating could lead to serious health problems including cancer and even death. Dr. Perera says if we are ready to gradually give up meat, it could be not only a game changer but also a life saver. Vegetarianism and veganism are part of a growing revolution. Most western consumers have belatedly realised they have been hoodwinked by the transnational food industry, policy makers and the professional associations. Millions of western consumers are therefore turning to vegetarian or vegan diets and are seeking organic food. According to Dr. Perera, food, nutrition, agriculture and food-based economic policies are inter-connected subjects and have a strong bearing on public health, life expectancy, healthy aging and the environment - in essence the entire eco-system. Every citizen has a fundamental right to receive the correct information about food, agriculture, free trade and health and also a voice in national policy planning. Hence, Dr. Perera appeals to the people to be informed consumers. All is not doom and gloom. On the bright side, people can learn about the health benefits of plant foods and phyto-chemicals. Available data demonstrate that the western food, nutrition and agriculture models have failed to serve humanity and the world needs a paradigm change. It is time to formulate eco-friendly people and nature friendly, truly sustainable, truly national food, nutrition and agriculture policies.

In a compelling narrative based on extensive research, interviews and personal recollec-

tions, this concise book documents the life journey of Rev. Fr. Michael Rodrigo, brutally assassinated on November 10, 1987. Timed for launch on the commemoration of his 30th death anniversary, this year, the book gives the reader many insights in to the simple life chosen by this well-loved and highly educated spiritual scholar of Sri Lanka’s Roman Catho-lic Church. It details the sacrifices he made given his deep convictions to serve the poor, his commitment to following Jesus in to the wilderness, until the sad and gruesome end at the hands of an unknown assassin’s bullet. Starting with his childhood in Dehi-wela, the story unfolds of Father Michael’s journey to the remote village area of Buttala where he used his profound knowledge and understanding of Christianity and Buddhism to win over the hearts of a predominantly Buddhist population. While he did not at-tempt to indoctrinate the populace with the theological aspects of Christian teachings, Fr. Mike lived and showed by nuanced examples, the heart of Christ’s message and calling. The book illustrates how his deep compassion for the poor and his tireless efforts to improve their quality of life not only won him their love and respect but also led them to witness Christ Jesus’ immense love for humanity. Herself an erudite scholar with nu-merous published works on social justice issues, the author, anthropologist, Nandini Gunewardena has compiled this biography based on her acquaintance with Father Mi-chael during her field research for her doctor-al thesis, the knowledge and advice he gener-

ously shared with her, and her first-hand observations of his work among the poor. In well-chosen words, the author al-lows the reader to understand how this mis-sionary of God devoted his life to correct the age-old systems of social injustice dating back to colonial times. Extremely well researched with voluminous footnotes, appendices and bibliography, this is virtually a text book for anyone undertaking social studies. Although the book is somewhat small in size, the mov-ing tone of the book transforms this into a very emotional read. This is certainly a book that draws the reader into the story, which is what good writing always does. The life of this great man is best il-lustrated in the first verse of his own poem reproduced below: Ref page 82 of this book:“Sisters, I am growing oldI’ve no silver, I’ve no goldBut we’ve come a long wayThrough the fields of new-mown hayThe poor will always recall usAs a group that loves them trueYes, my sisters, we and they are oneTill the sands of life are run”

“JOURNEY FOR JUSTICE”By Nandini Gunewardena

● His Lordship Rt. Rev. Dr. Raymond Peiris, Bishop Emeritus of Kurunegala

Reviewed by Jeremy De Lima

Rev. Fr. Michael Rodrigo


Church in the Modern World

“but do not follow their example” (Matthew 23,3)

In a lengthy speech to civil and ecclesiasti-cal leaders of Europe

last week, Pope Francis defended the family as be-ing made up of a man and woman open to life – say-ing that this fundamental community is also a model for secular communities. “The family is the harmonious union of the differences between man and woman, which be-comes stronger and more authentic to the extent that it is fruitful, capable of opening itself to life and to others. Secular commu-nities, likewise, are alive when they are capable of openness, embracing the differences and gifts of each person while at the same time generating new life, development, labour, in-novation and culture,” the Pope said on October 28. In the family we

find an example for all types of community, he continued, where diversity is valued and at the same time brought into unity. In this way, the person and community are thus the foundations of the Europe that we, as Christians, want and can contribute to building, he emphasised in an audi-ence for a Vatican-spon-sored conference on the future of Europe, which took place in Rome from October 27-29, titled ‘(Re)Thinking Europe: A Christian Contribution to the Future of the European Project’ . The Conference gathered together hun-dreds of high-level Church and EU political leaders, including academics, am-bassadors, bishops and European politicians. In a departure from his earlier speeches

to the EU, however, Pope Francis did not appeal to the “Christian roots” or cultural patrimony of Eu-rope, but instead focused specifically on what the “Christian contribution” is and can be for Europe, specifically in politics. He pointed to the common secular phi-losophy that seeks to omit religion from the political sphere, calling it a regret-table secularist prejudice, which is incapable of see-ing the positive value of religion’s public and ob-jective role in society. The result of rel-egating religion to merely the private sphere results in a “certain groupthink,” he said; one which appears frequently in international meetings and which see the affirmation of reli-gious identity as a threat to itself and its dominance.

What this does, he said, is promote a false conflict between the right to reli-gious freedom and other fundamental rights. The Pope stated that instead, politics has a fundamental responsibil-ity to favour dialogue, in any form whatsoever. He pointed out that unfortunately poli-tics is becoming a forum for conflict, dialogue be-ing replaced by shouting and demands, the primary goal of the common good abandoned. Echoing previous messages, not just to Eu-ropean leaders, but also in general audiences, Pope Francis urged Christians to be involved in politics, saying they are called to restore its dignity, view-ing it as a lofty service to the common good. This demands a

suitable formation, since politics is not the ‘art of improvising, he said. “In-stead, it is a noble expres-sion of self-sacrifice and personal dedication for the benefit of the com-munity. To be a leader demands thoughtfulness, training and experience.” The Pope also emphasised that the Eu-ropean Union, at a time of crisis such as now, needs to work together to pro-mote a positive future.

“A European Union that, in facing its crises, fails to recover a sense of being a single community that sustains and assists its members – and not just a collection of small interest groups – would miss out not only on one of the greatest challenges of its history, but also on one of the greatest opportunities for its own future,” he said.

EWTN

Pope to European Civil and Church leaders - Men and women are different

For the third year in a row, the Sistine Chapel Choir has released a new CD, which this year is dedicated

to Advent and Christmas and features unique scores based on historic manuscripts from the Vatican Li-brary. Created in partnership with the classical mu-sic label Deutsche Grammophon, the album released on October 27 in Italy and is titled ‘Veni Domine: Advent and Christmas at the Sistine Chapel’. It will be released to the rest of the world a week later. Music featured in the album includes a reper-toire of scores from several Renaissance manuscripts from the Sistine Chapel reserve of the Vatican library. It also features Perotin's ‘Beata Viscera Mariae Virginis’. Perotin, also known as ‘Perotin the Great’, was a European composer, likely French, who lived from around 1160-1230 and became one of the most well-known composers of his time. The 16-track album also features the voice of Cecilia Bartoli, an Italian mezzo-soprano opera singer and recitalist, who is the first woman to have ever re-corded with the choir. Like previous albums, the CD includes several

scores written by Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina, an Italian Renaissance sacred music composer who lived from 1525-1594 and is perhaps one of the most well-known composers of sacred polyphony. The CD was presented on October 24 inside the Vatican Press Office by Archbishop Georg Ganswein, Prefect of the Pontifical Household; Mirko Gratton, Di-rector of the Classical and Jazz Division of Universal Music Italia and Msgr. Massimo Palombella, Director of the Sistine Chapel Choir. EWTN

Sistine Chapel Choir releases new album for Advent, Christmas

Poland donates Christmas tree to VaticanA 28-metre-tall spruce from a forest in north-eastern

Poland will adorn St. Peter’s Square in Rome this Christmas season. The tree will be presented to Pope Francis by a group of Poles on December 7 and put up in the square in a special ceremony that afternoon. The tradition of erecting a Christmas tree in the Vatican was introduced in 1982 while the head of the Church was Polish Pope John Paul II. The tree comes from a different country each year. Poland has been chosen for the second time. In 1997, the Christmas tree was brought to Rome from the Tatra resort of Zakopane as a thanksgiving of Polish highlanders for the Pope’s visit to Poland's south earlier that year. The Christmas tree, along with a life-sized na-tivity scene, will stay in St. Peter’s Square until January 7, the Feast of the Baptism of Jesus, which ends the litur-gical season of Christmas. Vatican Radio

Pakistan Church leaders upset with seizure of

charity properties

Church leaders in Pakistan have spoken out against the occupation of charity welfare properties by al-

leged land grabbers. The Abdul Sattar Edhi Foundation in Pakistan runs one of the world’s largest networks of ambulances and homeless shelters. Bilquis Edhi, the widow of revered Muslim philanthropist Abdul Sattar Edhi, said people enjoying political patronage occupied their properties. Edhi wel-fare centres were being demolished in Sindh and Bal-ochistan Provinces for commercial development, she told the Karachi Press Club. The centres have operated for three decades on land allocated by the National Highway Authority alongside highways. However, the teary-eyed widow said that a “land mafia” targeted the charity. Meanwhile, Catholic leaders called on the na-tional government to intervene. Father Mario Rodrigues, Rector of St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Karachi, plans to raise the issue with provincial authorities at a meeting sched-uled for next month if it is still unresolved. He added that the late Abdul Sattar Edhi was criticized by some Muslim clerics for carrying infidels in his ambulances. UCAN

A community-based drug rehabilitation programme run by Manila Archdio-cese has received a boost from Pope Francis a year after its launch. Cardinal Luis An-tonio Tagle of Manila said the Pontiff was excited about the programme, called Sanlakbay (One Journey), which has so far helped more than 100 drug dependents. The Manila prel-ate told the Pope about the community initiative

during a recent audience.Sanlakbay is a parish-based programme that stresses the importance of the community in help-ing drug dependents. It in-volves spiritual formation, counseling, livelihood projects, skills formation training, as well as sports, culture and the arts. The programme was launched in October last year as a response to drug-related killings fol-lowing the government's declaration of an "all-out

war" against illegal drugs. A year into President Rodrigo Duterte's war against drugs, close to 12,000 suspected drug depen-dents and peddlers have been reportedly killed. Philippine au-thorities, however, said at least 3,900 of those who died were killed dur-ing "legitimate police op-erations." The other kill-

ings were either blamed on unknown assassins or were classified as "deaths under investigation."

UCAN

Manila Archdiocese's anti-drug programme gets boost from Pope

Former drug dependents attend a Mass at the end of a six-month rehabilitation programme.


By Prof Ranil Fernando

Historical Perspective The church in the Middle Ages maintained power over all the countries. Before the thirteenth century, most medical and surgical learning occurred in the monas-teries. Medical services were provided, especially for the poor, in monastic hospitals in Europe. The church served to give people spiritual guidance and served as their government as well. ‘Physicians’ were people who treated illness by feeling the pulse, palpating for signs and testing the urine etc. Surgery had to be performed by lay people outside the monasteries. This led to the origins of Barber surgeons. European medical prac-titioners of the Middle Ages - generally charged with looking after soldiers during or after a battle. The sur-geon, was considered to be an artisan, thus his profes-sion was seen as a craft. The church believed surgery was a massacre of God’s gift: the body, the public and the church thought poorly of the practice of surgery because it frequently caused excruciating pain, high mortality rates, and left the patient un-whole.There was a lot antagonism to-wards dissections of the human body. This was a period of great turmoil & uncertainty. When the cities began to grow in the late middle ages, groups of doctors, barbers, merchants and workers banded together into associations called guilds, to advance their particular Trade/endeavor.

Guild An association of people with similar interests especially: fundamentals which were group discipline and application of religious principles to specific problems. All guilds enjoyed in common the fostering ap-proval of the Church. St. Luke, St. Cosmas and St. Da-mian were the patrons of Medicine. The ‘Medical guilds’ were made of the doctors-the university graduates-and the barber-surgeons who learned through apprenticeship in their guilds .Sepa-ration of ‘Medicine’& Surgery was clearly demarcated. The surgeon's guild became a separate institution in the medical community in England as early as 1368 .The Barber Surgeons of Edinburgh was a Craft Guild of the city in 1505. Unlike the barber's guild, the Sur-geon's guild required a university degree prior to entry. Furthermore, the surgeon's guild provided the practi-cal experience needed for surgery through apprentice-ships. The apprenticeship for a surgeon took six years. The transition of surgery from a collection of skills and techniques used on the battlefield, to its acceptance as a medical profession, started with these changes. The doctors’ guild and the surgeon’s guild drew closer together as surgery began to be taught in the universities or in new colleges, with the blessings of the church. St. Come in Paris founded by the confra-ternity of St. Cosmas and St. Damian, later became the Academy of Surgery of France Medical & Surgical sci-ence then joined together and progressed to its current level slowly with the advancement of knowledge, tech-nology and research -Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery.

Evolution of Catholic Doctors Guilds Catholic Doctors guilds existed in Spain and France from at least the 16th century. The French Guild had been formally reconstituted in September 1884 and by 1910 it had 11,000 members. St. Luke might have been chosen as the patron saint at the end of the middleages by the European guilds. St. Luke's Guild in Sri Lanka was inaugurated on the October 8, 1944 by Rev. Fr. John Baptist Gregory OMI. The Motto - ad ma-jorem Dei gloriam -"For the greater glory of God."

The Saints

St. Luke the Evangelist He is one of the Four Evangelists. Saint Luke was born a Greek and a gentile in Antioch, Syria about 30 years after the death of Christ. He was a physician and it is believed that he may have also been a slave, as it was not uncommon in his day for slaves to be edu-

cated in medicine so the family would have a resident physician. He is credited with the authorship of both the Gospel according to Luke and the book of Acts of the Apostles, which would mean Luke contributed over a quarter of the text of the New Testament. Luke's unique perspective on Jesus can be seen in the six miracles and eighteen parables not found in the other Gospels. Ac-cording to tradition, he painted a portrait of the Virgin Mary. His medical background is seen throughout his Gospel - St. Luke's Gospel starts “ In as much as many have undertaken to compile an account of the things ac-complished among us, just as those who from the begin-ning were eye witnesses and servants of the word have handed them down to us, it seemed fitting for me as well, having investigated everything carefully from the beginning” an indication of his intellect and a trained mind. When the other two synoptic evangelists record-ed Christ’s warning that “a rich man will have no more ease passing through the gates of heaven than would a camel passing through the eye of a needle”, they use the household term for woman’s sewing needle St. Luke, on the other hand, uses the Greek word for surgeon’s su-turing needle- velónas rafís enós cheirourgoú. The New Testament mentions Luke briefly a few times, and the St. Paul’s Epistle to the Colossians refers to him as a doctor “Our Beloved Luke, the Physi-cian” Thus he is thought to have been both a physician and a disciple of Paul. When Paul was imprisoned Luke was very loyal to him. Only St Luke recounts the story of the grateful leper who is a Samaritan. In the Gospel of Saint Luke, Jesus makes his only reference to practitioners of medicine: “Physician, heal thyself!” St. Luke is the only evangelist to recount - the Parable of the Good Samaritan Christ’s allegory of compassion and selflessness in the context of providing healing care for the helpless, the injured and afflicted. These credentials amply justify his selection as a pa-tron saint of the Catholic Doctors Guilds.

S S. Cosmas & Damian These twin brothers were born in Arabia around 270 A.D.They studied medicine in Syria .They practiced medicine on the coast of Cilicia in what is now Turkey, with remarkable generosity and outspoken zeal for their Christian faith Cosmas and Damien followed the instruction Jesus gave to his 12 Apostles, which was relayed in the Gospels of Luke and Matthew. "He sent them out to proclaim the Kingdom of God and to heal and instructed them "Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those suffering from leprosy, drive out devils. “Heal the ill… You received without charge, give with-out charge. Cosmas and Damien appear to have been especially revered for adhering to this latter teaching, which was rarely followed by others. They saw in every patient a brother or sister in Christ. These two saints are venerated in the East as the “moneyless ones,” (anargyroi in Greek -anargyroi literally means “without silver”), because they prac-ticed medicine without ever charging their patients a fee. They are said to have been the first to transplant a limb. The Miracle of the ‘black leg,’ when a persecu-tion against Christians broke out, Cosmas and Damien, after refusing to worship the Roman idols, had survived several devious means of torture and death, and were finally beheaded in the year 303 along with three of their other brothers.They, along with Saint Luke, are the three physician saints cited in the canon of the mass.

Scriptures

Luke 10:25-16:17 - The Parable of the Good Samari-tan. On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inher-it eternal life?” “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?” He answered, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neigh-bor as yourself.”“You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this

and you will live.” But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbour?” Christ then delivered the parable of the Good Samaritan; Christ’s allegory of compassion and self-lessness in the context of providing healing care for the helpless, the injured and afflicted. As doctors we have the opportunity treat every patient as our neighbour.Luke 6:31 "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you" commonly known as "The Golden Rule," “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you?”But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the most high, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. As Doctors we must empathize with each pa-tient equally do not be offended when patients blame you.Matthew 10:38 “Anyone who does not take up his cross and follow me is not worthy of me”Luke 14:27 “And whoever does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.”Every time we fail as surgeons or have difficulties /complications, do not get discouraged. We are called to carry the cross and perform our work to the best of our ability. If a surgeon says he/she has no complication?! They are not telling the truth. Mark 12:30 Love God “with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.” In fact, Christians cannot claim to love God if they don’t actively love other people as well. “If some-one says, ‘I love God’ and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen. We as doctors /surgeons are very privileged to be given the opportunity to follow the above teachings daily with every patient?

Mark 12:41-44 The Widow’s offering - Many rich people threw in large amounts. But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents. Jesus seeing this said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything- all she had to live on” We as doctors/ surgeons have experienced the gratitude of many patients and we are blessed to receive such gratitude especially from people who do not have much.

Surgeons

The term Surgery - from the Greek word Chirurg-iameaning “hand work”. It is defined as the medical specialty that treats diseases or injuries by operative, manual and instrumental treatment. It is a lot more than that! Surgeons are action-oriented perfectionists with little tolerance for ambiguity, and we tend to push ourselves to the limits of our stamina and personal comfort. It is claimed that a common, perhaps inevi-table, by-product of this is behaviour that is arrogant by usual societal standards. As a surgeon you have to have a controlled self-confidence (arrogance). If it's uncontrolled, you kill people, but you have to be pretty confident to saw through a person's chest, take out their heart and be-lieve you can fix it. Then, when you succeed and the pa-tient survives, you pray, because it's only by the grace of God that you get there. At one time or another every surgeon may have felt a bit like god. This is only an illu-sion. The more experienced you are the more you real-ize how human you are. Most important qualities for a surgeon are dexterity, maturity, wisdom and “undisturbed cool-ness which have to be acquired over a long period of time. Faith & belief in a divine power and the scriptures guides 1a surgeon in everyday life.

“The catholic identity of the medical doctor is to be the transmittance of the Healing Christ.”

“For they preach but they do not practice” (Matthew 23,3)

Health relatedIssues in Sri Lanka

By Dr. Maxie FernandopulleEmail:[email protected]:[email protected]

“Saints Scriptures and Surgeons”From the text of the oration at Catholic Doctors Guild


Dignity of divine worship The Lord gave Moses very detailed instructions con-cerning the dignity to be ac-corded divine worship. “Speak to the people of Israel, that they take for me an offering; from every man whose heart makes him willing you shall receive the offering for me. “And this is the offering which you shall receive from them: Gold, silver and bronze, blue and purple and scarlet stuff and fine twined linen, goat’s hair, tanned ram’s skins, goat-skins, acacia wood, oil for the lamps, spices for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense, onyx stones and stones for set-ting, for the ephod and for the breast piece. And let them make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell in their midst” (Ex. 25: 2-8). The specifications for the construction of the taberna-cle, the Ark of the Covenant and the altar were clearly laid down by the Lord. He gave Moses guidelines for sacred utensils and priestly vestments. He ex-plained the rites of preparation for sacrificial victims. He listed the feasts to be celebrated. God named the tribe and the people who would exercise the priestly function (cf. ibid. 25: 9 ff). There on Mount Sinai God taught His Chosen People how to respect the objects used in His cult. The problem was that the Jews were continually being influenced by the pagan religions all around them. God wanted to give His people a pro-found respect for the sacred. Since God alone is holy, faith in Him is shown in an authentic worship. In the New Testament, our Lord Jesus Christ under-lined those teachings with a new spirit. His zeal for the House of God is fundamental to the Good News. By throwing the

merchants out of the Temple, Jesus left no room for doubt about His meaning. He was will-ing to use strong words in His preaching on this subject: “Do not give dogs what is holy; and do not throw your pearls before swine” (Mt. 7:6).

Denial of the sacred God deserves noth-ing but the best since He is the Lord and Creator of heaven and earth. Does the prevailing cul-ture reflect the highest worship due to God? In some countries, there seem to be an almost ubiq-uitous denial of the sacred and the divine in our contemporary world. In our day, a very false opinion is popularised which holds that the sense of religion implanted in men by nature is to be regarded as something adventitious or imaginary and hence, is to be rooted complete-ly from the mind as altogether inconsistent with the spirit of our age and the progress of civilization (St. John XXIII Pope, Encyclical, Mater et Magistra, 214). Just last week, the doc-toral dissertation of Stephen Hawking was made available to the public online via Cambridge University’s webpage. Swamped by the volume of curious intel-lectuals who wanted to read his thesis, the download frenzy trig-gered a breakdown of the web-site. In that doctoral thesis, his exposition on the ‘Properties of Expanding Universes’, clinches with the conclusion that there is no God, no heaven, nothing sacred. How striking it is to note that the propagators of these ideas, who claim to be themselves so highly cultured and scientific, receive with such credulity the prognostications of science. Everybody believes

that there is ‘Someone’ ruling the universe, ‘Someone’ who is not bound by human knowledge or technology. Indeed, they have no faith, but they do have super-stitions (St. J. Escrivá, The Way, 587). In the book, ‘The God Delusion’, the English biologist Richard Dawkins contends that a supernatural creator almost certainly does not exist and that belief in a personal God quali-fies as a delusion. He has be-come a multimillionaire from selling books denying the exis-tence of God. But when he was confronted with the question why is there life and where did the first living cell come from, he said it was probably brought to earth by some aliens! He be-lieves in aliens, we believe in God. Pope Benedict XVI was right. There are some so-called scientists and learned people who do not believe in God but they do believe in aliens and su-perstitions. Either we believe in God or we are going to fall into believing in creator aliens.

God transcends science The Church transmits to us the Divine Revelation that there is a God: He is our one and only Lord. He is the Creator of everything that exists. The de-nial of God’s existence makes it impossible to account for the origin of the universe. Dan Brown’s latest novel Origin pits creationism against science, casting doubts about a Creator. Surprisingly, people spend dollars on books that deny God while economis-ing from buying books about God. In any case, neither Dan Brown, Hawking nor Dawkins could measure God. Why is this so? Science is the study of

the physical and natural world. But God, by definition, is not lim-ited by the physical world: He transcends it. In fact, God lives outside time and space. There-fore, a physical detection of us-ing scientific measurements is not possible. The question of God’s existence transcends the realm of natural science. Yet, they take an illegal jump from physical science to metaphysi-cal science. Foul play. But God, in fact, exists and He intervenes in the his-tory of the world and of human-ity. The proofs are not scientific theories but written accounts of real encounters between God and men. He called on to the Patriarchs lead His people; He spoke with them. Moses, for instance, was chosen and in-structed on how to render due worship to Him. In the fullness of time, Jesus, the Son of God, came to consummate the Divine Revelation and redemption.

Christian liturgy The Church safeguards the faith in the one God and con-tinues Jesus’ salvific mission. The fruits of the redemption is transmitted to the Christian faithful through the liturgical re-newal of the Paschal Mysteries. Thus, she has given us detailed instructions for the practice of divine cult and worship. These guidelines are an expression of the Church’s love and honour for God. Faith and love for God translates into loving the Chris-tian liturgy. The public worship which is due to God is offered by the Mystical Body of Christ, that is, by its head and by its members. The liturgy as the sa-cred action par excellence is the summit toward which the activ-ity of the Church is directed and it is likewise the font from which all her power flows. Through

the liturgy, Christ continues the work of our redemption in, with and through His Church. This affirmation does not need a lot of demonstra-tion. It is enough to remember that the liturgy is the sacramen-tal mediation of the mystery of Christ, source of all sanctity. Only through liturgical celebra-tions can the Christian enter in contact with the Paschal Mys-tery of Christ, the sacramental expression of which is the lit-urgy. Vatican Council II also teaches that “the liturgy is the summit toward which the ac-tivity of the Church is directed” (Sacrosanctum Concilium, 10). If we take into account that the apostolic activity of the Church has as its primordial end the sanctification of its faithful, we can affirm with certainty that the liturgy is, also, the summit of the spiritual life because, besides initiating the Christian into the process of communion with Christ and His Spirit, it leads to the fulfillment of the Paschal Mystery in his life, i.e. his identification with Jesus who died and is risen for our salvation. From the liturgy and especially from the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist, as from a font, grace is poured forth upon us; and the sanctification of men in Christ and the glorification of God, to which all other activi-ties of the Church are directed as toward their end, is achieved in the most efficacious possible way (ibid., 14). God is so accessible. We can have an encounter with Him in the Christian liturgy. Let us, therefore, strive to practice our faith through active par-ticipation in the sacrifice of the Holy Mass and other sacramen-tal celebrations.

LIVING FAITHRev. Fr. Daniel Icatlo

Faith in God and Authentic Worship

“They tie up heavy burdens (hard to carry) and lay them on people’s shoulders” (Matthew 23,4)

Last Sunday Pope Francis reflected on Jesus’ com-mand to love God above all things and your neigh-

bour as yourself, saying that it is in the Eucharist that we receive the grace to carry this out. “God, who is Love, has created us to make us part of His life, to be loved and to love Him, and to love all other people with Him. This is God’s ‘dream’ for man. And in order to accomplish it we need His grace, we need to receive in us the ability to love that comes from God himself,” he said. “For this reason Jesus offers Himself to us in the Eucharist,” the Holy Father said before leading the An-gelus with around 30,000 people in St. Peter’s Square. “In it we receive His Body and His Blood, that is, we receive Jesus in the best expression of His love, when He has offered Himself to the Father for our salvation.” Pope Francis reflected on Sunday’s short, but very important Gospel passage from St. Matthew in his brief message. In the Gospel passage, a Pharisee asks Je-sus what, among the more than 600 Jewish laws, is the greatest. And Jesus, not hesitating at all, answers: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with your entire mind. And love your neighbour as yourself.” The Ten Commandments, which were commu-nicated directly to Moses by God, are a covenant with

the people. And in his answer, Jesus wants to make it clear that without love of God and neighbour there is no true fidelity to this covenant with the Lord, the Pope pointed out. In answering this question, Jesus is trying to help the Pharisees understand the proper order and importance of things and how all other laws depend on these two. “What Jesus proposes on this evangelical page is a wonderful ideal that corresponds to the most au-thentic desire of our heart,” he said. “In fact, that we have been created to love and to be loved.” Pope Francis emphasised that we can do many good things, follow all the laws, but if we do not have love it is useless. This is how Jesus lived

In the Eucharist we receive the grace to love

His life: Preaching and performing works always with what is essential, that is, love. “Love gives mo-mentum and fecundity to life and to the journey of faith: Without love, both life and faith remain ster-ile.” In fact, even if we have known the command-ment to love from the time we were children, we must never stop trying to con-form ourselves to this law, putting it into practice in

whatever situation we find ourselves in, he concluded.

As we try to live out this commandment to love, we

can turn to the Blessed Virgin Mary for help, he said: The Holy Virgin

helping us to welcome into our lives the ‘great commandment’ of love of God and

of neighbour. CNA News


“but they will not lift a fi nger to move them” (Matthew 23,4)

The month of November as we know is dedicated to the Holy Souls in Purgatory. The Church commemorates all her faithful children who

have departed from this life, and being found in need of expiating venial sins and imperfections of the soul, before they are deemed worthy to experience the beatific vision of God and the joys of heaven are consigned to Purgatory. St. Paul warns us that we must not be ignorant concerning the dead, nor sorrowful, “even as others who have no hope ... For the Lord Himself with a cry of command, with the Archangel’s call and the sound of God’s trumpet shall come down from heaven ... and the dead who are in Christ shall rise first. .. and so we will be with the Lord forever (1Thess:4:16-17) All those born into this world will be confronted with the four last things at the inevitable end of their life span, first of which is death the preparation for which must commence from the moment of birth, followed by Judgment, Heaven, Purgatory being an intermediate place of atonement before being found worthy of Heaven (eternal life) or condemned to Hell (eternal death). Jesus in Holy Scripture says, “Therefore stay awake for you do not know on which day the Lord will come. Be sure of this if the master of the house had known the hour of night when the thief was coming he would have stayed awake ..... so too you must be prepared and ready for the Son of Man will come at an hour you do not expect” (Mt.24:42-44) Thomas ‘a Kempis the writer of the “Imitation of Christ” in his twenty third chapter titled ‘’Thoughts of death” says, “If you ever see a man die remember that you too must go the same way. In the morning consider that you may live till evening and when evening comes do not dare to promise yourselves the dawn. Be always ready, therefore, and so live that death will not take you unprepared. Many die suddenly and unexpectedly for in the unexpected hour the Son of God will come. When that last moment arrives you will begin to have quite a different opinion of the life that is now entirely past, and you will regret very much that you were so careless and remiss”. In this socio-cultural milieu in which we live and in this modern day and age when we are beset with so many overwhelming challenges, pressures and complexities that impinge on our time and attention

brought about with the technological advancements, modern man has become addicted to secularism, consumerism and hedonism with little or no time left to devote to or reflect upon the needs of the soul and for spiritual development, and being so engrossed in the daily mundane affairs of life, which quite often results in leaving them unprepared when overtaken by sudden death, and sadly deprived of spiritual consolations made available through the sacraments of the Church. Bishop Fulton Sheen in his book “Peace of Soul” chapter 11:3 commenting on this situation faced by modern man says, “what makes an unstable society is not the fact that people do not have enough, but that they always want more. There is no limit to human demands, once the earth is made the be all and the end all of living; soon people are willing to use every means available to possess as much of it as they can win. The real cause of such unbounded lust for what is often called “security” is fear of the eternal void within. Never before in history was the Gospel warning about God and Mammon as clearly fulfilled as today - for the soul that has lost God must worship Mammon”. “The terrifying aspect of the gift of human freedom is that it leaves wide open the option of rejecting God” (Fr. Wade Menezes - Daily Catholic Mass on EWTN 22.10.17). It is therefore very appropriate in this context to reflect upon the words of St. Alphonsus De Liguori who speaks of the value of time in preparing for our departure making use of the sacrament of the present moment in his book (“Way of Salvation and of Perfection” meditation No. XX1V p. 53) wherein he says “Time is a treasure of inestimable value, because in every moment of time we may gain an increase of grace and eternal glory. In hell the lost souls are tormented with the thought and bitterly lament that there is now no more time in which to rescue themselves by repentance from eternal misery. What would they give but for one hour of time to save themselves from eternal damnation by an act of true sorrow. In heaven there is no grief; but if the blest could grieve they would do so for having lost so much time during life, in which they might have acquired greater glory, because time is no longer theirs when it will be said to them Go forth, Christian soul out of the world hasten to be gone for now there is no time

Refl ections on death and remembrance of the Holy Souls’

“Out of the depths I cry to You, O Lord; O Lord hear my voice” Ps: 129for thee” The Church has always taught us to pray for those who have gone into eternity. Even in the Old Testament prayers and alms were offered for the souls of the dead by those who thought “well and religiously concerning the resurrection”. It was believed that “they who had fallen asleep with godliness had great grace laid up for them” and that “it is therefore a holy and wholesome thought to pray for the dead, that they may be loosed from sins.” We know that a defiled soul cannot enter into heaven. Duration of Purgatory Purgatory is not eternal. Its duration varies according to the sentence pronounced at each particular judgment. It may be prolonged for centuries in the case of the more guilty souls, or of those who, being excluded from the Catholic communion, are deprived of the suffrages of the Church, although by divine mercy they have escaped hell. But at the end of the world, which will be also the end of time, will close forever the place of temporary expiation. God will know how to reconcile His justice and His goodness in the purification of the last members of the human race, and to supply by the intensity of the expiatory suffering what may be wanting in duration. At the universal judgment, every sentence, whether for heaven or for hell, will be absolute, and will be executed immediately and completely. Offering Prayers and Sacri�ices The Church Suffering and the Church Militant constitute in their relations a second circle of most vital activities. Having entered into the night “wherein no man can work,” the Suffering Church cannot ripen to its final blessedness by any efforts of its own, but only through the help of others-through the intercessory prayers and sacrifices (suffragia) ofthose living members of the Body of Christ who being still in this world are able in the grace of Christ to perform expiatory works. The Church has from the earliest times faithfully guarded the words of Scripture that it is a holy and a wholesome thing to pray for the dead that they may be loosed from their sins. [2 Macab. 12, 43] The suppliant cry of her liturgy: “Eternal rest give to them, 0 Lord, and let

Ridley Casie Chitty

Certain months of the year are naturally highlighted with some kind of a

special note. For instance, the month of May is attributed to the Blessed Mother Mary while the recitation of the Rosary is associated with the month of October. December is the month of Christmas. February is considered the shortest due to its number of days compared to other months, sometimes it is obvious that people (including the Christian faithful even) do not intend to decide their important events in their life journey due to some kind of pessimistic mentality. November as a month is considered the month of the dead. The departed dear ones are in a special way remembered prayerfully, thus it invites us to ponder over the dead. November is coupled with certain other aspects such as Almsgiving in remembering the dead, Catholic cemetery is thought of and the number of holy masses offered for them. Surprisingly, a sort of devotion in relation to their deceased near and dear ones is generated at once. Holy mass is to be marked since it is the source and the summit of Christian life. Thus, through the active participation in the Holy Eucharist, the Christian vocation derived from the Sacrament of Baptism could be more and more strengthened. Sometimes, the month of November is made to relate to the daily routine of the faithful as if it is not related at all with the gift of faith. Almsgiving in honour of the deceased is a noble act, yet the same act could be surpassed by the due

respect and love shown to them in their earthly career. Perhaps there is no harm of interpreting Almsgiving as a result of the effort made to console their voice-out and troubled hearts. Their purposefully neglected duties toward the deceased would echo in their lives. Almsgiving could be also another turning point - to a great function which attracts people to make merry with eating and drinking. When it occurs, the sole purpose of the act would be in vain, thereby the same act is always questionable. If the genuine intention in the process of organizing the act of almsgiving is contained solely basing upon the need of the recipient, then undoubtedly it would be a pleasant offering before God the Father. Good deeds of this sort is not expected to be restricted only to the month of November, it has to be exercised throughout the year. Catholic cemetery simultaneously becomes the centre of attention especially in November. In fact, this is a pathetic situation, where as the faithful are expected to pay their due respect to their deceased dear ones very often, yet, it is not prohibited to be visited in other months too. Frequent visits to the grave-yard of the near and dear ones with a short prayer always depict the due respect and love to the departed. The tendency is obviously visible to neglect and abandon the cemetery in all other months except in November. What is outwardly visible in a way leads us to ponder over our spiritual

strengths at certain moments in life. Strictly speaking, death embraces a real meaning in the Victorious Resurrection of Jesus Christ. The Resurrection is further approved and certified not with the mere empty tomb but with the solid Heavenly Message. “ ... He has been raised, he is not here” (Mk. l6:6). Resurrection is indeed a mystery of faith, Jesus’ Resurrection is not the life given back to his dead body, yet undoubtedly it is the Glorious Body which surpasses Time and Space (Catechism of the Catholic Church No.645), it invites the faithful to the Eternal Life (Jn.6:54, 1 Cor. 15:12-14). John Donne, an English poet challenges death in one of his poems called “Death”, he mentions, ‘Death one day you will die’. Undoubtedly this expression is situated in the context of Jesus’ Resurrection. Death is a true phenomenon of life, yet in our faith, it is not the ‘full stop’, but a ‘comma’, since it is the Gate-way to the Life-Eternal. For a Christian anointed with the Sacrament of Baptism, death is very optimistic since it combines us to the Divine Presence (Catechism of the Catholic Church 1010). “For to me, living is Christ and dying is gain” (Phil. 11:21). It could be notably recommended that the dead are to be remembered with the due respect throughout the year though they are given a special attention in November. “Then he called his son Tobias, and when he came to him he said, ‘My son, when I die, give me a proper burial.

Honour your mother and do not abandon her all the days of her life” (Tobit 4:3). It could be cultivated as a regular custom / part and parcel of life. Prayerful remembrance is indeed vital and thus it holds a great value when it receives a special segment of Christian identity. Also, the act of almsgiving organized on behalf of them would be definitely pleasant before God the Father if it is solely based upon a genuine and clear motivation focused on the need of the recipient. Necessary steps are to be taken to maintain the genuine purpose of the act without allowing it to be turned into “another big merry-making opportunity”. The act of almsgiving could be surpassed by the sense of genuine love and respect shown to them in their earthly career. Hence, the commemoration of the faithful departed on 2nd of November each year, is to be embraced with its true meaning. November too, with its special emphasis on death would undoubtedly challenge each Christian who is baptised in order to check and re-check his/her own value system and attitudes in relation to the gift of faith. An authentic way of life is to be constantly strengthened with the gentle reminder given to each one of us to be more and more selfless and other- centred.

The dead are remembered in November ...Rev. Fr. lndra Ratnasiri Fernando

Parish Priest, Kalutara, Kalamulla

(Contd on Pg. 10)


“All their works are performed to be seen” (Matthew 23,5)

The church is the place where the faithful gather to offer God worship, especially by

the celebration of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. It is there too that they come to receive most of the Sacra-ments. The church is therefore a holy place. It is blessed or conse-crated by the Church. It is kept clean and tidy. Precisely because of the sacred purpose for which a church is used, the faithful throughout the ages have taken pains to make the churches architecturally elegant and to embellish them with statues, paintings, carvings, stained-glass windows, etc. Another place where the faithful gather, but after death, is the graveyard or cemetery. It is here that their mortal remains are in-terred. It is the earthly resting place of the bodies of the faithful. They are bodies of persons who had become children of God by Baptism, called ‘saints’ in the early Church, since they had sacramentally initiated

God’s Acre

Canon 1240 §1. Where possible, the Church is to have its own cemeteries, or at least an area in public cemeteries which is duly blessed and reserved for the deceased faithful.

§2. If, however, this is not possible, then individual graves are to be blessed in due form on each occasion.

Canon 1241 §1. Parishes and religious institutes may each have their own cemetery.

§2. Other juridical persons or families may each have their own special cem-etery or burial place which, if the local

Ordinary judges accordingly, is to be blessed. Canon 1242 Bodies are not to be buried in churches, unless it is a question of the Roman Pontiff or of Cardinals or, in their proper Churches, of diocesan Bishops even retired. Canon 1243 Appropriate norms are to be en-acted by particular law for the man-agement of cemeteries, especially in what concerns the protection and

the fostering of their sacred character.

Cemetery, a Sacred Place according Canon Law

1. What was the old law? “The bodies of the faithful de-parted must be buried and their crema-tion is reprobated” (can. 1203§1, 1917 Code of Canon Law). Thus up to 1963, the burning of the corpse as a way of burial was strictly forbidden. If they had been cremated, their ashes could not be preserved in a blessed cemetery (the Holy Of�ice, 19 June 1926).

2. Why did the Church oppose cremation? The Church feared that crema-tion might deny faith in the resurrection and lessen reverence for the body as a member of Christ and temple of the Holy Spirit.

3. How was the old law modi�ied later? On May 8, 1963, the Holy Office modified the law. Cremation was permit-ted only for the disposal of bodies in time of pestilence, natural disaster, or other grave public necessity.

4. What is the present position? Now cremation could be allowed for any sound reason, provided the request is not motivated by a denial of Christian dogmas and hatred of the Catholic Church. “The Church earnestly recom-mends that the pious custom of buri-al be retained; but it does not forbid cremation, unless this is chosen for reasons which are contrary to Chris-

tian teaching” (can. 1176§3, 1983 Code of Canon Law). Thus the present Canon Law rec-ommends burial but permits cremation, provided that it does not imply a denial of faith in the resurrection of the body.

Is Cremation permitted to Catholics?

IntroductionDoes God exist? Who has seen Him? Not I, nor anyone else. Can we accept what no one has seen ? One may ask another question. Who has seen the wind? Is it white or black or red or yellow or blue or green? Does the wind exist?

Do atoms exist? Who saw them that, day, or was Hiroshima a Japanese hallucination or an invention to promote anti-American propaganda?

Once I dreamed a dream. It seemed to me that I was in the Eternal City, before the great Basilica of St. Peter. Visitors were streaming in through the great square. ‘There was one man who seemed to take special interest in the magnificent structure. I approached him. “ Friend” said I, “ Do you know who made this?” “Made” he exclaimed in astonish-ment. “ No one made it, it is there.” “No one made it!” I said with equal surprise, “ how then is it there ? “ “ Why “ replied he, “ it rests there, resting on the earth.

And I have made a chemical analysis of the stones and mortar etc. etc. that com-pose it. I found no maker in them. They explain themselves.” “But, my friend” said I, “if no one made it, how did it come into existence ? It was not there, say 2000 years ago. Who brought the stones and mortar together? Who put them into this particular shape of a magnificent

building? Why is it a Church rather than a hotel or theatre ? Why is it on the tomb of St. Peter rather than on that of Julius Caesar?” “O,” retorted he, “ the answer

is very simple. Here were the most fa-vourable conditions; the stones from the mountains and elsewhere, the mortar and cement, and water and all that was needed. And the forces of nature set all these in motion and they whirled and whirled, round and round, and one fine day out came St. Peter’s in Rome.” “Won-derful!” said I. He was a scientist. The scene changed. I was in the British Museum. There were many re-search students. One was poring over an ancient volume of Shakespeare. I was interested. “A wonderful man, that William Shakespeare.” Wasn’t he?” said I approaching him with much rever-ence. “Man! William Shakespeare!” he

snapped. “What do you mean? There was no man called William Shake-speare” “What?” “No man called William Shakespeare “ said I with indignation. “Who then wrote those plays ?” “Why” said he “No one,” “No one!” I gasped, “then how did those plays come out?” “O, is that what you want to know?” said he very much amused. “Look here.” And he

made me peer into a kaleidoscope “You see these different colours. The kaleido-scope is made to turn and the colours combine in the most wonderful way. In the same way did these plays come out. You have the letters of the alphabet. By unknown forces these revolved and re-volved during centuries. Various combi-nations were made. And one fine day the

so called Shakespeare’s plays came out.” “Most wonderful” said I bewildered and confounded with astonishment. He was a research student. The scene changed again. I was in Moscow, in the Red Square. There was a countless multitude of people listen-

ing with rapt attention; A great orator was speaking. “Ours is a new world,” he cried. “In it there is no place for God. We have removed him out of the mists of an-tiquity. And that myth of creation ?” he laughed a mighty laugh. “Why do you want a creation? Apply the philosophy of Marx and this world is explained. There was energy: thesis; there was matter: antithesis. There was con-flict between the two: chaos. The result was synthesis: this world.” There was a thunderous applause. Thesis, antithesis, synthesis: magic words that explained everything. What need for further com-ment... As the uproar died down, a clock started striking. I looked. There stood a great clock before me. It was twelve noon. As I gazed at the dial I wondered if the wheels of that clock were not the the-sis, and the hands the antithesis, which made the clock the synthesis, without the need of any clock-maker. But the continued striking woke me up. It was the clock in my own room striking the midnight hour. I rubbed my eyes hard. I tried to think. St. Peter’s was built according to a plan for a special purpose. The chemical composition of the stones alone cannot explain it. The mind that planned had to exist. Shake-speare’s plays are not a mere unintelli-gent combination of letters. They have meaning, a theme. Then the intellect that thought them out existed. No amount of shibboleths of thesis and antithesis and synthesis could explain a clock without a clockmaker .... Could then the Universe have come into existence without a Mak-er ?.... the words of the Psalmist came to my mind: “The fool hath said in his heart: there is no God.” (Ps. xiii.1)

God: Does He Exist?

CCC on Respect for the Dead

2299 - The dying should be given at-tention and care to help them live their last moments in dignity and peace. They will be helped by the prayer of their relatives, who must see to it that the sick receive at the proper time the sacraments that prepare then to meet the living God.

2300 - The bodies of the dead must be treated with respect and charity, in faith and hope of the Resurrection. The burial of the dead is a corporal work of mercy; (Cf. Tob 1: 16-18) it honours the children of God, who are temples of the Holy Spirit.

2301 - Autopsies can be morally per-mitted for legal inquests or scientific re-search. The free gift of organs after death is legitimate and can be meritorious. The Church permits crema-tion, provided that it does not demonstrate a denial of faith in the resurrection of the body.

By Msgr. W. L. A. Don Peter

By Thomas Cardinal Cooray

Where the Saints Rest

The blessing and burial of Pope John Paul II

their ‘sainthood” and were on their way to its fulfilment during life. Even those who had grievously sinned after Baptism had the means (Sacrament of Reconciliation) to recover their ‘sainthood’. The cemetery where the ‘saints’ lie buried is therefore

holy ground, ‘God’s acre.’ It behoves us therefore to treat the cemetery too with respect and reverence, to keep it clean and tidy, and visit it from time to time. The purpose of such visits would be, first to pray for the dead, and sec-ondly to remind ourselves that one day we too would have to join those who lie buried there, and therefore should live a life that would make us worthy of being numbered among God’s ‘saints.’

Proper Care of our Cemeteries A question we should ask our-selves is to what extent we pay attention to the care of our cemeteries. If you go round visiting Catholic cemeteries, I am afraid you will have to come to the sad conclusion that there are many of them that are not proper-ly tended. Look round, and you will notice,

too, that other Christian Churches gener-ally look after their cemeteries much better than we do. Some of the Catholic cemeteries have no fences or walls to keep off animals that stray into them. Some are covered with weeds and shrubs. In some, creepers of all kinds find the crosses a support for them to climb up for the purpose of getting the sun, covering up the crosses in the meantime. Of course when All Souls’ Day comes round each year, the cemetery is cleaned up for its annual blessing, but, like the church, it should be kept tidy throughout the year. It should be a place the faithful will find it pleasant to visit, and such visits should be encouraged. A Mass in the cemetery, not only on All Souls’ Day, but at regular inter-vals during the year, will not only help to-wards keeping the cemetery clean, but also will give the faithful opportunity to pray for the dead, while reminding themselves of the inescapable fact of their own death, for which they should prepare themselves. May be there could be a special church committee for the specific pur-pose of looking after the cemetery of each church. The Church’s concern for the burial place of its faithful is seen in the directives it gives regarding cemeteries (Can. 1240-1243). Canon 1243 says: “Appropriate norms are to be enacted by particular law for

the management of cemeteries, especially in what concerns the protection and the foster-ing of their sacred character.” Parish visit of the diocesan bishop should naturally include the cemetery as well.

Hiroshima and Nagasaki

St. Peter’s Square, Vatican

The British Museum

The Red Square, Moscow

The Universe


“All their works are performed to be seen” (Matthew 23,5)

The church is the place where the faithful gather to offer God worship, especially by

the celebration of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. It is there too that they come to receive most of the Sacra-ments. The church is therefore a holy place. It is blessed or conse-crated by the Church. It is kept clean and tidy. Precisely because of the sacred purpose for which a church is used, the faithful throughout the ages have taken pains to make the churches architecturally elegant and to embellish them with statues, paintings, carvings, stained-glass windows, etc. Another place where the faithful gather, but after death, is the graveyard or cemetery. It is here that their mortal remains are in-terred. It is the earthly resting place of the bodies of the faithful. They are bodies of persons who had become children of God by Baptism, called ‘saints’ in the early Church, since they had sacramentally initiated

God’s Acre

Canon 1240 §1. Where possible, the Church is to have its own cemeteries, or at least an area in public cemeteries which is duly blessed and reserved for the deceased faithful.

§2. If, however, this is not possible, then individual graves are to be blessed in due form on each occasion.

Canon 1241 §1. Parishes and religious institutes may each have their own cemetery.

§2. Other juridical persons or families may each have their own special cem-etery or burial place which, if the local

Ordinary judges accordingly, is to be blessed. Canon 1242 Bodies are not to be buried in churches, unless it is a question of the Roman Pontiff or of Cardinals or, in their proper Churches, of diocesan Bishops even retired. Canon 1243 Appropriate norms are to be en-acted by particular law for the man-agement of cemeteries, especially in what concerns the protection and

the fostering of their sacred character.

Cemetery, a Sacred Place according Canon Law

1. What was the old law? “The bodies of the faithful de-parted must be buried and their crema-tion is reprobated” (can. 1203§1, 1917 Code of Canon Law). Thus up to 1963, the burning of the corpse as a way of burial was strictly forbidden. If they had been cremated, their ashes could not be preserved in a blessed cemetery (the Holy Of�ice, 19 June 1926).

2. Why did the Church oppose cremation? The Church feared that crema-tion might deny faith in the resurrection and lessen reverence for the body as a member of Christ and temple of the Holy Spirit.

3. How was the old law modi�ied later? On May 8, 1963, the Holy Office modified the law. Cremation was permit-ted only for the disposal of bodies in time of pestilence, natural disaster, or other grave public necessity.

4. What is the present position? Now cremation could be allowed for any sound reason, provided the request is not motivated by a denial of Christian dogmas and hatred of the Catholic Church. “The Church earnestly recom-mends that the pious custom of buri-al be retained; but it does not forbid cremation, unless this is chosen for reasons which are contrary to Chris-

tian teaching” (can. 1176§3, 1983 Code of Canon Law). Thus the present Canon Law rec-ommends burial but permits cremation, provided that it does not imply a denial of faith in the resurrection of the body.

Is Cremation permitted to Catholics?

IntroductionDoes God exist? Who has seen Him? Not I, nor anyone else. Can we accept what no one has seen ? One may ask another question. Who has seen the wind? Is it white or black or red or yellow or blue or green? Does the wind exist?

Do atoms exist? Who saw them that, day, or was Hiroshima a Japanese hallucination or an invention to promote anti-American propaganda?

Once I dreamed a dream. It seemed to me that I was in the Eternal City, before the great Basilica of St. Peter. Visitors were streaming in through the great square. ‘There was one man who seemed to take special interest in the magnificent structure. I approached him. “ Friend” said I, “ Do you know who made this?” “Made” he exclaimed in astonish-ment. “ No one made it, it is there.” “No one made it!” I said with equal surprise, “ how then is it there ? “ “ Why “ replied he, “ it rests there, resting on the earth.

And I have made a chemical analysis of the stones and mortar etc. etc. that com-pose it. I found no maker in them. They explain themselves.” “But, my friend” said I, “if no one made it, how did it come into existence ? It was not there, say 2000 years ago. Who brought the stones and mortar together? Who put them into this particular shape of a magnificent

building? Why is it a Church rather than a hotel or theatre ? Why is it on the tomb of St. Peter rather than on that of Julius Caesar?” “O,” retorted he, “ the answer

is very simple. Here were the most fa-vourable conditions; the stones from the mountains and elsewhere, the mortar and cement, and water and all that was needed. And the forces of nature set all these in motion and they whirled and whirled, round and round, and one fine day out came St. Peter’s in Rome.” “Won-derful!” said I. He was a scientist. The scene changed. I was in the British Museum. There were many re-search students. One was poring over an ancient volume of Shakespeare. I was interested. “A wonderful man, that William Shakespeare.” Wasn’t he?” said I approaching him with much rever-ence. “Man! William Shakespeare!” he

snapped. “What do you mean? There was no man called William Shake-speare” “What?” “No man called William Shakespeare “ said I with indignation. “Who then wrote those plays ?” “Why” said he “No one,” “No one!” I gasped, “then how did those plays come out?” “O, is that what you want to know?” said he very much amused. “Look here.” And he

made me peer into a kaleidoscope “You see these different colours. The kaleido-scope is made to turn and the colours combine in the most wonderful way. In the same way did these plays come out. You have the letters of the alphabet. By unknown forces these revolved and re-volved during centuries. Various combi-nations were made. And one fine day the

so called Shakespeare’s plays came out.” “Most wonderful” said I bewildered and confounded with astonishment. He was a research student. The scene changed again. I was in Moscow, in the Red Square. There was a countless multitude of people listen-

ing with rapt attention; A great orator was speaking. “Ours is a new world,” he cried. “In it there is no place for God. We have removed him out of the mists of an-tiquity. And that myth of creation ?” he laughed a mighty laugh. “Why do you want a creation? Apply the philosophy of Marx and this world is explained. There was energy: thesis; there was matter: antithesis. There was con-flict between the two: chaos. The result was synthesis: this world.” There was a thunderous applause. Thesis, antithesis, synthesis: magic words that explained everything. What need for further com-ment... As the uproar died down, a clock started striking. I looked. There stood a great clock before me. It was twelve noon. As I gazed at the dial I wondered if the wheels of that clock were not the the-sis, and the hands the antithesis, which made the clock the synthesis, without the need of any clock-maker. But the continued striking woke me up. It was the clock in my own room striking the midnight hour. I rubbed my eyes hard. I tried to think. St. Peter’s was built according to a plan for a special purpose. The chemical composition of the stones alone cannot explain it. The mind that planned had to exist. Shake-speare’s plays are not a mere unintelli-gent combination of letters. They have meaning, a theme. Then the intellect that thought them out existed. No amount of shibboleths of thesis and antithesis and synthesis could explain a clock without a clockmaker .... Could then the Universe have come into existence without a Mak-er ?.... the words of the Psalmist came to my mind: “The fool hath said in his heart: there is no God.” (Ps. xiii.1)

God: Does He Exist?

CCC on Respect for the Dead

2299 - The dying should be given at-tention and care to help them live their last moments in dignity and peace. They will be helped by the prayer of their relatives, who must see to it that the sick receive at the proper time the sacraments that prepare then to meet the living God.

2300 - The bodies of the dead must be treated with respect and charity, in faith and hope of the Resurrection. The burial of the dead is a corporal work of mercy; (Cf. Tob 1: 16-18) it honours the children of God, who are temples of the Holy Spirit.

2301 - Autopsies can be morally per-mitted for legal inquests or scientific re-search. The free gift of organs after death is legitimate and can be meritorious. The Church permits crema-tion, provided that it does not demonstrate a denial of faith in the resurrection of the body.

By Msgr. W. L. A. Don Peter

By Thomas Cardinal Cooray

Where the Saints Rest

The blessing and burial of Pope John Paul II

their ‘sainthood” and were on their way to its fulfilment during life. Even those who had grievously sinned after Baptism had the means (Sacrament of Reconciliation) to recover their ‘sainthood’. The cemetery where the ‘saints’ lie buried is therefore

holy ground, ‘God’s acre.’ It behoves us therefore to treat the cemetery too with respect and reverence, to keep it clean and tidy, and visit it from time to time. The purpose of such visits would be, first to pray for the dead, and sec-ondly to remind ourselves that one day we too would have to join those who lie buried there, and therefore should live a life that would make us worthy of being numbered among God’s ‘saints.’

Proper Care of our Cemeteries A question we should ask our-selves is to what extent we pay attention to the care of our cemeteries. If you go round visiting Catholic cemeteries, I am afraid you will have to come to the sad conclusion that there are many of them that are not proper-ly tended. Look round, and you will notice,

too, that other Christian Churches gener-ally look after their cemeteries much better than we do. Some of the Catholic cemeteries have no fences or walls to keep off animals that stray into them. Some are covered with weeds and shrubs. In some, creepers of all kinds find the crosses a support for them to climb up for the purpose of getting the sun, covering up the crosses in the meantime. Of course when All Souls’ Day comes round each year, the cemetery is cleaned up for its annual blessing, but, like the church, it should be kept tidy throughout the year. It should be a place the faithful will find it pleasant to visit, and such visits should be encouraged. A Mass in the cemetery, not only on All Souls’ Day, but at regular inter-vals during the year, will not only help to-wards keeping the cemetery clean, but also will give the faithful opportunity to pray for the dead, while reminding themselves of the inescapable fact of their own death, for which they should prepare themselves. May be there could be a special church committee for the specific pur-pose of looking after the cemetery of each church. The Church’s concern for the burial place of its faithful is seen in the directives it gives regarding cemeteries (Can. 1240-1243). Canon 1243 says: “Appropriate norms are to be enacted by particular law for

the management of cemeteries, especially in what concerns the protection and the foster-ing of their sacred character.” Parish visit of the diocesan bishop should naturally include the cemetery as well.

Hiroshima and Nagasaki

St. Peter’s Square, Vatican

The British Museum

The Red Square, Moscow

The Universe


“They widen their phylacteries and lengthen their tassels” (Matthew 23,5)

I was inspired to share with you an incident that made me come to

know the power of the word ‘Jesus’, very strongly. I shared this experience personally with many others, for the Glory of God. But, today I wish to bring to my mind that fearful experience on the night of May 19, 2010. Briefly, I will narrate this incident that happened seven years ago. Even three years after my mother’s death, I stayed alone in our house that my late husband Senerath and I built. It was raining that particular night. I was fast asleep when I felt a hand on my abdomen. As I opened my eyes, I saw a man standing near my bed in the dark. Instantly, I said, “Aiyo.” He then shouted in Sinhala, “Shut your mouth., I will kill you.” His fierce voice made me dumbstruck as he held my neck tightly. But with difficulty, I went on repeating

the name” “Jesus, Jesus, Jesus .....” non stop for about 10 minutes. Then, all of a sudden he released his grip and I heard him growl, “Give your jewellery, give your money.” Without a word, I removed my wedding ring, chain and together with Rs. 10,000/= I had kept inside a book for an emergency, I handed them to the assailant. He grabbed the jewellery and cash and left the house from the back door from where he had entered forcibly. As soon as he left, I knelt beside the picture of Jesus in my room and thanked Him from the depth of my heart for saving me. Though I was alone, to

my surprise I felt I was not alone. It dawned on me that the name of Jesus that I had uttered with faith may have kept me from fainting or even having a sudden heart attack. I have no doubt that the powerful name of ‘Jesus’ made the man leave me unharmed taking only the material valuables. The light that flooded the room at the mention of the name of Jesus where I was a virtual prisoner beside an unknown man. I also realised that it was the word ‘Jesus’ that had freed me miraculously from the clutches of a fearful man. I thank my God today for the desire to testify in this manner of the mighty love and power of Jesus in my life. May 19, 2010 was the last day that I stayed in our house at Katubedde. As a 75-year-old and a widow for the past 44 years, I admit that I wanted to stay in the house that we built, for the rest of my life. But, it was not God’s will

for me. I surrendered therefore to Jesus who is my everything and asked Him to take care of me. For the past seven years, I am in my cousin’s annexe at Moratuwa. Surrounded by their children and grand children who visit them often, they have given me their tender love and care over these years. I bless them all every day in the name of Jesus. With my immediate family members resting with the Lord, God chose for me a new home with lots of love, even from their pet dog and cat. Our house is just a walking distance from the Moratuwa Church. So, every morning I attend Holy Mass and receive the Holy Eucharist. I cannot thank my God enough for this special grace for me, a sinner touched by the love of God. “The Lord is my shepherd. I have everything” (Psalm 23:1).

Yvonne Amarasekera

The power of the Holy Name of Jesus

Letters

Silena Madhu It has often been stated that the name ‘Silena’ had been derived from a pious Lady named Helena, who arrived in Madhu as a refugee at the height of the Dutch persecution in Jaffna (mid 1658). Tradition has it that this name Helena in course of time turned to Santa-Lena and then to Silena. However, the late Fr. S.G. Perera S.J. completely refutes this theory, for, in a letter written personally on November 23, 1948 to the late Fr. A. J. B. Antoninus OMI,

Tes

t i m ony

The bells are ringing in the Chapel, calling us to pray. “Can you hear,” ask our Grandma. Come children

leave everything aside, kneel down and recite the ‘Angelus’. That was yesterday. Today - All gather around the TV, the interesting teledrama is at 6.30 pm, “come and enjoy.” We should be very attentive to the sound of the bells ringing in the Chapel, join and pray to the Angel of the Lord who brought the message to Mary, our mother. Let us remember to pray for the Souls of our grand parents.

Sheila Perera

The Angel of the Lord

declared unto Mary

Is it a necessity to read the names of

deceased in November 1. "All who die in God's grace and friendship, but still

imperfectly purified, are indeed assured of their eternal salvation; but after death they undergo purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven” (ccc # 1030).

2. "From the beginning the Church has honoured the memory of the dead and offered prayers in the suffrage for them, above all the Eucharistic sacrifice, so that thus purified may attain the beatific vision of God. The Church also commends almsgiving, indulgences and works of penance undertaken on behalf of the dead" (ccc # 1032).

3. In all Holy Masses, the Church through the faithful always prays both for the dead and the living.

4. In the liturgical year the Church has set aside the month of November in particular to pray for the dead.

5. There is no understanding that if and only the name of the deceased person is read out during the Mass that the soul is redeemed.

6. When a name is given to be read during Mass, the donor too should participate in the Mass.

7. In churches especially during November if a few names are given to be offered they could be read out. But in churches where there are many names, is it practical for these names to be read out in public?

8. Names of the deceased to be read may also be given to be read out on their birthdays and death anniversary day and not only during of November.

9. In every Holy Mass after the consecration there is a moment where the deceased person's name is read and after that, the sentence is thus as follows "remember also our brothers and sisters who have fallen asleep in the hope of resurrection and all who have died in your mercy welcome them into the light of your face.” At this moment all the dead are remembered whether their names are read out or not.

10. Therefore when a name is given and if the priest forgets or for some reason could not be read out, it does not mean that the soul has not benefitted. The donor of the name can remember that soul in prayer.

11. During November there is a custom in some churches where a box is placed in front of the altar and names of the deceased and monetary offerings are placed before Holy Mass and, at that particular moment of prayer within the Eucharistic Prayer there is a pause and the given names are remembered and prayed for by the donors.

Rev.Fr. Ignatius. L. Varnakulasingham

he states quite categorically that “this story of Silena being derived from Santa Helena is a fanciful derivation. For the term Silena had been used from much earlier times” (Chronicle of the Madhu Sanctuary - Fr. A.J.B. Antoninus pp 33”). Undoubtedly, Silena appears to be a personal name or a modification of the same. Down the ages, Madhu has been referred to as Chilaiyna Madhu, Cheleina Madhu, Slena Madhu, Sileyina-Madhu were in use long before Christianity came to the Vanni - even centuries earlier, dating back to the times when Mantai flourished as a great seaport and “Madhu a great paddy growing region” (The late Fr. Gnanaprakasar OMI, in an article to the ‘Catholic Messenger’ of July 1, 1924).

Roggy CoreraWattala

perpetual light shine upon them,” can be heard already in the Acts of the martyrdom of SS. Perpetua and Felicitas (A.D. 203) and is represented in numerous sepulchral inscriptions of the most ancient period, while theologians and Fathers of the Church, beginning with Tertullian, have supplied its substantial proof .... So fundamental indeed and so natural to man’s hope and desire and love is this belief, that historians of religion have discovered it among almost all non-Christian civilized peoples: a striking illustration of Tertullian’s saying that the human soul is naturally Christian. The Catholic, therefore, is jealous to expiate and suffer for the “poor souls” especially by offering the Eucharistic Sacrifice, wherein Christ’s infinite expiation-on the Cross is sacramentally represented, and stimulating and joining itself with the expiatory works of the faithful, passes to the Church Suffering according to the measure determined by God’s wisdom and mercy. God Lord of Mercies, grant to the souls of Your servants and handmaids, the place of refreshment, the bliss of eternal rest, and the splendour of Your light.

(Contd from Pg. 7)

Refl ections on death ... the annual Feast of St. Jude’s Shrine, Indigolla last Sun-day, His Eminence said that the Saints led a selfless life on this earth and were obedient to the plan that the Lord had for them. This was why their lives were very powerful. After the Holy Mass the statue of St. Jude and his Relic were taken in procession along the streets sur-rounding the Church.

Text & Pic: T. Sunil Fernando and Roshan Pradeep

(Contd from Pg. 1)

At Indigolla ...

depict the importance of celebrating the Jubilee. Since its inception in 1992 by the founding fathers, Rev. Fr. Marcus Ferdinandez and Rev. Fr. Sunil De Silva, the community has undoubtedly grown in both strength and spirituality over the years. Functioning amidst a multi religious backdrop, the unity and peace maintained by these pioneers and parishioners were reflected through the presence of such religious leaders for the Holy Mass as well. In commemoration of the Jubilee Ceremony, the newly constructed belfry, signifying a new beginning to the faithful of St. Jude’s Church, was declared open by His Lordship; a concept initiated by the previous Parish Priest, Rev. Fr. Tyrone Perera and Assistant Parish Priest Rev. Fr. Krishantha Jayashantha, propelled to success by the present Parish Priest Rev. Fr. Rohan De Alwis and Assistant Parish Priest, Rev. Fr. Dinush Gayan. The parishioners remember in a very special way all the past Shepherds who guided them to be responsible, dedicated and committed children of God. May God Bless Them All!

Editorial Committee, St. Jude’s Church, Mattegoda

(Contd from Pg. 1)

At Mattegoda ...


war which lasted two years end-ed in 1949. The Jewish State of Israel became more consolidated after this war. Another collective Arab attack on Israel called the ‘Six Day War’ in 1967 made Isra-elites acquire more Palestinian and Arab lands especially in the West Bank of River Jordan. The condition of the Palestinians in Israel and in the West Bank became worse after these wars. The lands acquired to form the State of Israel were earlier in the hands of the Muslims and Christians. After the formation of the new country the Palestinians were denied access to their homes. Israel is continuing to occupy the lands that they acquired during the Six Day War and they are restricting access to these lands which legally belong to the Palestinians. The Israeli State is building Jewish settlements in these territories in spite of the opposition of the majority of the coun-tries in the world. Palestinians are living as refugees in their own homeland. West Bank borders which were demarcated by the Jews themselves are controlled by the Israeli troops. Men, women and children are physically abused and tortured. Men, women and children are strip-searched when they cross the ‘borders’ in their own territories. Thousands of Palestinian men, women and children are imprisoned in Israeli jails without any trial. Israeli troops at random invade the Palestinian territories in Gaza and the West Bank, making random Palestinian attacks as an excuse, injuring, kidnapping and killing inhabitants. Desperate Palestinians in the Gaza Strip resort to firing crude homemade rockets into Israeli territory. They throw rocks at the Israeli troops. For the folly of a few Palestinians the Israeli troops retaliate imposing collective punishment on all the inhabitants of Gaza. Their houses are bombed and torn down. Ordinary men, women and children are shot and killed. Thousands are disabled and injured. According to a report published by the British aid organisation Oxfam, after an invasion of Gaza, an import and export ban was imposed on Gaza residents. “95% of Gaza’s industrial operations were suspended. Out of 35,000 people employed by 3,000 factories in June 2005, only 1,750 people remained employed by 195 factories in June 2007. By 2010, Gaza’s unemploy-ment rate had risen from 40% to 80% of the population living on less than two US dollars a day.” The supply of electricity, gasoline, food and medicines is rationed at the whims and fancies of the Israeli rulers. Unites Nations’ and the United States’ peace initiatives go unheeded by the government of Israel. The Two State solution agreed to by all parties is in jeopardy. The Israeli government does not want to give any relief to the suffering Palestinian population. They are of the outlook that the Palestinians are their natural enemies and they should be suppressed at any cost. The same attitude persisted when the ancestors of Israel invaded and conquered lands belonging to Canaanites, Philis-tines, Moabites, etc. almost 4000 years ago. In Exodus where the God of Israel, their own God, warns Moses and his descendents about the type of attitude they should have towards their vanquished enemy nations. God taught their fore-fathers how to treat them. The Lord said to Moses, “Tell the sons of Israel this, you must not molest the stranger or oppress him, for you lived as strangers in the land of Egypt. You must not be harsh with the widow, or with the orphan, if you are harsh with them, they will surely cry to me, and be sure I shall hear their cry; my anger shall flare and I shall kill you with the same sword. Your own wives will be widows, your children orphans” (Exodus 22-20-23).

‘Don’t take hasty decisions about nasty people

“Why are you in a sulky mood?” “I had an argument with my boss, Little Bird.” “Take it easy...Arguments arise everywhere...they are mostly temporary.” “But you don’t know our boss Little Bird...he is so impossible, very hard to work with.” “Yes... I know some people are very finicky and unjust. They try to intimidate and even humiliate others...it’s very difficult to work like a team in such an unpleasant background.” “My boss is trying to score marks by trying to put the others down... I am fed up.” “I know...working with such people is not easy. They defy logic and they do not understand the negative impact they create. They are blissfully engaged in deriving satisfaction from creating chaos and pushing other people’s buttons. All people are not of the same calibre. They differ in their thinking, their desires, motives and attitudes. Some people are truly toxic and it is very difficult to explain things to them. We get angry, disturbed and frustrated. It may be our work place, school, church community or even our family circles. Toxic people are everywhere.” “So what could we do?” “Keep calm and cool. Don’t give anyone the privilege of making you angry or upset. Some bosses are unjust and inefficient. They try to cover up their inadequacy by trying to put others down. Their false pride and erroneous minds have blinded their eyes to see things in the correct perspective. So instead of correcting themselves they try to highlight others’ mistakes. No point in arguing with such demented people. Trying to explain things won’t work. Learn to keep such toxic people at bay. Toxic people are not sensible and they may even behave like untamed animals. Such animals are unpredictable, harmful, poisonous and the damage they may cause is great. So, it is pointless preaching, pleading, teaching or explaining when you confront a wild animal. Keeping quiet in front of a wild animal is not cowardice but prudence. You try to understand your value and maintain your peace and undisturbed cool. This is the time where the real strength of your character is tested. The ability to manage your emotions and remain calm under pressure is the acid test of your psychological balance. Successful people know that it is important to live to fight another day, especially when you work with toxic fools. The more irrational and insensible someone is, the harder you must try to be careful of their traps. Distance yourself from them emotionally and approach your interactions logically. You cannot control insensible people, but you can control how you respond to them. You are a valuable person. If others do not realise your value then it is their problem. A gem should be in a crown. Foolish blind people kick gems. So, try to solve your problems regarding unreasonable people intelligently. But be prudent. Do not act in a hasty manner about nasty people. When they try to make you whine, you try to shine...for you are a gem!

Michael Angelo Fernando

BiTS &PiECES

By Ariel

Israeli – Palestinian Problem

“They love places of honor at banquets, seats of honor in synagogues” (Matthew 23,6)

The Israeli-Palestinian problem remains one of the burning issues of world politics. For the last 69 years this conflict has led to wars, peace negotia-

tions, annexations and blockades. The death toll caused by this conflict has been estimated at 14,500. But the amount of human suffering and afflictions of people could be counted in tens of thousands. For centuries the land belonging to the State of Israel was part of the Palestinian territories. A small group of Jews who were fed up of the plight of their peo-ple decided to reclaim their original land. According to the Old Testament this land was given to them by their God Himself. According to Exodus the Israelites invaded the then lands of Canaanites, Philistines and Moabites, etc. and annexed these territories and forged them to-gether as their own country. After a successful merger the land of the Jew-ish people prospered. The height of their power was when they were ruled by Kings David and Solomon. Around 900 BC the Jewish State was divided into two, Israel in the North and Judea in the South. Assyrians, Babylonians, Persians and finally the Romans invaded, conquered these lands and made this area into a mere province of their empires. During the life and time of Christ, Palestine was part of the mighty Roman Empire. The final blow to the Jewish territories was given by the Romans, when Hadrian’s army defeated the Jewish troops under Maccabeus who revolted against their Ro-man masters. His troops were exterminated. Jerusalem was renamed Aelia Capitolina and Judea was renamed Syria Palestina.

Diaspora These events led the Jewish community to flee from their own land to parts of the Roman Empire. Lat-er they ended up as communities in Babylonia, Persia, Spain, France, Germany, Poland and Russia. The Muslim conquest of the Palestinian land made their plight worse. The Christian Crusaders replaced the Muslim rule for about two centuries and the anti-Semitic sentiments of the Christians did not make their lives easier. Ultimately the Ottoman Empire conquered the Palestinian land in 1517. After the First World War according to a treatise signed by the victorious allies this land was handed over to the British Empire as their protectorate. It was with this background that the Jewish peo-ple abandoned their land and dispersed in alien coun-tries. In late 1880 a group of Jewish emigrants known as Zionists decided to form their own home land. Some of them suggested going back to Palestine, their own ancient country. They gradually immigrated to these ar-eas in the Middle East which were at that time owned by mainly Muslim inhabitants. When the Zionist immi-gration increased the indigenous people got alarmed and began to resist the Jewish immigrants. During the first decades of the 20th century the Nazi atrocities of Adolph Hitler put Jewish people into death camps. Mil-lions of Jews were executed. These atrocities made their pleas for a home land more relevant and urgent. The Western nations witnessing the situation after World War II carved out a piece of land which was part of the territory of Palestine and handed it over to the Jewish leaders as their own land. They named that part of the country, Israel. There were Palestinians with-in as well as outside the land of Israel. The Palestinian resistance was brutally repressed by the Israeli troops. They conducted 16 massacres and the most famous was the massacre of Deir Yassin, where more than 100 men, women and children were brutally killed. The scale of this massacre itself was sufficient to warn the Palestin-ians not to revolt against the Jewish government.

Palestinian Repression With the support of their neighbouring Muslim countries the Palestinians invaded Israel in 1947. This


“greetings in marketplaces, and the salutation ‘Rabbi’” (Matthew 23,7)

them in his carriage and dropped them at the church on August 15, 1917 when the people were at Holy Mass cel-ebrating the Feast of the Assumption. Satan’s efforts through the Mayor - Artur San-tos did not succeed. Our Lady appeared to the children on Sunday, August 19, 1917. On that day the children went to the Cova da Iria after Holy Mass, recited the Holy Rosary and returned to their home in Aljustrel. Af-ter lunch, Lucia was grazing her flock in Valinhos, near Aljustrel. Francisco and his elder brother, Joao were with her: Around 4 p.m. Lucia sensed the approach of Our Lady. There was a flash of the heralding light and Lucia sent Joao to fetch Jacinta who arrived in time for the second flash and the appearance of Our Lady on an-other holm-oak sapling. On this occasion too Lucia asked: “What do you want from me?” Our Lady replied: “I want you to con-tinue to come to the Cova da Iria on the thirteenth and to continue reciting the Rosary everyday. In the last month, in October, I will perform a miracle so that all may believe.” When Lucia asked Our Lady to cure the sick who had been recommended to her she said that some of them will be cured during the year, and looking very sad she said: “Pray, Pray very much and make sacri-�ices for sinners; for many souls go to hell because they have no one to pray and make sacri�ices for them.” When asked by Lucia what they should do with the money the people leave at the Cova, Our Lady had wanted part of it to be used to place a statue of Our Lady of the Rosary and the balance to construct a chapel. Our Lady took leave of her little friends and began to rise towards the east, as before. There was no light from her hands at this unscheduled Apparition. Joao (Francisco’s brother) who was present with them did not see or hear Our Lady. He only heard a noise that sounded like a rocket when she departed. The three children broke off the small branch on which Our Lady stood, and Jacinta along with Fran-cisco rushed home with the precious branch to tell their parents about the unexpected visit of Our Lady, while Lucia and Joao stayed back with the sheep. As usual, Lucia’s mother did not believe, but when Jacinta in-sisted that they saw her and showed her the precious branch saying, “Our Lady had one foot on this twig and the other on that one,” she asked Jacinta to give her the

• The Fourth Apparition

The Fourth Apparition which was due on Monday, Au-gust 13, 1917 did not take place on that day due to the cruelty of Artur Oliveira Santos, who was the Mayor of the County of Ourem. He was a baptized Catholic who had abandoned the Church at the age of twenty to join the Masonic Lodge of Leiria. He became the Mayor of Ourem at the age of 26 and being an avowed anti-Catho-lic, he endeavoured to use his powers to undermine the faith of the Catholics. He was determined to crush the religious fervour which was gathering momentum in his own territory because of the Apparitions. On the morning of August 13, 1917, Artur San-tos was at the house of Francisco and Jacinta and urged the three children to travel in his carriage to the Cova. When the children declined his offer, he insisted that they go with him to meet the Parish Priest (Fr. Ferreira) before going to the Cova da Iria. After speaking to Fr. Ferreira with Lucia, he bolted away with the children in his carriage to his house and locked them inside a room threatening them saying: “You will not leave this room until you tell me the secrets.” His wife, a motherly woman treated the three children with a fine meal and let them play with their children. The many thousands who had gathered at the Cova da Iria did hear thunder and some saw the flashes of light and a little white cloud which stopped for a few moments over the holm-oak sapling and then rose in the air and disappeared. The apparition did not take place and when word got round that the children had been abducted by the Mayor, the people seethed with anger and there was a near riot. The Mayor tried all possible means to get the se-crets from the children. First he cajoled them - offering them gifts and even gold coins. When this failed, he put them in jail (along with adult prisoners) and threatened them with death by being thrown into a cauldron of boil-ing oil. The youngest, Jacinta was the first to be taken in for questioning and threatened with death - followed by Francisco and then Lucia. Though threatened with death and questioned separately, none of them ever revealed the secrets. The three children were kept for two nights and when all his mean attempts failed, the Mayor fear-ing that the enraged people will revolt against him, took

The Fourth Apparition(Contd from last week) By Victor Silva

branch. When she held the branch close to her nose she sensed a magnificent fragrance and then the whole family gathered, each wanting to hold the branch and smell the beautiful odour. From that moment, Lucia’s mother and her whole family began to modify their op-position to the apparitions, but they did not fully believe in them. When Jacinta went to her house with the pre-cious branch only her father was there. As she came in he sensed a magnificent fragrance which he could not explain. He did not have any about - out the Apparitions and was a tower of strength to his two children as well as to his niece Lucia. The words spoken by Our Lady at Valinhos (i.e. ”Pray, pray very much and make sacri�ices for sin-ners; for many souls go to hell because they have no one to pray and make sacri�ices for them”), were so deeply entrenched in the minds of the three children, that they longed to be alone to pray very much and make many sacrifices as well as self-mortifications to console the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immac-ulate Heart of Mary. They spent hour after hour in the gully of the Cabeco (where the Angel first appeared to them) prostrate upon the ground repeating the prayers the Angel had taught them - (i.e. “My God, I believe, ....... and I love You! I ask pardon of You for those who ...... do not love You” and “Most Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, I adore You profoundly ............ I beg of You the conversion of poor sinners”). When this cramped position became unbearable, they changed positions and recited the Holy Rosary, adding the special prayer which Our Lady taught them - (i.e. “Oh my Jesus, forgive us our sins ...........”), after each mystery. Also, they gave their lunch to poor children and waited without drink-ing anything while they were alone in the fields. In fact, they trained their minds to discover new ways of suffer-ing for the conversion of sinners and one such sacrifice was to tie a rope round their waists. The sharp pain it caused was difficult to endure, but they gladly offered it to save sinners. They even wore the rope when going to bed which disturbed their sleep and Our Lady spoke about it during her next visit.

PART4

The ultimate act of humility and mercy can be found in the Eucharist. Where else can we draw a love for hu-mility but from the Sacred Host? Where could we ever find a more beautiful example of silence, patience and meekness? Form a beautiful and rich tabernacle for Our Lord within your heart and then do not let Him go. In that way, we will always have Him with us. Enter within yourself and meeting Him, tell Him all your experiences. The Body of Our Lord Jesus Christ is in the Holy Eucha-rist in its entirety with all of the beauty and majesty which He enjoys in Heaven. The more often we receive Holy Communion, the more our hearts will dilate and the more fervent our love of God would become because our relationship with Him will be more intense. If we would make profit-able use of the grace of receiving Our Lord in Holy Com-munion frequently, we would become other Christs, or at least we would say with St. Paul, ‘I live, but not I, Christ lives in me!’ Trust in God our Lord. Ask Him to help you ev-ery morning before you start your work and have the aspiration: ‘Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place my trust in You’, constantly in your heart. You should avail yourself to any opportunity to spend more time with the Blessed Sacrament. Do not feel alone because you are not. Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament wants to be your Confidant, your Friend, your Consoler. He wants to fill your soul with His love. How good our God is and by how many different paths He leads souls! Do not doubt it. You have been very dear to Him and it is only natural that He will be jealous with those souls He loves so much. He wants you all for Himself. As always you are greeted with affection, wish-ing you to have your gaze and your love always fixed on

the Most Sacred Heart of Je-sus! What can we say about the hungers of the hu-man heart that Christ, the Bread of Life, satisfies? We might describe them in vari-ous ways. But they seem to come down to three things: 1. A deep desire for life, for meaning and for love. We hunger and thirst to live and to live fully. 2. We want things to make sense. When our goals are clear and the meaning of things comes through brightly, we can cope with great, even immense, difficul-ties. Absurd situations leave us floating aimlessly and without a compass. 3. We hunger to love and be loved. William Blake (1757-1827) put it this way: “Where love is concerned, our hearts are a bottomless gorge.” We crave for a life that is absolutely full and will never end. We search for a mean-ing that will light up everything. We hunger for the perfect love that will be utterly and enduringly satisfying. Christ is the Bread of Life in two senses: He is the Word of God that we hear and the Bread of the Eucharist that we feed from here and now, in anticipa-tion of our definitive union with Christ in the world to come. Every effort should be made to inculcate in yourself a spirit of interior recollection, of humility and obedience, detachment and true charity and a great love for the Blessed Sacrament. Frequently visit the Blessed Sacrament ask the Lord to help you. May the Sacred Heart be your dwelling.

Camillus Fernando

A Refl ection on the Holy Eucharist When we think about the respect life evokes in biblical terms, we probably recall the phrase from Deuterono-my that has become a popular pro-life slogan, Choose life (Deuteronomy 30:19). It is a pointed and compre-hensive phrase that reflects the pro-life message about valuing all human life. However, the Holy Bible contains other great examples that highlight the value of life. Consider the moment Elizabeth and Mary met at the visitation. Both women were miraculously preg-nant - Mary, by the virginal conception of Jesus and Eliz-abeth after having been declared barren. The recogni-tion of the precious lives within them caused the child within Elizabeth’s womb to leap for joy (Luke 1:41). Abraham’s wife, Sarah, also was barren. When three of God’s messengers told her that she would soon become pregnant, she laughed. Their response was, “Is anything too marvel-lous for the Lord to do?” (Genesis 18:14). Indeed not. The next year, Sarah gave birth to Isaac and from Isaac sprang forth the 12 tribes of Israel. There is one biblical mother who often is over-looked - the mother of Moses, Jochebed. When the Pha-raoh ordered the slaughter of all Hebrew baby boys, Jochebed made a heroic move to save the life of her baby boy. She crafted a basket out of reeds and set her baby boy afloat in it on the Nile River in hopes that some kind person would find the child and care for him. The basket was discovered by Egypt’s princess, who adopted the boy and raised him as her own. But not before Moses’ sister convinced the princess to ap-pointed Jochebed to be his nurse. Consequently, he be-came a great prophet who led the Israelites out of Egypt and later presented them with the tablet containing the Ten Commandments. These examples are only a sample of the way life was not only chosen, but fully celebrated in the Holy Bible The preciousness of life in the womb and until natural death is a joyful song that echoes throughout the pages of both the Old and New Testaments.

Courtesy: Sunday Examiner

Celebrating life in Bible(To be continued next week)


Girls, come and help us! Boys, come and help us!

“PRACTISE WHAT YOU PREACH”My Dear Young Builders,Have you ever heard of the story where the mother crab who doesn’t walk straight asks the baby crab to walk straight? This story came into my mind today as I read the Gospel. Jesus warns His followers to listen to the Pharisees but not to imitate them. Because they do not practise what they preach. In the First Reading today, God admonishes the Israelites. He is very unhappy with them because they have sinned and turned against God. My dear friends, the Israelites were the chosen People of God and He loved them dearly. The Pharisees were of the same race, the people who were loved by God. We too have been baptised and been consecrated as children of God. We listen to our parents, our parish priest and we understand how to live a life pleasing to God. We instruct others to do so. But do we practise what we preach? Have we, the chosen People of God, become like the Pharisees? Let us take a while today to think, and repent. Let us open up our hearts and our true selves in front of God. We don’t need to hide anything from Him. Let us ask Him to forgive us, and help us to live a life that is pleasing to Him. Aunty Gerro

St. Martin of Tours

Neyali AbeyratneSunday School, St. Sebastian’s, Kandana.

““As for you, do not be called ‘Rabbi’” (Matthew 23,8)

1. True or false? David said to Jonathan, “I will do whatever you wish.” ..................................

2. At which town was David anointed king of Judah? .........................

3. How old was David when he became king over Israel as well as Judah?

4. For how many years did David reign in Jerusa-lem?

5. What happened to Uzzah after touching the Ark of God?

Answers1. False. This was said by Jonathan (1 Samuel 20:4) 2. Hebron (2 Samuel 2:1-4)3. Thirty years (2 Samuel 5:4)4. Thirty three years (2 Samuel 5:5)5. God struck him and he died beside the Ark

(2 Samuel 6:7)

Feast Day: November 11

Child’s Letter to

GodDear God,

Are you real? Some people do not believe

it. If you are you better do something quick.

Anne

Riddles - with Dumb endings

1. What is dumb but knowing?2. What is dumb but liberty-loving?3. What is dumb and also tiresome?4. What is dumb and infrequent?5. What is dumb but full of high public officers?

Answers1. Wisdom 2 Freedom 3. Boredom4. Seldom 5. Officialdom

Copyright © Sermons4Kids, Inc. • All Rights Reserved • www.sermons4kids.com

A Lesson in HumilityThe greatest among you will be your servant. For those who exalt themselves will behumbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted. Matthew 23:11-12 (NIV)

Complete the activity below.

1 2

3

4

5 6

7

ACROSS3. To consider yourself as having no

special importance; not proud5. A large gathering of people6. A formal dinner honoring a particular

person or occasion7. Most important, powerful, or famous

DOWN1. To do what you are told or expected to

do2. Someone who trains or instructs other

people3. A place of high respect or esteem4. To praise someone or raise to a more

powerful position

GREATEST CROWD BANQUET TEACHERHONOR HUMBLE EXALT OBEY

Copyright © Sermons4Kids, Inc. • All Rights Reserved • www.sermons4kids.com

A Lesson in HumilityThe greatest among you will be your servant. For those who exalt themselves will behumbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted. Matthew 23:11-12 (NIV)

Complete the activity below.

1 2

3

4

5 6

7

ACROSS3. To consider yourself as having no

special importance; not proud5. A large gathering of people6. A formal dinner honoring a particular

person or occasion7. Most important, powerful, or famous

DOWN1. To do what you are told or expected to

do2. Someone who trains or instructs other

people3. A place of high respect or esteem4. To praise someone or raise to a more

powerful position

GREATEST CROWD BANQUET TEACHERHONOR HUMBLE EXALT OBEY

Martin was born at Upper Pannonia, which is called Hungary today. His father was a Roman military offi-cer and tribune. Although his parents were pagans (did not believe in God), he began to study the Chris-tian Religion. Those who study the Christian Religion are called Catechumens un-til they are baptized. He joined the Roman imperial army in Italy when he was only fifteen in a unit that served as the emperor’s bodyguard that very rarely had to fight in battle. One very cold win-ter day, when Martin was on horseback, he and his companions came upon a beggar at the gate of the city of Amiens. The man’s only clothes were nothing but rags and he was shak-ing with cold. The other soldiers passed by him, but Martin

The greatest among you must be your servant. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted. Mat-thew 23:11-12

felt that it was up to him to help the beggar. Having nothing with him, he drew his sword and cut his long cloak in half. Some laughed at his funny appearance as he gave one half to the beg-gar. Others felt ashamed of their own selfishness. That night, Jesus appeared to Martin. He was wearing the half of the cloak that Martin had given away. “Martin, still a catechumen, has covered me with this garment,” Je-sus said. Right after this

wonderful event, Martin went to be baptized at the age of eighteen. Just before a bat-tle, Martin announced that his faith did not allow him to fight. They called him a coward and put him in jail. His commander planned to put him in the front line in the battle, but when the enemy made peace the battle did not take place. A few years later, the Saint left the army. He became a disciple of St. Hilary, the bishop of Poit-iers, France. Because of his strong opposition to the Arian heretics (non-believers) in various cities, Martin had to go into exile. But he was happy to live in the wilderness with other monks. When the people of Tours asked for him as their bishop, he refused but they would not give up. They got him to come to

the city to visit a sick per-son and when he got there, he was declared bishop by popular acclamation. As bishop of Tours, St. Martin did all he could to make the people of France friends of Jesus and give up their unbelief. He prayed, he worked and preached everywhere. Our Lord let Mar-tin know when his death was near. As soon as his fol-lowers heard of it, they be-gan to weep. They begged him not to leave them. So the Saint prayed: “Lord, if your people need me yet, I will not refuse the work. Your will be done.” He was still labor-ing for the Divine Master in a far-off part of his dio-cese when death finally came in 397. St. Martin’s tomb became one of the most famous shrines in all of Europe.

Holy Spirit Interactive

With a flash of white tail feathers and a burst of creamy buff plumage, the Eurasian Collared Dove can be seen fluttering among tree branches in search of berries and seeds. They can also be spotted in corn fields, foraging on the ground for green shoots and cereals. Bird table treats such as bread crumbs, fruit and suet are another firm favourite of theirs. The mournful tone of their three note call ‘kuk-koooookuk’ was the inspiration for a Greek mythi-cal story. Streptopeleia decaocto is the scientific name for the collared dove: streptos meaning a collar and pelia a dove. Decaocto was an over-worked, underpaid servant girl. The gods heard her prayers for help and changed her into a dove so she could escape her misery. The dove’s call still echoes the mournful cries of her former life. Collared doves are one of very few species that can drink

“head down” which means they sub-merge their beaks in water and suck it up as though drinking through a straw. Most birds must scoop wa-ter and tip their head back to let it run down into the throat. Their nests consist of a flimsy platform of sticks and twigs bundled together in trees, buildings or on the brackets of security lights or satellite dishes. These rickety constructions would not win first prize in the Home of the Year Com-petition.

Did you know that the name Columban comes from Colum-ban meaning white dove and from the scientific family name for doves: Columbidae? St. Columban was often seen with doves and small animals wrapped in the folds of his

cloak. As we begin to commemorate 100 years since the founding of the Maynooth Mission to China in 1918 let us remember St Columban and the Collared Dove which was dearly loved by him.

Far East Magazine of Columban Missionaries

The EurasianCollared

Dove

A Lesson on Humility

14 November 5, 2017The Messenger

First Reading.: Mal. 1:14b – 2: 2b, 8 - 10 This anonymous prophet warns the priests of that time, that they have neglected their responsibilities, in that they neither preached about the Lord nor did they practice His teaching. They had been lax.

Second Reading: 1 Thes. 2: 7b – 9, 13 St. Paul expresses his feelings towards the Thes-salonian converts who had accepted his preaching as di-rectly coming from God.

Gospel: Mt. 23: 1 - 12 It was God who has given the Scribes and Phari-sees the power and authority to teach. Therefore the disciples are to accept them as teachers but they were not to imitate them. For the lives of these Pharisees and Scribes were scandalous.

Re�lection There is a famous saying “Preacher, practise what you preach.” This could be said for the following reasons. One is that one needs sufficient proof of the possibility of living what is being preached. For when something is preached and it is being witnessed through practise then it becomes more effective. The other is that what is being preached could well apply to you and hence you have to change most of the things which you may have held so dearly. When these things are difficult to be given up then one tends to blame the preacher with the sole motive of changing the attention which is focused on him. “Preacher, practice what you preach” theory ap-plies very strongly to those who put forward their own theories. These theories which are theirs have to be proved by their living. Life witness is very important. When it comes to the preaching of the Good News, it is a fact that this has a greater effect when it is preached by one who practises it. But what must always be kept in mind is that what is being preached is not the Good News of the preacher but of the Lord. Therefore it

is the Good News coming directly from God or is Good News of the life lived by the Lord Himself who teaches us the Good News. Hence we have to accept it and live it irrespective of the teacher. But if one gives an interpreta-tion of his own, then that one has to live it. This is why in the Gospel; the Lord very clearly tells the crowd and the disciples “The Teachers of the Law and the Pharisees are the authorized interpreters of Moses’ Law. So you must obey and follow everything they tell you to do.” For they spoke the truth and they were authorized to do so. How-ever whether they lived it or not is another question. That is why the Lord said, “do not, however imitate their actions, because they do not practice what they preach.” The problem in the First Reading was that the priests of that time neither preached nor practised, but were lax and as a result many laws were broken by them, and nothing was done regarding the Good News. In the Second Reading why St. Paul is so happy is because the people accepted his preaching as directly coming from God, very probably because he was giving a full life wit-ness to the Good News he had received. What God wants us to do is to preach the Good News whatever be one’s state of life. And also to accept the Good News whatever the state of the preacher’s life be. The truthfulness of the Good News of God does not depend on the life of a human being.

Aid Story 1. Once there was an ardent social preacher. One day he was preaching about sharing. He was preaching about the need to share our goods with the poor. He was quoting the Bible right and left. He was saying that who-ever that has two should share one with the other. You have no right to keep two. There was a bright guy who questioned the preacher. “If you have two helicopters would you share one?” The preacher said “surely I would do it.” Then the boy said, “If you have two cars would you share it with another?” “Definitely I would do it.” said the preacher. “If you have two motor bikes would you share it with

another? Asked the boy. You know that I would do it” said the preacher. Then the boy asked “If you have two shirts would you share it with another?” The preacher was silent, because he had more than one shirt. Most of us are charitable with what we do not have but when it comes to things we have, then it is so hard to practise what we preach. But the sharing of our goods with the poor stands.

Aid Story 2. One Sunday, a baby began crying during the priest’s homily. The mother arose and hastened towards the door. “It’s ok, come back!” announced the charitable and all tolerating priest. “Your baby is not disturbing me!” The mother retorted, “I know that, Father, but you are disturbing the baby!” It is not the sound but the Message, God’s Word that should challenge and disturb the faithful.

Rev. Fr. Ciswan De Croos

Thirty First Sunday in Ordinary Time

By Rev. Fr. Don Anton Saman Hettiarachchi

“You have but one teacher, and you are all brothers” (Matthew 23,8)

SUNDAY WORD

Sun: 31st Sunday of Ordinary Time Mal. 1:14b-2: 2b, 8-10; 1 Thes. 2:7b-9,13; Mt. 23:1-12Mon: Rom.11:29-36; Lk. 14:12-14Tue: Rom. 12:5-16; Lk.14:15-24Wed: Rom. 13:8-10; Lk.14:25-33Thu: Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica Ex. 47:1-2, 8-9, 12 or 1 Cor. 3:9c-11,16-17; Jn. 2:13-22Fri: Memorial of St. Leo the Great, Pope & Doctor Rom.15:14-21; Lk.16:1-8 Sat: Memorial of St. Martin of Tours, Bishop Rom. 16:3-9, 16, 22-27; Lk. 16:9-15Sun: 32nd Sunday of Ordinary Time Wis. 6:12-16; 1 Thes. 4:13-18 (or 13-14); Mt. 25:1-13

Liturgical Calendar Year A 5th Nov. - 12th Nov. 2017

1. A newly commissioned colonel had just moved into his office. A soldier entered with a tool box. To impress him, the colonel said, “Be with you in a minute, soldier! I got a phone call as you were knocking.” Picking up his phone, the colonel said, “Gener-al, it is you! How can I help you?” A dramatic pause fol-lowed. Then the colonel said, “No problem. I will phone Washington and talk to the President about it.” Putting down the phone, the colonel said to the soldier, “Now, what can I do for you?” The soldier shuf-fled his feet and said sheepishly, “Oh, just a little thing, sir. They just sent me to hook up your phone.”

2. The commissioner who tried to blow his own horn should have learnt the meaning of the proverb: ‘Pride go-eth forth on horseback, grand and gay; but cometh back on foot, and begs its way.’ Or else, he should have heeded the words of Jesus, “Whoever exalts himself will be hum-bled; but whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”

3. These days we go through the harshness of nature – frighting thunder, tremendous flash of lightning, dense darkness and heavy downpour. This Sunday we hear some of the harshest words, attributed to Jesus, in the whole of the New Testament. Jesus denounces the Scribes and the Pharisees. It is also done right in front of His disciples and crowds. Hence it turns out to be a public denunciation. Consid-ering the high positions these religious leaders held in Judaism, we may wonder whether Jesus actually uttered these words.

“Whoever exalts himself will be humbled; but whoever humbles himself will be exalted”

(Matthew 23,1-12)4. These words could agree with the Historical Jesus. The Prophets of the Old Testament often challenged the religious leaders of the day. So does Jesus the Prophet par excellence. In the days of St. Matthew, the Church would be separated from the Synagogue and there would be a lot of polemics between them. Hence the original words, uttered in sitz-im-leben Jesu (context of Jesus), could be coloured and shaped by sitz-im-leben Kirche (context of Church) – the growing polemics between the Pharisaic Judaism and the Christian Church of St. Matthew.

5. In the hearts of Pharisees, it is pride or arrogance that reigns, while humility remains vanquished. In the mind of Jesus, humility is the door to the Kingdom and the path towards God for “Whoever exalts himself will be humbled; but whoever humbles himself will be exalted.” In the language of Sirach 3, “Humble yourself the more, the greater you are, and you will find favour with God.”

6. The words of Jesus, though anti-Pharisaic in appear-ance, are a warning to His Church of all times and lands. Hence the invective is directed to us today, especially the Christian leaders, clergy and laity. Now I must ask myself: ‘How much do I resemble Jesus of Nazareth in terms of humility? How much am I unassuming? Am I a proud Christian, self-opinionated, self-aloft? Do I look down on others from my self-appointed heights? Do I suffer from egoism? As a follower of Christ am I en-gaged in boosting my own image through social media and high tech? How prone am I to name-drop or brag about myself? Did St. Francis de Sales not warn me “He who stays not in his littleness loses his greatness”?'

7. If I am such a proud Christian – a ‘proud’ follower of

the ‘humble’ Christ – then, I am a self-contradiction. It is not by accident that on TV, when asked what most strikes them about Mario Bergoglio of Buenos Aires or Pope Francis of Rome, people’s first response was and is: ‘His humility.’ The sapiential words of Sirach 3, “My son, conduct your affairs with humility, and you will be loved more than a giver of gifts”, have come true in his life. Let us imitate our Pope, as he imitates Christ!

15 November 5, 2017The Messenger

So, said the Archbishop Colombo, His Eminence Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith at the Holy Mass celebrated in view of the blessing and opening of the new church dedicated to St. Jude, at Daluwakotuwa, in the Parish of Kattuwa in Negombo. Recalling the German dictator Adolf Hitler and the massacre of six million Jews in the Concentration Camps during the Second World War, His Eminence said that Hitler did not adhere to any religious belief and thereby showed no dignity for human life. The people of the country rejected his rule and finally he committed suicide. “This is what happens when one evades the precincts of religion and the Bible is the best teacher of that” His Eminence said. Construction of the new church began when Rev. Fr. Ruwan Reid Liyanage was the Parish Priest and was completed by the present Parish Priest Rev. Fr. Manjula Niroshan Fernando.

Text & Pic: T. Sunil Fernando and Roshan Pradeep

“Call no one on earth your father; you have but one Father in heaven” (Matthew 23,9)

From Pg. 1 'Catholic Schools....

“For our lives to be complete we must keep God within us. But unfortunately this does not happen as people have pushed God out of their lives. But God is waiting to be called.” His Lordship then explained to his distinguished congregation that for God to enter our lives we have to direct our lives and activities towards His teachings. Querying whether there can be lives without God, the Jaffna Prelate said in answer, that if God is in our lives, our lives we will change for the better. Stressing the importance of brotherly love and kindness to others, His Lordship said, “This is Christianity” and added, “when we do something for others we do it for Him and we will be rewarded.” He recollected the story of a poor hungry young boy in a hospital asking a lady for a glass of water and she gave the boy a glass of milk. Years later she was very ill in the same hospital as a lost case. That young boy who had studied and become a specialist doctor working in the same hospital saw her and was moved by her pathetic state. He not only attended on her, but paid her medical bills and cured her. “That is love of neighbour and that is how we get rewarded even on earth,” His Lordship explained. His Lordship reminded the Guild that when we do something for the poor, the hungry, the naked, and the lonely we do it for the Lord. “We must make people think,” he said. “It is not thatimportant to have beautiful churches and grand festivals. On the Day of Judgment the Lord will consider the works of mercy we have done during our lifetime.” The Gold Mass was held on October 22, which was World Mission Sunday and His Lordship made the doctors aware that they too were missionaries with a mission to fulfill like the missionaries who brought Christianity to our motherland despite many difficulties and hardships.

as he believed that Catholic Education was not to train a clerical class for the British administration. The theme of the oration this year was ‘Catholic Schools in a changing social environment’ and held at the Archbishop’s House Auditorium, Borella on October 27. Fr. Ivan stated that when Cardinal Cooray had become the Archbishop of Colombo in 1947, the Free Education Act was already in force. It was passed in 1945. Although the Archbishop did not face the controversies surrounding the Act, he had handled subsequent events with sagacity, faith and great courage. Fr. Ivan pointed out that to say that the Church was opposed to the Free Education Act was not correct. It was for the grant of free education, but with its experience of managing schools here and abroad, the Church had suggested the aid grant for Grade I and II schools to remain, as what the State would be able to grant to all schools in the country would be hardly sufficient to sustain the whole school system. The Church believed that there should be supplementary assistance from parents, past pupils, well wishers and religious congregations. Due to the pragmatic policy of Archbishop Thomas Cooray and his healthy relationship with the D.S. Senanayake government, leading Catholic schools like St. Joseph’s and St. Peter’s entered the free education system together with Buddhist, Hindu and Muslim schools, he said. However, Fr. Ivan lamented that such common sense did not prevail when the schools were taken over forcibly by the government in the 60’s. The government did not allow the charging of fees nor did it grant aid to the Grade I and II schools that opted to be private. It was at this time that Archbishop Thomas Cardinal Cooray took bold decisions to organise passive resistance in the form of occupation of the school premises in the hope that the government would realise that Catholics believed that the schools take-over was a threat to the religion in more ways than one. Fr. Ivan also noted that His Eminence Thomas Cardinal Cooray’s educational concept was in line with the thinking of Archbishop Christophe-Ernest Bonjean. In his forward to the Bonjean Digest, His Eminence says, “Truth which is an eternal teaching is the foundation of Catholic Education.” Here the late Cardinal also asserted

Archbishop of Colombo, His Eminence Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith, the Promoter of the Cause and Chief Celebrant at the Holy Mass. Delivering the homily, Rev. Fr. Francis Nicholas Senanayake, Judical Vicar of the Archdiocese and Episcopal Delegate for the Commission of Inquiry regarding Canonization, reflected on Matthew 5:43-48 where Christ calls us to be perfect as the Father in heaven. Jesus, he said attained perfection because of His obedience to the Father. His sacrifice on the cross was a sacrifice of love which He made in obedience to His Father’s will. Thus, when He told the crowds that gathered to listen to His sermon on the mount, where he called them to be perfect like the Heavenly Father is, He also wanted them to love their neighbour like their Heavenly Father loved them. Thus Fr. Francis said that following Christ is not imitating Christ. Following Christ means to identify the Risen Christ revealed to us in the Holy Scriptures and follow the path He has shown to us. Hence, our

own life should be a sacrifice to others. We should be a prophet in their midst, selfless, to break the Word of God to them. If we live like that we will be perfect like our heavenly Father is. It is in this sense, he said that we should understand the life and work of the Servant of God, Thomas Cardinal Cooray, OMI whose death anniversary we commemorate today and for whose life and ministry, we praise and thank the Lord. Thomas Cardinal Cooray was an exemplary person. We should look at his life from many aspects, Fr. Francis noted. He explained that the Servant of God lived a righteous life – a life of prayer and service to the flock. Thus we should not measure the life of the Servant of God from the many years he spent as Archbishop or Cardinal or what he had done for the Universal Church. He never concerned himself with the who’s who of people or politics. He courageously faced the challenges that came his way and always defended the

truth, said Fr. Francis. Hence, when we look back at the events that surrounded the life of the Servant of God we need to understand that all his achievements and successes were due mainly because he was always connected to the Father in heaven in prayer. He derived strength from this closeness to the Lord and his prayer-filled life. Fr. Francis told the large gathering that flocked the Basilica grounds that in his entire tenure of office, the Servant of God, Thomas Cardinal Cooray, OMI sought to establish Christ’s message on earth – the Kingdom of God. At the ceremony all documentation concerning the life and ministry of the Servant of God Thomas Cardinal Cooray, OMI during the 30 long years of his period of office1947-1976, was sealed for dispatch to the Vatican Congregation for the Causes of the Saints. The Roman phase of the Inquiry will then begin.

Pic: T. Sunil Fernando and Roshan Pradeep

that we needed to safeguard the values of our national culture for which the Bonjean thinking was of great importance. The Responses to the address were given by Mr. Franklyn Amerasinghe, a lawyer associated with the Archdiocesan Catholic Education Office for the last 25 years. Mr. Amerasinghe’s response was from a ‘Christian’ perspective. The other Response was by Dr. Tara de Mel, an academic formerly attached to the Faculty of Medicine and Department of Physiology of the University of Colombo. Dr. De Mel’s response was based on a ‘National and Religious’ point of view. In his response Mr. Franklyn Amerasinghe said that Fr. Ivan has spoken of the expectations of the Church in terms of reforms which he was in agreement, he said. He highlighted that to be economically well positioned the student must be coached in thinking skills and knowledge which the changing world requires. If he has to be socially well-positioned, the student should be disciplined, imbued with proper values and respectful towards others. In the case of Catholic schools we need to do that using Catholic values as an overarching and totally integrated strategy, which will supply the spiritual base, he said. Dr. Tara de Mel in her response speaking on education, religion and spirituality, also expressed that the memorandum submitted by Fr. Ivan Perera to the Parliamentary Subcommittee on Education, was timely and welcome. However, she said that this must be the ‘nth or umpteenth’ attempt at reforming education in this country. “I was a key participant in one such attempt at National Education Reforms, back in 1999. Sadly it was yet another failed attempt,” she said. Dr. de Mel who is in currently involved in the practice of mindfulness with students, teachers through a novel initiative called Sati Pasala also said that while strongly advocating the necessity to encourage and introduce spirituality, religion/faith as part of school culture and school community ethos – we should also be very pro-active, in embracing diversity, encouraging multi-culturalism and for creating unity between diverse groups. Unless this aspect of imbibing inclusivity and non-discrimination are made part of the school culture, Sri Lanka’s deep-seated, thorny and knotty problems will never be solved.

Pic by : Leonard Happuarachchi

From Pg. 1 A New....

From Pg. 1 If God ....

From Pg. 1 "Be perfect......

Dr. Tara de MelMr. Franklyn Amerasinghe

XVIII November 5, 2017Messenger

“The greatest among you must be your servant” (Matthew 23,11)

Young WorldFIRST HOLY COMMUNION CELEBRATIONS

Thirty four children from St. Anthony’s National Shrine, Wa-hakotte received First Holy Communion re-cently. Holy Mass was presided by Rev. Fr. Yo-han Saverimuttu, OSB. Picture shows the children in a group photograph with the Parish Priest Sansana Wasara, Rev. Fathers, Sisters and Catechism teachers. Paul

Ekanayake

✤ Weligampitiya

Thirty six children from St. Anne’s Sunday School, Weligampitiya Parish received First Holy Communion recently. The children are seen here in a group photograph with the Parish Priest Rev. Fr. Ivan Pietersz and Sunday School teachers. Paul Ekanayake

✤ Godella

Twenty one children from the Church of the Transfiguration, Morukkuliya in the Godella Parish received First Holy Communion. Holy Mass was presided by Parish Priest Rev. Fr. Laksiri Fernando. The children are seen here in a group photograph with the Parish Priest, Rev. Sr. Virginia and Catechism teachers.

Tekla Caldera

Young Tennis Stars of De Mazenod

De Mazenod College, Under Seven Tennis ‘B’ Team emerged winners at the All Island Inter School Tennis Tournament organised by the Sri Lanka Tennis Association. The young winners are seen with the Principal, Rev. Bro. Janaka Fonseka, Vice Principal Rev. Bro. Pubuda Rajapaksha and coaches. Anton Jayasuriya

✤ Polgahaagara

Ten children from Our Lady of Good Health Church, Polgahaagara in the Dunakadeni-ya Parish received First Holy Communion, with Holy Mass presided by the Parish Priest Rev. Fr. Andrew Fonseka. In the group photograph the children are seen with the Parish Priest and Catechism teacher. Rita Fernando

Elders and children celebrate their daySt. Mary's Sunday School, Sedawatte celebrated World Children's Day re-cently, with the Par-ish Priest Rev. Fr. Gihan Gunatillake. On this day the children donated gifts and entertained two elderly persons from the Sedawatte Parish. Kumara

St. Joseph's College, Colombo 10, a premier Catho-lic school in Sri Lanka will honour the Sportsmen who have excelled in the various disciplines of Sport on November 10, at 11.00 a.m. at the Rev. Fr. (Dr) Stanley Abeysekara Sports Complex.

The Chief Guest will be Mr. Dushan Soza, an eminent Old Boy of the College who captained the College First Eleven Cricket team in the years 1975-1976. On this day Certificates of Merit will be awarded to 239 students, 77 students will be awarded College Colours, 28 students who represented Sri Lanka in the years 2015 and 2016, will be honoured and five students will receive the Josephian Blue.

Sachil Perera will receive the 'Sportsman of the Year' award for the year 2015 and Jehan Daniel will receive the 'Sportsman of the Year' award for the year 2016

Josephian Sports Awards Ceremony

2017

✤ Wahakotte

Questions

Exodus 613. To which tribe did Moses belong (Exodus 2)? 614. For how long did the mother hide Moses? 615. When she realized that she was unable to hide Moses any longer, what did she do? 616. Who was stationed at a distance? 617. Why was she stationed? 618. Who came down to the Nile then to bathe? 619. How did she react to Moses crying in the basket? 620. What did the sister suggest to her? 621. Whom did she bring? 622. What did the Pharaoh’s daughter say to Moses’ mother? 623. What happened to Moses when he grew? 624. Why was he called Moses? 625. What did Moses receive in the palace? 626. Who was the father-in-law of Moses (Exodus 3)? 627. What was his profession? 628. What is the “mountain of God”? 629. How did God appear to Moses? 630. What was special about the bush?631. What did God command Moses, as he was approaching the burning bush? 632. Why should Moses remove the sandals? 633. How did God introduce Himself to Moses first? 634. How did Moses react to God’s self-introduction? 635. Why did Moses hide his face? 636. Why did God call Moses? 637. How do we know that our God sees our sufferings and that He comes to our aid? 638. How did Moses initially resist God’s call? 639. What was the assurance God gave to Moses? 640. What was the proof that God sent Moses? 641. What was Pharaoh’s reaction to God’s message given through Moses (Exodus 5)? 642. Why did God send plagues? Why did the plagues gradually increase (Exodus 11)?

643. What were the ten plagues?

644. After which plague did the Pharaoh let Israel go?

645. What did the Pharaoh and his servants say after letting Israel go (Exodus 14)?

646. What did the Pharaoh do then?

647. What happened to the pursuing Egyptians at the end?

648. How did Israel experience God’s love and protection in their desert journey?

649. Today how do we experience freedom from the slavery of sin?

650. How does St. James stress the significance of works in a faith-filled Christian life?

Responses613. Levi

614. For three months

615. “she took a papyrus basket, daubed it with bitumen and pitch, and putting

the child in it, placed it among the reeds on the river bank”

616. Moses’ sister

617. “to find out what would happen to him”

618. Pharaoh’s daughter

619. “She was moved with pity for him”

620. “Shall I go and call one of the Hebrew women to nurse the child for you?”

621. “child’s own mother”

622. “Take this child and nurse it for me, and I will repay you”

XIX November 5, 2017 Messenger

“Whoever exalts himself will be humbled” (Matthew 23,12)

A COMPANION TO SCHOOL STUDENTS Faith in the Holy Trinity

2017 Fr. Don Anton Saman Hettiarachchi

Logos: 23

O/L CATHOLICISM

623. He was brought to Pharaoh’s daughter, “who adopted him as her son and

called him Moses”

624. Moses = “I drew him out of the water”

625. Comforts, security, skills and leadership training

626. Jethro

627. Priest of Midian628. Horeb629. “in fire flaming out of a bush”630. “though on fire, was not consumed”631. “Come no nearer! Remove the sandals from your feet”632. “for the place where you stand is holy ground”633. “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob”634. “Moses hid his face”635. “for he was afraid to look at God” = he thought he would die, if he saw God

636. “Therefore I have come down to rescue them from the hands of the Egyptians and lead them out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey … Come, now! I will send you to Pharaoh to lead my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt”

637. “I have witnessed the affliction of my people in Egypt and have heard their cry of complaint against their slave drivers, so I know well what they are suffering … So indeed the cry of the Israelites has reached me, and I have truly noted that the Egyptians are oppressing them”

638. “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and lead the Israelites out of Egypt?”639. “I will be with you”640. “when you bring my people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this very mountain” 641. “Who is the LORD that I should heed his plea to let Israel go? I do not know the LORD; even if I did, I would not let Israel go”642. “The LORD said to Moses, “Pharaoh refuses to listen to you that my wonders may be multiplied in the land of Egypt” 643. Water turned into blood, frogs, gnats, flies, pestilence, boils, hail, locusts, darkness and death of the first-born644. After the tenth plague = the death of the first-born645. “What have we done! Why, we have released Israel from our service!” 646. “So Pharaoh made his chariots ready and mustered his soldiers - six hundred first-class chariots and all the other chariots of Egypt, with warriors on them all … The Egyptians, then, pursued them”

647. “The Egyptians followed in pursuit; all Pharaoh’s horses and chariots and charioteers went after them right into the midst of the sea. In the night watch just before dawn the LORD cast through the column of the fiery cloud upon the Egyptian force a glance that threw it into a panic; and he so clogged their chariot wheels that they could hardly drive. With that the Egyptians sounded the retreat before Israel, because the LORD was fighting for them against the Egyptians. Then the LORD told Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the sea that the water may flow back upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots and their charioteers.” So Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and at dawn the sea flowed back to its normal depth. The Egyptians were fleeing head on toward the sea, when the LORD hurled them into its midst. As the water flowed back, it covered the chariots and the charioteers of Pharaoh’s whole army which had followed the Israelites into the sea. Not a single one of them escaped.”

648. i. Crossing the Sea of Reeds ii. Guided by pillars of fire and cloud iii. Provided with drinking water iv. Supplied with manna and flesh of quails for food

649. Through Baptism650. “For just as a body without a spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead” (2,26)

Contd. Next week

Your suggestions are welcome. Your comments are deeply appreciated.

You can contact me on 2291540 or 0718004580 as I am in Sri Lanka now for any clarifications.

E-mail: [email protected]

“but whoever humbles himself will be exalted” (Matthew 23,12)

Dear Readers,

This is our lesson 35 we looked at Denotation and Connotation in our last lesson. In this lesson let’s look at �igura-tive language. It is the use of words or expressions with a meaning that is different from the literal interpreta-tion. Literal means accurate, exact, correct, precise or word for word. Interpretation is clarification, understand-ing, explanation or elucidation.

Similes, Metaphor, Alliterations, Hyperbole, personification symbolism metonymy assonance onomatopoeia and imagery are some forms of figurative language.

You are welcome to express your views.

Noel Jayamanne

Language Study & English

Grammar

Activity 1- Play the roles of Sumaga and his Sir with a partner with correct stress and intonation.

Sumaga: Good Morning, Sir. May I come in?

Sir : Yes. Sumaga.

Sumaga: Thank you. Sir. We looked at denotation and connotation in our last lesson?

Sir : That’s right. They are a part of vocabulary and it is important for an advanced Learner of English to be aware of different kinds of vocabulary items Sumaga: Yes, surely. What are we going to in this lesson?

Sir : Yes, Sumaga. Some of our friends who are interested in literature requested me to write about figurative language which is also a part of lexis or vocabulary we learn.

Sumaga: I think that will help us also. Sir : Yes. Let’s look at similes, metaphors, Alliteration Hyperbole, personification assonance symbolism Metonymy and onomatopoeia

Sumaga: Thank you. Sir

Figurative language is language that uses words or expressions with a meaning that is different from the literal interpretation. Literal means accurate, exact, correct, pre-cise or word for word. Interpretation is clarification, understanding, explanation or elucidation.

When a writer uses literal language, he or she is simply stating the facts as they are. Whenever you describe something by comparing it with something else, you are us-ing figurative language.

Figurative language is when you use a word or phrase that does not have its normal every day, literal meaning. Writers can use figurative language to make their work more interesting or more dramatic than literal language which simply states facts.

Figurative language is very common in poetry, but is also used in prose and non-fiction writing as well

Let’s be familiar with Similes, Metaphor, Alliterations, Hyperbole, personification symbolism Metonymy assonance onomatopoeia and imagery

(1) Simile is a comparison between two or more things using the words like or as. like or as – Examples (i) Our English is always as busy as an ant. (ii) Gamunu is as brave as a lion (iii) He stood out like a sore thumb. (iv) It was as easy as shooting fish in a barrel (v) My mouth was as dry as a bone (vi) Sun is like a yellow ball of fire in the sky

(2) Metaphor is a comparison between two or more things without using like or as. It states a fact or draws a verbal picture by the use of comparison. A simile would say you are like something; a metaphor is more positive - it says you are something - Examples (i) “Time is a thief.” (ii) You are what you eat. (iii) You are an ant while I am the lion (iv) You are my sunshine (v) Time is money (vi) He has a heart of stone.

(3) Alliteration is a sound device. It is a phrase with a string of words all beginning with the same sound. Example (i) Five freaky females finding sales at retail. (ii) The wild and woolly walrus waits and wonders when we’ll walk by (iii) She sells seashells by the seashore (iv) Betty bought butter but the butter was bitter, so Betty bought better butter to make the bitter butter better (v) Round the rugged rocks a ragged rascal ran

(4) Hyperbole is an exaggeration that is so dramatic that no one would believe the statement is true. It is also known as an outrageous exaggeration that emphasizes a point, and can be ridiculous or funny. Hyperboles can be added to fiction to add color and depth to a character.Examples– (i) We had loads of mile-high ice-cream cones (ii) He was so hungry, he ate that whole cornfield for lunch. (iii) "I fought a million singers in an afternoon in June." (iv) You snore louder than a freight train. (v) You could have knocked me over with a feather.

(5)Personi�ication is giving an animal or object human-like characteristics. Giving something human qualities Examples

(i) Opportunity knocked on the door.

(ii) The sun greeted me this morning.

(iii) The sky was full of dancing stars.

(iv) The vines wove their fingers together to form a braid.

(v) The radio stopped singing and stared at me.

(vi) The sun played hide and seek with the clouds.

(vii) The stuffed bear smiled as the little boy hugged him close

(6)Symbol): Is something that stands for something else. Symbolism occurs when a word has meaning in itself, but is used to represent something entirely different.Examples in literature include:All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players; they have their exits and their entrances, and one man in his time plays many parts. As you Like It, William ShakespeareThe “stage” here symbolizes the world and the “players” represent human beings.

(7)Metonymy is a figure of speech that replaces the literal thing with a more vivid, but closely related thing or idea. A metonymy is a word or phrase that is used to stand in for another word. Sometimes a metonymy is chosen because it is a well-known characteristic of the word. Instead of saying "give me your attention," you could say "give me your ear."England decides to keep check on immigration. (England refers to the government.)The pen is mightier than the sword. (Pen refers to written words and sword to mili-tary force.)The Oval Office was busy in work. (“The Oval Office” is a metonymy as it stands for people at work in the office.)Let me give you a hand. (Hand means help.)

(8)Assonance the repetition of vowel sounds to create internal rhyme. A resem-blance of sound in words or syllablesExample: "Hear the mellow wedding bells." - holy & stony "Hear the mellow wedding bells" "Try to light the fire" "I lie down by the side for my bride" "Fleet feet sweep by sleeping geese" "Hear the lark and harden to the barking of the dark fox gone to ground" "It's hot and it's monotonous." "The crumbling thunder of seas “Men sell the wedding bells We light fire on the mountain. I feel depressed and restle Go and mow the lawn. Johnny went here and there and everywhe The engineer held the steering to steer the vehicle.

XVII November 5, 2017 Messenger

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Sunday, November 5, 2017 Vol 148 No 43 24 Pages Rs: 30.00 … · 2017-11-06 · ST.JU D E VE N E R A T E D “REGISTERED IN THE DEPARTMENT OF POSTS OF SRI LANKA” UNDER NO.QD /128