SINCE FEB 11,1869 THE CATHOLIC WEEKLY O F SRI LANKA Where E a s t e r Renouncement t h e r e i s Experience 5Pg of Office Pg7 Love... 8Pg The February "REGISTERED IN THE DEPARTMENT OF POSTS OF SRI LANKA UNDER NO. QD / 50 / NEWS / 2013" Transfiguration of the Lord Sunday February 24, 2013 Vol 144 No 08 16 Pages Rs: 25.00 Registered as a newspaper 24 To All THE FAiTHFUl ur attention has been drawn through practice however is not followed by our means attempting to use religion for I therefore appeal to all those media reports to the recent practice, non-Catholic politicians and celebrities one’s own self pursuits such as obtaining engaged in leadership roles in the amongO Catholic politicians and persons who remain faithful to the traditions of political advantage. It is also an insult political, social or public life, to pay appointed to high public office, of visiting their religions. not only to one’s own religion but to all attention to this matter, becoming true to non-Catholic shrines and places of worship While it is true that those who religions in general. It is beneath one’s the teachings of Our Lord Jesus Christ and seeking the blessings of non-Catholic hold public office owe a duty to all the dignity to use religion for such a purpose; and to honestly and zealously follow the religious dignitaries before assuming people and must serve all members of it is hypocritical and a devaluation of all practices of the Christian way of life. duties of their new office or position. the public irrespective of their religious religions. If such persons do not do so, but There are similar reports that affiliation, they should not, while carrying Catholics who engage in instead continue to engage in rites and when Catholic politicians or eminent out their official functions or after their political or public life are like every practices of other religions as a habit, it persons in public life die, their funeral demise, acknowledge any forms of other Catholic, obliged to follow the is the moral obligation of the faithful to ceremonies are conducted not only worship, veneration or honour which teachings of Our Lord Jesus Christ and refrain from proposing or appointing such according to Catholic practice but that are contrary to the Catholic beliefs and the Christian way of life. Although persons to public office in the future. non-Catholic funeral rites or practices teachings or are incompatible. Catholic leaders in public life must serve are also performed in addition. These Religion is a matter of individual everyone equally and without favour, yet non-Catholic practices invariably are personal conviction and a person cannot he or she is required to act according to performed to win the favour of the non- honestly hold convictions of different the conscience and the beliefs of his faith. + His Eminence Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith Catholic public and constitute a way of religions at the same time. Doing this It is only by doing so that one can bear President - Catholic Bishops’ obtaining cheap political mileage. Such a would be unbecoming of Christians and witness to one’s own religion. Conference of Sri Lanka • His Eminence makes Pastoral Visit to All Saints’ Church, Borella ‘As Christians we are challenged to take up the Cross’ hat is the relation Sunday. God was far too powerful “Wbetween God and His Eminence to enter into the mortal humanity?” - was the who presided at High world because he saw the question posed by the Mass answered the ques- world of man as an illu- Archbishop of Colombo, tion himself, by making His Eminence Malcolm references to the Greek Divine World. Cardinal Ranjith to the Philosopher Plato, who sion or reflection“Even the of Jews the parish community of All had said that he saw no felt the same way. They ful, Almighty God cannot says God cannot become Christianity, he said which Saints’ Church, Borella way for the world of God considered it a heresy to be encased in a human man,” the Archbishop showed to the world that when he made his pasto- to enter into the realm say that God became man. body. It was the same pointed out. God did become man. ral visit to the Church last of the human. For him For the Jews this power- with the Muslims. Islam It was only Contd on Pg.2 (See also Pg.7) Wattala Parish welcomes Cardinal Felicitates Advanced Level Students Angelo Matthews n the request of the Archbishop of Colombo, His OEminence Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith, students belonging to Catholic, private and vested schools, from the Archdiocese of Colombo, who obtained 3A’s at the recently released A/L results, were summoned to be felicitated. Each student received a His Eminence, in the presence of their principals, andpersonally a gathering endorsed of priests, Certificate religious of Excellence, and teachers. from His Eminence and His Lordship, Rt. Rev. Dr. (Contd on Pg.2) Maxwell Silva, Auxiliary Bishop of Colombo awarded certificates to 400 students. Angelo Matthews, the newly appointed Loyola College, Negombo excels in A/L results “Gleaned from National Cricket Captain, was welcomed by Rev. Fr. Basil Second in the Gampaha District Wickremasinghe at the Parish of Wattala. Angelo, who is * the classics” a parishioner and a regular devotee of St. Anne’s Church, oyola College, Negombo, Wattala was hosted by the parish community at Sunday L well at the G.C.E. (A/L) Memoria Est Service recently. performed extremely Rev. Fr. Basil Wickremasinghe, the Parish Priest in Thesaurus Omnium his address commented, that Angelo’s gesture in making Examination held in August Rerum the sign of the cross in front of the spectators, could be 2012. Two students have (from Cicero) described as an act of great witnessing value and as a passedand Biological the exam Sciences. with Memory is the loyal attempt to reveal his identiy as a Catholic. On behalf flyingMiss. Annecolours Umesha in Physical Perera treasury and guardian of the parishioners and the cricket loving public, he was having obtained 3 A’s in wished all success and God’s choicest blessings. (Contd on Pg.2) Gayan Sanjeewa Fernando Anne Umesha Perera of all things 2 The Messenger February 24, 2013 As Christians we are........... Dr. Nimal lucas wins Contd. from Pg. 1 seven medals Dr. Nimal Lucas, a Council Member of the Guild of St Luke, Saints Cosmas and Damian and a for- mer captain of the Sri Lanka National Table medalsTennis andTeam four (1966- silver medals1971), won in table three tennis gold at the New Zealand Masters' Games held in Wanganui, New Zealand from February 4- 10, 2013. doubles Heevents. won Hegold won medals silver in medals the over in 70the men's over His Eminence with some parishioners of All Saints' Church, Borella singles, over 70 men's doubles and over 65 men's This was the greatest a cross was a scandal as It is this living with hope and faith which doubles and over 55 men’s singles. 55 team event, over 45 team event, over 70 mixed revelation of Christianity they could not accept the together with Christ that is the basic optimism of As Dr. Lucas was the sole participant from and the reference is there in we celebrate during Lent,” Sri Lanka, he was partnered by New Zealand play- the Gospel of John, Chap- He said that he said. that as Christians we are ers in the doubles and team events. “…And the Word MessiahChrist himself being hascrucified. said in The Archbishop Christianitychallenged to and take explained up the became flesh and dwelt “My Father went on to state that in teramongst 1:14, us.” and I are One,” and in John in self-denial, for that was SpeciAl LecturE His Eminence John 10:30, Deus Caritas Est, Pope crosswhat Christand find wanted happiness us to A special lecture will be delivered on 'Celebration noted that, “The most “Father who sent Me.” hisBenedict very first XVI, encyclical has said that of the Faith in the Liturgy especially in the Eucha- singular, act of trust and Therefore, His “Therefore,” “in Chapter 8 he speaks of the rist' by Rev. Father Justin Chawkan,SSS on February faith in humanity that God Eminence said that God God’s love is that he died dothis in Season Matthew of Lent 16:24. let us showed us was by being has gone against his own thefor us.”“Radical That expression is why Chris of- born among us and dying nature to become man and tianity is a religion of hope and renounce all forms of for us a terrible death. live among us. There is and joy and not a religion be filled with Divine Love 26, 2013, from 4.00 to 6.15p.m at the Institute of This he did for he loved nothing impossible for God of fatalism, he said. Christian who can smile Spiritual Formation of AsiaRev. (ISFA)Brother - 130,Emmanuel De La Salle FSC us,” and added that for the just as the Angel declared He encouraged selfishnessthrough his and or her be tears,”a good Street, Colombo 15. Director Jews the Messiah dying on His concluded. 0777-682-989 interreligiousto Mary Service in Luke 1:37. tothe faithfulremember to fill their lives the dead Awarding of Certificates Following a decision by the Catholic National Com- mission for Justice, Peace and Human Development, interre- ligious services have been held in several dioceses to remem- ber those who died during the Lanka. 30 years Caritasof ethnic Colombo conflict inSeth Sri Sarana conducted such a ser- vice recently at St John’s Parish - Hall, Mutwal attended by near- lowed the Vocational Training courses at the John Ama- ly 375 Christians, Buddhists, Awarding of certificates to students who fol Hindus and Muslims.