A Reflection on The Easter Sunday bombings FROM DEATH TO LIFE
Posted on April 22nd, 2019
By Bishop Duleep de Chickera Courtesy The Island
Our condolences
The tragedy of Good Friday returned on Easter Sunday when death suddenly struck scores of Christians celebrating the Festival of Life, yesterday.
Our condolences and continuing compassion must be extended to those whose loved ones were snatched away or injured, in places considered safe. Our sorrow and compassion should also specially encircle the families of all those visitors to our country who were killed and injured. We are deeply sorry at your loss in our land of hospitality.
Work for the people
The abrupt termination of Easter Day services on the advice of the police, was a strong reminder that our work is not yet finished. The solemn rising of the people to move out in their twos and threes, somewhat symbolized that this unfinished work now lies with the people of our country.
Bankrupt legislators
This is because our legislators are no longer able to steer our common destiny with responsibility. Most are simply unable to anticipate conflict and work for the common good; they have been immersed in self-interest for too long. Few can offer empathy to the victims of these crimes and even fewer have the ability to call the nation to engage in introspection, the need of the hour. The predictably emerging blame game, along with the typical public exploitation of human suffering, is ample evidence of this bankruptcy.
The potential of the people
The spontaneous response of medical and para-medical personnel, the police and armed forces and general public, in assisting the injured and the dying, is to be commended. This behaviour is a sacred sign of the immense potential our people have, to cross boundaries and heal wounds. It also indicates that we reach our highest human stature when we move beyond the invasion of political party agendas. We are to consequently prevent legislators from stealing our integrity to further their devious ends, in our work of nation building.
A day of national mourning and reflection
These heinous crimes must be condemned in the name of our common humanity. But, with the condemnation, we are to counter the intentions of the perpetrators who seek blood for blood. The declaration of a day of national mourning, and reflection, will help us rise to this task. If on this day people of diverse religious and secular persuasions will publicly gather to demonstrate solidarity with the grieved and ask what went wrong, our actions will be stronger than the intentions of the perpetrators.
If out of this crisis we will even now, read the signs of the times and come together to form continuing people’s movements to build social trust and assert dialogue as the best method of resolving our differences, we will then rise to a new life out of the ashes of the Easter Sunday bombings.
With peace and blessings to all
April 22nd, 2019 at 4:52 pm
100 % true, UNP is playing balls of Muslims!
MR also gave all concessions to MUSLIMS with his one foot in Palestine.
All Political parties are on the MUSLIM side.
F**k the Muslims, Kill the scum, we don’t need damn, shit MUSLIMS here!
They should be killed.
Hail Hitler.
April 23rd, 2019 at 5:41 am
I want readers to note this.A similar tragedy happened during the Easter Sunday in 1943 at the small church in our land in Mirihana now most of the land is the new Mirihana Police station.
My twin brother and I was to be baptized after the Sunday Service when the Japanese bombed and machinegunned the area after machine gunning the Angoda Mental hospital. The same fleet was on the way to Ratmalana chased by RAF based at the Race course in Colombo7.
My dad was on duty as an ARP warden and rushed down to the baptism of me and my brother. We were put under the wooden long seats to prevent tiles falling as there was firefight between the Japanese and RAF.They shot down several jap planes in the area where one fell on to a paddy field close to Udhamulla another was shot down of a road from PitaKotte Junction where the Japanese pilot who parachuted and was stuck on a tree and the agitated mob gathered under the tree but he committed suicide by cutting his belly.Pilot Officer one Sharp was honoured for he claimed to have shot down serval planes and some people invited him and a few others to a function at Jubilee post.From there on the Colonials made sure the people enjoyed the Weask and major events in the area.They had a dansla at the old police station at the Station road Mirihana and a mighty Dansala at Gansaba junction where their high officers(police) in Black came inspect the food that was served. They did that each year until the independence. We sold up and left the area in 1949.That Easter Sunday was a sad memorable day for the country.
By the way there was a small school in front of this church with kajan roof that caught fire and the residents and the parishioners and the police came to our land to fetch the water from the small stream that was at the edge of the garden which is now part of the Mirihana police station and the people who helped that event was the Muslim trader and the Tamil Trader who had shops at the Jubilee junctions said my parents.Muslim trader was famous for the candy floss(bombbi Mothi) and he brought his machine to the school grounds and gave the kids free candy floss said my parents. I remember eating his floss in 1949,just for 1cent.