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A message of hope in troubled times
His visit had been prompted by the Easter Sunday tragedy and delivering a stirring message of solidarity, support and reconciliation, the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby touched the hearts of the 3,500 strong congregation that gathered at the Anglican cathedral in Colombo on Thursday evening.
Celebrating Holy Communion. Pix by Amila Gamage
Sri Lankans had been in his prayers since the ‘terrible and terrifying’ attacks the Archbishop said, reiterating the need to reject all forms of violence, hatred and division and to work together for peace and reconciliation. “In Sri Lanka you know the cost of war and violence. These attacks at Easter were aimed at division, at destruction and at pride. Pride says we deny the right of God to tell us what to do.”
On Easter morning we put our hope in the Resurrection of Christ, he said. “Even when it seems that evil and death and destruction are strong, we know that Christ is stronger.
“Christians, above all, must show how to live a life of resurrection so that the rest of the world may see that when we learn to forgive one another, to love one another, that we reveal Jesus the Resurrected. And the world sees it. And because of your witness, I am humbled and blessed to be with you today – it is a privilege for me and for all with me.”
The Archbishop of Canterbury is spiritual head of the worldwide Anglican Church (numbering around 85 million) and Metropolitan of the Church of Ceylon. On his packed three-day visit to the country en-route to India, the Archbishop who was accompanied by his wife Caroline, his Adviser on Anglican Communion Affairs, Bishop Anthony Poggo and his Chief of Staff, Canon David Porter visited two sites of the Easter Sunday bombings -St. Sebastian’s Church in Katuwapitiya and the Cinnamon Grand hotel.
He called on President Maithripala Sirisena, Premier Ranil Wickremesinghe and Opposition Leader Mahinda Rajapaksa on Thursday whilst also meeting with Church leaders and representatives of the Interfaith Dialogue.
The Archbishop presided over two services at the cathedrals of the two Dioceses that make up the Church of Ceylon – the Diocese of Colombo and the Diocese of Kurunegala, the latter with Kurunegala Bishop Keerthisiri Fernando on Friday afternoon after visiting the Dalada Maligawa and meeting the Mahanayakes of the Malwatte and Asgiriya Chapters that morning.
In Colombo on Thursday evening, the Cathedral of Christ the Living Saviour on Bauddhaloka Mawatha with a white canopy erected at the entrance had two plaintain trees flanking the main door –a colourful and traditional welcome for the special guests. And it was a colourful gathering within as white robed priests, lay workers and Christians who had travelled from all parts of the country to be present at the service made their way past security checks to fill every wing and corner of the vast Cathedral.
Local traditions: Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby lighting the oil lamp, with Bishop of Colombo Dhiloraj Canagasabey
The church bells rang out to herald the start of a service that saw Sri Lankan traditions seamlessly woven in with the sacred rites of the service of Holy Eucharist – prayers and readings in Sinhala, Tamil and English, the vibrant Kandyan drums and the sound of the conch shell, the sesath bearers. Warmly welcomed by Bishop of Colombo Dhiloraj Canagasabey, the Archbishop made his way in the procession to light the traditional oil lamp draped with fragrant strings of jasmine.
The Archbishop’s sermon had as its theme the martyrdom of St. John the Baptist and vividly retelling the well-known story from the Gospel reading, he spoke of the contrast – Herod the ruler with visible authority and power who had John killed and John and Jesus – the prophet and the teacher who had no money and no worldly power. Yet today we remember Jesus and John. Herod is in the history books – an evil man. Evil can frighten and terrify but it is defeated by good, he said.
There were many subliminal truths in his sermon and his characteristic moments of humour. A man of courage, John spoke the truth to power, he criticised the rulers, he pointed out. “As an Archbishop I acknowledge and understand that I have some power and sometimes I need people to tell me the truth that I do not want to hear, so that I learn to do what is right. It is true for every one of us. We need people to lead us in truth. They say that in any organisation the most ignorant person is the person at the top because they are only told what people think they want to hear. Do you know that makes me the world’s most ignorant Anglican? My chief of staff is nodding!
Look beyond worldly trappings and also inward, he urged. Pride and power, he said, tell us we can have what we want and face no consequences. Jesus and John showed us what it is to be truly human.
“So as Christians even in a time of trouble we are called to be witnesses to the love of Jesus Christ- to speak to those who are consumed with pride and tell them of the love of God. The hardest thing of all is not our enemies..it’s each other. As Christians we are all to love one another. Do we do that as we should? Or do we allow greed and pride and ambition even in small things… to put others aside.”
Above all though, there was understanding. “We are called as Christians to witness, to forgive, to be ambassadors of reconciliation. It is easy for me to say, but after what has been suffered by many of you in civil war and in terrorism, it is hard to do. I do not think it is easy for you. You’ve been attacked most terribly over many years by great evil. How do you respond?
Greeting the people: The Archbishop amongst the congregation
“Be honest. Express your feelings to God. When you are lonely, when you feel disappointed by God, when you are angry, tell Him what you feel.
The Psalmist does that. Be hopeful. Jesus suffered and rose from the dead. John died but Herod could do him no more harm and God raised him up. Those who have died in this land are with God in life.” Those who suffer today, God is with them, he said speaking of the families of victims and children still with injuries whom he had met and prayed for that morning.
“Bring your fears to God in prayer, be patient with yourselves. Be kind to yourselves, be kind to each another.
“Forgiveness and reconciliation take a long time. If you struggle to begin, pray that you may want to begin. If you cannot even want to begin, pray that you want to, want to forgive. It takes time. It is hard.”
Finally words of encouragement and support. “The Christians of Sri Lanka are witnesses and martyrs in the church around the world – you follow the pattern of the prophets – John the Baptist and Jesus. We are here because we do not forget you, because we admire you, because we love you and because in coming here, we pray that some of your virtue, your courage, your hope, your desire for reconciliation and peace will catch hold of us and we may be better because we have been with you. May God continue to bless you, to love you, to heal you.”
As the service ended with the ‘Hymn for Sri Lanka’ and the procession made its way out, the Archbishop on the front steps of the Cathedral offered a prayer of blessing for the city of Colombo and for all its people.