Letter to the killers of Easter Sunday massacre in Sri Lanka

Appreciate that you made the effort to find out the timing of our mass. Appreciate that you learnt more about our religion to know that Sundays are the days we go to Church for the congregational prayers and Mass. But I guess there were some things you, rather unfortunately, didn’t get to learn. Perhaps you didn’t know that what you did

Why choose Katuwapitiya?

Katuwapitiya is a part of the Negombo urban area about 3 miles from the sea as the crow flies. It may be a part of the Katana Police Division but it is definitely part of the Negombo urban area. It is at the church of St Sebastian at Katuwapitiya that the 2nd terror blast (if we count Kochchikade as the first) took place. When I learned that the St Sebastian’s church had been targeted together with St Anthony’s Kochchikade, which was an obviou

Appreciation - the Late Mr P. Karalasingham A dear friend to a wide circle

Much has been written about his professional and academic contribution in the field of Taxation, as such I do not wish to add anything more to it. I shall therefore confine myself to a few personal incidents.

Those Terrorists have no Religion: Displaced Asylum Seekers

“We understand how sad and angry they must be feeling for the loss of their relatives. But, we also hate terrorism. We love peace and freedom which is why we came to peace-loving Sri Lanka,” Hafza, a Pakistani national, said. Hafza...

We don’t need a new Constitution, but a peaceful country: Survivor

So many heartbreaking stories about victims of gruesome terrorist attacks, that took place on Easter Day, are heard via the media these days. The more intimately affected – those families and friends currently dealing with....

Sri Lanka Stands United

In the aftermath of multiple bomb attacks on Easter Sunday for which the Islamic State claimed responsibility, Daily Mirror, spoke to several parties on strengthening the harmony among the different ethnic and religious groups.

Batticaloa seeks peace and healing amidst grief and suspicion

Tension and uncertainty prevailed in Batticaloa yesterday, three days after a deadly suicide blast in the Zion Church on Easter Sunday claimed the lives of 29 persons, including 14 children, prompting clergy and officials to call for peace and calm, as the eastern district experienced another day of mourning and shut-down.

Rising above the carnage of Easter Sunday

To Christians, the message of the feast of Easter is ‘Resurrection’, ‘Life’, and ‘Hope’. Jesus Christ was humiliated, tortured stripped naked, nailed to a cross and put to death in the most humiliating and painful manner.

Easter Sunday Terror Special Police Unit at CNH to assist families of missing persons

A special Police information unit was installed opposite the Chief Judicial Medical Office at the Colombo National Hospital (CNH), where police officers have been deployed to assist in providing information on deaths related to the explosions that took place in Colombo this week. More than 350 people were killed and over 50

Commemorating the 26th Death Anniversary of Late Lalith Athulathmudali

The late Lalith Athulathmudali was at one time the Minister for National Security and one who took his responsibility very seriously and never forgot that he was primarily accountable to the people of this nation. The recent suicide bomb blasts were definitely a déjà vu for many of us who have lived through the 80’s and this article aims to demand accountability from the

Zion Church blast Batticaloa’s episode with a ‘dangerous seeker’

On April 22 (Monday) the final rites of 12-year-old Sharon Steven, his 10-year-old sister Shara Ebshiba, and their 13-year-old friend Jenakshika Thivenithan were held in Batticaloa, along with the funerals of 23 other victims of the Easter Sunday bomb attack that claimed the lives of 29 people in Zion Church. A total 14 children (7 girls and 7 boys) and 12 adults have so far

Negombo still groggy after worst nightmare

It was minutes after the Rev. Father delivered a speech about the importance of helping people during difficult times that the suicide bomber triggered the bomb at the St. Sebastian’s Church in Katuwapitiya, Negombo, killing scores and injuring many. Taking a cue from a recent incident in Trincomalee, where an injured youth was seen on CCTV desperately seeking help from bystanders who ignored him, Rev. Father at the Sebastian’s Church preached to

Easter Sunday Attacks: Stories from under the rubble

Multiple explosions on Easter Sunday (April 21) left an island nation devastated and the Government has declared today a national day of mourning. Explosions took place at three churches, namely St. Sebastian’s in Katuwapitiya, St Anthony’s Church in Kochchikade, Colombo and Zion Church in Batticaloa, in the Eastern Province; and three hotels namely Shangri-La, Kingsbury and Cinnamon Grand. There were other explosions too.

‘Easter Sunday’ debacle NCCSL condemns cruel and inhuman attacks

The National Christian Council of Sri Lanka (NCCSL) along with her constituencies views the bomb attacks which began in the morning hours on ‘Easter Sunday’ (April 21) with shock, disgust and horror.

The Indrasararamaya in Aruggoda Reflections on a forgotten history

Although Aruggoda doesn’t contain a significant Christian population, along the Panadura-Ratnapura Road it begins with a Christian cross; a Kurusa Handiya, between Pamunugama and Alubomulla. The e

Recovery of a Lost Theology

The traditional theologians (or rather, the mere holders of doctoral degrees in West’s God-Study framed within a given rational system) look down disdainfully on Francis as a non-theologian who needs to be guided and even corrected....

Angelene Gunathilake How we quantify grief

The news of singer Angelene Gunathilake’s recent passing away hardly caused a stir in the print media. When reams were written about singers H. R. Jothipala and W. D. Amaradeva.....

NO GREATER LOVE!

The appointed hour had come, yet He did not cling to His equality with God He could have assuaged the Father’s justice With a simple word, a single sigh But, His love went beyond time and space A love unfathomable!

The Cross and the Empty Tomb Christ’s agony and ecstasy

The cross, comprised wooden timbers and iron spikes, was the gas chamber or electric chair of the first century. It originated as a means of maximum torture. First used by the Persians, Phoenicians, and Carthaginians,

Easter inspires social change & reconciliation among peoples

The annual feast of Easter celebrates what is at the core of Christianity as a religion as well as the profound spiritual experience it engenders. It concerns the transforming and revolutionary historical event of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ of Nazareth from the gloom of death and darkness of the grave.

A Postcolonial Reflection crucifixion of a vulnerable Jesus

Jesus is given various names/ titles in scripture. This reflection is on two names or titles; the first is the Prince of Peace, a title given to him, as recorded in Isaiah 9. The second is the Son of Man, which Jesus used to refer to himself. We cannot separate Good Friday from Christmas.

Jesus’ death on Good Friday: Won for us God’s undying love and mercy

Good Friday is a special day for the Christians since it is on this day that they commemorate with much piety and devotion the death of Jesus of Nazareth, the Saviour of human beings. During special prayerful ceremonies in the churches on this day....

Our Own Good Friday …

When the Romans designed crucifixion as their means of capital punishment, they had more in mind than simply putting someone to death. They wanted to accomplish something else too, namely, to make this death.....

It’s here and now !

On a night of the full moon, King Ajasatta, with the medic Jeevaka, five hundred princesses and numerous ministers arrived at Veluwanaramaya to direct a memorable question at Gautama Buddha.

Significance of Bak Poya: Remembering Gautama Buddha’s second visit to Sri Lanka

Five years after Enlightenment Gautama Buddha visited Sri Lanka for the second occasion. This visit was after His first visit to Sri Lanka to settle a dispute between Yakkhas and Nagas. Buddha’s second visit to Sri Lanka was on a ‘Bak’ Full Moon Poya Day.

The Global Syndemic – What is it? And Why You Should Know About it?

For the first time in recorded history, bacteria, viruses and other infectious agents do not cause the majority of deaths or disability in any region of the world. Deaths from malaria, tuberculosis and diarrhoeal diseases have fallen more than 25% each since 2003.

The cultural link between the sinhala and bengali new years

People, young and old, are elegantly dressed in traditional attire and walk along the otherwise congested streets of the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka. They are heading to Ramna park in procession. And, they greet each other saying ‘Shuva Nobo Borsho’....

Inspiring women to serve those who need to be served

We have amidst us those who need a little more attention than others and support to lift them from despair. They are a part of us who should not be abandoned but be made part of the society.

Anatomy of two lawsuits: How bad will they be for Gota’s presidential ambitions?

Perhaps, the most important event that would define Sri Lanka’s presidential race, and possibly also the future of Sri Lankan politics, happened at a parking lot of an American grocery chain, Trader Joe’s in Pasadena, California last week.

First-ever elephant hospital in India: Jumbo effort to conserve wildlife

Home to some 50-60% of the total elephant population in Asia, India is a country of paramount importance for the survival of the species. Excessively used in the entertainment industry, elephants in India encounter countless beatings and undergo stressful periods before they are caparisoned and ‘used’ in these occasions.