Lent in Sri Lanka highlights theme “Christ is our hope”.

(March 15, 2011) Sri Lankan Bishop Harold Anthony Perera of Kurunegala Diocese in his message for Lent, has re-launched the theme of ‘Christ is our hope’. The message had been proposed this year by Caritas Sri Lanka-Sedec, calling it “appropriate” to reconcile the country after the many years of a war that ended only in 2009. In his statement, the bishop urged believers to place their trust in the Holy Spirit, citing Pope Benedict XVI, who called for the “genuine conversion” of heart and mind, in order to heal everyone’s wounds and inaugurate a new life of liberty.
Bishop Perera said “No theme was ever more appropriate than ‘Christ is our hope’, since we are undergoing a process of reconciliation after 30 years of violence and suffering. He said “During the time of Lent, we commemorate the passion, death and the resurrection of Christ. During this period, we are strongly urged to give hope to those, who are desperate, homeless, victims of violence and marginalised.
Concluding his message, Bishop Perera called on the faithful to reflect and strongly meditate on the word of God. He said “Let us become an instrument of hope in Christ. With our prayers and witnessing our faith, we can open the way towards a vast horizon of hope in the Almighty,” he added.