Christians in Sri Lanka ‘must understand poor better’
(September 14, 2011) Christians looking to combat poverty and injustice should develop
their own spirituality and try living among the poor to get a better understanding
of the conditions these people live in, according to a leading academic. “Many people
around the world just don’t realize the kind of life marginalized people lead because
they are subject to rampant materialism which makes them individualistic and selfish,”
said Anton Meemana, professor of philosophical and religious perspectives in reconciliation
and peace at La Salle University in the Philippines. Many Christians in Sri Lanka
are no different since their lifestyles are seducing them into to buying more and
more,” said the academic, who is also a visiting lecturer at Sri Lanka’s University
of Kelaniya. He was speaking on Monday during the 13th Commemorative Lecture on Mother
Teresa at Caritas Sri Lanka’s auditorium in Colombo. He said by living with the poor,
“we can learn from them how they feel about being deprived.” “All human problems
are spiritual problems and the solutions are also spiritual. Our society needs a deep
spiritual foundation, not a materialistic one,” he told an audience of Christian priests,
nuns and lay leaders. “A truly religious person is a spiritual person, a just person,
an authentic person. Each individual must try to live a just life with personal integrity
and that can help forge a just society. We also need leaders with impeccable integrity.
It is the responsibility of every Christian to be a blessing to others,” he continued.
Christians as a whole, not just Church leaders, must examine their conscience with
regard to their obligations to ensuring justice for the poor and the marginalized,
said Andrew Samaratunge, president of the Sri Lankan Movement for Justice, Peace and
Reconciliation.