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Bishop of Colombo Rt. Rev. Duleep de Chickera, in his Easter Message states:

Christians celebrate Easter to commemorate the resurrection of Christ from the dead. Through this unique act; God vindicates everything that Christ was and taught and did, draws the attention of the world to the fullness of truth and life that Christ offers and announces to the world that new life is possible for all humans and all creation.

Consequently death and destruction is perceived and encountered from a new perspective and human affairs and history transformed with a new courage. This is the Easter hope. This is the good news in Christ.

The message of Easter is particularly applicable in the harsh struggles and realities of life. Human sin repeatedly dehumanizes relationships and distorts life, spilling out into violence, poverty, deceit, corruption, intimidation, oppression, discrimination and injustice. These vicious life denying sub cultures rob people and all creation of the right to fullness of life. They do not simply evolve by accident. The relentless greed for power and wealth is the driving force that spells death and destruction for all.

It is in such circumstances that Easter reminds us that the option of a new resurrected life is both urgent and possible. This cannot and must not be restricted to the lives of individuals. Systems and cultures, structures, forces and values need to be transformed.

Consequently Easter invites us to identify, challenge and change evil systems and violent cultures so that our political and social structures may pass from death to life. Easter also invites us to identify and call to accountability all forces and groups who abuse power, obstruct justice and spread fear and fragmentation so that our democratic institutions and safeguards may pass from death to life. Finally, Easter invites us to hear the cries of those who are economically crushed so that our collective conscience and shared history may pass from death to life.

This year in particular the proximity of Sinhala and Tamil New Year with Easter reinforces the Nations aspiration for a new beginning and a new journey towards new life. The Easter faith of Christians and our shared cultural heritage and identity calls us into this shared hope and journey with our sisters and brothers of all cultures and faiths.

As each contributes out of our respective spiritualities, it is the prayer of the Church that the risen Christ who makes all things new, may accompany those who dare to believe in and work for a transformed and integrated Sri Lanka.

May Grace, peace, justice and contentment in the risen Christ bring new life to all, but very specially to those bent under the weight of economic injustice and cultural violence and those whose burden of leadership is both heavy and complex.

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