Greed, man's worst enemy – Chilaw Bishop:

St. Anne's, Talawila celebrates 251st feast

The feast of St. Anne's in the Chilaw diocese is an important annual celebration in the Roman Catholic calendar in Sri Lanka.

Worshippers from around the country flock in their thousands days ahead of the feast camping out for several days to hear their gentle Shepherd, the vibrant, Rt. Rev. Dr. Devsritha Valence Mendis deliver the sermon and officiate at the festive high mass.

Over 250 years ago, a navy ship sank where the church is now. A few days later, there emerged the statue of St. Anne from the sea and that is how the church began a spiritual journey to the future.

Today, after 151 years Bishop Valence Mendis is joined by the Bishop of Trincomalee, the Rt. Rev. Kingsley Swamipillai in holy mass. With the Vatican flag fluttering in the wind atop the roof of the church with its lonely crucifix, Bishop Swamipillai made an endearing sermon, evaluating the ties between the poor and the rich and said, ‘All of you have come in your thousands from all parts of the country with hope and love in your hearts to receive the blessings of St. Anne and she will surely bestow upon you her love”.

“You must gather together as one family no matter to what race, religion you belong and emerge from under one banner'. It was very appropriate in today's context within our disturbing lives, very moving and filled with candour.

Parable

Bishop Swamipillai read the quote for the day from the Holy Bible – Luke 12, 13-21.

‘A man in the crowd said to Jesus, ‘Teacher, tell my brother to divide with me the property our father left us'. Jesus answered him, ‘My friend, who gave me the right to judge or to divide the property between you two? He said ‘Watch out and guard yourselves from every kind of greed because your true life is not made up of things you own no matter how rich you may be.

Then Jesus told them this parable, ‘There was once this rich man who had land which bore good crops. He began to think to himself, ‘I haven't anywhere to keep my crops. What can I do? He told himself.

‘I will pull down my barns and build bigger ones where I will store the grain and all my goods and then I will say to myself, ‘Lucky man, you have all the goods for many years. But God said to him, you are foolish. This very night, you will have to give up your life; then who will get these things you have kept for yourself? And Jesus said, ‘This is how it is with those who pile up riches for themselves, but are not rich in God's sight'.

Seizing from where he stopped from ‘the parable of the rich man’ Bishop Mendis strongly emphasised the evils of greed. ‘We must guard ourselves not from enemies, but from our own selves; from our own greed which is our enemy. It can be money, riches, power, grabbing from the poor or from something that does not belong to us.

The lust for power that comes with greed can be found even in our families, between parents and their children, between friends and foes. They pave the way for destruction. Trust in the Lord and beware of such evil. The Lord said; The birds in the air have a resting place, but the Son of Man has nowhere to rest his head'.His Lordship said, ‘Look at all these beautiful trees around us with their spreading boughs.

It is because they are fed by their roots that make them strong. Man too is like a tree when the Lord touches his heart, his life is nurtured in godliness, peace and beauty and become lustrous like the spreading trees.

Bishop Mendis explained the true meaning of life, ‘Sharing one's riches with the poor is meaningful and that is what God wants us to do. Those who place their trust in God will have riches awaiting in heaven, but the greedy ones will have no salvation.

Human frailty

‘Once a poor starving woman was given food by the compassionate Mother Teresa who watched the hungry woman separating the food into two portions before eating. Mother Teresa asked her why she did such a thing and the woman answered; ‘There is a family close by who are starving like me. I want to share what God has given and mother Theresa was deeply touched.

His Lordship also cited yet another example of human frailty. There was a child left destitute with both parents deceased and no one to care about and when he appealed to someone to take over the child, all backed out. But one solitary woman undergoing hardship with many of her children and with no husband, volunteered.

This is a small example that God tests us with our frailties and the magnanimity of the poor and the humble.

Give upto the poor of what you have. It is like giving to the Lord and he will bless you for it'. The Bishop said, ‘Sharing and storing one's wealth are far apart. One brings out the humanity and love whereas the other is soaked in greed.

‘What is the use of riches’ he asked, ‘If one cannot share it with the needy'.

One could feel the urgency in his voice while he addressed his sheep who listened in rapt attention, absorbing every gem of wisdom their gentle Shepherd uttered at a magnificent occasion to celebrate the life and times of St. Anne, the mother of the Virgin Mary.

- GH