Appreciation Rev.Fr. Raveen had a compassionate heart

saman hettiarachchi Monday, 27 July 2020 01:47 AM

Whom God loves dies young. Like the biblical Enoch in Genesis 5, Fr Raveen walked with God, and he was not there, because God took him. Ryan has beautifully briefed how his uncle walked with God, though the time seems to be so short from our earthly perspective. The pictures we all saw of the darling family of Fr Raveen at his funeral, especially of Roshini our dear sister engulfed in flames of excruciating pain, would speak for themselves for ages. God knows best, dear family members. We can hardly comprehend the unfathomable wisdom of God and hence, we commend the soul of our dear brother priest into the loving Hands of our dear God Creator, Redeemer and Sanctifier. With a deep bow, we finally say, 'Amen to Him.' Requiescat in pace!

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Fr Saman Hettiarachchi, St Anthony's Ch, Mount Monday, 27 July 2020 02:07 AM

It is more a marvel, when God called Fr. Raveen at a time he was so full of vim and vigour, as a priest, pastor and pedagogue. But, in some instances, God takes the one whom He loves all of a sudden. This ‘all of a sudden’ is from our perspective and not from the divine aspect. With God, there are no accidents or mistakes or chances. It looks ‘sudden’ for us, and not for God. He knows everything, even before it happens and He knows best. We do not know and so, it is ‘sudden’ only for us. We are surprised; but, God is never surprised, nothing catches Him for surprise, for things do not just happen with Him. Anything that happens to us, good or bad, must pass through His fingers first. He is sovereign! Joseph’s brothers intended to harm him but later in life Joseph saw that it was God’s intent to bless him through the sinful actions of his brothers. They meant it for evil; God meant it for good. So has the life or death of our dear brother passed through the Fingers of God first. RIP.

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Fr Saman Hettiarachchi, St Anthony's Ch, Mount Monday, 27 July 2020 02:13 AM

The Christian Hagiography is full of ‘young’ Saints and Martyrs. St Anthony of Padua died at 36; The Little Flower of Jesus or St. Therese of Lisieux, at 24; Maria Goretti, at 12. We can go on and on like this. Another son of Pamunugama, Fr. Sunanda Wanasinghe, 38, too died so young in 1998, when on the peak of his charismatic mission (he would have loved to live his sweet 60s this year). Our brother, Raveen, has now joined all of them.

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Fr Saman Hettiarachchi, St Anthony's Ch, Mount Monday, 27 July 2020 02:23 AM

Fr. Raveen is back! (a poem composed by us seeing how his family surrounded him at St. Joseph's Ch, Pamunugama in April,2020) Fr. Raveen is back to his Village, Church and Family: A scene, which these eyes never wanted to see; A loss, which words can hardly express; A moment, which these hearts never expected; An hour, which these lives can hardly pass ... But, we are with you, friends and countrymen, as you stagger through this hour of agony. May the Mother by the Cross of Jesus be your tower of strength; and the risen Lord, be your anchor of hope! May our dear brother rest in the peace of the Lord and in the company of our saintly parents and ancestors! Adios amigo, adios my friend, The road we have traveled has come to an end, Adios amigo, adios my friend.

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