Pilgrimage to the National Shrine of the Holy Cross

‘No one can be the slave of two masters; such a slave will hate one and love the other, or will be loyal to one and despise the other.’   

Rev. Dr. Valence Mendis quoted part of the parable from the Holy Scriptures found in the books of Matthew and Luke from the New Testament, that Jesus uttered to his disciples about the rich man and his shrewd store-keeper whom he took to task for failing in his duty and Jesus went on to say ‘And so I tell you; make friends for yourself with worldly wealth so that when it gives out, you will be welcomed in the eternal home. Whoever is faithful in small matters will be faithful in large ones. Whoever is dishonest in small matters will be dishonest in large matters. If then you have not been faithful in handling worldly wealth, how can you be trusted with true wealth?   

When Bishop Valence preaches, the churches overflow with worshippers in their thousands, as happened last Sunday at the National Shrine of the Holy Cross, Marawila, in the Diocese of Chilaw. He has a gentle rapport with the poor and the humble, especially from the fishing community that make up the Catholic believers. In his sermon on this day, he drew his inspiration from the Holy Bible. Here what His Lordship meant was that one cannot be a slave to money and one master. To be God’s children, we must all lead simple lives and only serve Him.

  
He went on ‘The Lord feeds us spiritually in good pastures, for which purpose we have to be his chosen children devoid of worldly pleasure that is wealth. We have to choose between the two.   

Our Saviour or wealth?   
It is not that one has to give up all. It is just that one needs not be a slave to wealth but live a godly life in keeping with his commandments which will eventually bring us closer to Him.   
Bishop Valence is the spiritual custodian of the miraculous Holy Cross, where Christians and non-Christians gather daily in their thousands from every part of the country to seek refuge and blessings from Jesus who looks down on them from the cross even in agony, reminding us of the great sacrifice made to redeem the world of its sin.