He will always live in us

Bishop Lakshman Wickremasinghe

By Sydney Knight

On October 23 this year we will keep yet another death anniversary of Bishop Lakshman.

I give below a poem on him by Haig Karunaratne. Mr. Karunaratne’s poem states what I said at a recent Forum. One of the speakers said, “if Bishop Lakshman was alive ...” and I responded, “Bishop Lakshman is not dead. He will always live in us”.

Looking back, those of us who were under God tended by Bishop Lakshman are, l am sure, keeping that flame alive. Both in church and society, the post-Lakshman Wickremasinghe era has been a difficult one. The church had to live and work in the post-July 1983 era. Bishop Lakshman died in 1983.

Bishop Lakshman has left such a lasting impression on some of us in church and nation, that some of us tend to say, ‘if he was alive…’.

Any celebration of death is a time to reflect on the death and all deaths - a look back; a Thanksgiving; a promise to move forward. For the dead person is not there in the tomb. Like the Man called Jesus, the person is alive - In the nearer presence of God. From that state of being, they continue to pray.

Remembering Bishop Lakshman this year is the time to promise to move on with what he taught us. To be and become: work for Kingdom and Gospel values. It is by doing all this that we can thank God for Bishop Lakshman and keep his memory alive.

May what he, under God, began in us, live, thus completing his dreams and visions - the forward movement of the unfinished symphony.

May he rest in peace and rise in glory!