By Sister M. Rose Agnes MC

Sr M Rose Agnes considers Misyon as a source of joy and inspiration for her and for others who are working in the different nooks and corners of Sri Lanka. Whenever she finishes with her copy, she gives it to others who pass it on in turn. 

Sri Lanka is known for its exotic natural beauty, but due to the ongoing war it is sad that little by little this is disappearing. Though the government and the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eeelam (LTTE), usually called the ‘Tamil Tigers’, declared a ceasefire in 2001, killing by both sides is still ‘quietly’ going on. Now in some parts of the country it has reached a climax. As I travel from one house to another in our region, I experience uncertainty about the future. I have to surrender and be ready to die anywhere at anytime. Bombs explode anywhere but I believe that once you surrender yourself totally to Him, He takes care of all the rest, providing a protecting angel to watch over us.

Crossing the line

Once I went to a house that was in the territory between the Sri Lankan army and the Tigers. We had to go through many checkpoints. To face all this I had to learn the basics of Sinhala, the official language of the country. About 74 percent of the population is ethnically Sinhalese. I also had to learn some Tamil, the language of the largest minority, the Tamils, who make up 18 percent of the more than 19 million who live in the country. Both languages are needed to be able to get around and to make traveling, which is never too smooth, a little easier.

Brush of an angel’s wing

On the way I could hear the bombings on both sides. Because of the checkpoints, we were put in the middle of seven trucks which were carrying high explosives and weapons. Our driver started to get frightened and tried to come out of the line but was unable to. Then suddenly, the vehicle of the parish priest appeared with the other priests inside. He signaled to us to go ahead of them. So they followed us and we discovered that we were following a United Nations’ vehicle. The priests’ car never left us until we reached a safe area. I can still remember the horrible scene of that night. Early the following morning, we received the news that the seven trucks had been set on fire by the rebels.

Terror of Sri Lanka

This is the kind of thing I’ve experienced many times since arriving in Sri Lanka. You feel the house shaking and see the shells going over like balls of fire. As I watch I utter prayers from the heart hoping that it wouldn’t fall on the innocent.

War continues

Representatives of the Government and the Tamil Tigers went to Geneva for peace talks in 2005. But nothing happened and the war continues. I hope that the Philippines, where there’s a similar problem, will learn from the experience of Sri Lanka.

Please pray for us all.

You may write Sister M. Rose Agnes MC at:
Missionaries of Charity, ‘SHANTHI NIVASA’,
81 St John’s Way, COLOMBO 15, SRI LANKA