The Best of all is God with us

  The Maldivian Government has offered to provide burial plots for Sri Lankan Muslims who die due to Covid 19! I am saddened by the fact that we Sri Lankans have not been sensitive enough to the whole issue of Cremating the Covid 19 victims who belong to the Sri Lankan Muslim community, who are Citizens of Sri Lanka. Our insensitivity has paved the way for another country to come forward to perform what we vehemently refuse to perform for no good reason. What a disgrace! It is time that we Sri Lankan citizens open our hearts and minds and be sensitive towards all persons whose religious beliefs does not permit the cremation of dead bodies. The health authorities have waved the banner of "NO" since 11th April 2020, referring to the Extra Ordinary Gazette no 2170/8 which mandates the cremation of all covid 19 dead bodies, not consider the religious beliefs of the deceased and the family. The question which troubles my mind is, on what premise does the Health Minister makes

  A place for self-identity in Jesus’ community When Jesus chose his twelve Apostles, they were immediately included in corporate identity. The obligations for such identification would be "they might be with him", "he might send them out to preach" and "to have authority to drive out demons" (Mark 3:14,15). These were unique features of their corporate identification within the circle of Apostles. To all those who came into the said corporate identity (the disciples) Jesus went further to say, "If anyone wants to come with me, he must deny himself, pick up his cross every day, and follow me continuously (Luke 9;23 ISV)" Jesus categorically says "deny himself" which is essential to belong to the corporate identity. If so, what place and importance did Jesus give to the self-identity of his followers? The first expectation Jesus had from his disciples was "to be with him". Why be with him? Surely they could have learnt the