Holy Week begins today, Palm Sunday, when the people glorify and hail Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior by waving palm fronds in welcoming Jesus’ entry into the temple on a donkey.
He whose great power and vision for humanity would lay to waste three days later when the same people who paid him tribute would curse, mock and spit at Him and shout out loud to have Him scourged and crucified from Holy Wednesday up to His final nailing on the cross on Good Friday.
Time To Reflect
This week is the time for us to reflect why we have to observe Holy Week each year in the same manner, in the same mood and doing the same traditions over and over again.
The reason is simple: we always fall into the trap of sin and evil which is why we have to give ourselves time to reflect upon our own follies and misguidance.
It is time for us to ponder how we can overcome sin and spiritual decay which Jesus suffered and died for us, continuously and repeatedly for every instance that we commit sin.
At last, after two years of the pandemic, which denied us of the chance to do our annual spiritual practices of doing our Stations of the Cross, our Visita Iglesia (of 7 churches with each church visit devoted to asking one personal intention) and attending the Last Seven Words of Christ in church.
I can see people eagerly trekking to churches for the 7 (up to 14 for each Station of the Cross) churches’ visitations, people doing the stations by families in church, in Pampanga there is the much-awaited self-flagellation by penitents and others doing their penance by moving on bended knees towards the altar while praying for the atonement of sins and whispering their intentions to the Lord God.
In the provinces — and some areas of Metro Manila — we can hear non-stop chanting of the passion of Christ in street corners, small chapels and other neighborhood venues.
Beaches, Parties
Sadly as some Catholic priests would say, many families rush to the beaches and vacation spots on Holy Week to bond and make merry at a time when Christ is suffering and dying for their sins.
Have we lost all sense of spiritual bond with Him, whose Father created us and gave us Jesus to redeem us from sin and death?
Understandably, Holy Week has always been the hottest period in the year in the Philippines. But is this reason enough for all of us to just abandon our spiritual commitment to God, at least this once each year.
We, too, must suffer for our transgressions and be healed from them before we can experience a deeper joy that Christ’s resurrection brings to us on Easter Sunday.
A Joyous Holiday
We celebrate Christmas with so much frenzy and fun. But we should be celebrating the solemnity and suffering of Jesus’ act of redemption for us even more. Especially celebrating Easter Sunday, or Linggo ng muling pagkabuhay
Easter after all, is a joyous holiday because it represents the fulfillment of the prophecies of the Old Testament and the revelation of God’s salvific plan for all of humanity.
In commemorating the Resurrection of Jesus, Easter also celebrates the defeat of death and the hope of salvation.