As most of our countrymen go to vacation, I still favor the spiritual approach during the Holy Week. Having been born to a devout family of Caviteños, I still value the traditional way of spending the Holy Week break – that is prayer, contemplation and family.
For Catholics, the start of Holy Week is the Palm Sunday, or what was used to be known as Domingo de Ramos. It is also called Passion Sunday because it is the first time the Lord’s Passion is read to the parishioners. But for most Filipinos, the height of Holy Week starts on the Triduum, or the Three Days before the Lord’s Resurrection on Easter. And it starts tonight, during Maundy Thursday.
Filipino celebration of the Holy Week is very indigenous in some sorts. Yearly, we are featured in CNN, BBC and other international news channels for the penitensiya rituals of some Filipinos. It has even become a tourist attraction. In Barangay Pedro Cutud in Pampanga, foreigners troop to watch actual crucifixion on Good Friday. There are also others who inflict self-flagellation. But the Catholic Church does not condone such acts of piety. It maintains that salvation has long been attained for us by Jesus Christ, and God’s blessings should not be returned through infliction of pain. Some faith healers who claim to have derived their power to heal from God recharge their “energies” during Good Friday. They climb the famous Mt. Banahaw in Quezon and other mountains for this purpose.
Thus, let us be truly theological on our celebration of the Holy Week. Tonight, the Commemoration of the Washing of the Feet shall be celebrated throughout Christendom. It is the birth of the Church, the time when Christ formally entrusted to the apostles the pastoral duty towards the flock of God’s sheep. It is also this night when the Blessed Sacrament, Christ’s Body and Blood, shall be worshipped and enshrined in the altar of God’s table. And for Filipinos, it is also tonight where we do the Visita Iglesia. It is when we visit several Churches to pray that we may have strength to share in Christ’s passion and death. Historically, it is European in origin, particularly Italian. It is the visitation of the seven Basilicas located in Rome and Europe, to obtain spiritual favors. But for Filipinos, we do the 14 Stations of the Cross, thus it is 14 Churches we Filipinos visit.
But more importantly, we must forget the essence of this Holy Week Celebration. It is to remind us of the sacrifice of Christ in order to set us free from sin. Our salvation was paid for by His blood. So let us not forget that as we go on our Lenten breaks.
For Catholics, the start of Holy Week is the Palm Sunday, or what was used to be known as Domingo de Ramos. It is also called Passion Sunday because it is the first time the Lord’s Passion is read to the parishioners. But for most Filipinos, the height of Holy Week starts on the Triduum, or the Three Days before the Lord’s Resurrection on Easter. And it starts tonight, during Maundy Thursday.
Filipino celebration of the Holy Week is very indigenous in some sorts. Yearly, we are featured in CNN, BBC and other international news channels for the penitensiya rituals of some Filipinos. It has even become a tourist attraction. In Barangay Pedro Cutud in Pampanga, foreigners troop to watch actual crucifixion on Good Friday. There are also others who inflict self-flagellation. But the Catholic Church does not condone such acts of piety. It maintains that salvation has long been attained for us by Jesus Christ, and God’s blessings should not be returned through infliction of pain. Some faith healers who claim to have derived their power to heal from God recharge their “energies” during Good Friday. They climb the famous Mt. Banahaw in Quezon and other mountains for this purpose.
Thus, let us be truly theological on our celebration of the Holy Week. Tonight, the Commemoration of the Washing of the Feet shall be celebrated throughout Christendom. It is the birth of the Church, the time when Christ formally entrusted to the apostles the pastoral duty towards the flock of God’s sheep. It is also this night when the Blessed Sacrament, Christ’s Body and Blood, shall be worshipped and enshrined in the altar of God’s table. And for Filipinos, it is also tonight where we do the Visita Iglesia. It is when we visit several Churches to pray that we may have strength to share in Christ’s passion and death. Historically, it is European in origin, particularly Italian. It is the visitation of the seven Basilicas located in Rome and Europe, to obtain spiritual favors. But for Filipinos, we do the 14 Stations of the Cross, thus it is 14 Churches we Filipinos visit.
But more importantly, we must forget the essence of this Holy Week Celebration. It is to remind us of the sacrifice of Christ in order to set us free from sin. Our salvation was paid for by His blood. So let us not forget that as we go on our Lenten breaks.
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