Fasting, abstinence must during Holy Week

TO the faithful, Holy Week is often spent in prayer, meditation, and doing sacrifices either to deepen their faith and to help others.

Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle said that Catholics can show the love of Christ by helping other people especially the needy.

“We hope that this Holy Week may really be a journey of faith with Jesus,” Tagle said.

“It’s really faith that will enable us to journey with Jesus who suffered out of love for us. And in journeying with Jesus, hopefully we can journey with one another especially those who are suffering and bring them love too,” he said.

The Cardinal admitted that journeying in faith is often challenging “It is not easy to walk with Jesus who will die on the Cross,” he said.

“Even in ordinary situations when you know that your companion will be in danger, we go our separate ways,” he said.

In line with the observance of Holy Week, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) has provided guidelines on how the faithful can show their respect and dedication to God.

CBCP-Episcopal Commission on Social Communication and Mass Media executive director Fr. Francis Lucas said that fasting and abstinence should be on top of the list of must-dos during the Holy Week.

“See to it that you undergo sacrifices because your suffering, if it comes with a noble objective, that is the real sacrifice. You don’t just suffer for the sake of suffering. You endure suffering because of a noble cause for God, for praying for someone else and for cleansing your sins,” Lucas said.

Catholics are also urged to do charitable acts during the Lenten season.

The Holy Week begins with Palm Sunday, which is marked by a Sunday Mass, wherein the faithful carry palm leaves, locally called palaspas, which are blessed by priests. Afterwards, the blessed palms are often placed in altars or in other prominent areas inside the house.

In other parishes, the entry of Jesus to Jerusalem is re-enacted by the priest and lay ministers.

Lucas also urged the faithful to start Maundy Thursday with meditation and prayer to feel the passion of Christ. He added that attending Mass of the Last Supper is very important because it signifies that the sinners are reuniting with Christ.

Also on that day, the Visita Iglesia, the traditional practice of Filipino Catholics of visiting at least seven churches and praying in front of the Blessed Sacrament, is to be practiced.

While visiting churches, the faithful also often pray the Stations of the Cross.

“Throughout the day you should pray, meditate, then try to look back on your life and your sins. Be sorry for them,” Lucas said.

The CBCP official encouraged the members of the church to have a prayer vigil the whole night of Thursday until the dawn of the next day.

He said that on Good Friday, the faithful should fast to experience Jesus’ passion and death. While drinking water is permissible, only one small meal for the entire day is allowed. “Exempted from fasting are those with illnesses or those that are very old. But still, they should see to it that they’ll be prayerful on Good Friday,” Lucas said.

In some parishes, the people listen to the Seven Last Words, wherein priests take turns in reflecting on the last words of Christ while he was crucified on the Cross. The activity begins at 12 noon.

Later in the afternoon, the Black Friday procession is held.

The prelate said that on Black Saturday, no activity should be done in the morning except meditating and remembering the death of Jesus.

Lucas said that going to beaches and resorts is not banned, but the public is urged to observe the holiness and sacredness of Lent.

“We do not prohibit the faithful from going to the beach, but they should be discreet, observe the holiness and sacredness of Lent. My advice is that on Black Saturday, the faithful should remember the death of Christ and the ‘death’ in yourself. Look back at the things that happened in your life, and ponder on how you can resurrect from there,” Lucas said.

On Easter Sunday, the observance of Jesus’ resurrection is celebrated. A more popular tradition for the Catholics is the Salubong, wherein the meeting of the risen Christ and a weeping Mary is re-enacted. It begins with two separate dawn processions.

The Salubong is culminated by the removal of the veil from the head of Mary’s image often by an angel played by a child.

This Holy week, Lucas urged the public to go back to the deeper meaning of Lent—a new life, a new beginning and a new hope.

“Let’s go back to the deeper meaning of Lent, which is spring time—a new life, a new beginning and a new hope. In a confused world like what we have today, what man lacks is the hope for a better life—a life that is clean and healthy,” he said.

“Try to pray to God to have strength to overcome ‘ death’— you can renew your faith in God to be a better person in the future,” he added.

Holy Week for Protestants

For Protestants from evangelical churches, remembering Jesus’ death and resurrection is also an important event.

Associate Pastor Vilmer Frago of the Meadwood Christian Fellowship in Bacoor, Cavite said that their church would observe the Holy Week by having a three-day church camp with their members. The camp would allow the church members to hear God’s message through the pastor’s preaching and it would also strengthen their fellowship with each other.

“We do that to remember that Jesus Christ is the only Savior, He died for our sins, and on the third day, He resurrected. The camp is also a venue to strengthen the fellowship of the members to be united as one in serving Jesus Christ,” Frago explained.

According to the pastor, their main goal in holding a church camp is to reflect on their spiritual life, to be able to rest and refresh from the everyday grind, and to enrich their relationship toward one another.