Holy Week

The story is told about an obese person who lost a lot of weight in such a short period of time. When asked how he did it, he replied: “Simple. Every day, I remove my false teeth by 6 p.m.!”

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Today is Palm Sunday, the beginning of the celebration of our Lord’s paschal mystery. This week we reflect on and participate in our Lord’s passion, death and resurrection. Let us all make Holy Week holy.

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In today’s Gospel (Lk. 23: 1-49), we hear the story of how Jesus was unjustly accused and condemned, how He was flogged, how He was made to carry the heavy cross, how He was crucified alongside criminals, and how He died a painful and lonely death. It is the story of His passion. But it is also a story of His compassion for the crowd, for the daughters of Jerusalem, and for the repentant thief who was crucified with Him. Jesus teaches us compassion in the midst of whatever passion.

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We have a tendency to become self-centered whenever we go through any difficulty or pain. That’s natural. But in our pain, we often forget that there are people who are in worse situations than ourselves. We tend to magnify our pain. Jesus tells us that there is another way of handling our pain and suffering, and that is to magnify the Lord. Let us pray for the grace to be like Jesus, and that is to be compassionate to others, and to focus on the Lord as we walk our own way of the cross.

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The Via Dolorosa in Jerusalem is not at all a holy, religious road. It is a marketplace! It is busy with commerce, narrow, dirty, cold and uncaring. Pilgrims who make the Way of the Cross for the first time tend to be disheartened with this ugly reality. It is precisely in such a situation, and in similar heartless situations along our journey, that we have to have a heart. Only with the heart can we find meaning, strength, and purpose as we go through the “valley of tears.” When we go through trials, we must go back to our heart, and there find Him. Indeed, it is only with the heart that we see things rightly. Only with the heart can we find strength, meaning, hope, and reason to go on.

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Holy Week is a going back to our heart. Let everything and everyone else fade away, especially this week, so we can find, feel, and experience Him. It’s time to remove the “false teeth,” so to speak, so that we can really savor the Savior. It’s time for all of us to rest, reflect, and renew, including our politicians, and especially our politicians.

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No campaigning for votes this week, please. Rather, let us all go down on our knees and campaign for God’s mercy and grace.

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Let us all make that journey to God’s heart, especially this week. The journey begins when you and I, like Zaccheus, will come down from our tree of comfort and security, and follow Him. We cannot encounter the Lord if we refuse to come down from our comfort zones, from our false securities, and from our high positions, and give up our stored possessions. If we remain in our tree, we, like Zaccheus, become mere observers and spectators. If we come down, we become participants and stakeholders in the Lord’s passion. Let us not become mere uninvolved spectators. Let us become committed disciples.

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Neither should we just go through the motions, and do the Holy Week practices and devotions out of tradition or obligation. Let us, like Jesus, go through this holy week with our hearts, most especially, with humble and contrite hearts. And grateful hearts, out of gratitude for the Lord who suffered so much and died for you and me.

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How do we make holy water? Someone once quipped that to make holy water, you get ordinary water, and boil the hell out of it! Well, we all have a lot of boiling to do, especially this Holy Week!

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Inviting you to a Holy Thursday recollection (8 a.m.-12 noon) at the Lord’s Flock Heritage Building Center, Catanduanes Street (near corner of Del Monte and West Avenue, Quezon City). For inquiries, please call 3765780 or 3711221.

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Join us in our Lenten TV specials which will be shown on ABS-CBN Channel 2 on March 24, Holy Thursday (theme: “Forgiveness”), 4 p.m.-5 p.m., and on March 25, Good Friday (theme: “Blessings”), 3 p.m.-4 p.m. Replays are on Cable Jeepney TV, Holy Thursday, 9 p.m.-10 p.m., and Good Friday,  4 p.m.-5 p.m.

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Think about this: “There is never enough time to do everything, but there is always enough time to do the most important thing—to pray and thank God for everything!”

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Wishing you all a truly restful, blessed, love-filled and grace-filled Holy Week. One with you in our journey to God’s heart. Let us pray for the coming elections, for a better Philippines!

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A moment with the Lord:

Lord, help us to make this week holy, filled with gratitude for Your mercy, and filled with compassion for our companions in our journey. Amen.