Following the Palm Sunday that the Lord Jesus humbly rides on a donkey entering Jerusalem, we have approached the most solemn and significant celebration of the Church----Easter Triduum. As the Holy Week begins, we notice that the atmosphere inside the church is different, particularly from the violet veil that covers the crucifix and other sacred statues; we are in an extraordinary moment in the life of Jesus. I will share what I found fascinating and unique about the Holy Week celebration in the Philippines and a great desire towards the people.
Several days ago, I was asked to prepare a brief explanation about the Holy week in the group of BEC Bible sharing in the parish. I primarily focused on the Easter Triduum and its profound meaning, inviting the people to meditate more deeply on the Sacred Triduum and celebrate it fully. While I was explaining the celebration in a universal approach, in the sense that all the churches worldwide would have similar celebrations about Maundy Thursday and Holy Friday, I did not include the practice of Pabása ng Pasyón, the Passion Play Senakulo and Salubong in the Philippines. These traditional devotions help Filipinos appreciate the Lord’s passion, death, and resurrection and become supplementary to the liturgy of the Church.
In St. Francis Xavier parish belonging to the Diocese of Novaliches, the grand Pabasa, popular devotion in the Philippines during Holy Week to chant uninterruptedly a poem narrating the life, passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, is on holy Monday and other chapels will have it accordingly. The Pabasa usually takes one day, and each group will have its hours. When I recalled the experience last year, I enjoyed the Pabasa because it is a chanting way of prayer. At that time, I did not understand Tagalog much, but I stayed there for an hour following and sometimes chanting too. It gave me the opportunity to calm down and focus on the suffering of Jesus even if I did not understand the prayer content. Many people came to pray, and afterward, they would eat the food they brought while conversing. It is a beautiful devotion because I like its chanting style, but I also notice that people coming to this devotion are more middle-aged. Indeed, only they would be very patient to sing and contemplate the life of Jesus.
Filipino like devotions and signs, and they enjoy celebrations and entertaining activities because these can be seen and “tasted.” Senakulo (the Filipino version of Passion Play), like the Easter Drama, originates from the ritual of the Church and eventually breaks away from the ritual and adopts a more dramatic form. Senakulo draws not only devout Catholics but also onlookers to give insight into the traditions that are important to the locals and teach people about Filipino culture and the importance of religion. The youth in our parish have started practicing since the beginning of the Lenten season, and the performance will be on the streets on Holy Friday early morning. I was amazed to see the eagerness of young people for the drama; at the same time, I had a question in my heart: how much they would learn and experience Jesus. After all, Senakulo for us Christians is not a drama for entertaining people but a vivid attempt to “accompany” Jesus’ suffering and death. If we do not have a contemplative heart and open attitude, we will not perceive Jesus when He passes by. Hope the young people and all the participants in the Senakulo nationwide experience an inner conversion because of their characters around Jesus.
I am also preparing myself for the glorious celebration of Easter Sunday. The Holy Week is a time to experience Jesus again and challenge myself where I need to die on myself to resurrect with Jesus. The celebration during these days will be memorable and enriching as it is the core of our Christian faith; my deep desire for Christians is to participate in the liturgy. Apart from the long holiday that draws more people from attending the Church celebrations to refreshing tours, some Christians have focused more on the devotions but neglected the liturgy happening inside the Church. People may be exhausted because of the preparation for Pabasa and Senakulo and other activities, but the center of the Holy Week should not be neglected. Thus, preparing our hearts and minds by going to the sacrament of Confession and giving more time to prayer and silence for Jesus are the small steps revealing our sincerity that we want to renew ourselves in and for Jesus.
During the Lenten weeks, Jesus reveals himself to us as the living water that quenches the thirst for truth (John 4:5-42), the light of the world that gives sight to the blind and unbelieved (John 9:1-41), and eternal life that removes the stone of the tomb (John 11:1-45). Have we been blind, thirsty, and dead too? The Easter Triduum is when each of us can find a place with Jesus. The great mystery of love happened and is continuously happening; we need to give a chance to God. Yes, let us allow God and some space for Jesus in the Paschal Celebrations because if we knew the gift of God, our traditions and relationships would all be renewed and transformed.
