‘Huli’ week
It’s Palm Sunday once again, and the Holy Week is ahead of us. So how do we make this week holy? Someone once said in jest that to make holy water, you get ordinary water and you boil the hell out of it! Holy Week is that particular time of the year when we are asked to boil all hell and ugliness out of ourselves.
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Boiling requires time, slow cooking time. Not microwave time. You just don’t approach Holy Week with a little prayer here, and a little sacrifice there, then, presto, all clear, all clean, and feel good again. Don’t go for “instant holiness,” just for the Holy Week. In other words, we must make time to really reflect and really listen to God, to ourselves, to others, and to life itself this week. Allow yourself to be “boiled,” to be confronted, to be questioned, and even to be “crucified.”
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Boiling requires space. Not much boiling happens when you are always on the move. Not much holy boiling happens either when you are out in a beach resort or on a vacation somewhere just having a good time. Of course, you can find God anywhere this week. Just make sure you give Him space and time. Don’t just be a Kristiyanong “bakasyonista” sa Semana Santa (a vacationing Christian this Holy Week).
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Boiling requires some dying. Dying to oneself, that is. Dying to one’s sins, for instance, and reaching out to God in humility and repentance. Dying to one’s pride and reaching out to people. Dying to one’s comfort zones and sharing one’s blessings with the poor and the less fortunate around us.
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March 19 was the feast of St. Joseph. Many of us, perhaps, did not even remember or take notice of it. But that’s typical of St. Joseph who always chose silence and anonymity. Let us take a cue from him this Holy Week, and find time for silence, simplicity, and anonymity. Let’s forget our titles, our professions, our agenda, our deadlines, and just be. I dare even say, forget your religious agenda of doing this and that, observing this and that, complying with this and that, just to fulfill an obligation or a tradition. You know why? Because compliance with rituals, instead of boiling us, can just harden us, giving us the sense of feeling good for having done the minimum of what is expected of us, and so we can go right on living the ugly life we are living. Don’t just be a Kristiyanong “pakita”/”artista” sa Semana Santa (a pretending Christian).
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This Holy Week, may we all take time to boil the hell out of our families and relationships and reach out to one another as brothers and sisters again. The passion, death, and resurrection of Christ are all about going beyond one’s comfort zones to the max. Perhaps, we, too, can really go out of our way to destroy the walls we have made and build bridges again. May we all experience life-giving “resurrection moments” in our families and relationships especially this week.
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As a nation, may the Lord boil the hell out of our country, which is so full of corrupt politicians and government leaders. Sad to say many of them won’t be here this Holy Week; they have left for abroad already for their much-needed rest. (Rest from what?) All around us, people are suffering. The pot is boiling. Let public servants be servants again. As a nation, as people, let us go back to the Lord with contrite hearts and ask Him to heal our land.
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Let us ask the Lord to bless and heal our world, so full of unrest and division. No more wars! Heal our world Lord, our one and only world which You loved so much that You gave Your Only Begotten Son who suffered so much and died so that we may have eternal life. (John 3:16)
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Where were you last year for Holy Week? Where will you be next year for Holy Week? We don’t know. Why don’t we make this Holy Week the best ever yet, in all aspects, in Jesus’ name. Think about this: This could be my/your/his/her last Holy Week. Baka huling Holy Week ko/mo/niya na.
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May you be captured by the Lord (“mahuli” ka sana ni Lord) this Holy Week. This will happen if you choose to go slow and go low (“magpahuli” ka) to the Lord and to people. Humility is the key to a blessed, peaceful, and meaningful Holy Week. God first, others next, me last!
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A moment with the Lord:
Lord, help us to make this Holy Week really holy. Amen.
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momentswithfrjerry@gmail.com
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