{"id":210626,"date":"2019-04-19T02:23:46","date_gmt":"2019-04-19T06:23:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/?p=210626"},"modified":"2019-04-19T02:23:46","modified_gmt":"2019-04-19T06:23:46","slug":"6-ways-to-make-your-holy-week-meaningful","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/2019\/04\/19\/6-ways-to-make-your-holy-week-meaningful\/","title":{"rendered":"6 ways to make your Holy Week meaningful"},"content":{"rendered":"
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As a Catholic nation, the Philippines expresses total devotion to activities leading up to Easter Sunday. (PNA Photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

MANILA<\/strong>\u00a0— As a Catholic nation, the Philippines expresses total devotion to activities leading up to Easter Sunday.<\/p>\n

However, even with millions of participants, only a few observe the activities of the Holy Week by heart. Hence the question, how can we make our Holy Week truly holy?<\/p>\n

Father Jerry Orbos, director of the Society of the Divine Word Mission Office, in a video uploaded online, presented a guide for the proper observation of the Holy Week.<\/p>\n

As one satirical statement goes: To make holy water, simply get ordinary water and boil the hell out of it.<\/p>\n

Holy Week, said Orbos, is something like it.<\/p>\n

“Something like that — Holy Week, you have to boil the hell out of us and really open our hearts to God’s grace,” he said.<\/p>\n

Not literally, of course. To burn the hell out of us, Orbos just meant we must go “BAGETS”.<\/p>\n

1. Balik Panginoon (Return to God)<\/strong><\/p>\n

If you are moving away from God, go back to the path leading to His direction.<\/p>\n

“Don’t stay away from the Lord too far or too long,” Orbos advised.<\/p>\n

Making a good confession will be a good start and all it takes are humility and honesty to admit that you made a mistake.<\/p>\n

If you are in a situation that makes it impossible to make the sacrament of confession, just make an act of contrition.<\/p>\n

“Wherever you are right now, be assured the Lord is there embracing you, welcoming you back,” he added.<\/p>\n

2. Alis Galit (Get rid of anger)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Remove anger. Forgive.<\/p>\n

“To forgive is to simply say, Lord, you have forgiven me so much that I have forgiven those who have hurt me,” Orbos said.
\nForgiving does good to one\u2019s self, more than to anybody else.<\/p>\n

3. Gawa ng mabuti (Make good deeds)<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Holy Week is the time to do good works. There are a lot of people around us who are suffering or who have bigger problems than us. There is always a good thing we can do to them to ease their burden.<\/p>\n

“Do something good for them — write down a check, help people, spend time, say thank you, write a letter, call somebody,” Orbos said.<\/p>\n

4. Express your love<\/strong><\/p>\n

“Everything we do in the Holy Week is an expression of love and gratitude to Jesus Christ who suffered so much and died for us,” he said.<\/p>\n

There are a lot of ways to channel this love. For devotees, it includes fasting, abstinence, prayers, the Stations of the Cross, and Visita Iglesia.<\/p>\n

Orbos also clarified that whatever our expressions of love are, we must do them from the heart.<\/p>\n

Another way to show our love is to give people dearest to us our time.<\/p>\n

“You have a lot of time during the Holy Week. Find time to express love and gratitude to people in your life,” he said.<\/p>\n

And there is nothing better to start it than with our family.<\/p>\n

“Many times, you take a lot of people for granted, but please do not wait for the grave before you tell them how much you appreciate them,” he added.<\/p>\n

5. Tanggal Bisyo (Abandon your vices)<\/strong><\/p>\n

For men, there are only three things, Orbos said.<\/p>\n

“Alak, babae, sugal<\/em>\u00a0(Alcohol, women, gambling),” he said.<\/p>\n

For women, “it is\u00a0chismosa, bungangera, nagger<\/em>\u00a0(gossiper, shrew, nagger)”.<\/p>\n

“Travel light, sin no more. Sin makes us unhappy,” he said.<\/p>\n

6. Sacrifice<\/strong><\/p>\n

As a way to relate to Christ’s actions during the Lenten season, Christians sacrifice what they really like the most.<\/p>\n

Sacrifice with a smile.<\/p>\n

“God loves a cheerful giver. If you sacrifice but you are angry, miserable. Do it joyfully,” Orbos also said.<\/p>\n

Sacrifice with a smile and in secret.<\/p>\n

“Whatever you do, whatever good that you do, you do it secretly. Just between you and the Father,” he said.<\/p>\n

Orbos added that there is no reward for people who do things to be praised or be lauded by others as their motivation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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