Easter devotion

By Sara Grace C. Fojas Forty days of reflection fasting, prayer, abstinence, and sacrifice. The Season of Lent is almost coming to an end, with Ash Wednesday long ago and Good Friday coming up. This season is in preparation for Easter or the resurrection of Jesus Christ. For 40 days, Christians all over the world replicate Jesus Christ’s sacrifice. These are some of the many different traditions and devotions. Palm Sunday The week begins with Palm Sunday, the beginning of Jesus’ journey to the cross and the fulfilment of the prophet Zacharias. This is the last Sunday of Lent and first Sunday of Holy Week. On this day, dried palms are blessed after the mass. These palms are saved until next year and given back to the church to be burned on Ash Wednesday. Some Christians display these palms in their homes during the year as a symbol of their faith. “The next day the great crowd that had come for the festival heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting ‘Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the king of Israel!’ (John 12:12-14) In churches like the Mary Mirror of Justice Parish (MMJP) in Comembo, Makati City, a Palm Sunday celebration starts with a procession called latag or laying a cloth on the priest’s path as he makes his way to church for Mass. The parishioners wave their palaspas or palm leaves, as the priest blesses them. Pabása ng Pasyón Pabasa is the act of chanting the lines of an early 16th-century epic poem Pasyon, which usually usually starts after the mass on Palm Sunday and ends on Good Friday. It narrates the life, passion, death, and resurrection of Christ. It is usually done in groups where the members take turns reading. One group of readers reads (chants) a verse and the other group reads (chants) the next. The reading can last all day and all night. Palm Sunday procession After the Sunday mass, there is a procession of the faithful carrying the blessed palms. In Santa Isabel, Bulacan, there is a famous Palm Sunday procession with an image of Christ on a donkey. As the priests walk by with the image, local women spread their traditional aprons or tapis on the path. Maundy Thursday Christians remember this day as the day of the last supper of Jesus Christ with his disciples where he established the ceremony known as the Eucharist. This is also the night Jesus was betrayed by Judas in the Garden of Gethsemane. Chrism Mass During the early mass on Maundy Thursday, the oils used for baptism, confirmation, holy orders, and anointing the sick are blessed and shared with parishes. Priests also renew their vows during the Chrism mass. Washing of the Feet This symbolic gesture emphasizes our answer to God’s call to service. In the book of John 13:1-17, Jesus washes the disciples’ feet just before Passover festival. “Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him. “Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.” During the mass, the priest officiates the Mass of the Lord’s Supper, where he commemorates Jesus’ Last Supper and performs the washing of the feet ritual with 12 people, like what Jesus did with his 12 apostles. After that, the altar is stripped bare, and church bells do not get rung until the Easter Vigil. The Blessed Sacrament is then repositioned at the Altar of Repose, where the hosts (ostiya) for communion, consecrated during the Mass of the Lord’s Supper, are placed. An hourly prayer vigil then takes place, lasting until midnight. Visita Iglesia After the Blessed Sacrament is put to the altar after the mass, churches remain open for Filipinos to visit and pray. Visita Iglesia is when Catholics visit seven churches to pray to the Blessed Sacrament. It is being done as a symbol of meditation and repentance during the Holy Week. There’s also the belief that once you complete the round of seven churches, at the very last church, you can make a wish in the last church and, whatever it is, consider it granted. While doing the Visita Iglesia, devotees also visit the 14 Stations of the Cross at each church, each of which depicts the suffering of Christ. Some devotees walk for miles to do the Stations of the Cross. Good Friday Good Friday is a day of mourning and penance. It marks the day Jesus died on the cross. Christians on this day observe fasting and attend church services. Seven Last Words (Siete Palabras) After Jesus was nailed to the cross, He spoke seven times, each soft and short. These statements are now commonly referred to as the “The Seven Last Words.” These words are recounted in Sacred Scripture during the Holy Mass and are found throughout the four Gospels: Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing. (Luke 23:34) Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise. (Luke 23:43) Woman, here is your son... Son, here is your mother (John 19:26) My God, My God, why have you forsaken me? (Mark 15:34) I am thirsty (John 19:28) It is finished (John 19:30) Father, into your hands I commend my spirit (Luke 23:46) At 3 p.m., around the time Jesus was said to have died, the Veneration of the Holy Cross is observed. Afterward, the procession of the Santo Entierro—a wooden sculpture depicting the dead body of Christ—and other holy images is held. In Comembo, it is followed by the procession of the Santo Entierro Soledad, where an image of the Virgin Mary is accompanied by “grieving” women dressed in black. Some churches also perform Pahalik, or the devotion that involves kissing an image of the dead body of Jesus. Senakulo Senakulo is the reenactment of the suffering of Christ through a play. Here, devotees wear clothes used during His time and take the roles of the significant characters during his suffering and crucifixion. In San Fernando, Pampanga, dedicated devotees reenact the different kinds of sacrifices of Jesus Christ for their sins to be forgiven. They beat themselves, put blindfold on their eyes, crowned with branches, and walk barefoot under the scorching heat. They stop in front of a chapel where pabasa is read, make a sign of the cross, fall on their knees, and lay face down while people accompanying them whip them. Black Saturday The church mourns Jesus’ death. The cross over the altar remains covered by a black cloth. Easter Vigil The Easter Vigil commences at night. The Paschal candle,  representing the resurrected Christ, the light of the world, is lit at the start of the vigil. Adults and children may also receive the sacrament of baptism during the vigil. Easter Sunday A day of celebration! Early morning, parishioners perform the salubong or “welcoming” where statues of the risen Christ and Mary are taken to meet one another. The meeting is an occasion for joy and celebration. It begins with two processions, where the statues of Christ and Mary are carried from opposite ends of the community. The statue of Mary is covered in a black veil of mourning called lambong. Eventually, they will meet at midpoint, during which an angel (typically played by a young girl from the community) will lift the veil, ending Mary’s mourning and Holy Week celebrations After that, some Christians participate in the Easter Egg hunt going on in their communities.