Skip to main content

H.O.L.Y. W.E.E.K. ♥

Today marks the beginning of the holiest of all days. During this week, we remember the passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus. But more than a mere remembrance, the Holy Week is an actual reality. It is our own journey with Christ, with our own crosses, to our sure destination: salvation! In the words of Fr. Jerry Orbos, SVD, "The Holy Week speaks of the truth that God has come to save us, has taken on our ways, has spoken our language, has made our human circumstances a tool of saving power."

During our cluster recollection, Fr. Leo Luanzon shared an acronym (which he also got from Fr. Orbos) to help us make this week not just an ordinary week but a truly meaningful and holy week. 

Halt! Stop for a while, or at least slow down. Take time to rest and relax. 
Off with your worldly pursuits and concerns. Turn off your cellular phone if you have to, so that you can focus on your spiritual life this week. Forget quotas, forget deadlines, and forget performance. Don't let the world and its cares disturb the tranquility of your mind and soul this week. Let the world go by, and let the Lord take care of everything for once. Surprise yourself. Rediscover your inner strengths and simple joys. OFF to the world. ON to your heart. On to your God. 

Fr. Leo also added that this week is the perfect time to examine our conscience and ask ourselves, "how much have I loved?" As a guide, we can reflect on these seven capital sins (PEGSLAW):
  • Pride
  • Envy
  • Gluttony
  • Sloth
  • Lust
  • Avarice (Greed)
  • Wrath (Anger)
Listen. Pray and meditate. Take time to listen to God. Allow the Father to wrap His loving arms around your shoulders once again and just listen. Listen also to your own inner self, not just to your day-to-day wants and needs. Is there something you are missing in your life? Is there something more you need to do in your life?
Yield to God. Let go of your grip on your own life. Be on the lookout for His road signs as you travel on. Listen to His instructions, and you will find your way. Better still, let Him do the navigating and the driving.

Warm up your relationships. This is a time for us to be reconciled with our brothers and sisters in Christ. Reach out to the people you have taken for granted or left out altogether. Time to call a friend. Call, treat, write, smile, and hug. Use anything that will help you repair, restore, and revitalize your relationships.
Erase the burdens of guilt and sin with a good, honest, and humble confession. Heed God's call for repentance. Time also to erase hurts, resentments, anger and ill feelings. Forgive people who hurt you, and ask for forgiveness from people you have hurt, cheated, used, or abused in any way. 
Express your love. Whatever you do, especially this week, like praying, fasting, works of penance and deeds of charity, let them all be expressions of your love and gratitude to God. Let them be done not out of fear, or out of obligation. 
Kneel down. In humility, kneel down in prayer before God and thank Him for suffering so much. For dying on the cross and for rising again for our salvation. Somebody died for you and me. Let us not allow this week to pass without personally thanking Him. Let this also be a time for all of us to kneel down before one another in humility: parents before their children whom they have neglected, children before their parents whom they have hurt, etc.

Text by Christine Sine

May we all have a blessed, meaningful, Spirit-filled Holy Week! ♥

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Understanding Lupang Hinirang

Every Filipino knows Lupang Hinirang (though some know it better as " Bayang Magiliw "). How can you not know it when it is the national anthem of the Philippines? But do we really mean the lyrics that we sing? Do we understand it in the first place?  Photo Credit:  http://diazi.ism-online.org This video has gone viral weeks ago. This afternoon, I shared it to my teammates, and one commented, "Yun pala yun . Ngayon ko lang naintindihan."   He immediately downloaded it and converted to MP3.   So for those who have not seen it, once again, here is Joey Ayala's version of Lupang Hinirang. And I agree, you would never want to sing it in another way. (But that's just me. :D) This rendition is simply beautiful. Truly Filipino. :) Of course that doesn't mean we need to revise our national anthem but maybe we can consider about correcting the way we sing it (read: proper pronunciation). Read more about the Philippine National Anthem here .

Jesus Week 2015: A Time To HEAL ♥

I had the best, most meaningful HOLY WEEK ever, so far (the best is yet to come!). :) Thanks to Joy who shared the Jesus Week poster on Facebook. It was God's personal invitation, and I couldn't thank Him enough for the grace that He also gave me to respond. Everything is grace. It was not just my personal decision to join. It was God's grace that allowed me to.  So how did it go? Well, as what I have told my friends, it was amazingly beautiful! The experience was priceless! On Holy Monday, I posted Fr. Jerry Orbos' acronym for HOLY WEEK . I experienced all of that and more! :)  I won't be able to share everything as there is just a lot of personal, intimate encounters with the Lord. But if I were to summarize, it was a time for me to HEAL. :)  H alt . Indeed, I was able to stop and just rest in the Lord. Before leaving Manila, I have already told myself that this retreat will be all about Jesus ( Jesus Week nga e :D ). No emails, no texts, no calls. I

Thank You, Lord! :)

It has been a long and stressful day (the past three days have been lonnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnng and stressssssssssssssssssssssssssssssful), but You are just so amazing, Lord that I couldn't sleep without telling You how grateful I am. :) Thank You, Lord for the miracle that You did yesterday. Break even and more. :) Thank You, Lord for the laughter and stories shared during the post-mission meeting with Team Thailand. :) Team Thailand - Princesses from SFC Metro Manila :) Thank You, Lord for Lawrence. He is just the (almost) perfect man. He has his flaws, but they are acceptable; he makes mistakes, but they are all forgivable. There are a lot of men but there can never be anyone else. He's really the one. And You know it very well. :) ♥ Nemo. Love. ♥ Thank You, Lord for giving me strength and endurance each day. :) Thank You, Lord for the short but restful sleeps. :) Thank You, Lord for every waking moment and every opportunity that You give

The Holy Spirit*

*Cluster 4 Household Topic Reflections from John 15:26-16:4 True friendship is strengthened in adversity. Jesus offers His disciples the best and truest of friends. Who is this promised friend?  Jesus calls the Holy Spirit our Counselor and Advocate (also translated Paraclete or Helper). Counselor is a legal term for the one who will defend someone against an adversary and who guides that person during the ordeal of trial. The Holy Spirit is our Advocate and Helper who brings us safely through the challenges and adversities we must face in this life. As Jesus approaches the hour that He was to be glorified - through His death on the cross and His resurrection - He revealed more fully to His disciples the person and the role of the Holy Spirit. What does Jesus tell us about the Holy Spirit?  First, the Holy Spirit is inseparably one with the Father and the Son. It is the Holy Spirit who gives life - the very life of God - and who kindles faith in hearts receptive

Interesting Facts Courtesy of Celebrity Bluff :)

I was writing a different post, but Celebrity Bluff  is just so fun and informative, I had to stop from blogging to list down the fun facts that I learn from each round. :)  Thought it would be nice to share them here as well. For future reference. :D  Q: In 2012, what kind of animal was named after Beyonce? A: Horse Fly Q: What rare job in China will pay you US$50,000 a year?  A: Fart Smeller Q: What alcoholic drink literally means "water of life"? A: Whisky   Q: In which part of the body can you find the tragus? A: Ear Q: According to Merriam-Webster, what is the female equivalent of dude? A: Dudine Q: What is longer in the male turtles than in the females?  A: Nails And the final question is... Q:  According to Box Office Mojo   what are the top four (4) movies of 2013 according to global profit? A: (1) Iron Man 3, (2) Despicable Me 2, (3) Fast and the Furious 6 (4) The Hunger Games: Catching Fire That's all