How About the Unholy Weeks?

(This is a re-post from my last year's Holy Week reflections. Unfortunately, it's still applicable this year.)

Recently, there has been so much issue on how most Filipinos spend their Holy Week. That, instead of putting on a pious reflective attitude, most prefer to go to the beach and be in revelry.

Why is that? I believe Holy Week was institutionalized to make people stop from their very occupied and self-centered lives and to make them ponder on what God can do about it. And there's nothing wrong with that. Finally, the "Church" has created a way for people to notice God. As if the entire Christendom (which comprises of approximately two billion followers) suddenly stops and all that was shown and talked about was Jesus and His death. So, after 352 days, we eventually see Him again: "Oh, Jesus, there You are!"

Believe me, I am in no way against going into solitude and just simply talk to God and be in touch with yourself and the One who created you. But, as the book "Right Here, Right Now" says:

"The very process of setting aside a certain time as 'holy' automatically categorizes all other times as somehow 'less holy.' If the 'holy' belongs to God, then who owns the rest?"

They can go to the beach all they want and drink and be high for seven days during Holy Week. Or they can be inside a prayer cell or church and pray all week-long. There's really no difference - as long as they still treat the other weeks as unholy and forget Jesus all year-long.

Not the one to 'cast the first stone.'

How holy could it get?

Photos are from our visit to the Walkway: Reflections on the Stations of the Cross at Bonifacio High Street.