It's been over a week since Easter Sunday. But I can't help to share my thoughts on the Lenten Season.
It has been four years of not having spent the Holy Week here in Davao. And I sure did look forward to it.
After 25 years, I had just realized that Ash Wednesday to Easter Sunday is NOT 40 days. I am not sure why I was not aware of it all those years. I guess I just presumed. It was easy to count the Lenten season this year because Ash Wednesday fell on March 1. So I just presumed that Easter Sunday fell on April 9. I was wrong. The 40 day count ends on April 9, Palm Sunday. Oh, well.
More than the prayers, I also read A Purpose Drive Life, a 40-day read. It added to my realization that the 40th day of the Lenten Season is Palm Sunday.
For 43 days, I did not drink Coke. It was a little sacrifice. I know I'm a big Coke fan. I can drink a litre of Coke in one sitting. I can even say na if makapatay ang coke, malamang patay na ako .. hehe .. no kidding! Although, I admit that I drank Pepsi once and drank Sprite/7-up 5 times. But that’s about it. But I fought temptation really hard.
But the thing that struck me most is the less conservative approach to the recent Lenten season.
While I attended the Ash Wednesday Mass, the priest said that for Catholics, fasting is to be practiced on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. What? No more fasting on all Fridays on Lent. It seemed to be that way as it was also posted. A more liberal approach I guess.
Next one I noticed was the shows on TV. They were going to show movies, not necessarily religious, during Maundy Thursday, Good Fridays and Black Saturday. This is on free TV, not cable TV. Survivor was even shown on Studio 23. TV during these days is more than the movies on HBO and the 7th Heaven Marathon.
As to Bisita Iglesia, I guess we made it right after a number of years on doing it first on Black Saturday then on Good Friday a few years back. It should be on Maundy Thursdays pala.
On Good Friday, we did the Stations of the Cross at Shrine. I used to think a few years back na medyo commercialized na. Mas lalo na ngayon. Vendors were all over.
I didn't go to the mall on Black Saturday. But I heard that it was full. D' Lucky Ones even opened this day, but I did not watch it though (not yet .. hehe).
All in all, there were changes. Changing times indeed! But I do hope that more than what I saw and experienced on my environment, I guess what is important is that change for the better for the inside :)
It has been four years of not having spent the Holy Week here in Davao. And I sure did look forward to it.
After 25 years, I had just realized that Ash Wednesday to Easter Sunday is NOT 40 days. I am not sure why I was not aware of it all those years. I guess I just presumed. It was easy to count the Lenten season this year because Ash Wednesday fell on March 1. So I just presumed that Easter Sunday fell on April 9. I was wrong. The 40 day count ends on April 9, Palm Sunday. Oh, well.
More than the prayers, I also read A Purpose Drive Life, a 40-day read. It added to my realization that the 40th day of the Lenten Season is Palm Sunday.
For 43 days, I did not drink Coke. It was a little sacrifice. I know I'm a big Coke fan. I can drink a litre of Coke in one sitting. I can even say na if makapatay ang coke, malamang patay na ako .. hehe .. no kidding! Although, I admit that I drank Pepsi once and drank Sprite/7-up 5 times. But that’s about it. But I fought temptation really hard.
But the thing that struck me most is the less conservative approach to the recent Lenten season.
While I attended the Ash Wednesday Mass, the priest said that for Catholics, fasting is to be practiced on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. What? No more fasting on all Fridays on Lent. It seemed to be that way as it was also posted. A more liberal approach I guess.
Next one I noticed was the shows on TV. They were going to show movies, not necessarily religious, during Maundy Thursday, Good Fridays and Black Saturday. This is on free TV, not cable TV. Survivor was even shown on Studio 23. TV during these days is more than the movies on HBO and the 7th Heaven Marathon.
As to Bisita Iglesia, I guess we made it right after a number of years on doing it first on Black Saturday then on Good Friday a few years back. It should be on Maundy Thursdays pala.
On Good Friday, we did the Stations of the Cross at Shrine. I used to think a few years back na medyo commercialized na. Mas lalo na ngayon. Vendors were all over.
I didn't go to the mall on Black Saturday. But I heard that it was full. D' Lucky Ones even opened this day, but I did not watch it though (not yet .. hehe).
All in all, there were changes. Changing times indeed! But I do hope that more than what I saw and experienced on my environment, I guess what is important is that change for the better for the inside :)
No comments:
Post a Comment