Go on vacation but don’t forget true meaning of Lent, say priests

MANILA, Philippines—It’s okay to go on a vacation this Holy Week and watch movies during the long break as long as they have a religious theme. Just don’t miss hearing Mass on Easter Sunday.

Some Catholic priests on Tuesday said there was nothing wrong with spending the Holy Week break out of town or at the beach to relax and unwind.

According to Msgr. Hernando Coronel, rector of the San Carlos Seminary in Makati City, the week-long respite from work even gives the faithful a chance to reconnect, not only with God, but also with their families—something most people caught up in the daily grind of life tend to neglect.

“There’s no rule in the Church that says you can’t go on vacation during the Holy Week because it is also a time to unwind with the family and exchange stories with one another,” Coronel told the Inquirer in an interview.

Enjoying time with the family is also a way of pulling one’s self from materialism and individualism, which is one of the messages embodied by Holy Week, the priest added.

“We have to go back to our values, strengthen our faith and family so Holy Week is really a good time … to connect with them, to laugh and enjoy one another,” he said.

But one thing that the Catholic Church would like its flock to do also is to find time, in the middle of their rest and recreation, to visit the church and pray.

“You don’t need to be very serious but go to church, spend some time in gratitude for what Jesus has done for us … that’s the request of the Church,” said Coronel.

While churches across the country have many activities lined up for Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Black Saturday, the faithful are not required to attend all of these events, he added.

“You don’t commit mortal sin if you don’t attend but you must not miss Easter Sunday because it’s a holy day of obligation … it’s the day of the Lord, the day of resurrection,” he said.

Msgr. Pedro Quitorio, media director of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines, said parents must also encourage their children to watch religious movies and skip the usual television programs not appropriate in the observance of the Holy Week.

Quitorio said movie marathons during the long holiday were not prohibited but the faithful, particularly children, must also learn to appreciate movies with religious relevance.

Parents, whose obligation as Christians is to nurture the spiritual growth of their children, must take the Lenten break as an opportunity to teach their children about faith and one way to fulfill this was to guide them through the movies or TV programs they watch during the holidays, he said.

“The Holy Week is the right time for parents to exercise their role as Christians and educate their children on their faith because this something that they are still too young to understand,” said Quitorio.