Bishop: Holy Week is for prayer and meditation, not summer escapades

MANILA, Philippines—Holy Week is a time for silence and prayer not for partying and going on summer escapades.

A Catholic bishop issued this reminder to the faithful on Friday as he lamented that most people were looking forward to the four-day break next week for road trips and vacation sprees instead of spending time in prayer and reflection.

“It’s sad that to many, the Holy Week has become an occasion to go on vacation and they have forgotten its real meaning,” said Bishop Camillo Gregorio of Batanes—a favorite of some people for summer escapades—over Church-run Radio Veritas.

The prelate said Holy Week was supposed to be a time “to be with God” by spending time in silent prayer, personal reflection and conversion.

“It’s an opportunity for us faithful to have a deeper conversion and to be in communion with God through personal reflection and sacrifice,” said Gregorio.

“I hope the people would get to experience this… to allow the Lord to enter your hearts in the hours of this silence,” he added.

Holy Week is the last week of the Lenten season, marked by fasting, abstinence, prayer and repentance and special liturgical services, to commemorate the passion, death and resurrection of Christ.

This year’s Holy Week begins on April 17, Palm Sunday, and ends on April 24, Easter Sunday, when Christians celebrate Christ’s resurrection.

While the Catholic Church continues to encourage the faithful to observe Holy Week in silence and penitence, many Filipinos consider it an occasion for rest and recreation, mostly by going to the country’s best beach destinations.

Gregorio said Batanes, although one of the best tourist spots in the country, continues to observe the real meaning of Holy Week. “We don’t have any form of entertainment here during Holy Week… so this is really a good place for meditation,” he added.

The retired archbishop of Lingayen-Pangasinan, Oscar Cruz, said that it was “a pity” that there has been more “secularization” of the days set aside by Philippine Christianity and the government for people to properly prepare themselves to celebrate Holy Week.

“Little by little, the people have deviated…. Instead of preparing for that purpose, the objective is to go to vacation and have some fun. It’s really a pity,” Cruz told the Inquirer over the phone.

But if the faithful choose to go on holiday during Holy Week, Cruz encouraged them to also seek out churches in the places where they intend to stay and hear Mass and participate in the liturgical services.

“If there is a church in the place where they are going, it will be good if they can visit and attend the Mass just to save the day, so to speak,” said Cruz.