worship at the cathedral 1

With this issue I start this column on the prayer and worship activities of the parish.  I was told that this is part of my work as the Special Assistant for Liturgical Affairs.  I have still to clarify whether this column is something that I have to do weekly or every other week or whatever.  Suffice to say, to begin this column at the beginning of Lent means this will be an added penance on my part.  How opportune indeed!

Filipinos are known for our many lenten practices, practices that are unique, colorful, and frankly, quite off-the-wall at times.  We don't put long faces on lent.  I suspect, we even enjoy it.  Our foreheads may be prominently marked with ashes but just the same we eat our burgers with gusto unmindful (or perhaps forgetful) that these activities don't mix.  Our visita iglesia can also become a question of who cooks the better bibingka as rows of makeshift ovens lineup the facade of every church we visit.  On Good Friday, our saints are dressed in glittering livery, richly embroidered, some with gold threads as they soberly and solemnly accompany our almost naked Lord hanging on the cross.  And quite frankly, on a personal note, I like the food better during days of fasting.  And I believe seminarians would agree with me too.  Special food is always looked forward to during lent.

I am not advocating that we all look grumpy and flagellate ourselves to almost dying.  That would not be Christian.  Lent is simply but importantly a reappreciation of what Christ did in his great love for us.  He suffered, he died and was risen from the dead for our salvation.

In the coming days we will try to give substance to our lenten practices.  To begin, I would like to encourage you to listen more intently to God's Word.  In your prayers spend some extra time reading the bible.  Be more attentive to God's word in the mass.  (Hopefully our parish lectors will give justice to this appeal by reading well during the mass.)  Learn from the homilies of priests as they expound the word making this applicable in our day to day life.  We can begin our lent with the right disposition when we attend mass or at the very least attend one of the Liturgies of the Word celebrated in Ash Wednesday.  It's not enough to have our foreheads marked with ashes.  We allow first our hearts to be touched by God's Word.  Only then can the ashes on our foreheads have meaning.

And so, I invite you to attend one of the services listed below on Ash Wednesday, March 1 in our parish church or in your barangays.