Sufferings do not make us Holy. Only loving can make us Holy,” CBCP head
Church • 14:03 PM Sun Mar 29, 2015
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CBCP President Archbishop Socrates Villegas
MANILA (PNA) -- Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas reminded the faithful that the celebration of Holy Week, does not make Holy by the sufferings of Jesus Christ but by the love he gave to the people. This week is Holy not due to sufferings Christ endured but rather due to the love that Christ gave us,” he said.The Catholic prelate added, Sufferings do not make us Holy. Only loving can make us Holy.”Villegas explained that the palms to be blessed on Sunday, March 29 (Palm Sunday), which signifies the start of the Holy Week, will turn into ashes next Ash Wednesday, the start of the Lenten Season. The focus is love is stronger than death. The palms (that we wave singing Hosanna) to be blessed will become ashes next Ash Wednesday. Glory turns to ashes,” said the head of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP).On the other hand, Fr. Jerome Secillano, Executive Secretary, CBCP Public Affairs Committee noted the importance of celebrating Palm Sunday is because it is the reenactment of the glorious entrance of the Lord in Jerusalem, where the people rejoiced for seeing their savior. Kapag Palm Sunday nandoon na tayo sa reenactment ng glorious entrance pero ang sinasabi doon the passion the sufferings of the Lord. Lagi sinasabi ng simbahan kailangan makiisa ang tao sa pasakit ni Kristo ‘yun nga lang, may mga pasakit na hindi deserve ng tao,” he said.At the same time, the CBCP official appealed to the people not to add more burden to those who are already suffering. Our appeal is let people bear with his or her own suffering but some other people do not have the right to be another burden to the person who is already experiencing hardship,” Secillano said.He added, For example, ako may mga pasakit na ako sa buhay pero kung ikaw mag dadagdag ka pa unfair na ‘yun. Ganun nangyari kay Kristo kung baga ang mga tao ang nagdagdag ng pasakit sa kanya. Dati na may kaaway ang ordinary tao nagdagdag pa, naglead sa crucifixion.”(PNA)RMA/FGP/SSC