ASIDE from praying and offering sacrifices, the head of the country’s Catholic episcopacy urged the faithful to help the poor, comfort the sick and visit those in prison this Holy Week.
“If you want to truly make a good Holy Week love much. Love more,” said Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas, president of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines. “Give to the poor. Visit the jail. Visit hospital wards.”
“This pilgrimage to the poor will add to the holiness of our times,” he said, echoing the call of Pope Francis to celebrate the God through acts of mercy and compassion.
The archbishop added that what makes these days holy is not self-inflicted pain, not publicized pious devotion, and not daydreaming meditation.
“What makes this week holy is the immeasurable, unequaled love that Christ poured into these days,” he said.
Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle earlier lashed out at the multimillion money laundering scandal that rocked the country’s financial industry.
In his Palm Sunday homily at the Manila Cathedral, he said the recent controversy only shows the modern-day plague of unbridled hunger for money and power.
“Where is mercy? Where is compassion? This Holy Week, may we learn from Jesus how we can restore mercy and compassion in this world,” he said.
Hundreds of faithful attended the Sunday service and waved their palm fronds as the cardinal blessed them with holy water before the mass.
In an impassioned appeal, the cardinal said people need to resist the temptations of money, power and pleasure.
“In our world today, we do not rely on the Lord any more. We rely on money, arms, private armies, and intimidation. Some even rely on connections to gain some advantage over others,” said Tagle.
“If we continue to rely on those, it is very easy to lose mercy towards our neighbors,” he added.
Tagle also called on the faithful to learn from Jesus in facing their enemies and challenges.
Despite being persecuted throughout His short life, he said Christ’s unchanging message was not one of revenge or violence but mercy and love for one another.
“Let us emulate what Jesus did in having faith. Let us put our faith in God and we will have the peace of mind and we will learn to love our enemies,” said Tagle.