Year after year, we enter into these days of Holy Week, trying to remind ourselves of the meaning of these days and the sacrifice of Christ on the cross. We try to meditate and enter deeply into these experiences. As we pray, we realize that the suffering of Christ, though they happened many years ago, is not something that remains in history. The body of Christ continues to suffer today, and we each experience that suffering in our own unique kind of way.
We invite you to witness and immerse yourself as we listen to what the sufferings of Christ mean to our sharers.
1st Word: “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.”
Speaker: Nena Rosales
In this world, we experience so much pain, suffering, and injustice. How do we encounter and react in the face of all of these? Can we find the space within us to say “forgive them?”
2nd Word: “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”
Speaker:Totoy Abiog
Through the many trials and challenges in life, what would it mean to hear these words? Is Jesus able to reassure us that there is something at the end of all this pain and suffering? Often, we do not see through the darkness that we are caught in at the moment.
3rd Word: “Woman, behold, your son!” Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!”
Speaker: Jillian Roy
Jesus loved his mother very much, and he did not want her to be left on her own. We are called to reflect on our own family relationships and how they affect us especially during times of struggle.
4th Word: “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?”
Speaker: Gina Ordonez
Each of us at some point have experience deep pain and loneliness. At this hour, when we feel most alone, do we cry out to God? Do we ask him where he is and if he can show his face to us? How does it feel to be forsaken?
5th Word: “I thirst.”
Speaker: Caron Macasaet
We all desire for a perfect family life- a perfect marriage, or a perfect relationship with those around us. No matter how hard we try though, there always seems to be something missing. What is it we thirst for? What can fill this void?
6th Word: “It is finished”
Speaker: Marie Tycangco
All things take work. Our lives sometimes feel like great projects that we are slowly building over the course of years. Many times we feel in control, but sometimes, our lives go awry. Will we be able to look back one day and see how everything comes together?
7th Word: “Father, into thy hands I commit my spirit!”
Speaker: Mel Zervoulakos
As we undergo the different trials of our lives, it is easy to just raise our hands and give up. We can choose the easy way out. Jesus too experienced this test and temptation and he ends his life by lifting everything up to God his Father.
As published in the April 9 issue of the Parish Bulletin.
Santuario de San Antonio Parish 