A Follower of Christ

Lent, in the Christian church, is a period of penitential preparation for Easter. In Filipino, we also call it kwaresma wherein Filipino people recall Christ’s death and resurrection. The Philippines is known to be a Christian country, and most of Filipinos are devout Catholics. There are also multiple traditions and practices in the Philippines during the Lenten season that is still existent and practiced even up to the present times.

Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are obligatory days of fasting and abstinence for Catholics. Ash Wednesday is a day of repentance and marks the beginning of the penitential Lenten season. It is a solemn reminder of human mortality and the need for reconciliation with God by receiving an imposition of ashes on their foreheads on the first day of Lent. Moreover, another tradition that Catholics do is the practice of visiting 7 churches and reciting the station of the cross. It is commonly done on Maundy Thursday or Good Friday which is called Visita Iglesia. Last year, during the peak of the pandemic we weren’t able to visit churches to follow the health protocols. Although virtual visits to different churches were introduced so we can still offer our payers while staying home. Hopefully, this year, as we are slowly recovering from the covid-19 pandemic and we can finally experience again the different traditional practices during the Lenten season.

Filipinos are certainly rich in culture and tradition, which makes every event more fun and much-awaited. In spite of that, we should never forget the real meaning of Lent where we commemorate and reminisce the passion, suffering, resurrection, and death of Jesus, and this pandemic, let us again be reminded of God’s love to us through Jesus and observe Lenten Season in our own ways.


References:

https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/holidays/easter-ideas/a31345625/when-is-lent/

https://aleteia.org/2021/02/16/5-meaningful-ways-to-observe-ash-wednesday-at-home/

Comments

  1. Roanne17 March 2022 at 23:07

    Nice article! It is true that Filipinos observe the Lenten season in their own unique ways. We must discipline ourselves during this season as a way of showing our love, respect, and trust in God, as well as His Son, our Saviour, Jesus Christ. Great work!

    ReplyDelete

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