MANILA – Since religious gatherings are prohibited due to the rise in cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), a parish priest urged the public to transform their homes into a church this Holy Week.
According to Fr. Luciano Felloni, parish priest of Kristong Hari Church in Quezon City, there is no need for the Filipinos to go out of their homes to prevent possible exposure to the virus.
“It should be na ang tahanan ay gawing simbahan, which we called as domestic church, and then the parents will serve as the spiritual leaders,” Felloni told ABS-CBN News Channel’s Headstart on Wednesday.
Filipinos can continue their Lenten tradition despite the current pandemic situation as Holy Week masses will be made available online.
This Holy Week, Felloni urged the public to repent, reflect, and “get closer to God.”
“There are a lot of people who need us these days in a lot of ways. Don’t get self-absorbed. Look around, reach out to people in different ways. In this we are together, we really need to help each other at this time,” he said.
“The Lenten season shows that our pain is temporary, lilipas din ‘yan. Pangalawa, it is transitory – may patutunguhan. The last word will always be victory, not suffering,” Felloni added.
The priest noted that the surge of COVID-19 cases in the country could be God’s way of giving people the “opportunity to come out better after this pandemic.”
“Pope Francis said it beautifully, this is a big crisis. You never come out of a crisis the same – you come out better or worse. I think God is trying to tell us: ‘Come on guys, wake up. Your world was not normal, your priorities were not okay,” he said./PN
