THE RECENT commemoration of Holy Week seemed to have been “overthrown” by our observance of the “community quarantine” that requires us to stay at home 24/7 in order to stymie the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.
On the other hand, we have Christian brothers and sisters who interpret the breakout of COVID-19 as “punishment” for having strayed out of the straight path.
Conversely, it could be seen as a call for Christians to go back to Christ, who is the central figure of Holy Week.
The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ is what the commemoration of the Holy Week is all about. It is the basis of the Christians’ hope for resurrection to eternity. Regardless of doubts as to its historicity, it delivers the promise that when Christ returns, believers will rise from the dead to live with him forever.
The apostle Paul explains: “If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. If only for this life, we have hope in Christ” (1 Corinthians 15:3-4, 17-19).
“Holy Week” is a term used to denote the final week of Jesus’ life as chronicled in the New Testament gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. It is highlighted by
four holy days: Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter Sunday.
Palm Sunday recounts Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem on a donkey as a multitude of Jews holding palm leaves gathered around him, shouting “Hosanna” – a Hebrew word meaning “Save us!”
But while the crowd might have really loved Jesus, the leaders of the religious establishment hated him.
Maundy Thursday brings back to mind that day when tension between Jesus and the religious leaders rose to fever pitch.
“Jesus knew that the time had come for Him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved His own who were in the world, He now showed them the full extent of His love” (John 13:1).
He did it by washing his disciples’ feet and by sharing with them his last supper.
During Maundy Thursday, churches throughout the world share Communion to remember Jesus’ final meal with his disciples.
Good Friday commemorates the crucifixion of Christ. As to how his suffering and death turned out to be “good,” the Bible does not explicitly explain. Theologians simply interpret it to be so because it has made possible the “forgiveness of our sins.” As Paul writes, “In Christ we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins” (Ephesians 1:7).
“Easter” in Easter Sunday sprang from a pagan origin, referring to Austron, the goddess of fertility and sunrise. No wonder some Christian sects celebrate “Easter sunrise service.”
They hold “Easter sunrise service” shortly before sunrise at approximately the time the women would have come to Christ’s empty tomb. Christian priests and pastors teach that Christ’s resurrection mirrors our own resurrection: “In Christ all will be made alive” (1 Corinthians 15:20, 22).
Easter Sunday tells the story of the women who went to the tomb but could not find his body there. While they were wondering about this, two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. The frightened women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; He has risen!” (hvego31@gmail.com/PN)
