FOR us devout Catholics, the observance of Lenten season translates to a lot of customs and traditions which actually help us remember the sacrifices that our Lord Jesus has done to save us. It starts with the observance of the Ash Wednesday wherein devotees are reminded this, “...thou art dust and unto dust thou shalt return.”
The last week of Lent called the Holy Week or “malealdo” in our dialect is marked by Palm Sunday which “observes the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem that was marked by the crowds who were in Jerusalem for Passover waving palm branches and proclaiming him as the messianic king.” In Pampanga, tourists and visitors await numerous Holy Week traditions such as the flagellants or “magdarame”, crucifixion in San Pedro Cutud, and the Good Friday procession.
However, due to the current crisis that we are experiencing now, all of the Holy Week activities were cancelled. Thus, what we can do for now is to reminisce our past observances of the Holy Week.
Another Catholic practice is the Visita Iglesia, which literally means church visit. This was introduced by our Spanish colonizers and “goes back to the time of the early church where Christians would visit the seven great basilicas in Rome for the adoration of the Blessed Sacrament during Maundy Thursday. These churches are: The Saint John Lateran, St. Peter, Saint Mary Major, Saint Paul Outside the Walls, St. Lawrence Outside the Walls, Holy Cross in Jerusalem, and St. Sebastian Outside the Walls. The last was replaced by Pope John Paul II with the Sanctuary of Madonna of Divine Love in 2000.” However, some Filipinos visit not only seven but fourteen churches to symbolize the fourteen stations of the cross.
My family has been practicing Visita Iglesia since I was a small kid. It has been a part of our tradition to visit seven churches within Pampanga and reflect on the messages that each church presentation brings. Most people I know also practice this tradition and, to be honest, it is causing heavy traffic in major thoroughfares in Dolores and San Agustin where two popular parishes can be found. This is why many of us decide to start the Visita Iglesia late at night to avoid traffic and squeezing through the crowd in churches.
Sometimes, I feel that it has also become an adventure for my family as my parents plan the fastest route possible. Years ago, my family together with my aunts, uncles and cousins go as far as Telabastagan and head back to San Fernando for the Visita Iglesia. But since traffic has been one of the hassles that we experience every year, we decided to change our destinations.
A dozen years back, we started at the San Guillermo church in Bacolor, and we were surprised to see a lot of devotees who visited it. It was too late for us to realize that during that time, it was the shooting location of the popular teleserye entitled May Bukas Pa which was shown on ABS-CBN. Anyhow, we pushed through with our first church and plotted our next stops.
On the way back to San Fernando, we visited the Sto. Nino Church near the Provincial Capitol. We never miss visiting this church since this is where my parents got married. Another church that we went to is the chapel found in St. Jude Subdivision. Our next stop was the church in Barangay Sta. Lucia. From there, we visited the Metropolitan Cathedral, then the Chancery Chapel which is now the Arzobispado de Pampanga, and our last destination is our parish church, the Sanctuario de San Jose.
Over the years, our route changed slightly as we started at the parish church in San Matias, Sto. Tomas, then we went to the church found in Camp Olivas. The last five churches were Sto. Nino, Sta. Lucia, Cathedral, Chancery and San Jose. Since we started at around 10 pm, this was the fastest route and Visita Iglesia my family had so far. While we regard this as a sort of pilgrimage and a sacrifice, sadly Visita Iglesia has also turned into something superficial for a lot of people. With the high dependence on social media, many fell on the temptation to post their Visita Iglesia pictures for whatever purpose it serves them.
Now that we are all confined in our own homes, and there will be no Visita Iglesia for this year, we can be saved from seeing hundreds of posts about the Visita Iglesia. No offense meant, but I think this should not be posted in our social media and just become a frenzy that it loses its profound meaning.
While we are in the midst of the crisis and trials brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic, may this Lenten season bring us the perfect time to reflect and remember the passion and death of our Lord Jesus Christ. A blessed Holy Week to everyone.