BULACAN. In this photo taken during Holy Week in April 2020, silence pervades the empty Our Lady of Lourdes Grotto Shrine in Bulacan. (File)
BULACAN. In this photo taken during Holy Week in April 2020, silence pervades the empty Our Lady of Lourdes Grotto Shrine in Bulacan. (File)

Bishop laments empty pews for 2nd straight year

WITH the limited in-person masses allowed for Holy Week, especially in NCR plus, Kalookan Bishop Pablo David on Saturday, March 27, 2021, expressed frustration over the continued inability of pastors to celebrate mass in churches filled with faithful.

"How long, O Lord, will you make me celebrate mass without joy before empty pews? How long will you make me preach a homily to a camera and imagine people attending virtually from their homes?" David said in a Facebook post.

"How long will I break the Eucharistic bread and have no one to partake it with? How long before we can again sing our hearts out in Church, belt out our praise songs or just speak in tongues again?" he added.

The Kalookan bishop, who is also the vice president of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP). said he also longed to see families and communities being able to live normally.

"How long before we can ever see a joyful smile again behind those masks and face shields? How long before we can ever again hold, or shake, or kiss each other’s hands?" he continued.

"How long before we can hear again the welcome noise and comforting giggles of children inside our chapels and churches?" he said.

The bishop also lamented the continuing surge in cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19).

"How long will we have to endure the loss of our loved ones without the chance of grieving together, of hugging or embracing each other or wiping away each other’s tears?" he rued.

"How long will the list of mass intentions for the sick, the dying and the dead keep getting longer? How long o Lord? How long?" asked David.

The Catholic Church has cancelled religious activities for Holy Week for the second consecutive year because of the continuing surge in Covid-19 cases, especially in the National Capital Region and neighboring regions of Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna and Rizal.

In NCR plus, masses are allowed only once a day, with attendance limited to only 10 percent of a church’s capacity. (HDT / SunStar Philippines)

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