I am not ashamed to admit that I cried unabashedly on the last day of March 2026 as the Holy Week was just starting. Those hours will be forever etched in my mind for my lovely daughter Catherine will be interred on that day. My friend priest Fr. Sol Gabriel was the mass presider. His homily focused on death.
In celebration of the Holy Week, again it is open to everyone to reflect and do some soul searching. In my own layman’s way, each year I never failed in reminding my readers the meaning and fragility of life. It is a way of understanding who we really are, and what is life all about.
'From dust you came, to dust you return'. It is said when you are born, there is only one direction, and that is death. From womb to tomb. But never fear death, it will surely come on God's appointed time. 'Una una lang'. It clearly declared in a cemetery in Pampanga in its welcoming an inscription which is cast: AKO NGENI, IKA BUKAS. Fr. Sol made mention of this inscribed gate of a cemetery in Betis, Guagua Loosely translated, it means, I died and lying here today, you will be tomorrow.
' The greatest gift God has given to mankind is death'. There are so many people who at some point asked God to end her misery and pleaded death. There are so many other true to life situations wherein people begged God for mercy to end their sufferings. In due time. He wanted each one of us to be with Him in his Kingdom. Just like when one of the sheeps gone astray, He has to leave the flock to look for the lost sheep to rejoin the others. And it is my personal belief that God has to clean you before you enter the Kingdom of Heaven. And it seems those who sinned more are the ones that take the longest cleansing process.
'Father why thou hast forsaken me'. Even our Lord Jesus Christ uttered this word towards heaven when His human body can no longer endure the pain. What more for ordinary mortals. During this Holy Week I hope each one of us will try to contemplate our own life existence. That it may focus on the fragility of human life, that one day you will breathe your last, and that at the end you can make good accounting of what you have done for others.
I used to say that a lady symbolizes human justice, meaning she cares not if you are rich or poor, good looking or ugly, educated or unlettered, but her ears can still hear and be tempted of a whispered promise. Not in the Divine Justice, 'husticia divino'. It will be right minus wrong since in my belief God is all just. If you have done thousands of good deeds and committed few infractions and felt really sorry for your sins, God may in the last judgement may reserve a seat for you in heaven.