How I Spent The Holy Week (Part I)

There comes a moment in your life when you wanted to seek more attention for yourself. As time goes by, you would notice that you keep on thinking about other people's welfare but you forgot to think for your own good too.

Holy week. Others would take this as an ordinary usual week but for Roman Catholics, it is something that we practice. Again, religion is a complex issue that not everybody shares the same opinions.

For some, Holy week is an opportunity to go on a vacation and relax with their loved ones. As for me, I spend Holy Week at home and follow the family's tradition.

I grew up in a religious family. Since I was younger, my most memorable moment with my grandparents is to go to church every Sunday. They never miss a mass unless they can't, like arthritis and other senior citizen's health issues.

My parents also go to church every Sunday. My mother is consistent too and never misses a mass. My father sometimes skips church because of hangover 🤦‍♀️ So, enough of the religious practices of the family.

March 28, 2021 (Palm Sunday)

You would know that it's the start of the Holy Week when people going to church are bringing palm leaves with them. Palm leaves represent victory, triumph, and eternal life.

Even if Jesus Christ already know about his fate, he still looked forward to the people to witness his coming.

Mass is 5:30 am, so we woke up at 4:45 am. I got up feeling so sleepy but I need to move those legs and get ready. When we arrived at the church, as always we were one of the earliest people. My grandmother always has 30 minutes allowance of waiting rather than running late. She hates that. My mother got that attitude too and I guess I have it too already.

Grandma forgot to bring palm leaves so she asked me to buy some outside the church. Three girls are forming a cross from those leaves so I asked if how much it was and they said that it's free.

I took three of those assembled crosses and pick one leaf to make myself one. I gave them 20 pesos as a sign of gratitude even though they were not willing to accept it. I just told them that it's for their snacks.

We shaked our palm leaves like how people did it during Jesus Christ's time. The mass presider blessed us with holy water while raising it.

The mass already started and I have to admit, I lost focus and spaced out. The narration of the journey of Jesus Christ was too long and my knees almost gave in.

It took an hour and 15 minutes for the mass to end and we feel blessed every time. We went home and I put my formed cross in our room's door with a rosary on it.

April 1, 2021 (Maundy Thursday)

This is when the last supper happened. Jesus told his disciples about their sins committed along with Jesus' heartbreaking passion for death.

Too bad, I had my first day of my period and the pain was just unbearable. As much as I wanted to go with them to attend the mass but I couldn't handle the pain my period was giving me.

My mother and my grandmother left the house first to secure their seats inside the church. My grandmother never ran out late in masses. Then my sister and our working left the house too, a few minutes after.

So I was left alone in the house with Sunny. The mass started at 6:15 pm so they came home a bit late for dinner. I just cooked fried fish for us since we practice not eat pork during Holy Week.

I was watching the film Hello, Love, Goodbye by Kathryn and Alden on TV while cooking the fish. I didn't know that the movie would be good. I'm not really a fan of the lead characters but the story is relatable especially to those who work overseas.

The remaining days of the Holy Week will be published in my next article Part II.

Thank you for reading.

Keep safe everyone! ❤