Looking back at Lent

Holy Week this year was observed to have been more intensely celebrated than previous ones. Judging from the huge crowd that attended the church rituals in various parishes in Cebu one can say that that Lenten affair could be record breaking in terms of communal participation. From Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday churchyards overflowed with faithfuls as the solemnities took place – holy masses, processions, Eucharistic visitations, blessing of fire and water, “sugat”.

What has driven the multitude of Cebuanos towards places of worship during that week? It is said that whenever talks of an impending disaster are heard churches begin to draw more worshippers. During difficult times too such as the current economic crisis prayer seems to be the usual recourse. To church authorities this phenomenon is not unusual. The Scripture has several events showing that whenever an individual’s safety is compromised, or that of the community, invoking the help of the Almighty is resorted to. Moses asked God’s help in his mission of freeing the Israelites. When hunger threatened his people Abraham pleaded for God’s intervention. Even in war God’s help was sought. Remember the prophet Elisa who asked God to blind the Arameans who wanted to attack Israel? Or King David who prayed to Yaweh (and burned an offering) to stop the plague that ravaged his people?

These days, when many Filipinos have been victims of the economic downturn, it is not surprising that many turn to God for help. Religious conviction has taught them that God is their refuge in times of trouble, a belief which has been reinforced by happenings in their respective lives indicative of divine interventions.

For example, we have a key personnel in the school we work in who was lately favored with a miraculous healing. Her ailment: Cancer of the stomach. After a series of medical examinations, her doctors recommended a major operation. And so this was done, but wonder of wonder, they found no cancerous mass in the area when it was supposed to be. Now she is up and healthy, thanks to her prayers to the Virgin of Desamparados.

Divine intervention is indeed possible. However, this cannot be predicted like the weather. God works in a mysterious way. Sometimes he answers prayers, sometimes he doesn’t. But whatever happens after one prays, such is God’s answer, the saintly say. Man proposes, God disposes may be a hackneyed expression. But it’s the truth when it comes to seeking God’s help.

Yet one is not supposed to lose hope, no matter how difficult his situation is. Jesus himself said, “Ask and you shall receive, seek and you shall find, knock and it shall be opened to you.” And as if to stress the importance of persistence, the Lord at one time narrated the parable of a woman who repeatedly implored a judge for a favorable judgment, and got what she wanted. On top of this, Jesus was generous in his assurance that God would not turn deaf ears to prayers, and that a person should not worry about what to eat and where to shelter himself because the Heavenly Father would provide all these. The caveat: Seek first the kingdom of God and his justice.

This simply means, in the words of His Eminence Cardinal Vidal in his Easter Sunday homily, that we should cast away “earthly habits and attitudes” and instead focus on things heavenly. Violence is inspired by worldly motives, he said. And so is hunger for power and pretended piety. A believer in Christ should avoid these. Instead he should get close to God by following in the footsteps of His Son and our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Pretended piety or “aron ingnon” – was this one of the reasons for the overflow attendance in church rituals last week? It could be, considering the Pinoy’s obsession towards social acceptance. According to cultural psychologists, the average Pinoy longs for group approval, and since religiosity, even of the Sunday type, is a generally accepted behavior, is it any wonder if some Pinoys gravitate towards Lenten rituals?

But of course, a great majority of the Holy Week crowd were really there in response to an authentic spiritual conviction. Born and bred in a Catholic milieu, the typical layman could not help but be an active participant in church happenings. So instead of savoring the joy of a carefree sojourn in some vacation places, or simply taking it easy at home, he chose to be where the solemnities were. Were he to be a mere fence sitter, a sense of guilt would hound him for days.

Faith is a unique commodity. Its driving force defies reason, more so in times of stress and strain.

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