Boiling

I READ somewhere recently that one of three persons is ugly. So, if you look at the person on your left and he or she is handsome or beautiful, delicado ka na. (You're in a precarious position.) If you look at the person on your right and he or she is handsome or beautiful, may problema ka na! (You have a problem!)

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The Passion of Christ (Mt. 26, 14-27:66) is an account of the events that happened to Jesus from the time He said goodbye to His disciples at the last supper, till He was arrested, tortured and crucified at Calvary. Ugly is the word that best describes these last moments of Jesus. Ugly were the torturers and executioners. Ugly was the crowd. The first Good Friday was the ugliest day in the history of mankind.

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It's Palm Sunday once again, and the Holy Week is ahead of us. So how do we make this week holy? Someone once said in jest that to make holy water you get ordinary water, and you boil the hell out of it! Holy Week is that particular time of the year when we are asked to boil all hell and ugliness out of ourselves.

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Boiling requires time, slow cooking time. Not microwave time. You just don't approach Holy Week with a little prayer here, and a little sacrifice there, then, presto, all clear, all clean and feel good again. Don't go for "instant holiness," just for the Holy Week. In other words, we must make time to really reflect and really listen to God, to ourselves, to others, and to life itself this week. Allow yourself to be "boiled," to be confronted, to be questioned and even to be "crucified."

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Boiling requires space. Not much boiling happens when you are always on the move. Not much holy boiling happens either when you are out in a beach resort or on a vacation somewhere just having a good time. Of course, you can find God anywhere this week. Just make sure you give Him space. Don't just be a Kristiyanong bakasyonista sa Semana Santa (a vacationing Christian this Holy Week).

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Boiling requires some dying. Dying to oneself, that is. Dying to one's sins, for instance, and reaching out to God in humility and repentance. Dying to one's pride and reaching out to people. Dying to one's comfort zones and sharing one's blessings with the poor and the less fortunate around us.

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Saturday was the feast of St. Joseph. Many of us, perhaps, did not even remember or take notice of it. But that's typical of St. Joseph who always chooses silence and anonymity. Let us take a cue from him this Holy Week, and find time for silence, simplicity and anonymity. Let's forget our titles, our professions, our agenda, our deadlines, and just be.

I dare even say, forget your religious agenda of doing this and that, observing this and that, complying with this and that, just to fulfill an obligation or a tradition. You know why? Because compliance with rituals, instead of boiling us, can just harden us, giving us the sense of feeling good for having done the minimum of what is expected of us, and so we can go right on living the ugly life we are leading. Don't just be a Kristiyanong pakita artista sa Semana Santa (a pretending Christian).

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This Holy Week, may we all take time to boil the hell out of our families and relationships and reach out to one another as brothers and sisters again. The passion, death, and resurrection of Christ are all about going beyond one's comfort zones to the max. Perhaps, we too can really go out of our way to destroy the walls we have made and build bridges again. May we all experience life-giving "resurrection moments" in our families and relationships especially this week.

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As a nation, may the Lord boil the hell out of our country, which is so full of corrupt politicians and government leaders. Sad to say many of them won't be here this Holy Week; they have left for abroad already for their much needed rest. (Rest from what?) All around us, people are suffering. The pot is boiling. Let public servants be servants again. As a nation, as people, let us go back to the Lord with contrite hearts and ask Him to heal our land.

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Join us in some holy boiling this Holy Week with our recollections at: Edsa Shrine, Holy Tuesday, 6 p.m.; St. James Church, Ayala Alabang, Holy Wednesday, 8 p.m.; AFP Theatre, Camp Aguinaldo, Holy Thursday, 9 a.m.; Good Shepherd Retreat House, Antipolo, Good Friday, 9 a.m.; Angels Hill, Tagaytay, Holy Saturday 9 a.m.; Christ the King Seminary, Quezon City, Easter Vigil 9 p.m.

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A moment with the Lord:

Lord, boil my hard heart and give me a soft heart. Amen.