… when he descended into Hades after His death on the Cross.

quia et Christus semel pro peccatis mortuus est iustus pro iniustis ut nos offerret Deo mortificatus carne vivificatus autem spiritu in quo et his qui in carcere erant spiritibus veniens praedicavit qui increduli fuerant aliquando quando expectabat Dei patientia in diebus Noe cum fabricaretur arca in qua pauci id est octo animae salvae factae sunt per aquam

(Because Christ also died once for our sins, the just for the unjust: that he might offer us to God, being put to death indeed in the flesh, but enlivened in the spirit, In which also coming he preached to those spirits that were in prison: Which had been some time incredulous, when they waited for the patience of God in the days of Noe, when the ark was a building: wherein a few, that is, eight souls, were saved by water. )

1 Pet 3:18-20

Well it doesn’t pay to slack around or engage in mundane activities since, as Christians, these days are focused primarily on commemorating our redemption from perpetual condemnation. So, here’s something I want to share concerning these sacred days–courtesy of my good friend Carlos Antonio Palad of Rorate Caeli:

—

1) It is better to attend the liturgical actions of the Sacred Triduum than to go on pilgrimage to various churches. The ideal is to be able to do both, but if one must choose between attending the liturgical actions of these holiest days, and going on Visita Iglesia, the former is the better choice. The sacred liturgy is the official worship of the Church and is far superior and more pleasing to God than our private devotions, and it is through the liturgy that we enter upon the spirit of the season. If our goal in these holiest days is to be more conformed to Christ, then what better way to do so than to attend the liturgy and receive the Eucharist, by which our union to the Body of Christ is made more intense and complete?

By the way, the “Siete Palabras” is NOT a liturgical service, but a merely devotional one. If you have to choose between that and the Veneration of the Cross and Communion, please prefer the Veneration of the Cross and Communion.

2) When you go to confession and the priest does not mention the words of absolution when “absolving” you, gently but firmly insist that he recite at least the basic words of absolution (“I absolve you from your sins”). It is my personal experience that some priests use invalid formulae when giving sacramental absolution especially when there are many people, and since it is our spiritual welfare and salvation as Christ’s faithful that is endangered by this practice (which renders confession invalid), it is our duty to protest (but with charity). If the priest does not give you valid absolution, then you should repeat your confession to another priest. Remember: your eternal salvation might be at stake. God forbid that anyone who has something serious in his conscience should die after an invalid confession.

3) The Visita Iglesia is a much-misunderstood practice. It originated with Catholics visiting seven churches on Maundy Thursday to adore the Blessed Sacrament in the “altars of repose”. Traditionally, the number seven comes form the fact that, as of the year 1900, there were seven major churches in Intramuros – San Agustin (Augustinians), San Nicolas (Recoletos), San Ignacio (Jesuits), Santo Domingo (Dominicans), Nuestra Senora de Lourdes (Capuchins), San Francisco (Franciscans) and Manila Cathedral.

Obviously, the ideal time for Visita Iglesia is Maundy Thursday evening. If the Visita Iglesia is done this evening, then the focus should be on the Eucharist – after all, the Eucharist is especially placed in altars of repose during Maundy Thursday precisely so we will adore the Blessed Sacrament. If the Visita Iglesia is done on Good Friday morning (which is also possible), the Way of the Cross is more appropriate. In our devotions, let us not forget the meaning of the day and the mysteries of Christ commemorated on that day.

4) There is no substitute for fasting and abstinence on Good Friday, not even self-flagellation, rolling on the ground, having oneself literally crucified or walking in procession barefoot. God desires our obedience, not our self-willed penances. Other penances may be substituted for abstinence on the Fridays of Lent, but Good Friday is different, it and Ash Wednesday being the days of penance par excellence. Fasting means eating only one full meal a day (which itself should not equal more than one normal full meal – some people eat enough for three meals during this ‘one full meal’!), and two meals that do not equal a full meal, plus no snacks or merienda (although energy drinks, juices, coffee, chocolate and milk are fine). Abstinence means not eating meat – and that includes white meat or chicken meat (some people rationalize that meat refers only to red meat, or beef and pork).

Some people insist on snacking or eating meat because “it is so tiring to go on Visita Iglesia” during Good Friday. This rationalization begs the question: why go on “Visita Iglesia” only to use it as a reason not to practice penance? What is more important: to practice the little penance and self-denial that the Church asks us to do, or to go on “spiritual tourism”, eating and drinking to our heart’s content while hopping from one church to another?

Good Friday is a time for us to think of Christ crucified, not to use Christ as an excuse for our own little pleasures. At present, the Church requires Filipino Catholics to fast and abstain for only two days of the year. Is this too much? Is Christ so distant from our hearts that we cannot even bear to offer these little sacrifices to him? Then why even observe Holy Week? Without the spirit of penance, our Holy Week traditions are meaningless.

5) God is NOT DEAD on Good Friday and Black Saturday. When you hear someone make this claim (especially in and around Quiapo), explain to that person that Christ our God died once, but that He arose from the dead and is forever glorified in heaven. Holy water also doesn’t lose its holiness on Good Friday afternoon. If you buy amulets or practice black magic on Good Friday and Black Saturday as God won’t see your deeds because He is dead, rest assured that God knows what you are doing and will hold you to account for it.

6) Holy Saturday is not an excuse to go back to our sinful lives. Many malls and TV channels “go back to the usual programming” on this day. This is not commendable. We are supposed to be doing two things on Holy Saturday: mourn Christ, who was crucified by our sins, and prepare for the joy of Pascha (Easter). Traditionally, Catholics practiced fasting on Holy Saturday, although it is no longer required by Church law. Easter Sunday is the time for rejoicing, but so that our rejoicing with the Risen Lord will be complete, we must also seek to understand the bitterness of His Passion. For this, Holy Saturday is the perfect time.

Perhaps it does not help that since 1970, the ancient liturgical and devotional traditions of Holy Saturday have been laid aside and forgotten (even though they were never abolished by the Church). It is my prayerful hope that the day will come when such beautiful practices as Tenebrae, the “Mater Dolorosa” sermon and many others will be revived in our parishes and cathedrals to sanctify this day once more. Perhaps the “Soledad or Desolata Procession”, still practiced late at night on Good Friday in a few parishes, could be revived as well and done on Holy Saturday morning, in order to prevent Holy Saturday from turning into a vacuum of idleness.

7) The greatest and most important liturgical celebration of the Sacred Triduum, and of the entire liturgical year, is the Paschal or Easter Vigil. Please make the effort to attend every year or at least once every few years. Yes, it is very long (3-4 hours, depending on the musical settings used and the number of people baptized or confirmed), but it is truly worthwhile. After all, the season is about Christ’s triumph over death. Why observe the triumph, only to be absent from the victory celebration?

8 ) Many priests give their all during Holy Week. Please go out of your way to commend your parish priest once Holy Week is over. I know of priests who weep with joy when they see a lot of people attending the services of the Triduum – it shows just how much the Triduum means to them.

Have a blessed Holy Week Triduum to all.

Patristics is replete with sermons and exhortations regarding various forms of mortifications–both temporal and spiritual. St. Clement, along with the famous St. John Chrysostom (whom I recently quoted in regard to how one pious Catholic must regard fasting) has also been one of those whose elocutions on spiritual matters should never be bypassed.

This piece was sent to me via our Tridentine Mass listserv. This shall now be an addendum of sorts to St. John Chrysostom’s sermon I have previously cited regarding that revered–though mostly forgotten–practice of fasting.

FASTING

Fasting is abstention from food — from the ordinary meaning of the
word; but abstention or no abstention from food neither makes us holy
or unholy. Total abstention mystically means death. Thus, fasting
really means abstention from worldly things, for we would die as far
as worldly matters are concerned; and after that, when we partake of
food of divine nature, we will live in God.

Fasting empties the soul of matter, and presents the soul pure and
nimble to the body, according to the divine words. Then, on the one
hand, worldly nourishment consists of temporal life and iniquities,
while divine nourishment is faith, hope, love, patience, knowledge,
peace, prudence; as our Lord said in Matthew: “Blessed are they who
hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled,”
where truly He attributes this longing to the soul and not to the body.

I shall be coming up with a bunch of lenten reflections which should embody what I have been musing about throughout this liturgical season. My fingers have been aching to type my spiritual contemplations however since my job entails that I be online BUT write something else (marketing strategies as copy for websites… oh yes) my mind has little space to slink in some of what I would want myself to accomplish these days. No matter: I still have evenings…

Which reminds me that I should be reading Francis Carvajal’s “Lukewarmness: The Devil in Disguise” for this week then shift onto Fr. De Torre’s “Christian Philosophy” for the next. In addition, I cannot wait for an opportunity to peruse my PDF copy of St. John of the Cross’ writings for my daily spiritual reading for… next, next week I suppose.

Let us all set our minds to the saving power of Christ whose resurrection has saved us all from the clutches of burgeoning sin. May we all have a very spiritually refreshing Lenten-tide

(BTW: I plan to visit the Dominican nuns’ monastery in Cainta and the Pink Sisters in Tagaytay… maybe in April before Passionweek. Who wants to join me? ^^)

A very timely piece, inasmuch as Lent had just opened its doors yesterday for another 40 days of nourishing our impoverished souls (although the calendar for the Extraordinary Form had already started Lent preparations with Septuagesima Sunday three weeks ago). I acknowledge in myself that fasting has proved tedious for me, given my maladies which intensify with lesser food intake or none at all. Nevertheless this I see as truly worthwhile to share.

ON FASTING
St. John Chrysostom

The value of fasting consists not only in avoiding certain
foods, but in giving up of sinful practices. The person who
limits his fast only to abstaining from meat is the one who
especially lowers the value of it.

Do you fast? Prove it by doing good works. If you see
someone in need, take pity on them. If you see a friend being
honored, don’t get jealous of him. For a true fast, you cannot
fast only with your mouth. You must fast with your eye, your ear,
your feet, your hands, and all parts of your body.

You fast with your hands by keeping them pure from doing
greedy things. You fast with your feet by not going to see
forbidden shows or plays. You fast with your eyes by not
letting them look upon impure pictures. Because if this is
forbidden or unlawful, it mars your fast and threatens the safety
of your soul. But if you look at things which are lawful and
save you increase your fast, for what you see with your eye
influences your conduct. It would be very stupid to eliminate or
give up meat and other foods because of the fast but feed with
your eyes upon other things which are forbidden.

You don’t eat meat, you say. But you allow yourself to lis-
ten to lewd things. You must fast with your ears, too. Another
way of fasting with your ears is not to listen to those who speak
evil or untrue things about others. “Thou shalt not receive an
idle report. “This is especially true of rumors, gossip,
untruths which are spoken to harm another.

Besides fasting with your mouth by not eating certain foods,
your mouth should also fast from foul language or telling lies
about others. For what good is it if you don’t eat meat or
poultry, and yet you bite and devour your fellow man?

Article courtesy of the EWTN Library

[Edit: Related reading - APPETENTE SACRO (On the Spiritual Advantages of Fasting), Encyclical of Pope Clement XIII promulgated on Dec 20, 1759) ]