The Holy Week is one of those weeks that we can get some respite and peace. People either troop to the provinces, go to resorts, or go to retreats and other similar religious activities. The roads in Metro Manila are empty (Thursday night and early Friday morning Katipunan Ave. was so empty your car could cruise at 120KPH without any serious problems) and most businesses shut down.

And some Roman Catholic believers practice their beliefs in different ways – from the calm (Visita Iglesia, Pabasa), to the hysteric (flagellation, crucifixion).

DJB recently asked, Wasn’t one crucifixion enough? Of course it is! The crux of the Gospel is that Jesus Christ had died to pay for our sins, so that our sins are forgiven. In short, all we have to do is to believe and to follow God’s words.

Yet for some of us, His sacrifice is not enough. They have to resort to extreme forms of punishment, as stated earlier. This is pure arrogance, pure narcississm. Sheer arrogance, for they have arrogated themselves the absolution that only God can give. As stated by DJB in his comments:

Now, when I interviewed one of the crucified to ask WHY they all did this sort of thing at Lent, he said simply that he was a sinful man and that this was his way of atoning for the evil things he had done, tho we didn’t get into that.

Of course we atone for our sins. But to atone by doing what had been done to Christ – what arrogance! What faith! By doing what had been done to Christ, they assume that what Christ had undergone does not suffice to cover for their sins. How arrogant!

And DJB continues:

But if the kids know who he is, or maybe he is their father or uncle, then there might arise the natural suspicion of being guilty of “praying in public so people can see our piety.” Jesus (and Garry Willis) castigate this a hypocrisy.

Now I can see how narcissism might creep in, if this man, (whom of course I am unfairly ASSUMING is being hypocritical) also admires himself for being so clever, convincing his kids he’s actually ATONING for drinking, womanizing or beating them up all year long.

I think this business of displaying our holiness in public is a tad hypocritical and a way of saying, “See, I am holier than you might think I am.”

In the end, I believe that this practice is just for the show – a display to feed their narcissism, to show the world how “faithful” they are.

And then, The Bystander note that this week is a show of religious hypocrisy. His words are so powerful, I reproduce some of them here:

Don’t get me wrong. I am Catholic too. I was not only “born” Catholic. I, like many of the corrupt politicians we now have, was raised, schooled and brought up as a Catholic. So why am I questioning Catholicism as if it was the cause of all these cultural, social and even political mess? Nope, I am not really questioning Catholicism as a doctrine. I am only questioning how it is practiced in the Philippines with the acquiescence of the local Catholic heirarchy. For example, while we hear priests explain that they haven’t authorized the practice of imitating the passion and crucifixion of Jesus Christ during Holy Week, their token disapproval stops right there. I have yet to hear them clarify to the faithful that being nailed to a makeshift cross will not erase their sins nor guarantee salvation in the afterlife. Unfortunately, this ritual has transformed into a religious spectacle, nourishing not the spirit but the pockets of businessmen who take advantage of this stupidity by making it as a lucrative tourist attraction.

Likewise, every year during Holy Week, I never fail to notice our honorable politicians, perhaps by miracle, suddenly sound like innocent public servants asking the Lord (or is it the jueteng lord?) for wisdom and guidance in the conduct of their day to day affairs. We always see them on TV either volunteering as lay ministers or talking about Christ’s message of love and repentance — as if we are unaware how ruthless and corrupt they have become or how ruthless and corrupt they will continue to be once the Holy Week ends. I am not at all surprised of this phenomenon. This is the time of the year when even the devil can quote the Bible.

The same holds true for some Filipinos. All year long they preoccupy themselves with gossiping, mudslinging and backbiting their enemies, friends, neighbors and even relatives. When Holy Week comes, you see them lining up in churches and in other sacred spots throughout the archipelago holding the rosary in one hand while the other hand is busy texting his/her lover that they will meet somewhere so they could continue praying the rosary together in the cover of darkness. So much for spending time with GOD during Holy Week! Again, don’t get me wrong. I am not condemning those who exert effort to repent and mend their ways. We are all sinners in His eyes. What I am aghast about is this never ending sight of hypocrites using religious rituals to make it appear that they are in constant communication with GOD.

To end this post, let me post here my comment at the quoted post of Bystander:

A church that is packed? More likely the people there are just fulfilling what they think is their Sunday obligation. People coming and going in the middle of the service – is that faith? It’s narcissism, it’s contempt for the God they worship.

We have the wrong manifestation of faith. Maybe that’s why this is a God-forsaken country.