The Church's services in these coming days are certainly moving. But this emotion is of little value unless we are prepared to share and take part in the sufferings of Christ. By suffering along with our fellowmen, are we just going to take part in the services of the Holy Week or are we going to carry the cross of Christ, like Simon of Cyrene?

Thoughts for Holy Week 2011

Good Friday

The Passion of Christ is not over. Christ is still in agony until the end of time. He is still suffering in people.

In August 1983, Benigno Aquino was killed, assassinated at Manila airport. Some three million Filipinos attended his funeral.

Another, a Archbishop was shot and killed while celebrating Mass. He stood for human rights, the rights of the poor in El Salvador. On the day of this funeral at San Salvador, among the 50,000 who attended, 40 died, victims of violence.

Both Benigno Aquino and Archbishop Oscan Romero stood for the human person as Christ did, standing for every man. They stood for truth, justice and freedom.

Christ was silenced on the cross, Archbishop Romero and Benigno Aquino were silenced by the gun. Whenever followers of Christ stand for the human person, his dignity and rights today, they are sure to meet opposition from the 'pharisees' of our times, who still plot with the 'Herods', 'Judases' and 'Pilates' of our times.

When Christ now suffers in one of us, in our midst, we are sure to be all part of this drama: This is the new passion of Christ.

Are we going to let Christ down in a cowardly way, like his disciples did on the first Good Friday? Or will we be found standing by him, unafraid, as Mary and John were, courageously standing by his cross?

Easter Sunday

On Easter Sunday, we praise the Risen Christ, the one who was, who is fully alive. Alive indeed! For he stood for man, man's liberation and salvation.

We praise the one who was ready to die, in order to make us live. On Easter Sunday, we celebrate life. The life which is in Christ, we celebrate Christ who is Life. On Easter Sunday, we make an act of faith saying we believe that we can live. We can be more fully alive, through the power of Christ's life.

But are we really alive? Is there any life in us? Is life increasing in us?

We are fully alive whenever we stand for man.

We are fully alive whenever we live by our Christian values and principles.

We are fully alive whenever we stand for man's dignity and his rights.

Whenever we take such stands, there would be no material gain to be expected in return for such actions. But Good Friday was neither a failure nor a lost battle.

Christ is risen... and when we stand for the human person, we mean that we refuse to be dead.

We want to live and we do live because when we refuse to give up our Christian values and principles, is to be already victorious over evil and death.