The head of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines is urging Filipino families to make Holy Week a time of shared prayer and renewal, not just routine reunions.
Archbishop Gilbert Garcera of Lipa, CBCP president, said the annual observance should go beyond gatherings and social traditions.
He emphasized that Holy Week commemorates the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, inviting believers to deeper reflection and spiritual conversion.
The archbishop called on the faithful to acknowledge their shortcomings and seek forgiveness, describing the week as an opportunity for confession, healing and renewal.
“I hope that during this week, it’s really a time for the family praying together, going to confession, receiving the Lord and making sure that at the end of this week, Christ is alive in our midst,” Garcera said.
He said families should take time to attend religious services, receive Communion and reconnect spiritually amid increasingly busy and distracted lives.
Garcera also highlighted the importance of community, urging neighborhoods and parishes to come together in prayer and mutual support during the solemn period.
“I encourage you my dear brothers and sisters… to make sure that we respond to a reflection, a moment of conversion, and a moment of rejoicing because the Lord is alive in us,” he said.
