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5/7/2007
From: Chris McKinney
The days around Easter are a big deal in the Philippines. But nobody knows
the term "Easter"; here it is "Holy Week." There are religious processions,
pilgrimages to ancient churches, and everything shuts down--not just
government offices and banks but malls, restaurants, movie theaters,
everything.
The thing is, Easter Sunday (Resurrection Sunday) itself seems to be no big
deal for most people. The highlight of Holy Week is Good Friday, the
anniversary of Jesus' death on the cross. Don't expect to go anywhere on
Friday; you'll get there fast (no traffic) but it will be closed. By Easter
Sunday, however, things are back to business as usual. And you never see an
Easter bunny--chocolate or otherwise--anywhere!
In certain parts of the country, men inflict suffering on themselves; they
seem to feel that by identifying with Jesus in his Passion, they gain
spiritual power. This is most often tied to a special prayer request they
have. Some men go so far as to be nailed on a cross and hung for a few
minutes, while others content themselves with walking barefoot along
summer-heated asphalt roads, tying cords that bite into the flesh around
their arms and legs, or whipping themselves--often until their backs bleed.
Evangelicals here have observed that many Filipinos prefer to imagine Christ
weak and helpless: the newborn "Santo Nino" (Holy Child), for example, or
the suffering Jesus nailed to a cross. We're here so that people will learn
to also picture Christ as powerful and glorious: Rising from the dead and
ascending into heaven, and coming back ready to administer justice and rule
the kings of the earth.
In Christ,
Chris and Carole
Philippine Christian Mission
8159 Woodland Dr.
Buena Park, CA 90620
USA Telephone: (714) 484-6675
Philippines Telephone: 011-63-927-889-5343
Skype: chris_mckinney
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