Lent a ‘devotion, not tradition’

The parish priest of the Our Lady of the Assumption Parish in Malate, Manila has stressed on Easter Sunday that the observance of the Lenten season should be regarded not only as a tradition but a devotion to the Lord Jesus Christ.

“I hope that what we did during Lent — the prayer, fasting, almsgiving, procession, Visita Iglesia, penitence we did not just make it part of a tradition, but that we made it a devotion,” Fr. Hans Magdurulang said.

The parish administrator went on to explain that devotion is done habitually and not just yearly.

“When we say devotion, it’s not just done once a year, not just every other month, but every day,” Magdurulang explained in a radio interview. “That’s the difference from just making it a tradition year after year; it’s only done after Lent; after Holy Week, you don’t have time to pray again; you don’t know how to temper yourself; you’re selfish again.”

“I hope that little by little we will live the Holy Week as a devotion and not just a tradition,” he added.

According to Magdurulang, this year’s Easter Sunday message is “God is alive; God is with us.”

Manila Archbishop, Fr. Jose Cardinal Advincula, meanwhile, defined Easter as “the time to open our eyes to Jesus, who is alive.”

“Easter is the time to renew our faith in Him,” said Advincula in his Easter Message, reminding the people that Jesus is not a figure or a character from the past, and He is always present.