We all have our crosses to bear. Some carry the weight of the world, while others carry their crosses without so much as a grunt.

But one penitent showed the world that sometimes the stigma is the heaviest cross one could carry.

On Good Friday, this penitent wearing white from head to ankles walked around in only his socks.

He was carrying a sign on his body: “I have HIV, but it doesn’t hurt me, the stigma does!”

To him, living with the stigma of the disease, not the disease itself, was the cross he had to bear.

The feeling of rejection for having the disease is a burden that even the strongest of us would buckle under. It is emotionally straining, especially when society scorns you for simply having the disease.

Cases on the rise

Based on reports from the Department of Health (DoH) and the Zambales Provincial Health Office (PHO), HIV cases in Zambales have shown a rising trend, particularly among youth and young adults.

The majority of new cases, both nationally and regionally, are among young people aged 15 to 34.

Sexual contact remains the primary mode of transmission, accounting for over 90 percent of cases, with male-to-male sex being the most common, followed by male-female sex.

But whatever the reason, however they contracted it, we as human beings should always show compassion. It is the very reason the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross is fundamentally understood as the ultimate act of compassion.

Compassion during Lent, the 40-day journey to Easter, is a call to practice mercy and kindness, and to love oneself and others, transforming traditional fasting into active care.

It involves looking outward to help those in need, practicing self-compassion, and fostering deep inner conversion.

So, if the cross you bear feels light, show compassion and help those who are carrying the weight of the world.