CBCP President and Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas reminded Catholics not to forget their religious obligations today.
“I think good Catholics will not choose to watch boxing especially during Holy Week,” Villegas said.
He noted that the faithful can go to Church before or after watching the fight.
However, Villegas reminded Filipino on the sacredness of Holy Week.
“The Holy Week is holy because God puts so much love into these days and no one has loved in the same way as Jesus has loved us,” Villegas said.
“This week is holy not because of the shame and humiliation that Jesus endured. This week is holy because God filled this week with infinite love. Only love can sanctify. His generosity in pain is marvelous. His dignity in suffering is awesome. His gentleness of heart despite our rudeness to Him puts us to shame,” he added.
He said that Holy Week can only be holy if the people will pour love, real sacrifices and faith on one another.
He explained that fasting or abstinence will be more meaningful if the sacrifice is offered to help others.
“If you are fasting, it will be best if you give the food that you will not eat to someone who is hungry. If you will not be eating meat, make sure that the nice food that you will not be eating will be enjoyed by someone who hardly gets to taste meat because of poverty,” Villegas said.
He explained that the “component” of real sacrifice should be paired with a corresponding component of helping others, saying that compassion is more important than self-discipline.
The bishop said he was appalled by people who fast just to satisfy themselves.
“This is an ego massage. It’s just like you’re saying to yourself, ‘wow I have the will power to do this.’ But what you save as food, you must share because you must remember we will be judged not according to how much we sacrificed, but by how much we have given, we have loved and we have shared,” he said.
To Villegas, the point of fasting “is to say no so that you can say yes to the needs of the poor.”
He urged the faithful to observe the Holy Week from the perspective of the “shame and humiliation” that Jesus endured.
“Honor and shame are very important values for us Filipinos. Anyone can face similar humiliation and shame but what makes the humiliation of Jesus luminous in the dark is the immense love with which he responded to his tormentors,” he said.
“The measure of true stewardship is not how much we give but how much we keep. When we have learned to cheerfully keep nothing for ourselves, we have moved closer to the example of Jesus,” Villegas added.