For Holy Week tunes, CBCP offers ‘pasyon’

source: mb.com.ph

MANILA, Philippines -- It may not be a song from a popular artist like Justin Bieber or Bruno Mars, but it is the most highly recommended music by the Catholic Church to the faithful this Holy Week.

This is the “pasyon” (chanting of the Lord’s passion) which is now made available to the faithful online, through the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) “visitaiglesia” website www.visitaiglesia.net.

Msgr. Pedro Quitorio III, Media Office Director of the CBCP, said the online version of the “pasyon” or “pabasa” aims to help the faithful better reflect on the passion, death, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ this Holy Week.

“The audio of all the 21 chapters of the pasyon is uploaded there,” he said.

The CBCP official, however, stressed that the project particularly targets Filipinos abroad and the sick so they may also have the chance to observe Holy Week wherever they are.

“This is for those Filipinos working in countries where there is no church or those working at sea and have no way of going home this Holy Week,” he said.

Last year, when the “Visita Iglesia” project was launched, the server of the CBCP crashed due to the big number of users.

“We didn’t even advertise it…yet they tried to use it. That’s a big learning experience for us. We saw that there is really a need for it,” said Quitorio.

“That made us realize that Filipinos are really religious and this they bring with them wherever they may be,” he added.

The “Visita Iglesia” website is a multimedia presentation that features 14 shrines and pilgrimage churches corresponding with the 14 Stations of the Cross with reflections given by priests.

The website also features catechesis and reflections of the bishops and priests for Lent, Holy Week and Easter as well as the traditional Seven Last Words, and the “Pasyon.”

Different parishes and communities will start the reading(by chanting) of the “pabasa” today, Holy Monday.

In today’s solemn observance of Holy Monday (Lunes Santo), the second day of the Semana Santa (Holy Week), the faithful will mark the first day of the “pabasa” or the “pasyon,” the Gregorian chanting of the poetic prayer story of Jesus’ life, Passion, death, and Resurrection.

“Pabasa” is an old, time-tested Holy Week tradition that has remained well-preserved particularly in the provinces, where it is held continuously day and night, sometimes for as long as three straight days.. In recent years, the melodies of popular tunes are sometimes used to make the chanting of the Biblical passages sound more interesting, lively, and appealing particularly, to the young.

In the provinces, flagellants walk the streets under the scorching summer heat while whipping their backs as a form of penitence or sacrifice. The practice is done annually by penitents as a form of “panata” or vow in exchange for an answered prayer or a standing request or petition. Many of the flagellants bore visible scars on their backs, a sign of years of self-flagellation and sacrifice.

Monday’s Gospel readings will focus on the anointing of Jesus at Bethany by Mary, the sister of Martha and the resurrected Lazarus. She anoints Jesus’ feet with costly perfume and wipes them with her hair. Many of the Jews were also starting to affirm their faith in Jesus on seeing Lazarus whom He raised from the dead.

source: mb.com.ph