H-O-L-Y W-E-E-Kby Father Jerry M. Orbos, SVD
Below is the acronym
H-O-L-Y W-E-E-K to help us make this week not just an ordinary week but a truly
meaningful and a holy week.
H-alt! Stop for awhile, or at least slow down. Take time to rest and relax. You are not a machine. Your body needs rest, so find time to be still. Go away, disappear. Rest a while. Yes, have a vacation, (but don't end up more tired because of your Holy Week "vacation").
O-ff with ourworldly pursuits and concerns. Turn off your cellular phone if you have to, so that you can focus on your spiritual life this week. Forget quotas, forget deadlines and forget performance. Just be. Don't let the world and its cares disturb the tranquility of your mind and soul this week. Let the world go by, and let the Lord take care of everything for once. Don't plan out your activities
this week so much that you end up more stressed and pressured in the end. Surprise yourself. Rediscover
your inner strengths and simple joys. OFF to the world. ON to your heart. ON to your God.
L-isten. If you arein the Off or Silent mode, then you can really listen, pray and meditate. Take time to listen to God and tell him what's happening with your life. Allow the Father to wrap His loving arms around your shoulders once again and just listen.
Listen also to your own inner self, not just to your day-to-day wants and needs. Is there something you
are missing in your life? Is there something more you need to do in your life?
And listen to other people around you. When was the last time you really stopped and listened to the
people you love? This is a great time for that heart-to-heart talk, one on one.
Y-ield to God. Letgo of your grip on your own life. Be on the lookout for His road signs as you travel on. Listen to His instructions, and you will find your way. Better still, let Him do the navigating and the driving. Let God do the driving! Let Him lead you on from now on. Let Him take over, okay? (Okay. Good. Now, will you please give Him the keys and let go of the hand brake?)
W-arm up your relationships. Time to allow your loved ones to feel that warm-and-sunny spring you, not the cold-and-cloudy winter you. Reach out to the people you have taken for granted or left out altogether. Time to call a friend and use your lifeline, or ask your audience-for an apology, for help, for suggestions. Call, text, write, smile and hug. Use anything that will help you repair, restore and revitalize your relationships.
E-rase the burdensof guilt and sin with a good, honest and humble confession.Heed God's call: "Come back to Me, with all your heart. Don't let sin keep us apart. Long have I waited for your coming home to me."
In response to God's love, may we all say to God, especially this week: "Create a clean heart in me, O
God. Give back to me the joy of your salvation."
Time also to erase hurts, resentments, anger and ill feelings. Forgive people who hurt you, and ask for
forgiveness from people you have hurt, cheated, used or abused in any way.
E-xpress your love.Whatever you do, especially this week, like praying, fasting, works of penance and deeds of charity, let them all be expressions of your love and gratitude to God. Let them be done not out of fear, or out of obligation. Neither should they be just means to manipulate or placate God.
Take time to express your love to your loved ones too! Just say it. Just do it. Give till it hurts to the many needy people around you. So many people await your sharing of your blessings.
K-neel down. Inhumility, kneel down in prayer before God and thank Him for suffering so much, for dying on the cross and for rising again for our salvation. Somebody died for you and me. Let us not allow this week to pass without personally thanking Him.
Let this be a time for all of us to "kneel down" before one another in humility: parents before their
children whom they have neglected; children before their parents whom they have hurt; politicians and
government officials before the people whom they have cheated etc., etc. (and, if I may add...
husbands and wives who may have hurt... physically, emotionally, psychologically. .. their spouses.)
Yes, let us all bend our knees to our God, to our mother! country and mother earth, and to one another
in humility and in deep gratitude.