How to use the five love languages to have a meaningful Holy Week
By Denise Julianne Pangan
Aside from the sorrowful melody of pabasa, the unsettling tradition of self-flagellation, and the pious Visita Iglesias, admit it or not, most of us also associate Holy Week with taking a break from academic responsibilities and going on a short vacation with friends and family. And while it is essential to get the rest we deserve and spend time with the people we love, we should still not defeat its utmost essence.
To aid us in having a meaningful Holy Week celebration, here are four ways to use the five love languages to self-reflect and make the week-long break worthwhile.
1. Words of affirmation: Owing ourselves forgiveness
The Lenten season is a time of repentance and forgiveness. During this Holy Week, we must extend kindness and compassion to ourselves as much as we share it with those who wronged us. Because sometimes, we forget that we owe ourselves forgiveness too. Especially for the times when we have been impatient, unkind, and unforgiving of ourselves as we go through the ups and downs of life.
You might want to use the time to write yourself a letter or a journal entry, reflecting on the things you have surpassed and the silent battles you have conquered. After all, saying “I am sorry” and “I forgive you” is also an expression of love.
2. Acts of service: A little sacrifice
One of the Holy Week traditions is abstinence. As we all know, the most popular is not eating meat during Good Friday. But it can be specific things like video games, practices like indulging in online shopping, and vices like smoking e-cigarettes.
More often than not, these things become harmful once it gets a hold of you. It hogs your attention and consciousness until it eventually becomes a part of your daily routine, and your world revolves around it.
Since the Lenten season is also a time of self-sacrifice, this Holy Week, you might want to participate in the religious tradition by abstaining from social media, which disrupts our focus and affects our stream of productivity. Doing so gives us a break from the endless thumb-scrolling until the wee hours of the morning. Take the time to self-reflect and focus on crucial matters that would make Holy Week more meaningful and worthwhile.
3. Receiving gifts and physical touch: Make time for charity
Holy Week is the perfect time to immerse oneself within the community and participate in charitable activities aside from taking part in traditional ones.
During the week-long break, you might want to become a volunteer at a local soup kitchen. As you give back to your community by extending a helping hand, you also interact and be one with the people in need. The slightest touch of fingers as you hand them their food, a simple high-five with the kids, and even when you compress for a picture would mean a lot, no matter how small the gestures are.
There is a sense of fulfilment in helping others, almost like receiving a gift after giving one. Becoming a volunteer transforms us into more understanding and empathetic community members. To have a purposeful Holy Week, make time for charity.
4. Quality time: A time of reconnection
With the hustle and bustle of life, we seldom spend too much time with our loved ones. We eat dinner in front of our laptops as we try to meet deadlines, the typing sound of keyboards breaking the deafening silence. Some even work away from their hometowns, with chats and video calls as the only form of communication with the family.
To make up for it, you might want to take the time to go home to our provinces, go on a short family getaway and bask in the summer heat on the beach, or visit religious destinations like Monasterio de Tarlac.
Holy Week is also a time of reconnection with our families and valuing their company which most of us tend to overlook as we get caught up in daily life. Spending time with the family allows us to disconnect from materialism and individualism — something that the Holy Week wants us to fulfill. So, let us take a break from our usual routines, reflect on what we neglected, and focus on what matters most.
As we spend our week-long break, be it in the comfort of our homes or somewhere away from the hustle and bustle of daily life, I hope we can all still remember and uphold the utmost essence of celebrating Holy Week.
