We preach, teach, Evangelize; You decide

Holy Week commence from Palm Sunday (Jesus Christ entered Jerusalem) to good Friday (the day Jesus was crucified) and culminate at Easter Sunday (Jesus Christ rose from the grave ).

Holy week had always been a significant week to many of us, especially Catholics, students away from home, friends, relatives, and now tourists all over the world because of the rich traditions and the festivities we celebrate during the week.

Growing up I still could remember the excitement when our parents bring us to our grandparents home town and enjoy the festivities, the all you can eat rice cakes, coconut juice, and butt naked swim on the lake, river, or brave the crowd on the beach. I used to enjoy gazing at those braved young men willingly nailed themselves on a cross for few hours. I could see in their faces the excruciating pain they have to endure, and I wonder if I have the courage to be in their shoes someday. I always wanted to try and feel the nail going through my small hands, and looking at the blood oozing down on the wooden cross while i'm being lifted up by some courageous soldier of the cross. But those aspiring dreams had fizzled down over the years as I have grown old, especially now that I have place my faith in the Lord Jesus Christ as my Savior and Lord.

There are many biblical evidence that what our traditions dictate are blaphemy toward God and the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. John 19:30 said, ''When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, it is finished:and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.'' Well, Jesus Christ is the only and last human sacrifice that ever live on the face of the earth. He was the Lamb of God who will take away the sin of the world. He went to the cross not because he was a criminal, but to pay the penalty of sin (human) in full. He said, it is finished. No human being can duplicate the event or even pretend to duplicate the event thinking that God would be happy about it.

Hebrews 10:26 says, ''For if we sin willfully after that we have received the knowledge of truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins.'' Again, the reason Jesus Christ went to the cross is for sin sacrifice, and there is no more sacrifice after him. People who go through the crucifixion is actually mocking the Lord Jesus Christ, as if his sacrifice was not enough to pay the penalty of sin. By the way, in order for a person to be a blood sacrifice of sin, that person has to be sinless , perfect, holy, willing and able to save humanity from sin. By pretending to go to the cross just for tradition sake would be tantamount in making God a liar. Our traditional festivities pretending to go to the cross was an obvious ignorance and blantant sin toward God.

Hebrews 10:8 says, ''Above when he said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and offering for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleausre therein; which are offered by the law.'' At one time by the law during the Old Testament era, Israel do sacrifice animals as sin offering, but after so long it became just like one of their traditional religious belief, therefore, God had no pleasure in it. Their animal sacrifice became gross in the sight of God, and he was not pleased with it, though the law dictate it.

Hebrews 13:15 says, ''By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.'' You want to offer sacrifice to God during this Holy week, then praise God by your lips, not pretending to nail yourself on the cross for few hours, because God is being blaspheme by your heretical tradition.

Have a joyous Holy week, and may God blessed you all.

Now that I really understood the reason why the Lord had to go to Calvary Cross willingly and endured the pain I should be enduring, and the nail that it should be mine, and the crown of thorn on his head that It should be on my head, I find our traditions disgusting, a gross blasphemy, mockery, and a grave sin towards my Lord and my God: the Lord Jesus Christ. There are biblical reasons I felt this as our kababayan do such gross spectacle.

First of all crucifixion was an instrument of the Roman Empire to put criminals who were found guilty to be put to death. It is common fixtures in the Roman streets during the Ceasars.

The Lord Jesus Christ entered Jerusalem in Palm Sunday as the crowd shout on top of their lungs; Hosan, Hosana on the highest, and on the day of his crucifixion, probably the same crownd because of ignorance, shouting on the top of their lungs; crucify him, crucify him, and after the crucifixion, his body was taken by Joseph of Aramethia and burried Jesus on an empty tomb. The Jewish people, his disciples, and the Roman government, the high priest, the pharisee, the saduccess and the whole Sanhedrin thought that was the end of this Jesus of Nazareth, but lo and behold, after three days in the tomb, He rose again from the dead.