Christians across the world, particularly Catholics, entered the Holy Week last Sunday in preparation for this year’s Easter celebration. The Parish Priest of Saint Patrick Catholic Church Ugbowo, Benin City, Reverend Father (Dr) Augustine Ehigie, in this interview with Omi Omage, explains the significance of the Holy Week and other events surrounding it. Excerpts:
We often hear many Christians, especially Catholics, talk about Holy Week. Could you shed light on the significance of Holy Week in Christendom?
The Sunday before Easter, as we all know, is called Palm Sunday; and moving forward, Palm Sunday specifically marks the entrance of Jesus Christ into Jerusalem where he will be crucified, where he will suffer, die and will be buried. In earnest, it also marks what Catholics or Christians in general call the Triduum of Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday. In other words, these special days make up the Holy Week.
During the Holy Week, Christians recall the events leading up to the death of Jesus by crucifixion, and according to their faith, his resurrection. Also, it is paramount to know that every day of that week has its own major ceremony. For example, Holy Thursday entails a period when the Archbishop would bless the oils for the catechumens, for the sick, and for prison inmates. Most importantly, for the priesthood community, all the Catholic priests are gathered round the Bishop to make renewal of their promises before the Bishop.
In the evening of that same Holy Thursday, the Mass of The Last Supper would be held, when our Lord Jesus Christ instituted the Holy Eucharist and the disciples celebrated it after which he also washed their feet. He also gave a commandment; commandment of love: ‘Love one another as I have loved you’. So he loved us to the end. That is what Holy Thursday signifies.
Good Friday entails the passion of Jesus which marks the suffering of our Lord Jesus Christ. When we talk about passion, we also bring to mind what he went through for our salvation. We remind ourselves of his betrayal by Judas Iscariot, when he would be betrayed on The Last Supper as he went to pray in Gethsemane. He would be arrested by the soldiers who came with Judas; this would mark the beginning of his passion. He would be beaten mercilessly and in the end crucified.
Holy Saturday is a quiet day, signifying that our Lord is in the grave (tomb, as it was known). Then, in the morning of Sunday, known as the the Sunday of Resurrection, he will rise again. It is worth knowing that Easter season takes about almost 50 days of celebration, so every Sunday is actually a ‘Big Easter’.
So, we celebrate the suffering, death, and crucifixion of our Lord Jesus Christ because of the sin committed by Adam and Eve. The Godly image – what God destined us to be at the beginning – was shattered by the sin committed by Adam and Eve, so Christ now is the image of God. He has come to renew that image that was shattered; and to renew that image, he had to undergo what is called ‘Kenosis’. It means emptiness signifying that he had to empty himself. He became a slave unlike Adam and Eve who wanted to become God. He chose to become a slave and he became like us, because we are in human nature. He had a purpose which was to set us free. He descended into hell. He went there to deliver people. Then he resurrected, signifying that he has conquered sin and death.
Was it necessary for God to send his son, Jesus Christ, to save humanity from sin? Why didn’t God save us himself?
One thing we should know is that sin was committed by man in the flesh, so Christ had to assume our flesh so that in death, he used his own flesh to conquer death. In essence, death was trying to defeat him in the nature of flesh, instead he overcame death. God would not have died if he hadn’t assumed our nature. Why? Because God cannot die. Therefore, he had to become man to redeem us. That is why he could die, because he is God and he is man.
Tell us more about Palm Sunday. What does it signify?
The palm signifies two things: One is the victory of Christ over death by his death on the cross. The second one also serves as protection. By the time it is blessed by the priest, it is known as what we call ‘sacramental’ – that is, it is able to impart blessings on those who use it, and it is kept with the Reverend Father so that on Ash Wednesday, it will be burnt to start Lent, after which we go into Palm Sunday. It is all connected. It follows the principle: When we die, we turn to dust. Humus is new soil which springs up, which means we need to have a sense of humility, because in the end we are all becoming soil.
What is the impact of Holy Week on the lives of Christians, especially at this time in our country Nigeria?
We have several institutions of life; we have economy, religion, and self education. They all depend on each other. Each one is as important as the other. Now, why is religion very important? Religion actually allows us to have a very deep introspection into our lives, and for Christians, it goes very deep, as far as the Old Testament. For example, whenever the people of Israel sinned, they attributed it to their sinful nature, and for this, they asked for penance from God which is likened to what Catholics do.
Penance for Christians is very important. Why? Whenever a Christian goes wrong (sins), the first step he/she does is to take a deep reflection, followed by examination of conscience to ask God for forgiveness of sins. This also helps to keep our moral values in check. A simple prayer as ‘The Grace’, though simplistic, the grace of God goes with it. It is not just an opium of the people but it is the grace of God that goes with it. It is the grace that God is releasing through Jesus Christ through the death and the resurrection and it enables us to withstand whatever may come our way. That is how important the grace of God is.
I observed that all the statues in every Catholic Church are covered on the fifth Sunday of Lent. What are the reasons?
Fifth Sunday is a time before we enter the passion. This process is to gradually take away Christ from the public. The statue is also covered on Holy Thursday. In fact, the altar and every of its surrounding would be kept bare to signify the absence of God. It also implies different meanings to several persons, such as: God is dead, the absence of God, and the absence of Jesus Christ.
What then do Christians do during Lent?
Easter is celebrated every year, and we also have Lent which can be termed the spring of life, which is a period of 40 days. What we do during Lent is to do penance for our sins, because when we sin, we have to pray for God’s mercy. And how do we do that? The first thing is to pray for ourselves. Secondly, we have to fast, denying ourselves of many things so that we can use it to help the poor. The third one is almsgiving. These three things are done within the 40 days’ period, after which the climax of it would now be on Good Friday.
Good Friday involves fasting and abstinence. Catholics should fast. It is also very important to see that other religions, like Islam, also has something similar – the Ramadan fast.
In Catholic belief, we can sense when something has gone wrong and this is called original sin, which is sometimes termed total disorientation of human condition. In other words, we have distorted what God has made us to be; therefore, the next step is recovery. What Christ has come to do is to recover. It is a step to retrace that which has shattered.
Every year we celebrate it. It is a time when new persons are born. For God said, ‘If you are not born again, you cannot be saved.’ So every time like the days of old, people are born through baptism. For those who entered as adult or who have already grown up, they have baptism, confirmation and the Holy Eucharist.
Catechists are in the forefront of all these teachings. The mass involves series of practice, involving mass servers, so that they will know the role to play; those tasked with reading the scriptures; and the priest is not left out. He has his role to play, and so so and forth. The ceremony is similar to dramatization of the whole biblical event so that people can have it firsthand.
On Good Friday, we have The Stations of the Cross as part of the passion, which is followed by ceremony of the cross. On that day, the cross will now be unveiled, we honour it because it is the wood of the cross through which we were saved. We give special honour to that cross.
