Holy Week 2020: Faith in Uncertain Times

In observance of the Holy Week, we focus our energies and strength on the solemnity of the passion, death, and the coming resurrection of Christ. 

We leave our worries behind. That's the most respectful thing we can do since we are living by the promises of Christ. GOD is in control, and we put our trust and faith in Him.

The lenten season and the Holy Week this year are extra special. We haven't experienced this in decades since we came into this world. We are confined in our homes and celebrate masses on a live TV broadcast. We can't do the Good Friday procession and be able to celebrate Easter with greater freedom of expression of love and gratitude.

During this Lenten season, families celebrate Sunday Holy Mass at home, we do the virtual Visita Iglesia online, and we get to kneel on our Holy Altar at home.

This year, we can't go to places on a pilgrimage. We can't show our love through hugs and kisses, but we offer a different kind of love in the distance. To show love to people, we need to keep our distance. A tough love.

But in these uncertain times, we are comforted with love through the Religious leaders of God. Our Pope, our Bishops, and our Priests are there to provide for our spiritual needs.

We can gather with our family at home and listen to the words of God. We light a candle and offer a prayer. 

As I make my Holy week retreat in our sky garden, I can see, hear and feel God's Holiness and loving presence through His natural creations and masterpieces. We have been blessed to live in a natural sanctuary of solemnity and solitude to experience God's Divinity.

He is not absent, but He is there with us in the comfort of our home, wrapped in His loving arms. He is forever in our hearts and transforms our lives.

Yes, we may be living in this time of uncertainty, but we are learning to slow down, to live in stillness, and to notice and appreciate even the little things that matter in our lives.

On this Good Friday, we continue to pray and observe the Holy burial through the Holy image of the Santo Entierro. It is our belief that Christ has died to save humanity. Its significance lies in our personal experience and journey when He reveals his Holiness on our being.

May this silence and solitude be a time to realign our hopes and dreams? This is the right time to reassess the things that matter and are of actual value. Is this the time to listen and redirect our lives to living meaningful life?

© 2020 Del Cusay

Related Post:

👉 Holy Week 2019: Our Personal Journey to Calvary

Welcoming Both The Darkness and The Light

When there is darkness, only light. That's one statement from a soulful prayer to St. Francis of Assisi.

Today, the world is full of darkness. Humanity is suffering from the worst of God's wrath. We all suffer the good ones and the bad ones.

We may ask ourselves, why does God allow us to suffer? Why does God put us into the darkness? If God is the world's light, why does He allow the destruction of humanity and the world?

The good and the bad that's opposing qualities we possess and experience in our lifetime. Hence, bad things happen to good people, and bad people continue to live to spread the darkness of the soul.

We are good in nature, but God allows us to experience the dark side to decipher the truth and appreciate the light. If there is no darkness, there could be no light. Same as saying we are good because we refuse to be wrong and embrace the light.

In our lives, we can't say we are perfect. We commit a mistake or sin in our thoughts, words, and actions. Subsconsciously, we harm others with our intentions. We have the tendency to harm other living beings and disobey Higher beings.

That's our human nature. As long as we live, we continue to dwell on the darkness and the light. But, in the end, we choose to stay in the lightness of our being - - of our soul and spirit.

We choose the light because we already know how it is to be in the dark. We choose to be good rather than becoming evil because we don't want to be trapped in a world of endless suffering.

Whatever we suffer at the present time is only temporary. The light is at the end of the tunnel, and we are heading in that direction.

We experience the dark night of the soul. This time, no one is spared. Our collective experience is history to the darkness of humanity until we learn and get out of the dark.

Your suffering is my suffering. Your darkness is my darkness. That's what we are in the spiritual world. We are physically distant but spiritually connected.

This Palm Sunday, we welcome the coming of Christ. We welcome his Divine presence in our hearts. He gives us darkness and can take it away from us. Then, we live to be the light in the world. We continue to be enlightened beings in this world.

© 2020 Del Cusay

Healthcare Frontliner's Fight and Flight

We are all fighting an invisible enemy. This has caused us fear and panic due to our vulnerability and uncertainty.

The COVID-19 pandemic is something to be scared of. While we are being optimistic in general, it still doesn't remove the anxiety we experience. It is spreading faster, and many people are getting infected and dying daily.

The young and the old, celebrities and ordinary people, the rich and the poor suffer. No one seems spared. We are affected physically, mentally, socially, politically, and economically.

Our physical movement is restricted due to isolation and strict home quarantine directive by the Government, thus causing discomfort, irritability, confusion, and anger. The Government assures their people of food relief and financial aid to those affected by community lockdown. 

Some people are anxious about their financial instability, thinking about how they will be able to survive the crisis. The ripple of untoward effects and the worst-case scenario is evident. 

For the general public, one thing being told to follow is to 'stay at home to prevent getting infected. This is already a heroic act that we can contribute to the epidemic to be contained.

Some people may not be able to fully understand the call for home quarantine and physical or social distancing protocol. The reason why our medical frontliners are calling our attention with the message 'I stay at work for you, please stay at home for us' seems like a straightforward message, but with a heartfelt plea to us.

Some of us may defy that simple yet meaningful message of our Healthcare frontliners, which is why we lost some of them. They keep on fighting for our precious lives and, more so, the lives of those under their care already. They are risking their lives whenever they treat a positive COVID-19 patient.

Several doctors globally have passed away while doing the heroic act of saving lives. Although they are already exhausted and stressed, more nurses and hospital personnel are not giving up. They keep fighting and having the will to live to protect us and save as many lives as possible.

In 2016, I had the opportunity to serve the frontline health workers of 'The Medical City Iloilo,' where I managed the frontliners in several units like Patient Education, Information, and Customer Service. I have worked with Doctors, Nurses, and Non-medical support staff regarding Patient Partnership Experience.

I am grateful for the opportunity to impart "Transforming Patient Partnership" with the Clinical Supervisors and Head Nurses of the Medical City Iloilo. As the healthcare institution is moving forward, we have aimed to develop high-performing teams capable of working in a highly challenging situations.

We also strengthened our Patient Partnership intervention through Effective Communications in Healthcare, Personal Development in Healthcare, Stress Management Program, and Conflict Resolution and Management Program, which are essential in delivering frontline healthcare services.

As a nurse myself, I have experienced a stressful environment in a healthcare setting. Thus I have imparted programs that I believed would help deal with day-to-day operations and whenever needed in times of future crisis.

The Medical frontliners globally are well trained to handle difficult situations even in times of health crisis like the pandemic issue. They are equipped with the essential gears of knowledge, skills, and wisdom. They are ready for the battle anytime they are tested or challenged.

They are put on the frontline because they have the most willpower, are the bravest, and are ready to die in service for us.

The medical frontliners are our modern-day heroes. In this health crisis, they defend us all against unseen invaders. They fight for our survival, and they die for us to live. That's the most heroic deed they can do for us. 

We honor and salute our medical frontliners for their utmost dedication and service. Like us, they deserve to survive this battle, and they also deserve to live their best life. Let's protect them by doing our share. Let's help them stay and live. 

© 2020 Del Cusay