How do you feel about Holy Week? Many go on vacations, and wala namang sama roon. But we hope you’ll not fail to realize the wonderful reminder that this week’s events tell us about. Ano ‘yun? Let’s listen to today’s devotion.

Samakatuwid, sa pamamagitan lamang ng isang paghahandog ay kanyang ginawang ganap magpakailanman ang mga pinaging-banal ng Diyos.

Mga Hebreo 10:14

It’s easy to get excited about the Holy Week when you’re in the Philippines. Imagine, kung office worker ka, you get to enjoy a four-day weekend na hindi nababawasan ang vacation leaves mo? We’re privileged that we can pause from our busy lives to have some rest and to reflect on Jesus Christ’s death on the cross. Unfortunately, for some of us, reflecting on spiritual matters does not come easy.

Maybe it’s because we’ve gone through the whole routine too many times to count — na kapag Holy Week, we repent for our shortcomings and the sins we’ve done, promising ourselves that we’ll do better. But before we know it, something happens and we end up committing the same mistakes and the same sins. By the time the next Holy Week comes along, some of these sins may have become habitual and hard to shake. Dahil dito, many of us may see Holy Week as a reminder of how we failed once again to become a better person. This can be so discouraging.

But friend, the Holy Week is not meant to make us feel guilty or disappointed in ourselves because we are incapable of real and lasting change. The Holy Week gives us a chance to look back on how our Heavenly Father sent His only son to sacrifice Himself so that whoever believes in Him will have eternal life (John 3:16). Because of that one sacrifice, we have been made righteous. Because of what our Lord Jesus did, we stopped being slaves to sin (Romans 6:18). We may feel that we are too weak to resist the call of the flesh, but it’s not true!

The Holy Week is not just a time for reflection. It is a time to rejoice because we have freedom in Christ Jesus.

Because of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross, our sins have been forgiven and we have been set free from the power and and our sins paid for.