Reawakening

Even in this predominantly Catholic country, it can be tough to get into the spirit of Holy Week. Sure, the malls are closed, there are no newspapers, and television is full of religious shows and reruns of movies about Jesus Christ. But who's watching? It's summer's peak season and the resorts are packed. So many places to visit, so little time! The Passion of Christ is still re-enacted, but such events have become tourist attractions in many areas, creating a fiesta atmosphere in what is supposed to be a solemn occasion.

Today the highways will be packed with motorists returning home dead tired after the long weekend. Bad news would have already greeted them. In the early hours of Black Saturday, government troops raided a lair of the Muslim fundamentalist group Abu Sayyaf in Basilan to rescue 29 hostages. The rescue attempt failed, but the attack prompted the Abu Sayyaf to set an Easter Sunday beheading for its five remaining adult hostages. Elsewhere in Mindanao, there were reports that the ill-fated Air Philippines plane that crashed last Wednesday had been downed by a terrorist bomb, and that the perpetrators planned to blast more Air Philippines aircraft out of the sky.

Amid despairing news, we hope this day of rebirth can still provide inspiration and hope. This is a period for burying grudges, for taking stock of one's sins and mistakes. In the age of the Internet and genetic engineering, it may be difficult to comprehend the story of a crucified Christ rising from the dead after saving humanity from sin. There is, however, a timeless and irresistible appeal to the idea of someone making the ultimate sacrifice for the greater good. The Christian world's celebration of the miracle of salvation can provide an inspiration in selflessness. Not everyone can make the ultimate sacrifice, but Easter Sunday can encourage a reawakening of sorts, a change for the better.