Easter Celebration!!
Easter — generically Resurrection Victory — celebration this year (Sunday, April 9) would definitely go down the annals of COTK-CEC history as a triumphant milestone and the joyful beginning of more exciting, greater, and spirit-lifting things to come!
However, it would be equally significant and fitting to walk through the weeks prior to this Event, i.e., to see how our Lent Season journey was!
On Palm Sunday we Eucharistic-Faithful members walked in procession along Sampaguita Street, Marimar Village, toward our Cathedral located near the SLEX Highway. We energetically waved ornamental palm branches and were shouting and singing aloud "Hosanna!" to commemorate the triumphal entry of our Lord Jesus into Jerusalem. It may have been a vicarious (indirect) experience that day, yet, it succeeded in making us feel part of the crowd in the Bible, seeing the Messiah in the flesh.
On Holy Wednesday we gathered in Church to pray for the sick. This occasion reminded us that laying hands on the sick was one of the highlights of our Lord Jesus' ministry here on earth. We Eucharistic-Faithful can emulate and continue His ministry. The infirmed and afflicted among us inside and outside our Church need prayers for our Great God's healing touch. Our Church can stand in the gap for them, in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ, per Isaiah 53:5 or I Peter 2:24!
On Holy Thursday, three Church activities hit us hard right in our hearts: ― Going through Katorse or the 14 Stations of the Cross, assisted by the Alive Youth Ministry, during which the readings and reflections at each station truly pierced the very depths of our souls. ― Later, during Holy Mass, the washing of the feet brought us to remembrance of the night when Jesus instituted the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist, and when He showed His followers how to love and serve one another, by humbly washing the feet of His apostles. A precious reminder for all of us today: Despite our differences, we need to heed what our Lord Jesus has been saying, that the Church is better off when the members, His followers, give preference to one another, instead of outdoing one another. ― The stripping of the altar did not just show us how sad it looked without the usual wrappings and trimmings, ultimately, how empty our lives would be without His presence. We were urged to strip ourselves too, of our pride & conceit, to enable the Lord to work in us and through us.
Good Friday's Seven Last Words brought us back to the final hours of Jesus on the Cross. The pain and suffering our Lord bore were beyond description. But the message of love which motivated Him to go through all these was just so loud that it is unimaginable how anyone of us could possibly reject His Free Gift of Salvation. Jesus' Death on the Cross was not the end but the revelation of His redemptive plan for those who believe in Him. Hence, the Veneration of the Cross was not an empty ritual of words but a lesson for all of us: the cross will always be a reminder of God's unconditional love for His people.
Taking up our own crosses and following Jesus are not meant to oppress us, but to empower us to partake of His Life that is Blessed and Full!
The Paschal Vigil on Holy Saturday gave us a preview of the glory that was to come. Lighting our individual candles from the Christ candle showed that since the light of Christ is now in us, we should afterward let our light so shine before men that they may see the greatness of God and that they, too, may desire to know Him and have a relationship with Him through Jesus Christ!
As Easter Sunday has finally come, the sobriety of the past Season has been replaced with bright colors and great jubilation, including heartfelt dancing, singing, hallelujahs, and ringing of bells! A great celebration for the Victory of the Risen Christ over sin, death, and the grave! The Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, Savior, Lord, and King, gives hope to the lost and hopeless is right here in our midst, in the here and now. His Complete Work is ours for the taking!
Easter is a Time for great celebration and thanksgiving, indeed, for the whole Christendom including Cathedral of the King-Charismatic Episcopal Church.
For the first time, our Easter Sunday Mass was celebrated within the Cathedral edifice still under construction, where the permanent altar of the Sanctuary will be.
The Holy Mass was followed by the great feasting of the Church brethren, featuring pork humba, fried saba, eggs, and mango tapioca.
Many, many thanks to all those who worked really hard for us to have a joyous Easter celebration! The Cathedral still has a long way to go to be completed, but nothing beats the excitement of being "home," after more than four decades of wandering. Yes, indeed, nothing compares with being "home" at last!
You can continue to have a part in the completion of the Cathedral-building. We have called this "Project of Love." The Ministries that are active here in the Church are used by God to reach out to the lost, the sick, the hungry, the poor, the destitute, the lonely, and everyone else who needs the God-kind love and affection. The people in COTK-CEC may be imperfect by human standards. . . but they serve a Perfect God in Holy Trinity, through Jesus Christ, our Risen Savior, Lord, and King, Whose love transcends status, color, race, or religion.
For details or any concerns, do send us a message today!
