A busy week for all Catholics

To maintain its more than a decade tradition, the International Pastoral Community of Batam has planned and executed all essential parts of the Holy Week liturgy, a mixture of some distinctive devotions and official celebrations. It consists of Palm Sunday, Wednesday house to house way of cross, Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter Vigil and Easter Sunday. Thanks to the tireless contribution of Mr. and Mrs. Palicpic, the head couple of the Holy Week Committee.

• Palm Sunday: Jesus entered Jerusalem in his glory

(13/4/2014) "Father, are you sure that only junior altar servers can do the service on Palm Sunday?" said Ms. Carmen Guibac, the altar server moderator. I could notice her worry, as most of junior altar servers have not really known their role well. "This is the time to boost their confidence, that they can do something extraordinary without assitance of their seniors", said I firmly. After twice rehearsals, I was confident that everything would go well. The team of Alex, Gabriel, Phil, Gabrisky, Jason, Derick, Clara and Kathleen, the children performed well serving the altar.

• Wednesday: house to house way of cross

(16/4/2014) It is around two miles way of cross, using thirteen houses and the church at Bible Center as the fourteen stations. As many people have gathered in the church, the weather seemed to be unfriendly. It was raining, wet and humid. "Father, we are going to do outdoor way of cross, right?" some children anxiously approached me. I understood, that this was the thing they were looking for. "Don't worry", said I, hiding my worry, "everything will be alright. We will do what we have planned as any other year in the past." And I asked them to pray for a while for good weather. They did it and their worry faded away. And, the rain stopped right before the way of cross. Everything went smoothly according to plan. And that two miles tiring way of cross concluded the whole series of way of cross throughout the Lent season. I think, the weather improvement right before the way of cross was the way God listened to the children prayer. Would you believe that God would deny the simplicity of children with total trust and surrender to His providence? I don't think God would.

• Holy Thursday: celebrating the last supper of Jesus and his disciples

(17/4/2014) "I am really impressed with the rite of feet-washing, especially when I see Fr. Angelo struggling to do his job", said Justine, one of my altar servers who happened to help Fr. Angelo at this particular rite. Yes, everybody has his or her own touching experience, related to certain part of the liturgy. Generally speaking, the liturgy of Holy Thursday went on well. The mass was presided by Fr. Angelo, concelebrated by myself, Fr. Aurelius Pati Soge. As the day was going to its completion, I moved the Holy Sacrament from the throne and put it at the temporary tabernacle in the community prayer room across the road. What appeared in my mind was what Jesus actually looked like at the time of depression, being alone, betrayed, arrested and put on trial. My heart instantly went to abandoned people, street children, lonely elderly people at nursing houses, victims of wars, etc, and prayed, that the suffering of Jesus may strengthen them so at least once in their life, they experience what it looks like to be loved by other people. Is my dream too hard to bring about? .... NEXT