The annual observance of Holy Week started yesterday, Palm Sunday, with millions of Filipinos trooping to churches all over the country carrying palm fronds which were blessed by parish priests.

Palm Sunday is observed by Christians as a memorial to Jesus’ triumphant return to the city of Jerusalem to the warm welcome of the cheering crowds.

At the Vatican in Rome yesterday, Pope Benedict XVI celebrated his first Palm Sunday mass before thousands of pilgrims and tourists waiting for the Pontiff to bless their palm fronds and olive branches. Palm fronds blessed yesterday will be kept in churches until they are burned on the eve of Ash Wednesday next year, their ashes to be used to cross the foreheads of the faithful as a reminder of their mortality.

At the Minor Basilica of the Black Nazarene known as Quiapo Church in Manila, all scheduled masses were well-attended with many opting just to stay outside because they could no longer be accommodated inside the church.

At the Manila Cathedral in Intramuros, Manila, masses were also well-attended, particularly the 9 a.m. mass presided by Manila Archbishop Gaudencio Cardinal Rosales.

Yesterday’s observance of Palm Sunday was also dedicated to the Philippine Catholic Church’s Lenten program called "Alay Kapwa."

In a prepared pastoral letter, the cardinal earlier urged the people to manifest their faith through actions and not words.

"We are called to manifest our faith. Can we say we love God if we turn a blind eye to poverty and have deaf ears to cries of injustice? Love not with words but in actions and in truth," he said.

Part of the mass offerings collected from all over the country yesterday were alloted for the Alay Kapwa campaign.

The money collected will be used by the church to help fund its different projects for the poor such as scholarship programs, health clinics, feeding programs, job fairs, livelihood programs, micro-finance and cooperatives, paralegal assistance and values formation for prison inmates, relief for victims of calamities, advocacy on AIDS prevention, and assistance to persons living with HIV-AIDS among others.

Today, Holy Monday, is devoted to acts of penance, of sharing, of forgiving the unforgivable, and of being reminded that on Judgment Day, men will only reap what they had planted in their lifetime.

Accordng to the Biblical account of the events of Holy Monday, Jesus’ growing popularity was now taken as a serious threat to the ruling Roman and Jewish officials.

When the same crowds who had welcomed Jesus on His arrival to the city began to ridicule them, the seeds of distrust began to grip the apostles with some of them contemplating to abandon Him.

Although some left the fold that resulted in the thinning circle of Jesus’ supporters and followers, the 12 apostles and other disciples chose to stay with Jesus.

Catholics will gather in churches after sundown to offer prayers before each of the 14 Stations of the Cross to retrace each stop Jesus made on His way to Calvary carrying His cross.

Religious retreats continue to be offered by parish priests in the spirit of the Lenten season for purification of hearts and spiritual re-awakening.

In the meantime, chanting of the "Pabasa," by elderly women narrating the story of salvation inside make-shift huts in cities and barrios across the country continued while church doors stay open to receive the expected big crowds wanting to receive the sacrament of confession, and spend time in prayer during the Holy Hour as the Holy Week enters its second day.

"Pabasa" is a popular Lenten ritual sung non-stop in the vernacular by elderly folk to continue a tradition of their ancestors that begins, for some families, shortly after Ash Wednesday and reaches a climax after Palm Sunday. In the provinces, families of farmers believe that by continuing the "Pabasa" tradition, they are spared from natural calamities and are blessed with good health and bountiful harvests.

Radio Veritas special Lenten presentations

Those who wished to actively participate in the Holy Week observance but cannot do so due to one reason or another such as sickness were asked yesterday to listen to the church-run Radio Veritas 846.

The Lenten special of Veritas started last April 7 with the traditional pabasa held at the Radio Veritas Chapel on West Ave., Quezon City. It also aired yesterday’s Palm Sunday mass of the St. Joseph Church in Las Pinas City.

Today, until Wednesday, it will feature talks by Fr. Gerry Orbos, Malolos Bishop Jose Oliveros, and Pasig Bishop Francisco San Diego, from 8 to 10 p.m.

On Maundy Thursday, it will air live the 7 a.m. Chrism mass of Cardinal Rosales at the Manila Cathedral followed by Fr. Erick Santos’ Lenten retreat at Araneta Coliseum, former Novaliches Bishop Teodoro Bacani’s recollection, Cubao Bishop Honesto Ongtioco’s mass of the Last Supper, and later a Visita Iglesia.

For Good Friday, starting at 12 noon, it will have a live coverage of the Seven Last Words that will be led by Fr. Anton Pascual at Quiapo Church.

To check the complete line-up of the Lenten program of Veritas one is advised to visit the Archdiocese of Manila’s website www.rcam.org.