Christendom today will observe Holy or Maundy Thursday, a significant day for the believers in Jesus Christ because it marks the beginning of events that laid the basis for many rites and core belief of the Christian faith.

All over the world, Christians, especially Roman Catholics, will observe rites that recall the day when Jesus Christ held the Last Supper with His disciples and the events that followed.

At the Vatican in Rome, Pope Benedict XVI will preside over the Holy Thursday rite of washing and kissing the feet of 12 ordinary people especially chosen for today’s occasion as Jesus did to His apostles in an act of humility before the Last Supper.

In the Philippines, the washing of the feet will also highlight Holy Thursday rites as a memorial to the humility of the Son of God, who said as He washed the feet of His apostles: "No man, including the Son of God who became man, is so powerful and so rich that he can not serve the poorest and humblest of his brethren."

In the Bible, the first Holy Thursday, which fell on the feast of the Passover, came about when Jesus held His "Last Supper" with His 12 apostles over unleavened bread and wine at the "Cenaculum", a stone chapel at the top of Mount Zion in Jerusalem, and told them: "I have desired to eat this Passover with you, before I suffer."

After the Last Supper, sorrowful events followed beginning with the kiss of Judas to Jesus that identified Him to the Roman soldiers, His eventual arrest, condemnation, and finally, crucifixion. That Passover feast on the first Holy Thursday has been described by the church as the "Passover of Suffering" for Jesus.

The Catholic Church believes that Jesus’ suffering became more intense with Judas’ betrayal, Peter’s denying his friendship with Jesus three times, the desertion by some of the apostles on issues of faith, and finally, the outrage of the high priests of the Jews who were firm on arresting Jesus.

Filipino faithful will also perform the "Visita Iglesias" (visit to churches), a Catholic tradition of visiting seven or 14 churches, after sunset, in keeping with the 14 stations of the Cross.

In provinces where there is only one big church for each town, families get into and come out of a church seven times in line with this Holy Week rites.

The main attraction of Visita Iglesia is the offering of prayers of adoration before the exposed Holy Eucharist at the side of brightly-lit church altars richly adorned with flowers.

In the Bible, Jesus told His apostles after the bread offering, "Henceforth, do this in memory of me," an act that is practiced today by Catholic priests during the Consecration.

The Cenaculum is also known in the Holy Land as the Chapel of the Cenacle, a sacred place for Muslims and Jews in ancient times. In the 15th century, the Cenaculum was used by Muslims as a place of worship to Allah.

It is believed that the Cenaculum was the original site of the house owned by a friend of Jesus, Nicodemus, who offered the upper floor of his property to Jesus for the celebration of the Passover with the apostles.

CBCP official says:  Flagellants are not real Catholics

By LESLIE ANN G. AQUINO

People who subject themselves to the painful acts of crucifixion and self-flagellation are not real Catholics, according to Monsignor Pedro Quitorio, the media director of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP).

"(I think) they are not Catholics. They are not church-goers. This is because a real Catholic will not do that," Quitorio said. "The very fact that the person does these things shows that he is not a good practicing Catholic."

It is also possible, he said, that these things are being done by the people for tourism purposes only. "It’s either tourism or fanaticism. These people think that when they do that they will receive a blessing in the coming year. That is not a Christian idea," he said.

A Christian, Quitorio said, believes that when you have Christ with you that’s a blessing enough. "You don’t need to duplicate what Christ did," he said.

The CBCP officials said that the only practices in the observance of Lent that the Catholic Church approves of are praying, alms-giving and penance. "From Palm Sunday up to Black Saturday the church has prepared different activities in between for these three to become more meaningful," he said.

"Come Good Friday, there are a lot of sacrifices that are all within the context of the Liturgy and Holy Week such as the Stations of the Cross, and "Santo Entierro" procession among others," he said.

"These are the kind of penance that the Church encourages since these are all within the context of the celebration. So where will you put that crucifixion and self-flagellation?" Quitorio asked.

Nevertheless, he said, the Church won’t condemn the people who practice crucifixion and self-flagellation, adding that each person has a different belief.

Filipinos can enjoy favorite dishes while abstaining from meat

By MADEL R. SABATER

Catholics who abstain from eating meat during the Holy Week can still eat their favorite dishes using a meat-substitute known as "Meat Magic" made from soybeans and carageenan developed by a local inventor.

Inventor Go Ching Hai of Mabolo, Cebu City has developed "Meat Magic," a meat substitute made from soybeans and carrageenan, a substance derived from euchema seaweed or red algae.

"Meat Magic is an alternative to meat where the binder is carrageenan. It’s a seaweed so it’s really 100 percent plant source," Cheerylyn Sarchez-Agot, sales and marketing head of Geltech Hayco.

Geltech Hayco is the company which produces Meat Magic in Cebu.

Agot said Meat Magic is "economical" and convenient because it is cheaper than regular meat, adding that soybean, its main ingredient, "is relatively inexpensive."

She also said that the product does not necessarily need refrigeration and can be cooked like chicken, pork or beef.

In fact, it can be cooked in the form of lumpia, afritada, sweet and sour, barbeque, curry, nuggets, humba, stroganoff, Korean beef style, caldereta, adobo, steak, bam-i, menudo, paksiw, and chopsuey, among others, she said.

Meat Magic, which could be bought in flakes or in cutlets, is said to be rich in protein, high in fiber, and contains vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals, which reduces the risk of cancer, arthritis, and heart disease.

When hydrated, its natural color and texture can "closely resemble" cooked meat.

Based on research, Meat Magic’s main ingredient, carrageenan, is known for its use as a stabilizing agent in industrial products, including meat.

In producing processed meat, carrageenan is used as a substitute to fat since it can retain moisture, enhance juiciness, and serve as a meat extender.

Soy bean, meanwhile, has been recommended by the United States Food and Drug Administration since 1999.

Jesus’ humility and  spirit of servanthood  remembered today

By CHRISTINA I. HERMOSO

The faithful are reminded about Jesus’ perfect example of humility and spirit of servanthood today, Maundy Thursday, which commemorates the events before Jesus was arrested — the institution of the Last Supper, the Mass, the Holy Communion and Jesus’ act of washing His disciples’ feet.

In many churches, the sharing of the Eucharist and the symbolic washing of the feet will be reenacted as a reminder that Jesus, who was called "master" and "teacher" by His followers, humbled Himself as He served His disciples.

The Church said that through Jesus’ example, "He transformed the understanding of power where one has a position of superiority over another through an approach which infers that all are equal and no one is greater than another in the sight of God."

Rev. John Smith, outreach ministries coordinator of a Christian justice and international mission, said the significance of Maundy Thursday "should not be lost on a society where the gap between the rich and the poor is growing at an alarming rate and where human life is measured only in terms of its value to sustain a consumer-driven society."

Maundy was taken from the Latin word "mandatum", which means command or mandate. It has reference to the commandment that Jesus taught His disciples during the Last Supper.

He said, "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another just as I have loved you. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another" (John 13:34-35).