RP’s first ‘Pasyon’ a hit before videoke
By Rudy A. Fernandez
The Philippine Star 03/23/2005



The first Tagalog version of the pasyon was written three centuries ago by a priest from Batangas and became a bestseller long before the advent of videoke, literary scholars said.

Father Gaspar Aquilino de Belen of Rosario town composed and sang the first local version of this narrative poem that tells the story of Christ from birth to crucifixion.

Padre de Belen’s literary rendition is contained in "Manga Panalangin Nagtatagubilin sa Calolowa Nang Taong Naghihingalo," as chronicled by literary historians Teofilo del Castillo and Buenaventura Medina, in their book titled "Philippine Literature from Ancient to the Present."

The Batangas priest’s pasyon first saw print in Manila in 1704 after it was granted a Church permit. By 1750, it had already been reissued five times, making it perhaps the first bestseller in these islands.

Encouraged by Padre de Belen’s success, others followed in his footsteps.

Among the works that came about was "Guian’s Pasyon" written by Don Luis Guian in 1750.

Fathers Manuel Grejalva and Jose Segui also co-authored "Pasyong Mahal ni Jesucristong Panginoon Natin."

In the 19th century, attempts were made to perfect the pasyon.

At the forefront of this movement was Fr. Mariano Pilapil of Tondo, Manila, who was known throughout Luzon for his literary talent. His work was printed in 1814.

Father Pilapil innovated by including illustrations in his pasyon, with every chapter punctuated by an appropriate sermon or counsel, making the book popular even to this day.

A Baliwag, Bulacan priest, Fr. Aniceto de la Merced composed the "La Pasyon de Nuestro Jesucristo," which was considered as one of the "landmarks of Tagalog poetry." Written in 1856-1858, it was characterized by its "lyrical exuberance and by the accuracy of its versification," as described by Del Castillo and Medina.

Up north in Ilocandia, a singer, Leona delos Reyes, made a mark for herself in a musical version of the pasyon. Two other Ilocano versifiers, Fathers Antonio Mejia and Manuel Gerriz, produced two other versions of the pasyon.

In Central Luzon, two Pampango writers composed another version of the pasyon in the 19th century. They were Felix Galura, who wrote "Pasyon y Muerto de Jesucristo," and Cornelio Pabalan Biron, who wrote "Pasyon ning Guinu Tang Jesucristo."

So far, noted Del Castillo and Medina, these are the only known pasyon in the country.

"Efforts at new renditions have, since then, not been made by other Philippine writers," they wrote. "All they did was to translate the outstanding pasyon current in their days into their respective dialects."

The pasyon is used for devotional purposes as well as for intellectual enjoyment. As such, the Church gives it high endorsement.

Over the years, two institutions have evolved from the reading and reenactment of Christ’s life during the Holy Week.

The first has come to be known as pabasa, or chanting of the pasyon. The second is the cenaculo or penitencia, a dramatic re-enactment of the life of Christ on a stage or in an open field.

The appeal of this religious piece lies in its substance and form. As Del Castillo and Medina point out:

"The life of Christ is in itself an absorbing story, beautifully recounted by Saints Luke, Mark, John and Matthew. The combined stories of the Old and New Testaments in the pasyon, commencing with the Genesis and ending with the Resurrection, readily became an article of faith for the people. On the other hand, the pasyon has been written in excellent verse."

are you serious! dude it's not enough for Filipinos to invent karaoke, put karaoke lyrics on tv shows while they sing, they are now moving on to religious lent too!

btw, I hate the pasyon, i wish the people can just sing without blasting it in the PA so the whole town can hear their awful singing.

Catholics visit 7 churches to pray today


Holy Week gloom deepens today, Holy Thursday, as Christendom recalls Christ’s Last Supper with his disciples, followed by his arrest by Roman soldiers in the garden of Gethsemane.

On that day, Jesus and the apostles held their Passover Meal in the upper chamber of the house of Nicodemus, a friend of Jesus.

The Passover Meal was in celebration of the Feast of the Paschal Lamb, when the people of Israel in the time of Moses marked their doorways with blood so that the angel of death would pass over their homes and spare their occupants. In contrast, death claimed all the first-born sons of Egyptian families.

In the course of the Passover meal, Jesus washed the feet of His disciples as an act of humility.

After the Last Supper, the disciples followed Jesus to the Garden of Gethsemane. While Jesus was praying, all the apostles fell asleep. It was at this time that Judas approached and kissed Jesus and with that signal, Roman soldiers arrested Jesus and took Him to Caiphas, the high priest, then to Pontius Pilate.

This gathering marked the institution of two sacraments of the Catholic Church – Holy Orders, establishing the vocation of priesthood, and Holy Eucharist or Holy Communion which embodies Christ’s call on the faithful to partake of the bread and wine of the Last Supper – which he called his body and his blood.

"This is my blood of the covenant which will be shed on behalf of many, for the forgiveness of sins," he said.

Some church scholars say Jesus was hinting at His crucifixion with this statement and this should be taken as an example "for the faithful to be prepared to sacrifice themselves for the well-being and needs of others."

In the Philippines, Catholics observe Holy Thursday visiting at least seven churches in accordance with the time-honored "Visita Iglesia" tradition.

The faithful will find images of saints in churches today still draped with royal purple fabric while the main altars are bare to signify the absence of Jesus.

Today, however, the Holy Eucharist is exposed in side altars richly decked with fresh flowers in all Catholic churches and will be the center of prayers and adoration. It is widely believed that visiting several churches today cleanses the faithful of their sins and puts them back into the state of grace or spiritual renewal.

Maundy Thursday is about humility & love

By CHRISTINA I. HERMOSO

Maundy was taken from the Latin word "mandatum" and the French word "mande" which means command or mandate. It has reference to the commandment that Jesus taught His disciples during the Last Supper, also known as the Passover Supper or the Feast of the Unleavened Bread (Luke 22: 7-38).

He said, "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another just as I have loved you" (John 13:34).

The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese said, "Jesus wants His disciples and the generations of man thereafter to follow His example of unconditional love. His love for man was so enormous that He suffered and died on the cross to pay for man’s sins."

Maundy Thursday also gives focus on Jesus’ act of washing His disciples’ feet Thursday night before the institution of the Last Supper, the Mass, and the Holy Communion.

Reverend Calivas of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese said Jesus’ example is a lesson in humility and service. This event is reenacted in some churches to this day "to remind the faithful about how Jesus has humbled Himself despite who He is," the reverend added.

The Church said Maundy Thursday clearly reminds the faithful about Christ’s teachings and example about humility and love.

Revelation 19:9 refers to the Passover Supper as the Wedding Supper of the Lamb, the fulfillment of the Lord’s Supper, "the day when Jesus returns to bring His ‘Bride’ — the Church — to Himself on the Last Day. The Church refers to believers who will be saved through the gift of faith in the death and resurrection of the Lord.

Chrism mass today at Archdiocese of Manila

By LESLIE ANN G. AQUINO

All priests under the Archdiocese of Manila will gather today, Maundy Thursday, at the Manila Cathedral in Intramuros, to attend this year’s Chrism mass that will be celebrated by Archbishop Gaudencio Rosales.

The Chrism mass, which is traditionally celebrated every Maundy Thursday, signifies the priest’s unity with their bishop.

This is the second time that Archbishop Rosales will celebrate the Chrism mass after assuming office in November 2003.

During the mass, the archbishop will bless the Chrism or holy oil which will be used in anointing infants for the sacraments of baptism, confirmation, holy order, and the sick.

After the oils are blessed, the priests will get their supply of the newly blessed oils.

The old oils will be burned or put in lamps placed before the Blessed Sacrament.

Later in the afternoon, the archbishop will lead the faithful in another Eucharistic celebration commemorating the Lord’s Last Supper.

The mass will reenact Jesus’ Last Supper with his 12 apostles whose feet Christ washed.

Rosales will reenact this by washing the feet of 12 chosen lay people from the community to symbolize Christ’s humility and loving service to the people.

After the mass, there will be a procession of the Eucharist towards the Altar of Repose where the faithful are urged to pray during a Holy Hour as part of the "Visita Iglesia."

The archdiocese has published a Holy Hour guide in the website www.rcam.org.

With the guide, the archbishop expressed hope that the faithful will be more inspired to pray hourly all the way until midnight.