In a Sunday Mass at the Sto. Nino Church in Tacloban City, the parish co-pastor Rev. Fr. Isagani Petilos mentioned of what seemed to be an arresting word to some – the “discipline of Lent.” He talked of this in his homily as the universal Roman Catholic Church observes the onset of the Lenten Season, particularly with the Ash Wednesday on March 5. With the imposition of the blessed ashes on the faithful’s forehead are the works collectively called “discipline of Lent.”
Lent is widely known to be the season of penance, preparing the faithful to be worthy of celebrating Christ’s resurrection. “Lent is characterized by penance for our past sins, works of mercy especially toward the poor, and personal preparation for the renewal of our baptismal promises on Easter Vigil. Thus Lent has two features: penitential and baptismal. Our tears of penance renew in our hearts and souls the water of baptism,” states a preface in the 2014 Bible Diary published by the Claretian Communications Foundation, Inc.
In the Roman Catholic tradition penance are expressed by way of “good deeds such as prayer, fasting, almsgiving and listening to the Lord,” Rev. Fr. Rex Ramirez, the liturgist of the Archdiocese of Palo said. He expounded that listening to the Lord is not simply hearing but contemplating and following what Christ Jesus tells the faithful to do. These basic good habits which are known as discipline of Lent, are meant to strengthen the spirit of the believers towards their conversion or return to the Lord,” he added.
While there are those who would jest that fasting and abstinence are common nowadays among survivors of supertyphoon Yolanda and among those who are desperate to lose more weight through a fad diet, the local is consistent that these deeds should be done in the essence of penance and piety, giving alms to the poor.
The alms need not be handed directly to the poor themselves. As Rev. Fr. Oscar Florencio, the Rector of St. John the Evangelist School of Theology (SJEST) and originally was appointed in-charge of the relief operation of the Archdiocese of Palo’s disaster response committee, these alms could be coursed through the church for an organized way of giving to the poor. This has the same effect as that of almsgiving, he said.
He, nevertheless stressed in a phone interview, that doing these acts of piety during Lent should not simply be mechanical but should be coupled with contrite heart. He said that the faithful “gets indulgence and forgiveness of their venial sins if he has forgiveness in is heart,” underscoring the need for the penitent to “make amends and reconcile first with those you have wronged or has done you wrong.” Capital or mortal sins, as he and other priests would time and again reiterate, should always be sought forgiveness through the sacrament of confession.
Besides forgiveness, a truly penitent faithful who does the good deeds could also obtain a more exulting effect – bring him to closer to God and ultimately to Heaven, according to Fr. Ramirez. By this discipline, sins, which occur out of man’s weaknesses and which hinder the faithful in going nearer to the Lord, is pardoned. The penitential fasting, which are obligatory on Ash Wednesday (beginning of Lent) and Good Friday (the anniversary of the death of Christ), and voluntary on the other Fridays of Lent, is among the church tradition whereby the faithful could obtain graces, he added.
In a nutshell, as the abovementioned sources imparted, to obtain indulgence and graces, one should show his seriousness by disciplining himself through these traditions such penitential fasting and abstinence. However, being good should not only be during Lent, as they say, but all the days of a man’s life to attain the fruits of such discipline.
This reminders are not only meant for Christians, including this writer, but those who are yet to welcome Christ in their lives. The season of Lent could be a time for their conversion and getting closer to God through the Roman Catholic Church.

It is indeed appalling and frustrating to see how people continue to suffer living in tents four months after super typhoon Yolanda. The bulk of assistance had been overwhelming that people are mesmerized by the gargantuan support that in conservative estimation had surpassed the extent of devastation. Victims who survived the wicked blows of the supertyphoon and the rising of the sea brought about by the storm surge remain standing in ovation over the reported assistance from all parts of the globe.
The global community and international non-government organizations were moved by the misery of a helpless people, causing them to rush to where the devastation greatly affected the people. Unfortunately after four months, people are still standing no longer in ovation but in extreme misery waiting for the assistance that are well publicized and reported in media but had not been felt to meet their pressing felt needs.
This writer is one among the many survivors who were saved by the grace of God. It took several days before help reached his home place that is San Antonio in the old town of Basey of the impoverished province of Samar. The place is the nearest to the regional center that is highly urbanized city of Tacloban. In the immediate hours after the supertyphoon and the high waters subsided, choppers hovered the barangay but no assistance ever came as the city of Tacloban drew the attention of the world.
It was the energetic and youthful Atty. Junji Ponferrada, municipal mayor of Basey who reached immediately the barangay to personally lead clearing operations to make roads accessible the day following the typhoon. On Sunday, he came with some sacks of rice to feed his constituents, sharing food to the needy among his people. Assistance of food packs were also brought to the barangay by the provincial government of Samar which distributed relief goods and conducted medical consultations and treatment of the sick and wounded. On November 12, 2013 the city of Catbalogan also responded with relief goods, feeding program and medical mission.
It was also on November 12, 2013 that Rev. Fr. Rex M. Ibañez, priest in-charge of San Antonio de Padua Mission Center arrived from the retreat of Calbayog Clergy in Batangas. A Holy Mass was celebrated inside the devastated church right after the relief distribution and medical mission. It was the faith that held the people strong in the face of the devastation.
A visit by the Order of Malta led by Ms Mina Carag gave the first hope to the people as she immediately declared after making an assessment that Malteser International will adopt barangay San Antonio and committed to help the people from relief to recovery. But the first to respond with a livelihood project is Ms Gina Lopez who committed to help the fisherfolks with motorized fishing bancas and fishing gears. The motorized fishing bancas had already been launched on March 26, 2014. Malteser International is about to start the core shelter project and the Franciscans through Rev. Fr. Joel Sulse, O.F.M., parish priest of Sanctuario de San Antonio of Forbes Park Makati officiated the groundbreaking for 50 residential houses on 03 March 2014 in San Antonio, Basey, Samar through the auspices of the San Antonio de Padua Mission Center.
This is a clear reversal where the religious, the private sector and international non-government organization had taken the lead while government is groping to cope with complementation where it should have been the other way around. People thought that their government must have been in the frontline responding to their needs and the private and religious sectors giving complementary assistance. Reversed!
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