MARANATHA CHRISTIAN ACADEMY OF CABUYAO, INC.

Examination in Reading and Writing

Grade 11 – Integrity

Name: Aldave, Ed Jericho C. Date: 04/11/22

Teacher: Teacher Maryann O. Gresola

Different Practices of Religions during the Lenten Season

Catholicism
Catholics is one of the primary religions which celebrates or reignites the
death and the resurrection of Jesus Christ. This religions conducts a lot of practices
that symbolizes their grief for Christ’s death and celebrate His resurrection. Every
summer, month of April to be specific, they have a one-week long program. They
call that Monday “Lunes-Santo”. They call that Tuesday, “Martes-Santo”,
Wednesday as “Miyerkules-Santo”, Thursday as “Huwebes-Santo”. And lastly, They
call Friday as “Biyernes-Santo”. And during that specific week, they grief for Christ’s
death and will make themselves very sad as if Jesus Christ dies again. They believe
that being sad for the rest of the week make them remember the death of Jesus
Christ. They are also practicing not eating meat and any kinds of meat.

Catholic members are very devoted to this season for their religion has the
most rituals and services during the entire season or in the entire holy week. They
have this one ritual where some of the catholic members will walk down the road
hurting their own selves by throwing up spikes at their backs. (It is called “latigo” in
tagalog) Some of them will also be crucified on a cross, the same way Jesus was
crucified. They believe that as they do the same sacrifice that Jesus did, they will be
forgiven from all of their sins. It is their beliefs that someone must hurt their selves in
order to be forgiven. They will not be satisfied until they will be hanged on the cross
the same was Jesus was.

Christianity
The Christian religion mainly believes that Jesus Christ died only once. He died
only on the first “Martes-Santo”. Unlikely to the belief of Catholicism, they believe
that they do not have to be saddened by the death of Jesus Christ, but instead they
celebrate Jesus’ resurrection. They do not practice doing painful sacrifices to show
off their faith to the Lenten season, they believe that Christ’s death and resurrection
is only in their hearts. They do not believe that they should hurt their selves like Jesus
Christ did for us to be forgiven to our sins. Christians believe that Jesus’ suffering on
the cross is already enough to give us forgiveness, however, Catholics believe that
people should remake what Jesus did and experience on the cross in order to be
forgiven.

Some of the Chirstian sects also belief in grieving every holy week because
they believe that Chirst dies yearly and resurrects again the following Sunday and
calls that Sunday “Resurrection Sunday”

Iglesia ni Cristo
Iglesia ni Cristo is another Christian sect mostly in the Philippines. They do not
observe and neither do they celebrate believe in Lenten season. Iglesia ni Cristo
does not believe in the Lenten season. For them, Jesus Christ’s death was the end of
Christ. He is now gone, and nowhere to be found. They believe that Jesus was just a
mere human being and is not a God. INC members do not worship Jesus Christ as a
God, rather they believe that Jesus Christ is only a very special man. They only
worship Jesus as a mere human being and does not believe that He is the Son of
God. (But some articles online says that they believe in Jesus Christ as God but they
rather not worship Him because they only worship the God the Father). They believe
that resurrection is the proof the dead people will/can rise again.

Jehova’s Witnesses
Jehova’s Witness is also a Christian denomination who mainly believes in their
very own interpretation of the meaning of the bible. They have their own
interpretation of the Bible. (Mainly the belief of their church leaders) Just like Iglesia
ni Cristo, Jehova’s witnesses do not believe in any of the Catholic practices and
celebrations like Christmas, or any other holidays, as well as Lenten Season, Easter
season specifically. Jehova’s Witnesses do not share many of their beliefs and
practices as well as their doctrines when it becomes to Lenten seasons and Holy
weeks of Catholics and other Chirstian denominations. But as far as we know,
Jehova’s Witnesses do not practice rituals like fastings, pilgrimage to holy places.
They just live that week the same way they usually do. They do only few things for
the Lenten Season. They have this event or program which is called, “Lord’s Evening
Meal” or “Memorial of Christs Death”

The followed the Jewish calendar and their event called “Lord’s Evening
Meal” or “Memorial of Christs Death” falls on the date of March 26. So every year,
on the exact same day, March 26, members of the Jehova’s witness will gather in
one place or their building of worship (in their chapel called “Kingdom Halls”) all
around the world after sundown.

Seventh-Day Adventist
Seventh-Day Adventist Church is a protestant Christian church or
denomination. Just like any of the other religions, Seventh-day Adventist’s members
also do not observe the practices of the Holy week as Catholic or other
Protestant/Christian dominations do. They also only believe in their own
interpretations of the bible as they only base their belief in what they interpret in the
bible. Their main and distinguished belief is that their worship service has to be on
the day of Saturday, the original seventh day of the Judeo-Christian week. They
mainly believe that the Bible tells us to observe the Sabbath day in the day of
Saturday (Not Sunday) They do not consider Sunday as holy and so they believe
that the easter is not considered holy as well.

Pentecostal Missionary Church of Christ (4th Watch)

Pentecostal Missionary Church of Christ (4th Watch) [PMCC 4W] is a Christian
denomination which mainly bases their belief in the bible. They believe that we
shouldn’t grief for Jesus’ death because it is done. They believe that Jesus died only
once and shouldn’t grief as if it happens every year. Rather, the members of the
Pentecostal Missionary Church of Christ (4th Watch) rejoice and celebrates the fact
that Jesus Christ rose again/was resurrected again on the day after He died.

The meaning of the season for them is that Jesus died for us to be forgiven
from our sins because someone (holy and perfect) has to be offered. The members
of the Pentecostal Missionary Church of Christ (4th Watch) yearly conducts a musical
play called “Senakulo” which portrays the life of Jesus Christ when He was here in
the world. Back when He was born up until the moment He was crucified. They are
conducting these yearly plays on a public place to have more audience and serves
as a evangelism through a musical play to give people a glimpse of what Jesus did
in the world in order for us to be saved from our sins. For them, the real meaning of
the crucifixion of Jesus Christ on the cross was for us to be forgiven from our sins. God
the Father gave His only begotten son just for us to be saved. We just have to
believe that Jesus is our savior, repent, and be baptized.

Since the Pentecostal Missionary Church of Christ (4th Watch) is a “missionary”

church, they conduct this yearly as a evangelism to spread the word through these
musical plays. In the middle of the play they will cut it off for a while and meditate
upon the words of God and invite people to baptism. Yearly, there are tons of
people being baptized and saved through this activity and program of the
Pentecostal Missionary Church of Christ (4th Watch).

Pentecostal Missionary Church of Christ (4th Watch) do not believe that

people has to hurt ourselves to be forgiven. They believe that people shouldn’t do
or imitate what Jesus Christ did (His sacrifices) because it just turns out to be boastful
of doing those things. We are not supposed to do it because it has been done
already by Jesus Christ. Pentecostal Missionary Church of Christ (4 th Watch)
members believe that it is not written in the bible to hurt ourselves just to be forgiven.

They also do not believe that we are not supposed to eat meat during the
time of the whole season or during the holy week. They do not grief for Christ’s
death because it’s already done, but they rejoice for the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
They also celebrate the Resurrection Sunday during the Sunday of that same Holy
week of the Catholic members. They do not eat blood though, but prohibiting
eating meat during the Lenten season is not part of their practice.