A Reflection on the Holy Week Apostolate in Philippine Jesuit Prison Service (PJPS)
During my leisure time, I enjoyed reading a book entitled “The Jesuit Guide to (Almost) Everything” by James Martin, SJ. I’ve read this before during my candidate’s program and novitiate, yet it felt much more alive in me this time. One phrase that captured my attention was “Intimior intimo meo” – “Nearer to me than I am to myself.” It is often attributed to St. Augustine and expresses the idea that God is intimately present within us, even more so than we are of ourselves.
The book highlights that the goal of the Ignatian way is not a specific quality but rather a deeper relationship with God, a constant union with the divine. It is about seeking and experiencing a personal connection with God. Qualities such as growth, freedom, talent, love, authenticity, and even feeling of consolation and desolation are all part of the journey towards that goal. They are the natural outcomes of living in alignment with Ignatian spirituality—a goal of being continually connected to the Divine. This experience is very much significant to me as I did my Holy Week Apostolate at PJPS. It has always been a fruitful experience for me.
The Philippine Jesuit Prison Service Foundation Inc. (PJPS) is a non-stock, non-profit organization that provides holistic rehabilitation services to the corrections kindly check on the term used community, particularly with the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) in Muntinlupa City, Philippines. It is a socio-pastoral apostolate of the Society of Jesus (Philippine Province). I have been assigned to this apostolate since August 2023. One of my crucial tasks as a Jesuit Scholastic in PJPS is to assist a celebrant priest every Sunday in distributing communion, the blessing or sprinkling of holy water to the inmates, participating in the choir, playing musical instruments, and engaging in conversations with them.
Three things that have always moved me are the moment of singing of the Kyrie, communion time, and the blessing or sprinkling of holy water. During the moment of singing of the Kyrie, they actively participated, some even moved to tears, expressing regret for their actions towards the Lord and begging for forgiveness. They cried while singing, witnessing this for the first time deeply moved me.
Another moment that touched me deeply was when I saw them wearing orange t-shirts with a number on their back, which is their code for identification. There are no names, only numbers and the orange color. During Mass, especially during communion, they would wear their ID (at least there is a name on it), but what caught my attention was not their orange t-shirts, but the picture of their family in their ID. They wear it during communion, approaching humbly to receive the Body of Christ, and praying together with their family in the photo since their family cannot be with them physically. And during the sprinkling of holy water, they made sure the water touches their family pictures, symbolizing that they receive blessings from the Lord, and their family receives them as well. In the depths of my heart, I realized that the Lord loves and cares for them deeply no matter who they are.
Hence, during my Holy Week apostolate, I could feel and sense that God’s love extends beyond walls, boundaries, and measures. His love is unconditional. This is what the inmates feel in prison. I could feel and sense that the Lord loves and cares for them so much. One of them approached me and shared that even though he had been in prison for many years, more than 15 years, he is still surviving because the Lord is always by his side in moments of desolation and consolation. The Lord is intimately present within him, even more so than he is of himself. And even if he feels distant from the Lord, he told me that he would beg the Lord to take care of him and his family – a call to be always one with the LORD. The Lord Jesus saves him and those He loves so much. The Lord never lets go, even when he tries. “The Lord has risen, He saves you, saving all of humanity. Happy Easter, bro! God Bless you!” I told him.
My other companions – Boni, Ilo, Zequel, Jonas had their Holy Week Apostolate too with the main task of assisting in Holy Week liturgical assignments. They were assigned to different places: Philippine General Hospital, Kalookan and Payatas Mission (Jesuit Mission Station), and the Jesuit Health and Wellness Centre. We also helped facilitate the liturgy during the retreat of Christian Life Community of the Philippines. We all had a fruitful Holy Week and a meaningful encounter with the Lord in the people we served.
Happy Easter, everyone! May you celebrate the FESTIVAL OF GOD’S MERCY with abundant hope, joy, and love! Sharing with you some photos during our Holy Week Apostolate!