PINAALALAHANAN ng Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) ang mga Katoliko na mag-ayuno at mangilin sa Ash Wednesday, ang pagsisimula ng Semana Santa.
“Ash Wednesday is a day of obligation for us. It is a day of fasting and abstinence,” ayon kay Fr. Bryand Restituto, CBCP assistant secretary general.
Ngayong taon ay natapat ang Ash Wednesday sa February 14, ang Araw ng mga Puso.
Hinikayat din ni Restituto ang mga Katoliko na dumalo sa mga misa at tumulong sa mga nangangailangan.
Idinagdag niya na kailangang magpalagay ng abo sa noo dahil “the ashes symbolize self-denial, humility and man, ‘you are dust and to dust you will return’.”
Ayon kay Restituto, dapat isapuso ng mga Katoliko ang 40-araw na panahon ng Kuwaresma.
“We are really nothing without God. We have to think about that for 40 days that really, everything depends on God, and we have to know to cling to God, to pray, to give thanks to Him, to ask for His help and the mercy and forgiveness that God has offered us in his death and resurrection,” wika niya.