-
Photo courtesy of Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP)
Filipino Catholics are expected to gather in churches on Feb. 18 to receive ashes on their foreheads in observance of Ash Wednesday, marking the start of the Lenten season.
Ash Wednesday begins the 40-day period of prayer, fasting and repentance leading to Easter.
In his homily on Tuesday, Fr. Vicente Gabriel Bautista, vice rector of the Manila Cathedral, called on the faithful to enter Lent with sincerity and spiritual depth.
“Tomorrow, it’s a whole new liturgical season,” Bautista said.
He urged Catholics to approach the season not as a ritual obligation but as a genuine opportunity for renewal, cautioning against what he described as superficial religious practices.
Bautista referenced Jesus’ warning about the “leaven of the Pharisees and of Herod,” explaining that just as leaven causes bread to rise, unhealthy attitudes and insincere beliefs can influence one’s spiritual life.
“We do not want to begin new things in shallows and emptiness, but we want to begin new seasons, new days, in faith, in depth, and in meaning. Being cosmetic or aesthetic design, that’s the leaven of the Pharisees and of Herod,” he said.
He emphasized that Ash Wednesday is not merely about the imposition of ashes but about committing to prayer, repentance and trust in God.
This year’s Ash Wednesday coincides with the beginning of Ramadan on the eve of Feb. 17.
In a statement, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) described the overlap as “a grace” and an opportunity to strengthen interfaith solidarity between Christians and Muslims.
“In a world marked by violence and division, this moment calls us not only to pray for peace, but to live it and work for it,” said Bishop Jose Colin Bagaforo, chairman of the CBCP Episcopal Commission on Inter-Religious Dialogue.
The CBCP also reminded the faithful that fasting extends beyond abstaining from food and can include giving up habits that distract from a deeper relationship with God.
“True fasting, as Jesus teaches, is not an external performance but an interior conversion. Digital media fasting, therefore, invites a rediscovery of silence, prayer, contemplation, and authentic relationships. It is not meant to punish the body but to free the heart,” the CBCP said in a separate statement encouraging digital media fasting.
The bishops added that limiting digital distractions can help create space for silence and reflection during the Lenten journey.