LAST year, the first celebration to be struck off due to the movement control order (MCO) – as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic – was Easter. This year, pastors and priests of both the Protestant and Catholic churches are thankful that at least the gathering of some of the members are allowed.
Though simpler with less frills, Penang Christian Centre’s associate pastor Lydia Chan, hopes that the meaning of Easter – celebrated to remember that Jesus Christ rose from the dead after three days, will not be lost despite the toned-down affair.
“We did not plan any reenactment of the Last Supper like we used to do every Good Friday to remember the reason why we have an Easter because of uncertainty.
“The stressful part about this period is the planning as we cannot do any long-term planning.
“With the Covid-19 infection numbers, we are not sure if we were able to gather come Easter. Therefore, we just planned to have something with minimal planning – just a Good Friday service with communion and our Saturday and Sunday church service,” she told The Vibes.
She explained that an Easter drama set to be played last year had to be scrapped after months of practice due to the pandemic. In the end, they had to do a livestream for the first time at home.
“We had to make do with the items they had at home, like fixing palm fronds picked from the garden to decorate the backdrop and adjusting the lighting with whatever light fixtures we had at home,” she reminisced.
Though the church capacity has been significantly reduced to 50%, she is contented that at least there is still some kind of celebration, though there will be no breaking of bread and the passing of the emblems as practised before.
“The message remains the same, that sins are forgiven because of Jesus’s death and resurrection, though the celebration may not feel the same,” she said.
A parish priest formerly from the Church of Divine Mercy, Martin Andrews Arlando, told The Vibes that despite the strict restrictions that disallowed usual practices during the season, it was still better than last year when physical mass was not even allowed.
“Last year was a complete lockdown, and what was supposed to be a joyous occasion was met with emptiness and silence.
“This year, though we are allowed to meet, there are still various restrictions. We can’t shake hands, and if someone smiles at us, we won’t even know if the person is smiling – we can’t see past the mask!
“As for other observances like washing of feet and kissing of the cross, that cannot be done,” he said.
Usually, baptisms are also held during Easter mass. However, he said that what used to be more than 20 baptisms in his parish is now fewer because catechism classes could not be promoted earlier.
“Online catechism does not work as other people are needed within the class to support each other. It is a journey of faith, not a journey to inform us about Church doctrine. It takes nine months of preparation.
“So this year, our baptism, though with lesser people, it will take a little longer because everyone has to first sanitise their hands before being baptised,” he said.
Despite the conditions put forth to ensure social distancing, many Christians are just happy to congregate and see their fellow believers again this Easter. – The Vibes, April 3, 2021.
