For some Christians, Holy Week is a time to dedicate themselves to prayer and reflect on Jesus Christ and the moments of the Paschal Triduum.
The parish of San Ginés in Arrecife, complying with the program, celebrated the Eucharist on Holy Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. presided over by Jesús Sastre, Diocesan priest of Madrid, assisted by Juan Carlos Medina, parish priest of San Ginés. Once the Eucharist was finished, the procession of the Holy Encounter took place, staging the journey that Jesus made on the way to Calvary carrying the Cross on his back, meeting his mother Mary.
The route of this procession takes two different paths through the streets of Arrecife, where the parishioners accompany with great recollection. The silence of the parishioners is accompanied by the chords of the Music Band "La Unión de Lanzarote" directed by Professor Pepe Artiles, who marked the steps of the thrones with the images of El Nazareno carrying the Cross, San Juan and La Magdalena. And a few minutes later the image of Our Lady of Sorrows that left the mother church to meet her son in La Plazuela.
Moment where silence becomes the protagonist until the priest Jesús Sastre begins to relate everything that this scene symbolizes for Catholics, which, no matter how much it is repeated every year, is different for each one. The priest interspersed between the prayer and the songs some poems by different authors such as Zaida C. de Ramón, G. Diego, Carmen Fuerte or Leonor Velásquez among others and where each one in a different way describes a part of the life of Jesus.
Once the moment of the "Holy Encounter" was finished, the Music Band once again led the procession followed by the images of the Nazarene, Ntra. Sra. de Los Dolores, the celebrating priests and the parishioners heading to the church of San Ginés, at which time the images that crossed the portico were dismissed with loud applause.
Poem by Leonor Velásquez
How beautiful and well it seems
our humble procession,
Each time, with more brothers
and with much devotion.
The brothers are already approaching
and the procession leaves,
And to the sound of our trumpets
we are asking for forgiveness.
Let's look at our Father
carrying our Cross,
We ask him to forgive us
and guide us with his light.
To this world that does not see,
blinded by so much evil
may it not shed more blood
and give us back Peace.
Forgiveness Virgin of Sorrows
Mother of our Jesus,
for those bitter hours
that you spent before the Cross.
