ABC Guide During Sorrowful Days

On the 18th of April 2025, Good Friday, Fr. Bermudez, Parish Administrator of San Roque Parish, shared the ABC guide that serves as a way to survive sorrowful days: Accept, Be a Man, and Carry.

Accept. “Accept the situation and figure out”, he said.

Accept and face that circumstances and determine what we can do to alleviate the heaviness, for denial won’t help you; it will just prolong the agony. Accept that you need a helping hand. Sometimes, the hardest part of grieving is accepting it. Our hearts are not brave enough to accept sorrows because we always want to stand firm and remain unmovable despite the shaky roads. We want to be viewed as the strongest ones, not as vulnerable or weak. But let us be reminded that acceptance helps us go through the process. It is a necessary step. Without accepting, we cannot move forward. We can’t proceed. So, accept the pain, failure, and losses, for acceptance allows God to take part in it.

Be a Man. “Be a man. Work hard”, he said.

While crying is acceptable, remember not to cry forever. “Bumangon ka. Do something, work hard,” Fr. Cirilo emphasized. In a world full of ups and downs, risk becomes strange to us. We are afraid to try because what if we fail? And if we meet failure, we are afraid to try again. We often spend our time crying instead of trying again. Crying is good, but crying forever is not. Bumangon ka! The chances are yours to catch. You were made for a purpose. Do not be afraid; be courageous. The fight is not yours alone. Jesus, who died on the cross, is with you.

Carry. “We carry our burdens”, he remarked.

Carry your burdens, just like how Jesus carried the cross. The cross once had no value, but after Jesus died on it, the cross became valuable. The heaviness you feel now will soon turn into a lesson. One day, in the future, you will look back and conclude that the sufferings had meaning and worth, and you will finally understand. And when that future comes, do not forget to thank the Lord for allowing you to share in His sufferings. While waiting for that future, carry that burden now, and ask the Lord to accompany you on your journey in carrying that cross.

“You carry it with love. And the burden lightens”, he added. Fr. Cirilo reflected on his recent experience of carrying the cross. For him, it was undeniably heavy. But what kept him going was his acceptance, courage (be a man), and purpose—to carry the cross and pray for his parishioner, and that’s love, a fatherly love.

What Fr. Cirilo Bermudez shared is truly awakening. In a journey where sadness and struggles are always present, all I want is to play it safe. Sorrow is heavy, enduring, and uncertain. And that’s what makes accepting, becoming a man, and carrying a burden truly difficult. But realizing the worth of these values reminded me that this journey is not mine alone—I walk with God, with the hope that this voyage will lead me to Him.

So help me, God. (Jozeil Crodua)