Finally, someone as authoritative as Bishop Tomas A. Camacho has given voice to the sentiments of families who are mourning the loss of their loved ones and are somehow obligated to feed an entire community every night for the nine-day rosary for the dead or what Chamorros call lisayon matai.
The bishop’s pastoral letter says it well -- that those left behind “are even deader than the dead” because of the practice of serving full course meals to those who attend the rosaries for nine nights.
The bishop’s new policy: No food allowed in eight of the nine nights of the rosary done in any parish church or social hall. On the day of the funeral, food may be served.
With the high cost of living, and the skyrocketing power bills, community members should not expect a family grieving the loss of its loved one to feed them. Coffee, biscuits and bread should be fine, just like in the old days.
If the rosaries are done at home, the family who can afford to feed an entire community can do so. However, according to the bishop, the kind of food served should be healthy, in light of the high rate of diabetes in the CNMI. It’s common knowledge that the food served on many of these occasions can result in a heart attack.
And isn’t it a shame that many in the community attend the rosaries not necessarily to pray for the dead and console the family of the dead, but to have free dinner? Worse, others go there to get food and head home. Heartless.
3 comments:
The naysayers scream out in chorus:
"But that's our culture!"
I'm glad this happened. It is my understanding that this practice started out when the extended family would bring food to help the immediate family during a time of crisis. This practice was perverted by people concerned with their so called "status." They threw bigger and bigger funerals, weddings, and baptisms so that others in the community would think better of them.
Like I said, I'm glad it stopped.
So what!
If people attend rosaries to get a free meal, or if a family of the deceased throws a party each night of the nine-day rosary, let God be their judge. It's just the living taking care of themselves. Who made you judge?
With a few loaves of bread and some fish that weren't even his, somehow Jesus managed to feed thousands. And He didn't even mind that people went home soon after huffing down their fish sandwiches. He was already done saying all he had to say on that day. But you better very well know that He knew what was in their hearts. What's in yours?
I agree that it's about time that the focus of the lisayo shift back to praying for the dead and not impressing and satiating the living.
My mom told me that in the old days, whenever that was, the host family cut up a cow and parceled out the pieces to the attendees.
I'm not saying we should return to sending out slabs of beef, but I'm glad someone's trying to curb the excess.
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