Cenaculo: The Power of Words in Drama and Color

ABSTRACT: Staged in public places during Good Friday of Holy Week, the cenaculo is a dramatic play of Jesus’ final hours. It re-enacts the passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus in poetic language and even musical form. Yet, it is not a mere repetition of what is already written in the Mahal na Pasyon—the abridged version of the Bible. It is a dramatization of the powerful impact of the death of the Son of God. It highlights the lessons from Jesus’ sacrifice, and the implications it has on our life today. It awakens sentiments of justice, equality, and violence. The result is a colourful dramatic version of the Christian devotion to Jesus. The cenaculo thus entertains, educates, and moves towards social and religious action. It demonstrates the power of words, rendered more powerful because of the color and drama of the play.

Fr. Jose Elias (Anselm,O.S.B.) Manalastas is a Benedictine Monk of the Abbey of Our Lady of Montserrat, Manila. He holds a Ph.D in History from the University of the Philippines. He takes interest in cultural and historical developments in the Philippines and Philippine-Mexican cultural and historical exchanges. Fr Anselm teaches Church and Monastic History to the Postulants and Novices of the Abbey and History of Salvation at the College of Law in San Beda University. He is a licensed carpenter.