Matthew Stuckey here and I want to make a quick video highlighting the Magdarame
hypocrisy here in the Philippines. And Magdarame is a Kapampangan tradition in
the province of Pampanga where people will beat themselves and then they'll
crucify themselves. Now I will be honest with you, you know, coming from America
and not having experienced this in person, I had some misconceptions about
what Magdarame was and the crucifixions here happening in the Philippines. When
people would beat themselves with ropes, I thought that it was actually just
paint. I didn't realize it was actually real blood because in my mind I thought
how could a rope actually make people bleed? I thought they were hurting
themselves but it's more symbolic than real. But in actuality what they do is
they actually cut people with a sharp object in the back to get the blood
started. So when they're hitting themselves, the blood just keeps flowing.
And people that do this tradition year after year, their backs are just
completely, you know, permanently scarred due to the harming their bodies in this
way. It's obviously not a healthy practice. It's obviously not a biblical
practice. And so this is something they do in Pampanga because they are very
zealous in other parts of the Philippines as well. And it's known as
Magdarame. And some people would even crucify themselves. And this is very
widespread here in Pampanga and in the Philippines. And it shows that they're
very religious. But I want to highlight something because last year once all of
the the craziness happened with COVID, and also this year as well, this
celebration which is done during Easter time, during Holy or Unholy Week,
depending on how you look at it here and the traditions that are done, during Holy
Week it's done just to symbolize the death of Jesus Christ. It's part of the
Easter celebration and the resurrection and all the Good Friday and all the
holidays that they have here in the Catholic Church. But it was actually
outlawed last year because of the fact, you know, they were afraid of COVID being
spread. And this year as well, from my understanding, it is outlawed. So next
week there will not be the practice of Magdarame taking place. But I wanted to
highlight the hypocrisy because what they did is they banned it in a public
setting. But they didn't ban it at home. And what I said a couple years ago when I
first experienced Magdarame and people beating themselves, I told people
they're doing it just to be seen of men. They're making it a point to be seen of
men so people will think they're spiritual and they they're gonna think
that they're such good people when in reality they're not doing because they
actually believe in it, or their hearts in the right place. I mean literally when
people practice Magdarame they get drunk first because they can't take the pain.
So they get drunk and then they beat themselves all day and
then they crucify themselves. The reason why they're drunk is because they can't
take the pain. I mean Proverbs 23 talks about, you know, being beaten and I felt
it not because when you are drunk you're not going to feel it when the
pain is taking place. You know your your mind and your senses and everything is
dull. What I said is they're just doing this to be seen of men and the proof of
that is the fact that the vast majority if not all of them did not crucify
themselves at home when it was outlawed publicly. It says in Matthew 23 verse 3
all therefore whatsoever they bid you observe that observe and do but do not
ye after their works for they say and do not for they bind heavy burdens and
grievous to be born and lay them on men's shoulders but they themselves will
not move them with one of their fingers but all their works they do for to be
seen of men they make broad defractories and enlarge the borders of their
garments and the Bible says about the Pharisees they did their works to be
seen of men they did their works because they wanted people to notice them
praying in the streets any of the Bible talks about that if you would would do
these practices and you do them to be seen of men you have your reward if
you're a safe person that is doing your good works to be seen of men you have
your reward by people praising you but you're not going to get rewarded by God
it says in Matthew 6 verse 16 moreover when you fast be not as the hypocrites
of a sad countenance for they disfigure their faces that they may appear unto
men to fast verily I say unto you they have their reward but thou when thou
fastest anoint thine head and wash thy face that thou appear not unto men to
fast but unto thy father which is in secret and thy father which seeth in
secret shall reward thee openly the Bible says that if you were to fast make
it a point not to show that you're fasting don't make it look like you're
weak and tired and go around telling people oh I'm fasting and everything
like that make it a point to just go about your normal life and not make it
obvious to people and God will reward you if your heart is in the right place
and you're doing it for the right reason and the same would be true for the
crucifixions the difference is the crucifixions are ungodly the Bible never
teaches you to do this it never teaches you to beat yourself Jesus already rose
again and he paid for our sins and obviously getting drunk in order to do a
good thing would not be right either but here's the thing if the crucifixions are
actually a biblical thing if they're right then they should not make it a
point for everybody to know that they're doing them and so if they're gonna
crucify themselves then they should be doing it at their home anyway and not in
public and the fact that it was banned and then they didn't do it at home and
privately that shows that they were just doing their works to be seen at men they
just wanted people to know who they were you say well you know some of them cover
their faces so you don't know who they are all they know who they are right all
they're trying to do is act like they're humble so people don't realize when in
reality they just want to get praised of men and everybody look at them and how
great they are so my challenge this Easter my challenge during Holy Week
that's coming up here in just a few days my challenge to the Catholics that would
crucify themselves and to beat themselves if you watch this video I
challenge you to keep beating yourself I challenge you to crucify yourself at
home if you say that you're doing this and it's the right thing and it's a
godly thing and you're not doing it to get praised of men then there would be
no reason for you not to do it at home when nobody's aware of your good works
but you're just doing it because you're doing it between yourself and the Lord
and if you do not crucify yourself and if you do not beat yourself but you
would have done it if it weren't for this that just shows the only reason why
you're doing it is so your works can be seen of men the truth is that Magda Rama
beating yourself and crucifying yourselves the hypocrisy is shown in the
fact that the people that are doing this because my wife grew up Kapampangan and
she thought that those people were the most zealous and the most righteous in
reality those are the most arrogant people that are just doing works to be
seen of men and they want to get credit for man rather than just putting their
heart in the right place their hearts not in the right place they just want to
be praised of man thank you and God bless