Good Friday Downpour!

Our Lady of the Abandoned Church or Dambana ng Ina ng mga Walang Mag-ampon

Church of the Holy Sacrifice

Interior of Santo Domingo prepping for Siete Palabras live streaming

Belfry at the Plaza de San Pablo ng Cruz

The float of St Mary Magdalene

Our Lady all black at Mary’s Garden at the posh Christ the King, Green Meadows

Nuns serenading a passion hymn at Mt, Carmel

The temperature is the talk of the town. It is extremely hot. Thus my daughters and I decided to keep our Visita Iglesia nearby, where we could easily dash home if the heat becomes unbearable.

We planned on a Pampanga trip so we could see the old churches, the flagellation and the crucifixion that has become local tradition. But a Kapampangan advised not to, because he himself was fleeing to Baguio to escape the heat. Advice well taken. Fact is, an fb friend, fit and healthy, had a stroke and died while playing soccer at the Ateneo field.

But it was good seeing the old churches we’ve visited for the most of the girls’ growing up years. The UP Church of the Holy Sacrifice was just opening up when we arrived around six am. It was quiet and serene, with only a faint sunlight illuminating the Tabernacle. And we went about the fourteen stations of the cross around the circular church.

Sto. Domingo de La Naval de Manila was steaming with people a little after seven. Felt disgusted with the grounds unkempt, garbage bins full, quite unbecoming and an eyesore. Yet, I was there to visit, not to complain.

The Shrine of the Divine Word was preparing for a national live streaming of the Siete Palabras. I had always loved this shrine.

The Basilica Menore de Mount Carmel held a simple cross with a ribbon as the altar of repose. Some nuns sang soft passion hymns. Very soothing to listen to.

Christ the King at Green Meadows is in full air condition mode. A church for the ultra rich. A recollection was taking place when we arrived. Very lovely, beautiful people. I would have stayed longer and listen had we not two churches to visit.

Our Lady of the Abandoned, a real old church, was surprisingly fully air-conditioned, too. Again, I would have sat longer if my daughter not said it looks like rain…….

Our final stop was at the Shrine of St. Paul of the Cross. The carozzas from the Maundy Thursday procession were still at the grounds, as if there was a fiesta.

Guess what? Half an hour after we got home, the rain dropped. Heavy!

Not a really good write -up but who can muster words in this excruciating heat!

Spirited Away Moment.

Sometimes supernatural stories seem strange….till it happens to you, my daughter claims.

Her adventure north of Taiwan yielded one ‘spirited away moment’ she considers her scariest experience.

En route cultural kiosks, shops and museums in a quaint little town, the tropical weather was truly hot,

thus she deemed it would be refreshing to climb the one kilometer stone staircase leading to the Shinto Shrine. It was a bright blue day.

Nary a soul in sight but the surroundings was so inviting and she hastened her steps to the top. Feeling victorious about the steep ascent, it was like a Mulan moment when she finally got to the top of the mountain, when all of a sudden, from out of the blue, a massive wind, visible to the naked eye, tossed her to a halt. Surprised, she rushed to a square stone and placed her offering just as the thick trickles of rain dropped, turning the serene atmosphere into a cold freezer.

She counted seconds ticking into ten full minutes, and with no chocolate in her small white backpack, she surmised the cold creeping would be detrimental to her being. The small shed has no wall to shield her from the fierce gusts of winds. Ten minutes was enough to soak her hair and skin.

Shivering, she decided to go down, and with every step, she thought the ungentle winds could easily and swiftly take her away like a leaf. A dumb way to die, and so she prayed harder…

And as sudden as that massive wind came. the rain stopped when she made her final step. Thankful for the solid grounds, she whispered a solemn prayer. Drenched and shaken, a family of four on their way up the shrine smiled at her, asking if she had a good experience at the top. She simply nodded her head , turned, and sought a sip of hot tea at the tea house.

By the way, Spirited Away is a Japanese animation that won an Oscar. It is, of course, based on true tales, like my daughter’s.

Litany of Humility

“Behold, I am the Handmaid of the Lord, be it done unto me according to Thy Word,” was the young Mary’s response to an archangel called Gabriel. And that spontaneous profession of faith in God became the most profound act of humility in all of creation. Right then and there, the lowly shepherd girl became the Mother of God.

A blessing to all mankind who, to this day, remain stubbornly proud, selfish, vain, callous, envious, and unkind.

Here’s a prayer of humility that we could recite and meditate upon each day, so our lives could be in congruence with the beauty of creation and draw us closer to our God.

O Jesus, meek and humble of heart, hear me.

From the desire of being esteemed, deliver me, O Jesus.

From the desire of being loved, deliver me, O Jesus.

From the desire of being extolled, deliver me, O Jesus

From the desire of being honored, deliver me, O Jesus

From the desire of being praised, deliver me O Jesus

From the desire of being preferred to others, deliver me O Jesus

From the desire of being consulted, deliver me, O Jesus

From the desire of being approved, deliver me O Jesus

From the fear of being humiliated, deliver me O Jesus

From the fear of being despised, deliver me O Jesus

From the fear of suffering rebukes, deliver me O Jesus

From the fear of being calumniated, deliver me O Jesus

From the fear of being forgotten, deliver me, O Jesus

From the fear of being ridiculed, deliver me O Jesus

From the fear of being wronged, deliver me, O Jesus

From the fear of being suspected, deliver me O Jesus

That others may be loved more than I, Jesus grant me the grace to desire it.

That others may be esteemed more than I, Jesus grant me the grace to desire it.

That in the opinion of the world others may increase and I may decrease, Jesus grant me the grace to desire it.

That others may be chosen and I set aside , Jesus grant me the grace to desire it.

That others may be praised and I go unnoticed, Jesus grant me the grace to desire it.

That others may be preferred to me in everything, Jesus grant me the grace to desire it.

That others may become holier than I, provided that I may become as holy as I should , Jesus grant me the grace to desire it.