May 31, 2011 - THE MONTH OF MAY

Among the twelve months of the year, May has a special significance to me. It stems from the many happenings in my life which evoked tremendous happiness but also immense sorrow during this month.

Early childhood memories of "May Flower Festivals to Mary" at the Sta. Ana Catholic Church always bring smiles as I picture myself in a flowing white dress offering flowers to Our Lady of the Abandoned, the patroness of the district. Since my elder sister Lourding (may she rest in peace) was one of the organizers of the yearly devotion, Beth and I were almost always daily participants. Only girls were traditionally considered "sagalas" so that my younger brother Freddie acted as staunch supporter.

May 12th is the feast day of Our Lady of the Abandoned or as She is addressed by the old folks," Nuestra Senora de los Desamparados." Many miracles have been attributed to her by hundreds of residents and devotees. During World War II when Japanese forces occupied Manila, the Sta. Ana church was saved from becoming an army headquarters. During their first night's stay, the whole church was deluged by so many snakes which caused the soldiers to flee. Many believed that the strange phenomenon happened due to the intervention of the Blessed Mother. So was the fact that the District of Sta Ana was the only one not burned in Manila by the retreating Japanese and became the haven for refugees from the surrounding areas.
So when the town fiesta comes, Sta. Ana residents prepare for it several months ahead. Visits of relatives and friends from all over Manila and even from the provinces were earmarked on this day. Every home was lavished with so much mouth-watering cuisine which included the crispy "lechon" or roast pig and a variety of native sweets. The proverbial Filipino hospitality was literally on display to the core on this day! Various entertainment like musical bands and singing contests, magic shows and acrobatic stumts fill the daytime hours at the town plaza. At night, the religious procession of the image of Our Lady through most of the streets in Sta. Ana was the fitting finale of the glorious fiesta! I remember the many times my sisters and I participated in the yearly procession as a sign of our devotion to Our Lady of the Abandoned.

May is the birthday month of three of my seven grandchildren - Melanie Mary on May 3rd, Tiffany Anne on May 12th and Michael on May 25th. Celebrations of birthday anniversaries always include family reunions with so much food and the inevitable varieties of sweets, both native and otherwise. Karaoke singing by both those who really can belt tunes in their high C's and those who simply enjoy singing despite unwieldy melodic detours provide limitless laughter and joy to everyone. Even now, I cannot help smiling every time I remember the song, "Ang Bikining Itim" (Black Bikini) by the group with Cora Paras as lead singer. Nor do I forget Bobby's rendition of "Sa Lumang Simbahan" (In the Old Church) with Tanduay, a Filipino alcoholic drink interposes within the lyrics. Of course, no family gathering is complete without my sister Beth, a May-born,too, singing "Gaano Kita Kamahal" (How Do I Love You) with Marissa's dexterous piano accompaniment. The song, "Memories" always graced parties by the duet of Noel and Marissa while Cielo belts the melancholy strains of Lionel Richie. Christina's breathtaking rendition of "Amazing Grace" always brought tears to my eyes. Danny Boy has always been associated with "Delilah" just as Maricar with the power-wielding, "I Will Survive." Oh, how I really enjoyed, and still do, birthday celebrations.

The bells tolled a sad note for me on May 2, 2003 since this day marked the chilly "Adieu" of Papa, my beloved husband of 47 years. The tremendous shock and disbelief caused terrible pain and deep anguish that pushed me into a state of surrealistic numbness. Is this true? Is this parting real?What happens now? And many other whys and wherefores clouded my mind. I was thrust into a dimension so difficult to unravel, so heart-rending to piece together! "Be still. Know that I am God." were the whispered message I heard the moment I learned of Papa's demise. Knowing that I had the assurance of God tempered the outburst of quelled emotions. I remembered Psalm 34, " God is close to the broken-hearted and those who are crushed in spirit, He saves!" It pulled me through the most difficult phase of my life that followed. Somehow I managed to walk through it all the days thereafter. A strange impact of sadness and "aloneness" hovered over me. It was the same feeling I experienced at the loss of my Mother in 1968.

Remember how I often say, "I am one of God's favorites ?" True, indeed! Immediately after taking away someone I dearly loved, the good Lord gave me someone to love anew. He gave me Melanie, Cielo's youngest daughter, born on May 3rd, right after the day of Papa's "Goodbye." Who will ever consider this coincidence? To say that my spirits were lifted up would be an understatement. And to invigorate and enrich His palliative measure, He made me witness Marissa's daughter, Diana, graduate from Grade VIII as Class Valedictorian immediately the next month of the same year.! To top it all, God allowed Diana and I to go on a trip to France, Portugal and Spain a few weeks after her graduation in 2003.

This year, 2011, the month of May brought me something wonderfully beautiful! Marissa, Christina and I went to New York to witness Diana, my eldest grand-daughter, graduate from the St. John's Catholic University with the degree of Bachelor of Science in Biology at the top of her class - Magna Cum Laude. My joy and pride soared to infinitismal heights! My praise and thanksgiving to our Almighty God and our Mother Mary was as thunderous as the volley of shots on a July 4th celebration!

Now, you know why May is a special month for me! Hasta la vista!!!

May 26, 2011 - NEW YORK CITY TRIP

My trip to New York City with my daughter, Marissa and granddaughter, Christina was among the ones I will treasure throughout my lifetime or what is left of it. It was distinctly a celebration filled with the "deepest joys of the goodness of God, the fullest measures of His love and the richest treasures of His grace."

It was two-fold in its significance:

Firstly, Diana, Marissa's daughter and my eldest grandchild, graduated from St. John's Catholic University as Magna Cum Laude. What an honor! I was bursting with immense joy and bellowing pride that only a grandmother can fully feel yet be miserably inept to articulate.

It was the same feeling that overwhelmed me when in September 23, 1903, Diana sang the National Anthem at the "A's" game at the Oakland Coliseum before 21,000 people. She was four years old. She was awarded the privilege after winning First Place in the Kid Category of the contest sponsored by Oakland "A's" whereby 600 aspirants applied. Her performance was well documented in San Francisco and other county newspapers and video clipped in most TV newscasts. Excerpts from newspaper reports said,"...a little girl, 4 years old, Diana Oblena Chan, wearing a poodle skirt walked out into the field to the wonder of over 21,000 people who came to watch the Oakland "A's" face the Kansas City Royals on a warm, cloudless day perfect for baseball. She belted out a rousing "Star Spangled Banner" acappella without any faltering hesitations in between. She even nailed the "Free" at the end that terrifies so many singers and tests the best of nerves." Incidentally, the "A's" won the game that day. By design, my praise and thankgsgiving to our Lord soared to high heavens!

It was the same feeling that overwhelmed me when the Class of 2003 of the Holy Spirit Catholic School had Diana as Valedictorian. The substance of her address and the delivery that was verbatim drew so much appreciative comments from both faculty and visitors alike. In fact, I experienced the same exuberant joy when I witnessed the Grade VIII graduations of Joshua, Christina, Michael, Christian and Tiffany Anne. And I am certain that if I would still be around when Melanie Mary finishes her elementary schooling, an overflow of emotions would envelope me! Somehow

Secondly, I consider my being able to witness the college graduation of my grandchild at age 80, a very rare gift from our Lord. Praise God! He has given me such a "good" life for which I am day-by-day grateful! The extended years with my family has been providing many opportunities to enjoy the company of loved ones especially my grandchildren in travels abroad to places which I have visited. It has become almost an obsession for me to travel with my family to places of cultural and historic interests but most notably to sites of religious importance to our Catholic faith. I like to leave them a "Legacy of Faith!"

The wonderful New York sojourn would not have been possible without the magnanimous welcome of Stacey, Barney's brother to his well-appointed penthouse in the opulent Jamaica Estates of the city. It is a charming place complete with the artistry and meticulous taste of a young bachelor. Stacey's two healthy, well-behaved cats complete the lovely setting. The commanding view from the terrace is breathtaking! Somehow, my communion with God during the twilight hours assumed a distinctly greater impact in depth and intimacy. I cannot thank Stacey enough for his generosity!

A visit to Times Square is a must to a visitor in New York for both first-timers and perrenial visitors. The lure of the busy place vibrant with tourists of a myriad race, creed and color along with the giant ads emblazoned with hundreds of multicolored lights leave nothing to be desired. Just sitting on the Red Steps and "watching the world go by" was an interesting pastime.

Diana took us to a known celebrity hang-out called, "Carnegie Deli," where the walls were completely plastered with pictures of celebrities in the movies, media, etc eaating their foot-tall sandwich oozing with several ounces or pounds of tender steak. Just to see it set before you makes your mouth water. Oh, so tender and juicy, indeed! But a sandwich cost $22 a piece!

We were lucky to enjoy a Flea Market Sunday right on a NYstreet covering several blocks. Merchandise of every conceivable kind were on display to taunt every purse-string. Makeshift foodshops lined the streets each appealing to native tastes of the visitors and curious locals from the Middle East, Mexico, Asia and Europe. It was somehow surprising to see long queues form toward especial eating booths. Man's hunger pangs can become almost insatiable, indeed!

Marissa, Diana and Christina invited me to go to New Jersey to see the setting of the TV show, "The Cake Boss," but I declined the invitation. I felt I could find better use of my time. Ehem! But I enjoyed the pastries they brought back and the stories of the crowd of tourists in the place. Imagine having a security guard to limit the number of patrons entering the bakery!

The trip to New York was a most exhilarating experience, too!

May 22, 2011 - GOSPEL ON THOMAS

Today's Gospel relates of Jesus' Last Supper with His apostles telling them that He was to prepare a place for them and that they knew where He was going. Thomas questions Jesus, "Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can you say we know the way?" Jesus replies, "I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me."

Thomas is mentioned three times in John's Gospel. The first one was when Jesus was to go back to Bethany to help Lazarus. It was Thomas who told the other apostles, "Let us go along to die with him." It was a statement that revealed love in its truest sense...to die with the beloved than to go on living without him. Surely, Jesus knew how great was the love of Thomas for Him.

The second incident was at the Last Supper. Thomas asked directions to where Jesus was going. He did not want to lose his Master. He wanted to know the way!

The third incident is the story of Thomas' and his questions from which many people remember him as The Doubting Thomas. He did not hide his questions or his fears. This is a story not of doubt but of faith. Why? Because it was the faith of Thomas that alllowed him to be open to ask questions. By laying before everyone his fears, he manifested his desire to forge a deeper faith and unequivocal commitment to the cause of Jesus.

How about us? Do we just proclaim we believe in God, we trust in God and love Him? The real question is ," Are we worthy of God's trust and His love for us?'

May 23, 2011 - OUR LADY OF LOURDES

May is a month especially devoted to our Blessed Mother. Many Catholic churches schedule daily May Flower Festivities whereby many children dressed in white with garland headbands offer bouquets of flowers to our Lady. The "Immaculate Mother," Daily, Daily, Sing to Mary"and other Marian hymns sang by high-pitched children's voices add an aura of love and devotion to our Blessed Virgin.

As the strains of "Gentle Woman" made popular in Medjugorje where our Blessed Mother reportedly appeared to five children in 1981, reverberate in my ears this warm afternoon, I remembered a unique favor, among so many, our Lady has been giving me through the years. Guess what? A Seat! But let me start from the beginning....

I remember my first visit to Europe in 1973 to attend a United Nations Conference on Shipping and Trade, hosted by UNCTAD (United Nations Commission on Trade and Developemnt) in Geneva, Switzerland. Like everyone else who is about to see another part of the world, I was excited. To add to the web of emotions within me was the almost unbelievable honor of representing my country of birth, the Philippines in a world forum.

But the surge of extreme joy and anticipation was the thought of visiting Lourdes, France where our Blessed Mother appeared to St. Bernadette in 1858. Imagine to be among the seven million pilgrims who visit there annually! It was a dream I have had since childhood when my mother regaled us with stories of the sanctuary of Lourdes and many more about our Lady. Her tales were derived mainly from oral tradition handed down from generation to generation unscathed by embellishments or muted by omissions. She had an especial devotion to Mary! She told us many stories about Her in Her various capacities as Mother, Protectress, Mediatrix, etc. She spoke of Our Lady of the Gate (Nuestra Senora de la Porteria), patron saint of her hometown, Daraga, Albay, in the Bicol Region of the Philippines. She related accounts of Our Lady of the Abandoned (Nuestra Senora de los Desamparados), patron saint of Sta. Ana, Manila, Philippines, my birthplace whose feast day is on May 12th. She regaled us with vignettes about Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage (Our Lady of Antipolo) to whom our family made yearly visits in the hilltop shrine in Rizal Province about three hours away by car from Manila. But the appearance of our Blessed Mother at Lourdes, France had a strong attachment to her such that one of my older sisters has been named Lourdes. The enthusiasm with which she talks of the Grotto of Massebielle (Lourdes) while we helped in preparing meals, dusting furniture or any household chore done with many helping hands unmistakably revealed her strong devotion. My young mind was completely mesmerized by her stories that her fervor indelibly rubbed on me.

I remember one of the stories my mother told us about the B;essed Virgin. Dressed in her usual long gown, she decided to do some sewing while seated on the floor. As she kept patching up some of young Jesus' clothes, their cat slept on the train of her dress. After a while she needed to get up. She looked at the cat which was so contentedly sleeping. She thought, "What should I do?" Do you know what s he did?" She got a pair of scissors and cut her dress so as not to awaken the cat! What love!

So it was on November 26, 1973 that I made my first visit to the Grotto of Lourdes, France. The plane from Paris taxied to the small airport at Tarbes late afternoon. I took a shuttle bus to Lourdes with only another passenger, a middle-aged man from Ireland. He claimed that his mother made him promise that after his business transactions in Paris , he would visit Lourdes.
I knew that November was off-season period so that hotel availability would not be a problem so I kept it as the last thing to do before the trip. As it happened, I was overwhelmed with many office matter that left me no time to book a hotel at Lourdes. The kind driver directed me to a small family-owned lodging named Hotel d' Aquitane. Apparently, most of the big hotels operated by corporations or individuals who do not reside there open shop only during summer.

Hotel d' Aquitane was a large residential building with several well-appointed rooms for guests. Immediately after settlng down my things, I wanted to go to the Grotto at once despite the rain that has started early in the evening. The owners, a husband and wife team graciously lent me an umbrella after instructions on going to and from the Grotto.

The thrill of finally realizing a long-nurtured dream gave my whole body an involuntary rhythmic stacatto perks filled with magnificent joy! I felt as if every cell, muscle and bone of my body was singing, "Halleluiah" and dancing to the cacophony of a rhumba, tango, boogie-woogie combination. Filled with unspeakable excitement, I took bigger steps racing to get a first glimpse of our Lady. I

I entered through St. Michael's gate, passed by the Basilica of the Most Holy Rosary, walked under the right arch of the great Esplanade, made a short left turn and there saw the huge candlelabra brilliantly glowing with hundreds of candles at a distance. I fell to my knees.....right at the spot about fifty yards away where I first saw the candlelights. Tears of joy, thanksgiving and sadness clouded my face as my mouth proclaimed, "Thank you, Lord! Thank you Blessed Mother."I stayed kneeling down in prayer oblivious of the rain and my shoulders balancing the umbrella which occasionally swayed against the accompanying wind. I was in awe... frozen in time... wanting to keep that moment alive in the recesses of my heart and brain forever. And it has! To this day, 2011, I am still "energized" and made happier by the vivid memory of that moment.

After a long while, I joined a group of around ten or eleven persons in front of the Grotto. I sat on the first bench near the middle aisle right in front of our Lady of Lourdes. I cried my heart out! I prayed for all my loved ones - my family, relatives and friends and for those for whom I promised to pray. I believe I did not give our Lady a chance to talk to me because of my lengthy enunciation of my many needs and those of the people I love. I knew She would understand!After the long declaration of needs and unfulfilled desires, I was wholly enveloped with "peace."
It was a peace which would adequately fit what St. Paul said..."the peace beyond human understanding." Briefly, I recalled the many articles I had read about the experience of peace that each of the authors expressed at the Grotto. While the pilgrim site is a center of "healing," it is not limited to the healing of the sick and the disabled but of a more varied kind which encompasses human emotions and ideals as unforgiveness, anger, lust for power and the like. Many of the millions who visit Lourdes come again and again for this unique peace in their hearts and minds as they go about their lives.

May 1, 2011 - POPE JOHN PAUL ll

Today marks the Beatification of the late Pope John Paul II at St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. It has been reported that more than 800,000 people gathered at the square infront of the largest Christian church in the world to witness the ceremony. He was the first non-Italian Pontiff to occupy the Chair of Peter since 400 hundred years ago. He was Polish. His Papacy lasted for more than twenty years, one of the longest in the history of the Catholic world. To say that this holy, brilliant, "charming" man was intrinsically admired and benevolently loved by millions, Catholic and non-Catholics alike would be an understatement. The memory of Pope John Paul II will be unforgettable to me because of two personal experience in my life : my shaking hands with him and my visit to his birthplace, Wadowice, Poland.

My friends, Gloria Reyes (may she rest in peace) and Vangie Chaves and I joined a pilgrimage to Rome in 1998. The glory that was Rome during the era of the mighty Roman Empire still permeates the Eternal City so that the prospect of visiting it again and again with family or with bosom buddies has been a magnetic force I eagerly welcome. Todate, I have thrown a coin over my left shoulder at the Fountain of Trevi for eight times. There must be some truth to the saying that the coin-throwing rite at the fabled man-made waterfall assures one of a return trip!

My journal entitled, "Handshake in Rome" tells of this experience in great detail but suffice it to say that I was afforded the privilege of "holding hands" with the late Pope John Paul II as a result of my assistance to two members of our tour group. I helped them navigate through the cobbled streets of the city to the Papal Secretariat which handles the Pope's multifarious activites. I learned that it usually takes five to six months to finalize everything regarding an audience with him. In the journal, I related how I got the privilege of participating in the extraordinary affair even managing the inclusion of Glory and Vangie.

April , 2011 EASTER & MEDJUGORJE

Happy and joyous Easter is celebrated today. Easter commemorates the triumphant Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. It represents new life and new beginnings, the ultimate realization of hope during the 40-day period of Lent. Once again, we are reminded to focus our attention and energies to hope which is the mark of every Christian.

Amidst the ringing of church bells, lovely potted white lilies adorning main altars and the hugs and kisses of family, relations and friends today, my memory trails back to my visit to Medjugore in 1997. Why? Because I associate an unforgettable experience there with Easter.

Having read and heard so much about the apparition of our Blessed Mother in Medjugore, Gloria Reyes (may she rest in peace), a former co-teacher and I went on a pilgrimage there. At that time, 1997, a war was waging in Yugoslavia among the different states that comprised the country. Croatia was a principal protagonist in the dispute. The strong-willed woman that I was and still am, I went on with the trip with someone whose temperament matched mine. I guess the similarity of our attitude towards life made our friendshhip last for so long. True to newspaper reports, we could hear distant war sounds of boom-boom-boom from all sorts of weapons even as we landed in the airport. I was unnerved. I felt secure in the thought that our Lord and Blessed Mother will always take care of us.

Medjugorje is a village surrounded by mountains and hills. A huge white cross stands majestic on top of a mountain. I learned that the Cross was placed there through the painstaking work fo villagers way back in the 1930's. They did not know then that what they did would play an important role in the relatively recent apparitions of the Blessed Virgin to some youth.

APRIL 23.2011 - OLIVE LEAVES - GETHSEMANE

It is the wee hours of Holy Saturday, 4:23 AM. The activities and TV shows about Good Friday kept me tossing in bed. Sleep stayed away. Among other things, Cielo and I watched the classic film, "The Passion of the Christ" produced by Mel Gibson. Though I had seen it a few times before, I was still so moved by the exceptionally dramatic portrayal of Jesus' last hours. Slowly, the Holy Land sites pertinent to the Passion and Death of Christ unfolded in my mind. I was there! Thank God for the privilege of having walked on the very ground where Jesus walked, seen the scenery which displayed before His eyes on a day-to-day basis and touched some objects whereupon His hands had lain! Praise the Lord!

I remembered having walked the Bethpage route which Jesus took when He entered Jerusalem. Under the noonday sun, our group followed the way in silence minus the joyous cries of "Hossana, Hossana! Blessed is He Who comes in the name of the Lord!" Without palm branches, too. I prayed and felt sad remembering that the same crowd that hailed Jesus then was the same one who condemmed Him to be crucified. How fickle-minded can man be? How shallow can man's conviction be? How strong can the force of evil be on man's readiness to compromise? I shook my head in sadness....and in disgust.

The Church of All Nations could be seen as the tour bus climbed up Mount Olives. It was built on the place where Jesus communed with His Father during His agony in the Garden of Gethsemane. The significance of the suffering of Christ is so poignantly made more alive and felt by the darkness that pervaded inside the church. The pale stained-glass windows permitted only a slight glow of the bright sun outside. I believed it was done on purpose. The main altar table was supported by a central structure shaped like a cup since the agony of Jesus is known to be the "Cup of Suffering" for the redemption of mankind. This truth is part of our Christian heritage. Right before the altar lay a large section of rocks bordered by a low (about 10 inches tall) of iron fence of thorns. This was the place where Jesus prayed and sweat blood. The flow of tears by many pilgrims was natural. I spent sometime in the Adoration Chapel which was located on the left side of the church parallel to the main altar. Some thousnd-year-old olive trees could be seen in the courtyard but were protected by flat iron sheets so that it was impossible for any pilgrim to even reach out to pick a leaf.

I espressed my earnest desire to have olive leaves right from the Garden of Gethsemane to Benji Shavit, our guide who actually owned the travel agency in Jerusalem. He said that he knew the "caretaker" and would talk to him about the matter. He added that maybe a small reward would facilitate the request. Without hesitation, I handed a sizeable reward. Within minutes, a smiling bearded middle-aged man came out with Benji. After the usual introductions, he took me across the street from the All Nations Church area and opened a wide huge iron gate with chains larger than the size of my wrists. Lo and behold! Before me lay a large tract of land covered with olive trees whose gnarled roots sprawled above ground. My heart was pounding with excitement! He called a teen-aged boy before we entered. As we walked along the grove, he explained in very good English that most of the trees were more than a thousand years old. He asked the boy to climb up. I watched him break some tiny branches and twigs profuse with olive leaves. I was almost mesmerized with the thought that I was inside the Garden of Gethsemane and that I was witnessing the gathering of olive leaves right from the aged gigantic olive trees! My heart was panting in prayer, "Thank you, God. You are so good to me!"

I shared the olive leaves with the other pilgrims, my family, relations and friends. Do you know something? The olive leaves I have kept since 1994, my first visit to the Garden of Gethsemane are still GREEN up to this date - May 23, 2011. In my succeeding visits to Israel in 1995 and 1999, I was able to get olive leaves through the help of the caretaker. Praise the Lord! But during my first visit to the Holy Land in 1977, I was not able to go to the Garden of Gethsemane. Neither was I able to go to Gethsemane in 2005 when I joined a pilgrimage because of a happening which I will relate in a separate blog.