Our Lady of Mount Banahaw?
In the 1970s, we have heard of a great project that was designed to draw a lot of tourists to the mystical site of Mount Banahaw in Dolores, Quezon. The investors knew that having a project with a grand scale would mean a lot in terms of the return of investment. So many people climb the mystical mountain for different purposes. Some would go up to get healed from some illnesses especially those which doctors couldn’t understand or have given up already. It is said that many had been cured with the help of its curative waters as healers would advise them to drink or bathe using its mystical waters. And then some would go up to obtain powers and come down magically or spiritually-protected. And still there are some who seek the truth. I was one of them.
Ina Poon Bato
The one considered the Queen of Zambales by its people is the Ina Poon Bato. Although, Protestants and cynics may disagree the predominantly Catholic population just feel that without Ina Poon Bato, Zambales could not be Christianized. As the story goes, the Aetas through the hunter Djadig discovered the image after being prompted by our Lady herself making the Aetas already believers even before the priest missionaries came in 1607, at least in her, thus paving the way for easier evangelization.
Does the City of Biringan Really Exist?
Every now and then, the name of the city of Biringan crops up as an enchanted city located in the vicinity of two big islands, Samar and Leyte. Anyway, stories of strange places either lost or are still possibly accessible abound in Filipino folklore.
Strangely Ecumenical
In my research concerning the Philippine Marian Icon Ina Poon Bato, I was
surprised to learn that it is not only the Philippine independent Church which
revere this icon of Filipino piety but found that there is another autonomous
church which does.
The Musical Connection
Sometimes, I couldn’t blame our brother Muslims for their aversion to music which does not only entertain but likewise uplift the soul. It is because music when deliberately used could be a captivating instrument. Sound beckons and signals what could be igniting in the spirit, a spark that could enliven the soul or a flying ember that could cause a conflagration such as a mass hysteria.
The First Mass in the Philippines in Question
It seems that the First Mass held in the Philippines continues to be controversial.
On Filipino Catechetical Instruction
One great thing that is terribly missing now in Philippine schools except perhaps the Catholic parochial schools is Cathechetical instruction. This is in keeping with the non-sectarian nature of the public school system which does not allow religious instruction in public schools. But there was a time when parishes enjoyed a number of volunteer cathechists who would be visiting schools regularly. The principals or school heads during those times allow them to give instruction to elementary graders to reinforce the teaching of Good Manners and Right Conduct (GMRC) for as long as the parents or guardians have no objections.
Were the Filipino Faithful Deceived in Lipa?
The saga of the Lipa apparitions continue reflecting the pulse of the Filipino Catholic faithful. The alleged apparitions took place in 1948 with a Carmel postulant by the name of Teresita Castillo became the visionary of what would be known as the Mediatrix of All Grace.
The Message of Lipa
The message of Our Lady, the Blessed Virgin Mary given to mankind through the visionary Teresita “Teresing “Castillo can be considered to be important. In her apparitions worldwide, definitive in in scope for the living universal Church, she sometimes would be silent; relying on visuals as in Zeitun and Knock, or would have a series of messages relayed through a visionary as in Fatima and La Salette.
The Boy Jesus’ Very First Project
According to the mystics, St. Joseph was not just an ordinary carpenter. He was also an expert in stone craftmanship as well as in metal works. Which is why he was able to make ploughs and farm instruments made of metals and built houses from hewn stones. As an artisan therefore, he was considered a tekton. There are however things he wouldn’t make given precognition by Heaven concerning matters of faith. Joseph, the tekton of Nazareth didn’t want to make swords and spears and other weapons made to kill; he didn’t even want to forge nails and as a carpenter would only make dowels and joints to attach wood to one another.
The Lipa Agitation
For us mountaineers, there is no comparable agitation than that which is caused by the Lipa vine (Dendrocnide meyeniana). When you get in touch with this plant you start to itch and the natural tendency for one is scratch the affected area. And then the worst thing happens, the scratched area becomes swollen and grow really painful in time. Lipa is a city in Batangas which is named after this vine which was endemic in the area.
A Church Guarded by Angels
As a Catholic grows older, he starts outgrowing his belief in what he used to call each morning or evening or especially when he is distressed. As natural as he used to call his mom whenever he cried every time he was hurt, he would call upon his guardian angel as it was one of the first things he learned from Cathechism. But just as the belief in Santa Claus erode at an early age because of the materialism attached to it, the catholic individual would feel less comfortable in calling an unseen friend which he once regularly called by means of a short prayer.