Showing posts with label Virgin Mary. Show all posts

The Virgin Mary

By Apolinario Villalobos

When I asked a Catholic friend about the so many titles bestowed upon the Virgin Mary, she told me that they are based on the location of her appearance, such as Guadalupe in Mexico, hence, “Our Lady of Guadalupe”. I believed her, then. However, when I heard the “Tower of David” (Tore in David) in the litanies being read by a group of religious women who offer prayers at the wake of a dead person asking intercession for mercy, I began to question the seriousness in the practice of “naming” the Virgin Mary. Wow!...even the tower of David can intercede?...for me it is sheer stupidity!

On her title, “Our Lady of Fatima”….who is the Catholic Church referring to as the “lady”? Fatima is mentioned in the Koran as the Virgin Mary… it is a Moslem name, not Christian, so indeed, who is  the lady?...is she another woman who acts as a maid of Fatima or Virgin Mary, as in “lady-in-waiting” of queens in their royal court?

On the title, “Our Lady of Medjugorie”, if the basis is the “place” of manifestation or appearance, the signs such as the “dancing sun” and the “appearance” of the image of a woman to the children took place in the sky and not on the ground. The children had to stare at the sky to supposedly “see” her. Why not then call the woman who appeared to the children and manifested her appearance with the “dancing sun”, as “Our Lady of the Sky” or “Our Lady of the Dancing Sun” to give it a universal touch and not a selfish ownership limited to where the children live?

Every time I go home to my hometown, I would pass by a small barangay that claims a certain “Nuestra Seἧora de la Regla” as its patroness as shown by a signboard with such title above the door of their small chapel. What I know of “regla” is the “monthly visit” of fertile women, or scientifically referred to as menstruation. Is the title then, got to do with the appeal of fertile women to the Virgin Mary’s intercession for them to have a comfortable monthly discharge of menstrual blood?. Why go to that extent when such occurrence is normal, if indeed, it is true? Is that not asking too much?

There are claims of people about “appearances” of the Virgin Mary on doors, leaves, petals, floor tiles, etc. How sure are these people that it is the “Virgin Mary”? Do they have her photo? It should be noted that the images of saints, Virgin Mary and even Jesus, that the Catholics adore are “interpretations” of painters based on what they “imagined” per instruction given them. They even use models, as in the case of San Pedro Calungsod whose face is based on that of a popular Filipino basketball player. The images even differ according to the various cultures of Catholics all over the world. For Chinese Catholics, their Virgin Mary sometimes looks very Chinese. For Filipinos, some of the images look very Filipina, even brown in color. The Mediterranean Catholics have their own flat version of the face. And, the Japanese Catholics have their own “Japanese Madonna”. I consider this as a deception to the highest degree.

In the case of San Pedro Calungsod, I have no qualms in the use of a model, but they should have used a living relative of the saint. There are plenty of them in Cebu….why use a popular PBA basketball player?....dahil pogi?....now, that is a big shitty question to the seriousness on the part of the Catholic church in propagating Catholicisim. The guy or priest or whoever should be made responsible for this stupidity. If he is a priest, he should be booted out of the Catholic church, for what he has done has brought enormous shame to the said Christian congregation.

If something is wrong somewhere, the concerned authority should rectify it for the sake of their followers, so that the latter will not come out as victims of a foolery or deception. The bad eggs in the Catholic Church including those who gained age but still maintain their stubbornness in supporting evil instead of what is good should be defrocked!

Ang Imahen ng “Lady of Guadalupe”

ng Barangay Real 2 (Bacoor City, Cavite)

…simbolo ng matibay na pananampalataya at pagkakaisa

Ni Apolinario Villalobos

Ang imahen ng Birhen ng Guadalupe ang itinuturing na isa sa mga may naipamalas na milagro sa mga mananampalatayang Kristiyano.  Ang imahen ay unang nakilala sa Guadalupe, Mexico dahil sa mga milagrong ipinamalas niya sa mga katutubo kaya ang mga Mehikanong kasama sa mga paglalayag ng mga galleon mula noong 1400s ay nagdadala nito upang maging “tagapagligtas” nila kung magkaroon sila ng sakuna sa karagatan.

Sa Pilipinas, ang unang nakilalang imahen ng Guadalupe ay ang nakaluklok sa Guadalupe Church, sa Guadalupe Nuevo, Makati City. Itinuturing din itong mapaghimala kaya maraming debotong dumadayo sa nasabing simbahan upang ito ay hingan ng tulong. Ang pinakapiyesta ng “Lady of Guadalupe” ay tuwing ika-12 ng Disyembre.

Sa Cavite, may imahen ng nasabing Birhen sa Barangay Real Dos, Bacoor City, sa maliit na subdivision ng Perpetual Village 5 at nakaluklok sa Multi-purpose Hall nito, na itinuturing nang “chapel” dahil dito rin nakaluklok ang iba pang imahen ng Birheng Maria at Hesus. Ang imahen ay donasyon ng mag-asawang Glo at Ed de Leon noong 2013 nang italaga ng parukyang San Martin de Porres ang nasabing birhen bilang patron ng nabanggit na barangay. Bukod sa imahen ng nasabing Birhen, ang mag-asawa ay nag-donate din ng imahen ng Itim na Nazareno, Christ the King, at mga gamit pang-Misa ng pari. Ang mag-asawa din ang nagpa-ayos ng mga sirang bahagi ng “chapel” at nagpalit ng pintura nito noong nabanggit na taon. Payak ang nasabing “chapel”, may kaliitan din subalit hindi hadlang ang mga kapintasang  ito upang umigting ang pananampalataya ng mga taong taga-barangay at mga karatig lugar na dumadalo sa Misa tuwing Linggo.

Mula nang mailuklok ang birhen sa nasabing barangay, kapansin-pansin ang pagkaroon ng dagdag sa bilang ng mga dumadalo sa Misa tuwing Linggo. Nagkaroon din ng dagdag- inspirasyon kaya lalong sumigla ang pagkilos ng mga religious crusaders ng Holy Face of Jesus na namamahala sa imahen. Ang grupong ito ang nagbubuklod sa mga mananampalatayang Katoliko na taga- loob at labas ng barangay dahil sa pinapakita ng mga miyembro na walang kapagurang pagdasal sa mga lamay sa pakiusap ng namatayan, pamumuno sa pagdasal ng novena at rosaryo sa kapilya tuwing Huwebes ng dapithapon, at pakikiisa sa mga pagtitipong ispiritwal sa parukya ng San Martin de Porres tulad ng paghahatid ng imahen ng Birheng Maria sa mga bahay na gustong magpabisita sa kanya. Ang lahat ng mga nabanggit ay ginagawa ng grupo sa ngalan ng sakripisyo dahil lahat sila ay nagkakanya-kanyang gastos kung may lakad o  tuwing may prusisyon sa parukya. Ang grupo ay pinangungunahan ngayon ni Lydia Libed, bilang Presidente. Nakikipag-ugnayan si Gng. Libed sa namumuno ng Pastoral Council ng Real Dos na si Emma Duragos, na nagsisilbi namang kinatawan ng parukya sa barangay.

Nakadagdag ng lakas na ispiritwal ng barangay ang chorale group ng mga kabataan at young adults na kumakanta tuwing may okasyon para sa patron at tuwing Linggo na araw ng Misa. Ang grupong ito na pinamumunuan ni Arianne Lorenzana ay madalas ding maimbita sa mga Misang idinadaos sa labas ng barangay. Ang tumatayo namang mother/adviser nila ay si Norma Besa na bukod sa nagpapakain sa mga miyembro tuwing may practice ay takbuhan din nila upang hingan ng payo. Hindi rin nagpapabaya si Norma sa pagkukusa ng tulong sa pagpalit ng mga bulaklak na alay sa patron at iba pang pangangailangan nito.

Umaagapay sa mga grupong nabanggit si Louie Eguia, presidente ng Perpetual Village 5 Homeowners Association, na ang pinagkakaabalahan sa kasalukuyan ay ang proyektong pagpapasemento ng harapan ng kapilya dahil sa dumadaming maninimba tuwing Linggo na umaapaw hanggang sa labas, bukod pa sa pagpapaayos ng bubong nito. Ayon kay ginoong Eguia, ang donasyon sa pagpasemento ng harapan ng kapilya ay manggagaling sa gobernador ng Cavite na si Jonvic Remulla, at ang pagpapaayos ng bubong ay manggagaling naman sa gaganaping “bingo social” na proyekto ng PV5 Homeowners Association. At tulad ng dapat asahan, ang maybahay niyang si Edna naman ang nagbibigay ng hindi matawarang suporta sa kanya sa lahat ng kanyang mga ginagawa, kasama na ang pag-follow up ng mga dokumento sa iba’t ibang opisina, para sa mga proyekto. 

 At sa abot naman ng makakaya ng Barangay Real Dos, ang Chairman nitong si ginoong BJ Aganus ay nakaalalay, mula sa pagbigay ng marshall tuwing magdaraos ng prosesyon at seguridad naman para sa iba pang mga kahalintulad na okasyon. Ang iba pang sakop ng patrong Lady of Guadalupe ng Real Dos ay ang Luzville subdivision, Silver Homes 1 and 2, at ang Arevalo Compound.

Ang nais kong ipakita rito ay ang maaliwalas na pakikipag-ugnayan sa isa’t isa ng mga grupo at opisyal sa Real Dos sa ngalan ng patron na “Lady of Guadalupe”, patunay na ang nagkakaroon ng pagkakaisa kung ang mga tao ay may matibay na pananampalataya na nagpapaigting ng respeto sa isa’t isa.

Ang Pagninilay-nilay Tuwing

Semana Santa

Ni Apolinario Villalobos

Uumpisahan ko ang share na ito sa pagpuna tungkol sa ilang bagay tungkol sa ginugunita ng mga Katoliko. Tulad halimbawa ang “semana santa” na sa Ingles ay “holy week”, at kung tagalugin ay “banal na linggo” pero hindi ganoon ang nangyayari dahil ang ginagamit ay “mahal na araw” na tumutukoy sa “isang araw” lang…anong araw ito? Biyernes santo ba? Sa dasal na “Hail Mary…” kung sa Tagalog, ito ay “Aba Ginoong Maria…”. Bakit naging “ginoo” ang birheng Maria? Ang “ginoo” ay pantukoy sa lalaki. Bakit hindi, “Binibining Maria” o “Ginang Maria” at lalong sana ay “Birheng Maria” dahil siya ay babae? Sigurado kong marami ang magtataas ng mga kilay sa pagpuna kong ito.

Kaya ko inunahan ng mga pagpuna ang isinulat kong ito ay upang ipakita na karamihan sa mga gumugunita sa Semana Santa, ang pananampalataya ay ampaw…walang laman. Ang mga dasal, minimemorays, hindi pini-feel sa puso. Kung susunod sa mga panuntunan ng simbahan, parang wala sa sarili kung gawin ito, hindi iniisip. Kaya sa binanggit ko sa unang paragraph, maaaring kung hindi ko nasabi ay hindi rin mapapansin, dahil sa ugali ng karamihan na kung i-describe ay “parang wala lang”.

Maraming paraan ang pagtitika at pagninilay-nilay sa paggunita ng Semana Santa tulad ng  pagbisita Iglesia…paramihan ng pinupuntahang simbahan, subalit ang nakakalungkot ay hindi nila pagpalampas sa pag-selfie sa harap mismo ng altar! Pagkatapos ng mga pasyalang ginawa ay magpo-post sa facebook ng mga selfie, pati ng mga pagkaing nabili sa paligid o harap ng simbahan. Isa pa ring paraan ay ang tinatawag na “staycation”…ang hindi pag-alis ng bahay o bayan o lunsod kung saan nakatira, dahil marami rin namang magagawa maski hindi na lumabas pa. Sa ganitong paraan, nakatipid na ay nakapag-bonding pa sa mga mahal sa buhay, subalit karamihan pala ay nanonood lang ng mga DVD ng na-miss na mga pelikula!

 Ang mga may perang magagastos, dumadayo pa sa mga bayang nakakaakit din ng mga dayuhang turista. At ang iba naman ay pinipili ang mga resort, swimming pool man o dagat upang mas maganda daw ang ambience ng pagninilay o pagmi-meditate….sana.  Yong iba kasi, ang pinagninilay-nilayan ay ang mga naka-bikining nagsi-swimming. Pero, ang matindi ay ang mga astig, na ang pagninilay ay ginagawa sa harap ng mga bote na ang etikitang nakadikit ay may imahe ng demonyo at ni San Miguel Arkanghel!

Ang mga pilosopo naman ay nagsasabi na taunan naman ang pagninilay-nilay at paghingi ng tawad o paglinis ng ispiritwal na aspeto ng pagkatao, kaya huwag mag-alala kung nakaligtaang magbisita Iglesia, magpinetensiya, o sumali sa pagbasa ng pasyon sa kasalukuyang taon dahil marami pang mga taon na susunod, at upang idiin ang pagkapilosopo, may dagdag pa na: “habang buhay…may pag-asa”.

Ngayon, magtataka pa ba tayo kung bakit ang mundo ay tila niyuyugyog ng mga sunud-sunod na kalamidad? Idagdag pa diyan ang mga giyera sa pagitan ng magkakapitbahay na mga bansa at pagkalat ng mga terorista sa iba’t ibang bansa upang maghasik ng karahasan? At huwag ding kalimutan ang gutom at mga sakit na ang iba ay wala pang lunas.

Dahil sa labis na talino at pagkagahaman ng tao, nawalan na siya ng katinuan at kinalimutan na ang Manlilikha, kaya hindi lang simpeng pitik ang nararapat kundi mararahas na pambukas ng kanyang mga mata at kaisipan!

Peῆafrancia Festival: A Story of Devotion

and Endless Love for Virgin Mary

by Apolinario Villalobos

The Peῆafrancia festival is a manifestation of the Filipinos’ strong and unwavering Catholic faith. Miracles had made Our Lady of Peῆafrancia even more popular that account for the ever-increasing number of devotees who came from all over the country to pay homage every year during the festival in her honor. The 10-day festival is celebrated starting on the second Friday of September.

A bit of history about the image tells us that it was named after the mountain situated between the provinces of Salamanca and Caceres in Spain. It is said that the image was found by a French friar, Simon Roland, on a rock in that mountain, hence, “peῆafrancia”, because rock in Spanish means “peῆa”.

In the 17^th century, the image was brought to the Philippines by Don Miguel de Cobarrubias, a Marian devotee. He built a chapel in Paco where the image was temporarily enshrined. His original plan was to have it enshrined in a church built by the bank of the Pasig River. But this was never fulfilled because he was sent to the Bicol region, particularly, Naga. He brought along with him, the image which he enshrined in the church that he eventually built in its honor.

In 1655, the Peῆafrancia Church (Peῆafrancia Basilica Minore, today) could no longer accommodate the influx of devotees, so the religious authorities thought of having it “transferred” to the much bigger Metropolitan Cathedral, days before the actual feast day. Thus, the traditional “Translacion” began. For the devotees, the festival actually starts on the day of the transfer, during which the image is carried on the shoulders of male devotees amidst the shouts of “viva la virgen”.

On the day of the image’s arrival, the cathedral begins to teem with devotees, some of whom still came from as far as Mindanao and Visayas. Among them are the sick that came with a hope to be healed.

Early in the morning of the following Saturday, a Mass is held, after which the devotees are allowed to kiss the image. As soon as the last devotee has kissed the image, preparations are made for its return to its shrine, the Peῆafrancia Basilica Minore. But this time, it is transported on a gaily-decked barge or “pagoda” as part of the fluvial procession on the river.

First timers like me who witnessed the activity are overwhelmed with awe in seeing the heartfelt devotion of the Lady’s followers, as they fill both banks of the river and the two bridges that span it. As the image is taken out of the cathedral, a heavy line of devotees follow it through the heart of the city, preceded by a band, white-robed male church attendants, priests and old devotees. The rest of the devotees join the tail end of the procession, with some of them on bare feet.

By the time shouts of “viva la virgin” are heard and barefoot male devotees clad in shorts and t-shirts with a strip of cloth tied around their head come into view, the onlookers should brace themselves for what will happen next.

A wave of devotees, mostly males clear the streets for the procession. The onlookers give way by staying on the side lanes for safety, lest they get trampled. The scene is similar to that of Quiapo’s Black Nazarene procession. Everybody wants to touch the image. To prevent untoward incidents, some of the devotees hold arms to protect the “voyadores”, carriers of the image, as their mobility is hampered by the crowd.

At the main riverport of the city, a colorfully-decorated “pagoda” awaits the image. On hand to escort it on its way back to its shrine is a long line of bancas. The streets leading to the river are all filled with devotees. The two bridges that span the Bicol River are also filled with crowds. During a celebration in the past, the bridge gave way and injured many devotees. The braver ones, dared to stay on the roof of houses that line the river banks just to have a glimpse of the famous fluvial procession.

As the image is nearing the river, chants of “ina co” (my mother) can be heard together with the shouts of “viva la virgen”.  The sound of a siren signals the arrival of the image at the riverport to alert the boatmen. As the image is being loaded into the decorated barge, pandemonium breaks loose. The chocolate-colored river comes to life with splashes of water from the elated devotees. Confettis thrown by those crowding the bridge engulf the barge with the image, as the shouts of “viva la virgin” accelerate.  Along the banks, the devotees wave their handkerchiefs and bandanas as the procession passes by.

The fluvial procession indicates the climax of the festival. But for the devotees, it doesn’t end there. Another link is added to their chain of devotion that enriches their lives. They know that they will never tire of coming back every year to go through the same ecstatic experience.  For those who came for the first time, they know that the month of September will be marked for another rendezvous with the “Lady”. For them, a special kind of love for her has just developed in their heart, and they expect it to be nurtured with a faithful devotion.

Why Not Simplify the Belief?        

By Apolinario Villalobos

(Caution: read this with an open mind.)

A basic knowledge about God is that He has no image, no face and all-knowing. The Islamic faith ardently maintains this which firmly supports its monotheistic belief. Other religions have so many gods, in contrast to Christianity that also maintains this fealty. The only problem with Christianity, particularly the Roman Catholic Church is the many “titles” or names of the venerated Mother and Jesus. There is no problem with God, because what are attributed to Him are one word definitions such as Benevolent, Omnipotent, Merciful, etc.

With Jesus, even his misrepresented image as a child is venerated – the Sto. Niῆo. This prompted my niece one time to ask me if Jesus has not grown old. What will I answer to that?

As a grown- up, Jesus is also tagged with so many aliases or a.k.a’s…Black Nazarene, Holy Face, etc. The same is true with the Virgin Mother who is also tagged with so many titles…Our Lady of Guadalupe, Immaculate Conception, etc…with each title assuming a different image. When I asked a friend about this, he told me that the title depends on where the Mother manifested herself. I asked him what title will the church give the Mother if she appeared on the door of a toilet. I asked this, because people claim appearances on leaves, walls, tree trunks, etc. I was honest in my question. There is the Our Lady of Guadalupe because she appeared in that place, somewhere in Mexico, there is the Our Lady of Lourdes because, she appeared in a cave somewhere in France. I was just honestly curious. He just ignored my question and left me…he never talked to me afterwards. I lost a friend because of one question.      

For the prayers, there is a long prayer for the dead which even mentions a “tower”. The Holy Rosary is alright, because it is supposed to be a sacrificial prayer. The Mass is most appropriate because it is supposed to commemorate the Last Supper of Jesus, His last act of salvation for mankind. What is wrong is its commercialization and use as a venue for political utterings of some revolutionary priests. Why can’t the holy ritual be confined to its real purpose, and for the revolutionary priests to go out of the church after the Mass, so that they can shout out to their hearts’ content, their political slogans and slurs against the government?

The laymen are confused as to the real mission of the Christian Church. While there are people around who are waiting for their share of spiritual grace, those with responsibilities are out in the streets joining hands with rallyists shouting invectives against the government. Some Christian groups condoned by the Catholic church, preach about blessings that will rain on the faithful so they must invert their open umbrellas, the better way to catch them….that when they get home, they should open wide their windows and doors to welcome hordes of blessings!

Why not just simplify the faith, the belief, and the way it is taught?...that there is an All-Knowing, Merciful, Benevolent God…period! Since the good acts of Jesus can enhance the evangelism, He should be included in the effort, and the faithful should be reminded that it is best to emulate Him. The simple choice, then, would just be between the good and the bad.

As for the shrines, those who raise funds for them, love to build most of these structures on top of a hill or a mountain. In the Bible, these are called “high places” where pagan rituals are held. They say that the taking of the hundreds of steps to reach them is a good “sacrifice”.  People today have more than enough sacrifice, what with the soaring prices of prime commodities, deaf government leaders, and natural calamities. Why spend money for fares in going to shrines when such financial commodity is scarce nowadays? Living on a day to day basis is a sacrifice that can be offered to the Lord.  In promoting shrines, the people behind them should be honest enough to admit that they are actually “religious tourism”, an endeavor  that actually promotes the town or province where they are built, an industry…and, with that, no more questions will be asked. Why not trek to the nearest Church during worship days, if one would really want to sacrifice?

Anything concentrated is better in texture, stronger. If the faith can have this characteristics, it can withstand the onslaught of distraction…and that is what God wants to happen – undiluted Faith in Him, nothing else!