Easter Thoughts

THE Holy Week came by so quickly. It seems like only yesterday when we started Lent with Ash Wednesday and now we already celebrated Easter.

After Good Friday, we were all so eager to celebrate Easter that many churches started their celebration at midnight of Saturday.

One person I met during Easter Sunday said that he did not even feel the four-day holiday break. Honestly, I felt the same way. It's probably because I jam-packed my vacation with so many activities. I just made sure that all the activities are related with Lent and family.

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Easter Sunday is the feast day of Madapdap Resettlement in Dapdap, Mabalacat. Their parish was named Parish of the Lord's Resurrection as a reminder of their own "resurrection" from the destruction brought about by the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo.

In the feast day mass officiated by Fr. Francis "Kiko" Dizon, he said something that I really appreciated. He said that Christ, apart from being the Good Shepherd, is also the Great "Basurero". Because of sin, we are all "trash" and unworthy of God's love. But God took us out of the "garbage can" and cleansed us with his blood.

AMEN to that!

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On Good Friday, we visited Monasterio de Tarlac. It is a monastery located on top of a mountain in the town of San Jose. It's a two-hour drive through well paved roads, narrow streets and a long bridge which can only accommodate one vehicle at a time. The final stretch leading to the Monastery is a steep and zigzag road.

The place belongs to the Servants of the Risen Christ Monastic Community, an apostolic-contemplative community of religious men who consecrated themselves to a life of prayer and work. The Monasterio started in the end of 2000 where the first Mass and the erection of the first cross were held.

One of the attractions of the place, which by the way is located in an Eco-park, is a 30-foot high statue of the Risen Christ. But the main reason for going on a pilgrimage to the monastery is the relic of the True Cross of Jesus. The relic was enshrined in the chapel dedicated to it by the Papal Nuncio to the Philippines, His Excellency Fernando Filoni, D.D.

The monastery is supposed to be a solemn place of worship. But it is very discouraging to see trash left by uncaring pilgrims. There are mineral water bottles and plastic bags with leftover food scattered all over the place. Some people just can't reconcile being spiritual with being environment-friendly. What's sad is that Good Friday, April 22, happens to be Earth Day too. Tsk tsk tsk...