Bashings to Blessings

“Then they said among the nations, ‘The Lord has done great things for them.’” - Psalm 126:2

 “Pag may bashing, may blessing.” That’s a quip I picked up in X (formerly Twitter) when my fave celeb gets bashed and blessings for him immediately follow. When I face harassments before an important event, I use this thought to comfort myself - “When the evil one bashes, God blesses.”

Several months ago, my cousin & bff Belle told me she was organizing a pilgrimage to Europe. Paris, Madrid, Barcelona and Switzerland are in my bucket list and these are included in their itinerary. So I prayed for discernment if I should join them. God gave a thumbs up with all requirements falling into place. But as the date of our departure neared, my 94-year-old father, slipped in the bathroom & had a huge bump on his head which caused medical anxieties. Our house angel/Papa’s adult sitter got sick with dengue-like symptoms added to that. Then Belle, one of only 4 people I know in the group, had to back out because of a knee problem. It was not looking good.

I left with trepidation. But as the passage above says, the Lord does great things for us. First, the people in the group were so nice, I felt welcomed soon enough. Next, the sites we have visited so far - Cascais, Sintra & Obidos in Portugal and Avila in Spain - completely charmed me (watch out for my travel blogs). But the best blessings were of a spiritual nature. 

Every day masses are part of our itinerary. BUT, we depend on God’s grace for the locations. And for the last 3 days, God has been pouring His graces upon us.

Day 1 mass was at the Church of St. Anthony in Lisbon. St. Anthony is one of my favorite saints. The church was not part of our itinerary but we were allowed to hold a concelebrated mass there. We were even blessed by his relic which is only taken out on particular occasions. Grace #1

Day 2 mass was in the Church of Eucharistic Miracle in Santarem. We were only supposed to visit the site of one of the most famous eucharistic miracles in the world. But, we were given permission to hold mass at the last minute. Grace #2

Day 3 mass was arranged by our tour guide in the Convent of St. Joseph, the first convent founded by Sta. Teresa in Avila. Grace #3

I know God is not finished with His shower of graces. The bashings are no match for His blessings.

#SeekingMary: Arrivederci Roma

 

Basilica Papale di San Pietro in Vaticano 

Rome. The Cradle of Civilization. The Eternal City. 

It was fitting that the last leg of our pilgrimage was Rome. My trip would not be as fulfilling without having visited this city replete with ancient and religious history. So veni, vidi, did not really vici because it was Rome that conquered my heart. And our visit was perfectly timed as it was my birthday the day after. What a wonderful gift! 

We visually savored the rich trove of arts and artifacts in the Vatican Museum,

 

Flemish tapestry designed by Raphael

gazed up in awe at Michelangelo’s artistry in the Sistine Chapel (sadly no photos allowed), marveled at St. Peter’s Basilica

 

and St. Paul Outside the Walls.

 

An added treat was the courtesy call we paid on Ambassador Grace Princesa, Philippine envoy to the Vatican at that time, who also happens to be a fellow Didache writer.

I was disappointed though to just see the Colosseum whiz by from the bus

 

and not toss my coin into the Trevi Fountain because of the heavy rain. Even Santa Maria Maggiore was off limits that day because of a special event they were holding inside. 

But later on, God’s better plan was revealed. That night, led by Camino de Santiago trekkers, twins Angie and Cleo, eleven of us decided to brave the dark, the distance and the threat of bad weather to go to Fontana di Trevi . We just couldn’t leave Rome without seeing that famous spot. 

Guess what, it didn’t rain. Guess what again, we had a wonderful time even if we had to pass through a dark, scary tunnel to get there. We were charmed by the festive cafes and shops that dotted the alleyways.

 

We enjoyed Zaydee’s gelato treat at Venchi for my birthday asalto. (Thanks dear 😘)

 

We tossed our coins together with our wishes in Fontana di Trevi , which we might not have been able to do during the day with so many tourists around.

 

We even got to see the Pantheon

 

and Piazza Navona.

 

God had His own treasure-filled itinerary. 

But that wasn’t it for my birthday blessings. Actually my birthday treat began as soon as we arrived in Rome. My cousin, BFF and our travel agent, Belle, must’ve arranged as a treat to give me and my roomie Fely this luxurious junior suite with a loft at the Best Western Plus Hotel Universo.

 

Best Western Plus Hotel Universo 
(photos grabbed from the hotel's site)

As for the Santa Maria Maggiore which we couldn’t enter during our tour, three friends and I were able to hear mass there the next morning. I got to see the inside of the largest Catholic Marian church in Rome after all, on my birthday at that.

 

Having been so blessed, I bid Rome, “Arrivederci.” By God’s grace, I will be back to see more of its famous sights.

#SeekingMary: Rich in Spirit

 

Town of Assisi with Rocca Maggiore,

the fortress that has dominated the citadel for 800 years

In this life, you will meet people who think they’re above you because they’re rich. Snobs who will tell you, “Mahirap mangarap ang mahirap. (It’s hard for poor people to dream.)” With noses up in the air and eyebrows arched, they think only the rich can dream big. 

Then, you learn about saints like Francis of Assisi who literally threw away his father’s riches because he wanted to leave his worldly life and live in the service of God and His people. 

You get uplifted. You can’t take your wealth with you after all. Our day in Assisi made St. Francis and St. Claire’s call for a life of prayer and simplicity more real to us. 

“Men lose all the material things they leave behind them in this world, but they carry with them the reward of their charity and the alms they give. For these, they will receive from the Lord the reward and recompense they deserve.” - St. Francis of Assisi

Our first stop, the Church of Sta. Maria degli Angeli, is the place where St. Francis died.

 

Enclosed within this papal basilica is a small 9^th century church, the Porziuncola. This is the original church where St. Francis came to pray and where he gathered his friars to form the Franciscan movement.

 

Crucifixion fresco on the backside
of the Porziuncola

Our guide showed us the Roseto (Rose Garden). It is said this is where the devil tempted St. Francis. To keep himself from succumbing to temptation, he threw himself naked upon the thorns of the rose bushes. But God saved him by removing the thorns. That variety of thornless roses grows in the garden to this day.

 

The thorns and temptation became a running joke with our group. Every time one of us gets tempted to enter the quaint shops that lined the streets of Assisi, we get the threat of being thrown upon the rose bushes. That kept most of our luggage within the allowed 30 kilos.

 

We got a relief from those material temptations because at the end of the road sits the Basilica di San Francesco d’Assisi (Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi). It is a Papal minor basilica and one of the most important places of Christian pilgrimage in Italy. It has a Lower and Upper Basilica. The Lower Basilica is the oldest Gothic church in the country.

 

But, after a lunch of traditional Umbrian cuisine, we all gave in to temptation and rushed off for some shopping for souvenirs, cheese and truffle oil. 

Let me just say, I loved Assisi both for its religious significance and its ambiance. I was especially charmed by the medieval buildings and quaint shops along its hilly, cobbled streets. Including Assisi in my must-go-back-to-for-a-more-leisurely-trip list.

 

The day after our visit to Assisi, we were off to another site for spiritual enrichment, San Giovanni Rotondo. This is the home of St. Pio of Pietrelcina from 1916 until his death in 1968.

 

Official group photo in front of the
Church of Sta. Maria delle Grazie

We were given a guided tour around the Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie, the church built during Padre Pio’s lifetime and the Convent where he lived. We saw many of Padre Pio’s memorabilia including the thousands of letters from all over the world requesting for prayers from him.

 

Our tour was made more interesting because our guide and his family are natives of San Giovanni. His grandfather and father worked for the revered saint. He told us many stories of healings and miracles. 

At the end of the tour, we joined a long queue to the crypt to view Padre Pio’s well-preserved body that is entombed in a transparent casket.

 

We were also fortunate to be able to attend mass at the Chiesa San Pio da Pietrelcina (Padre Pio Pilgrimage Church-Shrine). The church is huge as it can seat 6,500 people with standing room for 30,000 more outside.

 

After San Giovanni, we went to Lanciano for lunch. The restaurant looked like it was an old home converted into a family-owned trattoria. They served us a deliciously authentic Italian meal complete with gelato for dessert.

 

But more than feeding our bodies, Lanciano also fed our souls as we visited the Santuario Del Miracolo Eucaristico at the San Legonziano Church. This is where the miracle of the host turning into human flesh happened. For me, it was a validation of our Catholic belief that the host is truly the body of Christ.

 

Note: Some photos I included here were taken by my co-pilgrims who had way more skills in photography than I did. Thank you bros and sis-sies.

#SeekingMary: Che Sorpresa!

 

Au revoir France, Ciao Italy!

 

Our long trip calls to mind the visitation of Mary to Elizabeth. It must have taken her also a long time to travel from her home. But unlike us, Mary had no conveniences. She must have taken a ride on a donkey or walked some of the way through hilly country. To keep to the spirit of the pilgrimage, Bro Arun discussed the 3rd & 4th words Mary spoke in the bible as we made our way on the bus from France to Italy.  They were both spoken during the Visitation: 

3rd - It was not really written in the bible but Mary’s greeting to Elizabeth must have been “Shalom” or “Peace”. The deeper meaning of shalom is “my debt is paid”. Mary, the first tabernacle, was carrying in her womb the Prince of Peace who will pay for mankind’s debt. 

4th - The Magnificat. It is a revolutionary prayer because if we follow what Mary says, it will change the world. It will cause a moral, social and economic revolution. It will cause the death of pride, the end to all labels and discrimination, and elimination of selfishness. 

The monotony of our long trip was broken by lunch in Genoa (Genova), Italy’s leading port and the birthplace of Christopher Columbus,

 

Piazza de Ferrari, Genoa

and sightseeing in Pisa for those must-have photos with its iconic Leaning Tower.

 

Then came my surprise! 

Have you ever had a dream that came true, and you didn’t even know there’s another dream that is being fulfilled together with it? It’s like receiving a gift, and as you open it, a jack-in-the-box pops up with that diamond ring you’ve been drooling over (or some such desired thing) attached to it. 

I got that jack-in-the-box surprise in Italy. It’s been my dream to visit Italy more than any other European country. I feel an affinity to it, maybe because my name, Mirella, is of Italian origin. This preceded my dream of joining this Marian Pilgrimage by maybe decades. Both were being fulfilled in this trip. That is the gift box in my analogy. But I had a more specific dream for 16 years prior and that was to visit Tuscany. This was after I watched the movie, Under the Tuscan Sun. I just fell in love with the place shown in the movie. 

(Before I go on with my story, let me tell you that I am clueless when it comes to geography. My son, Jaffy, found it hilarious when I asked him if they were on the ship when he said they were in Bukidnon – “FYI Mom, Bukidnon is landlocked.” Malay ko ba.) 

So, Day 11 brought us to Firenze (Florence). At the beginning of our walking tour, I already found the city captivating. In the middle of the piazza, as we gazed up at the magnificence of the Duomo Sta. Maria del Fiore,

 

our guide said, “Firenze is the capital of Tuscany.” My jaw dropped! I was being blessed with my dream and I didn’t even know it! Actually, the fulfilment began yesterday because Pisa is also in Tuscany. Talk about being jack-in-the-boxed! Che sorpresa! 

I wish we had more time to stay and explore Firenze's art and history, but sadly it was only a couple of hours stop.

 

Replica of Michelangelo's David and
Bandinelli’s Hercules and Cacus in front of Palazzo Vecchio

Neptune Fountain

Benvenuto Cellini’s Perseus with the Head of Medusa

Michelangelo Buonarroti

Galileo Galilei

I’ll be back to see more of you Tuscany. That is my prayer and my dream.

 

Piazzale Michelangiolo