MITING DE ABANSE NG PARTIDO HUGAS-PAA

Miyerkules Santo, bisperas ng Paskwa, miting de abanse ng Partido Hugas Paa…

Dalawang partido ang maigting na magkatunggali sa labanan ng kuwaresma: PARTIDO HUGAS-KAMAY at PARTIDO HUGAS-PAA.

PARTIDO HUGAS-KAMAY: Katipunan ng mga duwag, lupon ng mga taong takot masangkot sa mabuti, tama at totoo. Ang partido hugas-kamay ay pinamumunuan ni Pilato. Pero walang listahan ng pangalan ng mga kasapi nito. Walang gustong lumantad, walang gustong magpakilala. Lahat ay takot. Lahat ay bahag ang buntot. Ni sa kanilang samahan ay ‘di rin sila nagkaka-isa. Kanya-kanyang pulas sa oras ng peligro kumbaga. Mahilig lang sa palabas, sa palakpak, sa kaina’t kasiyahan. Maibigin sa mga ritwal at seremonyas, ampaw ang kalooban. Palahingi ng biyaya, pala-iwas sa pananagutan. Hindi maaasahan sa oras ng pangangailangan. Takot sa hirap, takot sa Krus, takot mawalan ng buhay sa ikabubuhay ng kapwa.

PARTIDO HUGAS-PAA: Si Kristo ang pasimuno ng partidong ito. Lupon ng mga taong matapang, masigasig, malalim at bayani. Hindi takot magpakumbaba dahil busog ang loob sa pag-ibig at awa ng Diyos. Mapagparaya sa iba, mapag-tanggi sa karangalan. Lantad ang pangalan. Hindi nangingiming ipangalandakan na Diyos lamang ang kanilang tanggulan, hindi nakikipagtaguan sa oras ng pangangailangan. Buo ang loob sa pamamalita ng kabutihan, malinis ang puso sa pagdadamayan. Iisa kung kumilos sa kapakanan ng bayan. Walang kinatatakutan sa larangan ng paglilingkod, sukdulang mag-alay ng kani-kaniyang buhay.

Miting de Abanse ng Partido Hugas-Paa. Ipinararating sa lahat ang masayang paanyaya! Sa Huwebes Santo, may pahapunan sa senakulo, doon gaganapin ang paghuhugas ng paa; sa Biyernes Santo, halina’t samahan si Hesus sa bundok ng Kalbaryo, kung saan ipapako ang tiyak na pagkapanalo…at sa Sabado naman ng hapon, sa presinto ng kweba tayo’y magtanod, sapagkat tiyak na ang tagumpay ng pagkabuhay sa linggo!

MIYERKULES SANTO, MIYERKULES NG PASASALAMAT

Blessing upon blessing has been coming my way these past few weeks. After months of anxiety and uncertainty, I was luckily issued my first US visa, 10-year multiple entry at first try. This is significant and especially precious for me since this means that I can finally get to fulfill a life-long dream of studying iconography in a real Orthodox Skete, under the watch of an authentic iconographer-monk, wherever there would be an opportunity.

Things are turning out relatively well with my other equally pressing and difficult life decisions. I was finally able to talk to my bishop about future plans in my ministry and life as a priest and we have come to a cordial agreement. He was remarkably solicitous and fatherly in that particular colloquium that we have had and I am very grateful for it. There was simply an excess of warmth and welcome all around me. I can only attribute all these to the loving mercy of Our Blessed Savior.

But attendant to this outpouring of blessings are the many side-glitches and emerging complications that I really do not find that formidable, but are nonetheless, providing me still the same with plenty of reasons to be humbler and more courageous. Let’s just say that these road side humps are paving my way with the necessary abrasives if only to purify and smoothen my journey some more.

Consolations and desolations, triumphs and trials, truly come in pairs. If anything, this parallel emergence of challenges to my train of God-given favors only serves to make me more thankful to the Lord for all the good things he’s indulging me with.

DEO GRATIAS!

LAETARE

The last of the mass goers
Walked past the creaking metal jamb
Of the half closed church door…

Then it began,the quietest time,
I say the most solemn,
In a typical Sunday’s basket
Of rituals and mishaps
And seemingly endless stats
Of bobbing heads in dreamland.

With only the faint smell
Of dying, stringed jasmines wafting through stolid air
As my faithful companion, I dare
To unearth the joy I thought I saw
In the faces of this midday’s crowd
From deep within my well,
I can tell
I can't!

And I’m afraid
That not even a thousand strikes
From the staff of blessed Moses
Can wring a few drops
Nor wet my dog-like nose’s
Probe into this heart that’s tired and cold.

And so proceeds my second vespers
Of cries and longings no one hears
Save him who sits with me through this,
The one who called me brother.

VIERNES SANTO

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SABADO DE GLORIA

‘Sing lamig ng pusod ng kwebang madilim
Ang umagang tumambad sa puyat na himlayan
Pati na mga kwago at bayakang maitim
Tila kulang sa idlip, nabulabog ng lagim

Ang maalat na luha’y ‘di tuluyang lumagpak
Sa halip naglambitin sa mga daho’t sanga
Pigil din ang paghuni ng kilyawan at maya
Nabahiran ng uling ang puti ng tagak

Bingi pa ang tainga sa bugbog ng kahapon
Sa nagsalong hinagpis at insultong malutong
Ng masiba at lulong na balanang hayok
At matalas na koronang sa bumbunan pinutong

Napuknat ng mainam ang telon ng trahedya
Nilugami’t binulid ang hungkag na dangal
Tumambad pagkapunit makinang na salamin
Nagbunyag sa larawan ng agnas na pithaya

At wala na sa hiram na puntod ang poon
Ni sa yungib, o dagat, o bundok na matayog
Ni sa kahoy, o bakal, o telang balumbon
Hayun na at ang araw ang liwanag nagsabog!

DOMINGO DE RAMOS

Kakikitil na palapang
Manilaw-nilaw, murang berde
Kasamang ibibigkis, ibi-byahe
Ng libong mga sibol
Sa tirintasan sa palengke

Katulad din lamang nung nagdaang taon
At mga daang taong una
Linggo na naman bukas
Ng maingay na palaspas
Alulunga’t palakpakan
Ng papuring agad lumilipas

Pula ang balabal ng paring matangkad
Hahawi sa kulapol ng madlang matingkad
Tungkod ang matibay na baong pag-asa
Na bukas paggising ay ‘di mag-iisang
Wawalis sa nagsabog na makintab na pabalat
Ng hungkag na dalangin
At pagsambang huwad

VIERNES DE DOLORES (biernes bago mag linggo ng palaspas)

Bakit ‘ika mo ikaw nga ba ang Diyos?
Ba’t bitak ang talampakan
Na ‘di nasasapnan?
At ang kamay na lumikha
Ng kabundukan at dagat
Sa balikat ng puta
Ay iyong nilalapat

‘di yata’t malabis, sagana’ng pagtangis
Ang iyong hinagpis sa gusgusing palaboy
Malakas namang tawa
Kay inam na dighay
Kapag kasalo ay tambay
At walang magawa sa buhay

Ay aba naman kung ikaw nga ang Kristo
Karungisan sa puri
Ng pili naming lahi
Anong pitagan, anong uring karangalan
Ang ibabahid mo naman sa banal naming bayan?

Kalapastanganang malaki ang isipin man lamang
Na balot ng basahan Diyos naming inaasahan
Tanggula’t kakampi, saganang magpaani
‘di tulad mong api at lusak ang lipi!

Ika’y Diyos na dakila ng lumpo at alila
Maalam na guro ng mga umid ang dila
Tinik na sagana ang putong mong sadya
Kahoy na kahiya-hiya ang luklukan mong mutya!

Genio's Ice Cream and Paper Chickens-Memories of a Year-Old Fiesta (Pistang Bayan ng Balanga 2009)

A week from now, Balanga would again be celebrating the first of its two town fiestas (March 19, Entrance of Saint Joseph into Heaven; April 28, Pistang Bayan). As the former always fall during the penitential season of Lent, no overtly gaudy and noisy activity ensues save for the solemn and beautiful procession of the tableaus of the key events in the life of St. Joseph (from the visitation of the Archangel Gabriel in his dream to his dying moments in the company, presumably, of Our Lord and the Blessed Mother).

Of the two, it is the Pistang Bayan which has left a greater impact in my repository of delightful experiences. Here's an account I have written almost a year ago of what I have seen, heard and tasted of last year's celebrations:

It was a surprisingly sober celebration for a provincial poblacion, save for what seemed like a dozen brass bands snaking through their respective baranggay’s streets since yesterday, the fiesta eve. The happy confusion of brass music and tangled traffic of tricycles and pedestrians culminated last night with the traditional serenata at the city plaza in front of the cathedral.

I always loved brass bands. I even got CDs of the more celebrated ones that I kept on playing on just about every occasion in the parishes I once served. Still, a dozen of them is not impressive enough. I grew up waking to the sound of rampaging brass bands, the really mighty ones, every 9th of January. They start marching through the then relatively safer and cleaner Elizondo neighborhood from Plaza Miranda at around 4 a.m., and would not have yet reached the end of the parade ‘til about 10.30 or 11. There were usually around 80 to a hundred and fifty of them, especially during Quiapo’s more prosperous days. Each of the band would be preceded by factory or bakery workers of some Chinese devotees of our beloved Nuestro Padre Jesus Nazareno, hoisting giant lanterns and effigies that advertise their wares. My personal favorite was this really humongous, feathered, paper chicken atop an equally enormous nest of half-cracked paper mache eggs, some of which have even had yellow, felt chicks peering through the cracks. The name of the Chinese poultry-and-eggs supplier now escapes my already rusty memory. But I could still vividly see in my mind the giant, bloated Leg-horn bobbing its wobbly head over the spectators. Another was Excellente Ham’s miniature of Quiapo church’s façade, complete with a real, wooden image of the Nazareno atop the canopy of the mock main portal. Even then, just looking at that faux church model already kept my young mind busy as to how such a beauty could have possibly been created out of egg cartons and some white Styrofoam and cartolina.

Back at the Bahay Pari, I went home early after concelebrating at the pontifical mass. I had Menudo, Embutido, and Kare-Kare for lunch, plus a hefty serving of Genio’s ice cream – a local favorite in Balanga. Two flavors only. Ube, which tastes great but feels rough on the palate, more like crumbly, boiled taro tinted pale violet, and Macapuno, which also tastes satisfyingly rich and milky, but really seems more like, well, crumbly, boiled taro, un-tinted. Sister Luth insisted that I drink the glass of cold, milk-infused Melon Tagalog juice that she saved for me but I am not really a big fan of Honey Dew. I’d rather have my 500ml, ice-cold Coke regular wash down my fiesta indulgences…really makes you burp in quicker succession and provides that intensely satisfying feeling of being stuffed and very happy at the same time. It’s already 9:52 p.m. as I write this and I am still burping!