my life, my joy, my dreams
Last long weekend in observance of Lent was quiet, meaningful, and fun. The hubby and I had lots of rest and lots of time to bike together and bond with our family.
On Maundy Thursday, we did Visita Iglesia on two wheels. It felt good to bike from one church to another. We completed the requisite 14 churches and biked from Manila to Pasay and back.
While I didn’t fast during the Holy Week unlike our other Christian brothers, I made an effort to refrain from drinking alcohol and eating meat. And so did the hubby. Keeping ourselves away from alcohol was easy because we’re not really into drinking, in the first place. Keeping away from meat was another thing because we are self-confessed carnivores. It was a good thing we fully understood the significance of the atonement of Jesus. Thus, we had meatless meals on Maundy Thursday and Good Friday.
our meatless dinner on Maundy Thursday
I’m so glad we pushed thru our plan to visit Cavite-based churches for our Visita Iglesia this year. We checked out a total of seven churches located in five different places: Bacoor, Imus, Dasmariñas, Silang and Tagaytay. Aside from the heavy traffic we encountered on our way to Tagaytay Rotonda and on our way home from Tagaytay, everything turned out fine.
After our fourth church, we had a late, meatless lunch at a Chowking store in Tagaytay. We also bought some fresh pineapples and other goodies from the roadside stalls. It was a long day for us but definitely very meaningful and fun. By the way, I was with the hubby and his family. My entire family was in Manila having their own Holy Week celebration. But the hubby and I headed back to Manila earlier than planned. I was able to meet with my family on Black Saturday and we heard mass together on Easter Sunday.
Yesterday was Palm Sunday or the start of the Holy Week. As we had expected, the neighborhood parish where we heard the morning mass was filled to the brim with people waving palaspas (decorated palm fronds). One look and you could tell they’re all there for two things: to reaffirm their faith in Jesus and have their palaspas blessed by the priest so they could hang it on their doors when they get home.
our palaspas, only P20 each
Traffic was bad on our way to the church. The hubby and I mutually decided that I go ahead so I could buy some palaspas and have them blessed (usually the blessing is done prior to the mass). And that’s what I did. He, on the other hand, stayed in the car driving. We just met inside the church. The mass finished on time despite the large crowd and the intense heat.
The Lenten Season is fast-approaching. And I so look forward to the long holidays it brings. I’m not a very religious person but I always see Lent as a time to slow down, meditate and connect with God. I also think that this is the perfect opportunity to reflect on my life and how I could make it more meaningful not only for myself but for the people around me.
This Holy Week, I plan to relax and do uncomplicated things. I want to get as much rest as I could get. I want to spend as much time as I could with my family. I also want the same for my husband. That’s why we have decided to spend time equally between his family and mine. Fair deal, ayt?
Today is the last day of work in the office. Seriously, I can’t wait to clock out and go home. I’m sure a lot of people are busy today making last-minute plans for the Holy Week. It could be an out-of-town beach escapade, a visit to your favorite church/shrine, or simply meditating at home. As for me, I don’t have any plans for the Holy Week but to spend lots of time with my family. I plan to cook my favorite dishes, watch DVDs, read books, tend our mini vegetable garden and of course, pray and meditate along with the rest of my family.
We’re going home to Cavite tomorrow afternoon, right after doing the traditional Visita Iglesia with the boyfriend’s family. I also can’t wait to check out the new refrigerator I bought for my mom (that’s the shallow me speaking). This is the first time my family is spending Holy Week together and we decided to make it as simple as possible. Actually, we wanted at first to go swimming with the boyfriend’s family but the plan didn’t push thru due to logistic reasons. So, we’re just staying home.