flores de mayo
I went to Sitio Balasbas last month to celebrate mass with them and to witness their Flores de Mayo. Sitio Balasbas is part of Brgy. Simon Ledesma, located at its boundary with Brgy. San Roque. In fact one of the Urna Cells which our team is setting up this week criss-crosses the two barangays. It has a small chapel located at the end of the concrete street just a few meters from the river - the few meters which are filled with houses made of very light materials. The chapel is really small, around 6 meters long and 4 meters wide - located at the exact spot where the street ends. It was probably built as an afterthought after all the spaces available were occupied, but an important afterthought nevertheless since it looks as if it was an afterthought that was insisted upon. And everyday around 6 in the evening, a small group would gather in that chapel topray the Angelus and the rosary. They’re looking for a sound system though, so that their prayers will be carried away to and heard not just by God and the Blessed Mother but also by the families in that neighborhood so that they too can join in the praying even while they are in their homes cooking dinner.
Well, after the mass which they set up on the street in front of the chapel I stayed awhile to eat the delicious merienda consisting of empanara and pancit molo. Then as they prepared to start the Flores, with the children lining up to offer flowers to Mary, I got a chair, settled in and watched.
The flowers they offered did not look fresh and I had some funny suspicion that they were probably reusing the flowers they offered a day or two before. But the not-so-fresh flowers were overly compensated by their fresh voices singing hymns to Mary as they marched two by two to the altar as in a carefully choreographed performance. Two by two they marched, and as they reached the chapel floor they took off their slippers in the manner children usually do, taking them off without even looking at them. Then they approached the altar, bowed to the image of the Blessed Mother, carefully placed their flowers at her feet, bowed to Mary again, then turning, they bowed at each other, turned half-way towards the door marching forward to exit, and as they reached the street, wore their slippers expertly without even stopping, and joined the line once more at the back. Perfect! As I said, it was really carefully choreographed and I was not just amused but edified. Simplicity is indeed a thing of beauty and the praise coming from the simple of heart can be very moving indeed.
I went home late that night and I was happy that I stayed awhile to watch and join these young kids in praising God through her Mother.
This is one of the inspirations why we need to continue reaching out to these children through our Barangay Sunday School program, not just during May but every Sunday. We need to gather them on Sunday, to pray with them, play with them and learn with them. We are talking a lot (of which we are so good at) about the youth as the future, but we are doing almost nothing for them to make them to appreciate the church and to love God even more.
We can feel the effects of our past neglect right now. It is difficult for us at this time to gather our young people from age 13 to 18 years old, and it would be even more difficult to gather those who have reached the age of 19. Well we can always say there might be something wrong with our techniques and methods but I believe the deeper reason is the lack of a basic foundation which I believe starts in early childhood. It would have been better to start at an early age and when they reached the higher age bracket we could have passed them up to our youth ministry. That’s my point and that’s the importance of a strong and consistent Sunday School in the Barangays.
Do you know why St. John is called the beloved disciple of Jesus? St. Thomas Aquinas surmised that John was the beloved among the group because he began serving the Lord while he was still young - to serve the Lord while still young.
After two Sundays, announcing in all Sunday masses our need for volunteer catechists for our Barangays, one from CPU sent us feelers that she is interested. Mmmm CPU? Sometimes you get help from unexpected places. God is a God of surprises. I hope that in the coming days God will touch your hearts so that together we can join hands and work for the Lord.
Well, after the mass which they set up on the street in front of the chapel I stayed awhile to eat the delicious merienda consisting of empanara and pancit molo. Then as they prepared to start the Flores, with the children lining up to offer flowers to Mary, I got a chair, settled in and watched.
The flowers they offered did not look fresh and I had some funny suspicion that they were probably reusing the flowers they offered a day or two before. But the not-so-fresh flowers were overly compensated by their fresh voices singing hymns to Mary as they marched two by two to the altar as in a carefully choreographed performance. Two by two they marched, and as they reached the chapel floor they took off their slippers in the manner children usually do, taking them off without even looking at them. Then they approached the altar, bowed to the image of the Blessed Mother, carefully placed their flowers at her feet, bowed to Mary again, then turning, they bowed at each other, turned half-way towards the door marching forward to exit, and as they reached the street, wore their slippers expertly without even stopping, and joined the line once more at the back. Perfect! As I said, it was really carefully choreographed and I was not just amused but edified. Simplicity is indeed a thing of beauty and the praise coming from the simple of heart can be very moving indeed.
I went home late that night and I was happy that I stayed awhile to watch and join these young kids in praising God through her Mother.
This is one of the inspirations why we need to continue reaching out to these children through our Barangay Sunday School program, not just during May but every Sunday. We need to gather them on Sunday, to pray with them, play with them and learn with them. We are talking a lot (of which we are so good at) about the youth as the future, but we are doing almost nothing for them to make them to appreciate the church and to love God even more.
We can feel the effects of our past neglect right now. It is difficult for us at this time to gather our young people from age 13 to 18 years old, and it would be even more difficult to gather those who have reached the age of 19. Well we can always say there might be something wrong with our techniques and methods but I believe the deeper reason is the lack of a basic foundation which I believe starts in early childhood. It would have been better to start at an early age and when they reached the higher age bracket we could have passed them up to our youth ministry. That’s my point and that’s the importance of a strong and consistent Sunday School in the Barangays.
Do you know why St. John is called the beloved disciple of Jesus? St. Thomas Aquinas surmised that John was the beloved among the group because he began serving the Lord while he was still young - to serve the Lord while still young.
After two Sundays, announcing in all Sunday masses our need for volunteer catechists for our Barangays, one from CPU sent us feelers that she is interested. Mmmm CPU? Sometimes you get help from unexpected places. God is a God of surprises. I hope that in the coming days God will touch your hearts so that together we can join hands and work for the Lord.
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