A Visit to Mama Mary

My hometown is sandwiched between two booming towns in the province. In fact, one of them even became a city recently. As far as I can remember, my town has no claim to fame. It has no tourist spots and no major industry. It stands to reason that my town is very poor. It's very quiet and the mercado is alive only once a week.

But I never thought that what would put my little quiet town on the map would be a monastery. A monastery of monks dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary. The monks go about their duties wearing sackcloth. And I do mean sackcloth. The kind flour is stored in. They just dye it blue for the blue of the Virgin Mary's robe.

When I first went there, the road was terrible. It was limestone that has never seen a grader in its life. It was dusty during summer and muddy slippery during the rainy season. The shrine itself was a simple affair of a few wooden posts and a tin roof. There was no kisame and no walls to speak of.

a church in progress

our mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary

what do you want to pray for? (candles are P35 each)

the imposing facade (inside, its not quite finished yet)

the entrance gate to the monastery

But I was simply awed when I came back there this year. The road was already asphalted and even made of concrete in some parts. A majestic church has risen and an Adoration chapel too. While there was nothing more than trees and shrubs around the shrine before, now there are several sculptures and statues. I cannot believe what the power of faith can do. I should have some of that. The power of faith I mean. But my granite-hard head seems to be immune to such suggestions nowadays.

But I digress. When I went there a few years ago, I brought along some of my friends. Together we wrote some petitions which we prayed over and dropped in the drop box for Mama Mary to intercede for us in prayer to our Lord Jesus. Sa dinami ng sinulat ko dun, I only remember one thing. My petition which came true.

I prayed that the best choice for Philippine president would be elected. It was a few months before the presidential elections then. I think my prayer came true because Gloria won. Her opponents died during her term in office so I don't think they were the best choices to begin with. Sa pinagpipilian natin nun, it must have been Gloria who needed to be elected. Imagine the power vacuum that would be created with a dead president in mid-term. We can only speculate on the uproar it would create on a national level. The power struggle over who gets to take over.

On the way to see the statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary, you see letters posted on bulletin boards. Letters of thanksgiving for prayers granted. There was even a space for wheelchairs and crutches donated by healed petitioners.

Maybe my friends can submit letters to post on the bulletin boards. Because I know that the petitions of my three friends who came along also came true. All of them. Because I knew what they asked for and I know that God has already granted their prayers.

I don't know why I don't remember anymore the other petitions I wrote then. Siguro para di ko maningil ni Lord. But I do remember the petitions I wrote last week. And I hope that God sees fit to grant them. With the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary. All I can do is wait in patient hope.

Easier said than done.