on visiting a family of mystics in Cuenca, Batangas, Philippines

it is always a joy to meet new acquaintances and friends. indeed, meeting them gives a new perspective and new learning experiences on me. meeting them gives me a strong sense of belonging.

during my January 2007 visit to the Philippines, i was lucky to have met a family thru a filipina friend, who has come home from Albuquerque New Mexico after 23 years of staying there to, once and for all, settle for good in her native Lipa City, Philippines.
click image to enlarge...

The day i visited my filipina friend in her Lipa residence became an exciting day when she told me that she will bring me to her friend's house in Cuenca who have sons and daughters who can read future occurrences...I got a very warm welcome from the father of the house down to the youngest daughter whom i was referring to as the mystic...the whole family was very humbled as it was for them a surprise visit (though the little girl had already known of my coming over with my filipina friend hours before we arrived in their house)



I was so enthralled upon meeting them as the little girl already learned beforehand that a friend is coming over with a new friend (referring to me) without anyone from the household telling her. isn't it that mystical? indeed she's a mystic.

the boy who was older than her can also predict the future occurences of mother nature,like the coming typhoon and or an impending Taal volcano tremors and volcanic eruption...such things the boy can foretell even before the weather bureau and the philvolcs can tell such coming occurence...an amazing gift huh!

these two young mystics live a normal life even though the reality of them being the objects of scrutiny and whatnot have slowly hampered their normal daily routines as people from their neighborhood start to notice their somewhat 'gift' and really became the objects of their 'owwss!'...their 'ahhs!'...their 'really?'... their 'is that so!' and 'Oh my God!'... such expressions of people's disbelief, affirmation and doubt.

i spent the rest of the afternoon and until evening listening to their mother's numerous stories about their(the boy and the youngest daughter) foretells and all that...it is indeed God's phenonomenal way to counteract on phenomenal occurences of nature that are catastrophic in nature, simply to give us warnings on an impending destruction from a natural calamity...

I left them in the evening to go back to Manila with such awe and amazement. as i was travelling back to Manila (in my hotel room), i can't help but to really think how God is so good and how HE uses people to warn and protect His mankind from a forthcoming danger of a natural phenomenom that will indeed give catastrophy for His very loved creatures.

the daughters of the couple have been so kind to me in my entire stay with them and have shown me their 'Batanguena's sweetnes and modest charms.

the eldest son of the couple really took time to talk to me about the rudiments of my monastic life as he was intending to join a religious community in Manila.