Ash Wednesday

Ash Wednesday.... day of fasting and prayer.

Today is the first day of Lent: «Now is the day of salvation!» (2Cor 6:2). The application of ashes reminds us of two ideals; the ancient one: «Remember, man, that you are dust, and to dust you will return»; and the one which the Council's renewed liturgy has introduced: «Repent, and believe in the Gospel». Both thoughts are an invitation to look at our own life in a different way -normally, so superficial.

As what today's Gospel (Mt 6:1-6.16-18) says: Jesus said to his disciples, «Be careful not to make a show of your righteousness before people.

If you do so, you do not gain anything from your Father in heaven. When you give something to the poor, do not have it trumpeted before you, as do those who want to be seen in the synagogues and in the streets in order to be praised by the people.

I assure you, they have been already paid in full. If you give something to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your gift remains really secret. Your Father who sees what is kept secret, will reward you.

»When you pray, do not be like those who want to be seen. They love to stand and pray in the synagogues or on street corners to be seen by everyone.

I assure you, they have already been paid in full. When you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father who is with you in secret; and your Father who sees what is kept secret will reward you.

When you fast, do not put on a miserable face as do the hypocrites. They put on a gloomy face, so people can see they are fasting. I tell you this: they have paid in full already.

When you fast, wash your face and make yourself look cheerful, because you are not fasting for appearances or for people, but for your Father who sees beyond appearances. And your Father, who sees what is kept secret will reward you».

In the Gospel, Jesus is asking us to give to the needy, to fast and to pray far from any hypocrisy as it is clearly stated... «Do not announce it with trumpets» (Mt 6:2).

Hypocrites, who were strongly condemned by Jesus Christ, are characterized by their heart's falsehood.

However, today, the Gospel says that Jesus was warning us not only against subjective hypocrisy but also against the objective one: that is, to fulfill, even in good faith, all that God's Law and the Scriptures command, but doing them only for those who may be watching, without the corresponding intimate conversion.

It is then, when alms -reduced to "a mere tip"- are no longer a fraternal act but they are limited to a soothing gesture that does not modify the way we look at our brother nor let us experience the charity of paying to him the attention he deserves.

Fasting, on the other hand, remains as the formal compliance of an obligation, that does no longer reminds us of the need to restrain our compulsive consumerism nor of the necessity to be cured of our "spiritual bulimia".

Finally, praying -reduced to a sterile monologue- is no more the authentic Spiritual overture, the intimate dialogue with the Father, the attentive listening to the Gospel of the Son.

Hypocrites' religion is sad, legalist and moralist, of a big narrow-mindedness of spirit. Alternatively, our Christian Lent is every year's Church's invitation to a more intimate deepening, to a demanding conversion, to a humble penance, so that, while producing the pertinent fruits our Lord expects from us, we may fully live Easter’s joy and spiritual pleasure.

Blessings to us all...

Lenten observance

Tomorrow is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent. The whole Christian Church is enjoined toobserve the beginning of the season of fasting and abstinence, of intense prayers and penance.

As for me, I must always remember that as monk, my life ought always to be a Lenten observance.

However, since such virtue is that of few, it is advised that during these days of Lent a monk guards his life with all purity and at the same time wash away during these holy days all the shortcomings he has committed of other times against his monastic community and God.

On the other hand, this season of Lent will then be worthily done, if we, the people of God, will restrain ourselves from destructive vices. Let us devote ourselves to tearful prayers, to Scriptural readings with compunction of heart, and to abstinence.

During these days of Lent, therefore, let us add something to the usual amount of our service to God with special prayers, abstinence from food and drink, that each one of us offers to God of our own accord, something above our prescribed measure; namely, let us withdraw from excessive amount of food, drink, sleep, speech, and merriment.

Have we already lined up the baggages of excesses we ought to give up in our life this season of Lent? Have we already listed down the acts of piety that we ought to do in observance of the holy season of Lent?

Black Saturday, the whole world's still...

....."Oh! all you who pass by, stop and look!.... and tell me, is there any sorrow like my sorrow?"....

Great Good Friday of the Lord's Passion

On this day, when 'Christ our Passover was sacrificed', the Church meditates on the Passion of her Lord and Spouse, adores the Cross, commemorates her origin from the side of Christ asleep on the Cross, and intercedes for the whole world.

Maundy Thursday, Visita Iglesias, Visita Altares...

one of the most significant practices of the whole Christendom during this day is going to as many churches as they can until midnight and early wee hours of Good friday, and visiting the Blessed Sacrament to fulfill their religious commitment and acts of piety.....
such a pious act is observed by millions of the faithful during this Maundy Thursday of the Holy Week.

i am promised to...

i am bethrothed,(engaged, affianced, spoken for, involved, promised, tied up), to the Son of the eternal Father who was born of the Virgin Mother in whom today i am commemorating the proclamation of His great Passion....

Holy week observance: past and present; compare and contrast...

in the past, when i was not yet a monk, i had to plan out ahead of time, on where to spend the observance of Holy Week--in whom to spend it, and what activities to be done on such days.....but now, spending these days inside the Monastery is much much more different than spending it in the past years of my life....
i still think about those years with my colleagues and buddies..i still think about what if i remained to be in the world, and did not become a monk? then will i surely, keep doing the same ways of observing these days of the Passion of our Lord?


in the mid 90's at puerto galera White beach resort with my buddies spending the holy week of my life.
images of a happy, innocent, youthful days....
...from left standing: henry paul, constantine, elvis, me, the ones seated from left: raffy, marvin and hhhmmm, pardon me but his name slipped from my memory LOL...


from left standing: a frend who's now a teacher whose name slipped from my memory, too; constantine, elvis, me, marvin, and raffy who's seated in front.



my way to spend the silence of a Holy week observance:


i somehow miss the sea and the wind and the seashore...





henry, marvin and me, just silently observing and contemplating and listening to the mystery of rushing waves of the sea.

now, after i become one of the monks in the Order of St Benedict... the utmost and fitting way to observe the silence of the holy season of lent and the observance of holy week inside the monastery is most likely doing like this:
praying, reflecting and contemplating in silence at the Cloister.


or like this:
reading the Scripture and doing Lectio (sacred reading and contemplating) inside my cell.


or like this:
reciting the five decades of the holy Rosary repeatedly.


....it's because a monk's life is a continuous struggle for holiness inside the monastery in his attempt to be always in communion with God at all times of his life , in his search for the real meaning of his existence and his relationship with God, and in his continuing search for God in a very strict monastic ambience....

have a blessed Palm Sunday to all of you my friends!.....

holy week fever...

Holy Saturday at the Monastery...

what things are coming up at the Monastery on a Holy Saturday?... nothing much significant except for the fact that  Jesus hasn't resurrected from the dead and so all is serenely waiting for the Easter which is a day from now... these images are  just but a few of the images i caught at the monastery this morning before averybody dispersed for their assigned work of the day....

digoy and Sam---- the "bunso"- from all of us here- a pinoy Claretian who  has decided to  join the Benedictines is from Quezon City and he is 40yrs old.---were taking  time with each other--sort of getting-to-know-each-other stage for them-- it is always a joy for us to receive new brothers notwitstanding  nationality, culture, age and sexuality...



my image in my favorite hangout--the cemetery- it  is always a joy  for me to hang around here-it is so quiet and so serene...



jose maria was breathlessly looking up the canyons filled   with snow....

it's Good Friday.... and it's snowing up here and i am the cook today

these are some few images i took last night--when all is quiet...and all the guests were taking turns to visit the Chapel of repose i adorned- i prepared for the adoration of the Blessed Sacrament- i i really took the chance ( as i would always do) to capture these images in the middle of the cold freezing night...


this corridors lead the way from our old convento to the new one called phase 3 where the chapel of repose is located( in one of the rooms of the phase 3- the time i took this was around 10pm last night)


and this corridors connect the sacristy of the Church to our phase 3 building---....


this is the chapel of repose--- it's good thing there was no guest inside when i took this image but only my monkbrothers doing their silent prayers and adoration to the Blessed Sacrament... at least, they could bear with the flash of my lens..a monk's doin his recitation of the Holy Rosary silently...


oswaldo stayed until midnight at the chapel-he was assigned by the Prior to watch over and close it at midnight--poor kid! kaya kaniang Vigils sa church at 4:30AM ay parang manok na tandang na nakatungo dahil nakatulog at the middle of the chantings and singing of monks specially assigned to do the sole chanting of the Psalms....


another clik of my lens to my created altar of repose for the Blessed Sacrament...


there you go-- oswaldo's already gettin sleepy .....

another monk at the chapel showing his back is fr mayuel --who stayed for an hour at the adoration chapel...


maybe- to get rid of sleepiness, oswaldo had to kneel down and had to recite the five decades of the Holy Rosary ...another monk is seen at the right side of the altar..

a close-up view of the Blessed Sacrament..


maybe- the kid could not help anymore himself of the numerous flashes of my lens--and so, he took a glance at his back to where i was seated...


a much closer view of the altar where i placed the Tabernacle of the Blessed Sacrament..

what's going on in CID on a Holy Thursday?

sweep the Veranda of rooms 12 and 13 na nasa 2nd floor

and of course i have to sweep its stairs, too...



and just before the end of our work period- i was able to accomplish all my tasks for today kaya before i get back to the Cloister, i dropped-by at my favorite hangout: ang sementeryo namin para magpahinga at mag reflect reflect...tamang tama naman at andoon si fred ang aming male volunteer worker preparing the cemetery for the Easter Vigils and he offered to take a shot of me while i was seated and was gathering back my lost energy...

oo nga pala- una kong ginawa early morning ay, i did the levelling of the grounds spread with gravel and sand at the portals of the Phase 3 building for the procession --the image actually shows the portals of Phase 3 building entrance-

what's going on in CID on a Holy Thursday?..more photos

dito sa amin pag ganitong mga panahon ay may kanya kanyang work assignments at bahala kang ma boldyak kung hindi mo gagawin ito--(dahil walang ibang gagawa ng naka assign saiyo kundi ikaw din lamang- in preparation for the liturgical celebration this afternoon which will start at 3Pm today)---mga kaganapan?... the washing of the feet..etc etc..kumbagah diyan sa atin ay Siete Palabras---- these images show some of us in our kanya kanyang work assignments:


ang aming portals leading to the library na pinawalisan din sa akin ng Prior
(bakit kaya ang hilig hilig nyang utusan ako ng mga side jobs na hindi naman ako ang na assign...

an image of the Corpus Christi na nakabitin sa dingding ng aming simbahan na tinakpan ko ng cloth, di ba ganito din ang ginagawa natin diyan sa pinas kapag araw ng Huwebes santo? at least yung mga katoliko sarado ha?...


making the Adoration Chapel for tonight's Vigils to the Blessed Sacrament...sus- kanda iri ako sa kakahila ng napakalaking piano na pinaglagyan ko ng Tabernacle ng Blessed Sacrament...buti na lang hindi sumakit ang belly kong na operahan ng hernias..




si sr elizabeth at theresa naman ang naggawa ng flowers for the church and for the adoration chapel na hinanda ko--TY sa kanila-dahil hindi ko na ma afford pa na mag arrange ng flowers for the adoration chapel na naka assign sa akin...


ito naman si oswaldo at si andrew... preparing the tables at the new refectory for the mainmeal today-

another image of the two doin the table setting--
si caedmon naman ang naglaba ngayon--


ito si sr kateri- na kinailangan ko pang puntahan sa kanilang monasteryo para hiramin ang candle stand na hawak hawak nya--which in the end ay nabasag ko accidentally noong nag aayos na ako ng mga candle stands sa tabi ng platform ng Blessed Sacrament Tabernacle, and with that, i have to make a big CULPA to the sisters...


then finally- i went to the guesthouse to do cleaning--full house ang guesthouse ngayon- all rooms will be occupied by arriving guests who will join the SIETE PALABRAS at ang WASHING of THE FEET...they will stay till Easter Sunday- i had to sweep the corridors..