2017-03-25: Manila Day 1 and the Feast of the Annunciation

We arrived home at around 8:00 am. Traffic in Manila on a Saturday early morning is terrible. When does this city sleep!

After some breakfast, since it is the feast of the Annunciation, I decided to go to our parish church to adore the Lord on this feast. The mass was at 6:00 am and this is probably the next best thing I can do besides going to mass.

At the adoration chapel, as I prayed, I got the idea of going to Chinatown to attend mass. After I stepped out of the adoration chapel, I visited the church and was really surprised atthe beauty of the church. For one, it is now air-conditioned. Second is the front has been painted and changed. It is very beautiful.

I planned to go to Sta Cruz because it was just behind the LRT station. As I was going to the LRT station in Monumento, I decided to text my old high school friend to let him know my phone number in the Philippines. He texted me back and arranged for lunch.

I told him I was going to mass and did not know what time it will be done. In any case, I took the LRT going to Sta Cruz. Praise God for the LRT 20 pesos (0.50CAD) for one trip. No traffic and coaches are air-conditioned.

I went to Sta Cruz church and found out the mass was 12:10. I was hoping there would be another mass earlier mass so I went to Sto Rosario church in Binondo. The mass is also at 12:10. I decided to attend mass at Sto Rosario because this is the church where I was baptized and I have not gone to mass here yet. Perhaps the one thing that convinced me of staying is their air-conditioned adoration chapel. With temperature at 34 degrees, an air-conditioned room is something that is hard to argue about.

I also found out that the chuch has been renamed as the Minor Basilica and National Shrine of St Lorenzo Ruiz. Sto Rosario is now located beside the minor Basilica and serves the Chinese Filipino community.

As I waited for mass, I walked around the church and found an interesting picture, Our Lady of Pronto Socorro. This is typical of Filipino culture where you have a title that uses English and Spanish words. This honors our Lady who has protected the city and nation from wars and sickness. Here, before our Lady, I offered my prayers specifically for those in our diocesan diaconate formation and the formators.

I then realize that the theme for my trip is about joy. This has been the theme all the while. I am here because of my mother's 85th birthday. I arrive on the Solemnity of the Annunciation, the first joyful mystery of the Rosary. I am writing a paper on joy. Which is why I ask the Lord to show me the true meaning of joy on this trip. After mass, my friend and I went for lunch at a restaurant close to the church.

We ordered the comfort food we had when we were in university. And here's a picture of the food we had. From the left, counter clockwise: 5 herb beef soup, kiam pong (literally, salty rice but actually, rice with peanut and green onion toppings, machang (sticky rice in soy sauce) and not in picture dumpling with sauce inside (can't remember the name). Lots of carbs, but stomach is happy.


After lunch, I went home to rest.