profound bliss

I again walked to Antipolo Cathedral on the eve of Good Friday, and although it was my fourth consecutive year to do it, it was the first time that I did it alone. I made the vow to do the Alay Lakad annually back in 2010, when my Catholic soul felt somehow ‘fulfilled’ after doing it for the first time. We were a group of ten back then, all first-timers, and today I am glad that majority of those I went with that year still continue to do it every year, even if not with me anymore. I found myself with a different group of five the following year, although my ‘kid Friday’ back then went with me, of course. And then my Alay Lakad company became less every year. In 2012, I just went with a friend, and then this year I was alone. It was fun. I was alone, but then again not. From the Immaculate Conception Parish in Pasig City, I walked with a throng of strangers. They were in groups or pairs; some walked with their families, others with their friends, and then some were with their rel...

For those staying in the metro for the Holy Week, I guess we are left with nothing to do from Maundy Thursday to Good Friday as the malls are closed and even the LRT and MRT won’t operate until Sunday. Check out the sched below. SM MALLS Maundy Thursday Closed Good Friday Closed Black Saturday Regular Mall Hours Easter Sunday Regular Mall Hours AYALA MALLS (including Alabang Town Center, Glorietta, Greenbelt, Market! Market!, Trinoma, Abreeza, Ayala Center Cebu, Centrio): Maundy Thursday Closed Good Friday Closed Black Saturday Regular Mall Hours Easter Sunday Regular Mall Hours ROBINSONS MALLS Maundy Thursday Robinsons Luisita, Tagaytay, Pangasinan and Palawan: Regular Mall Hours Other Robinsons Malls branches: CLOSED Good Friday Robinsons Luisita and Tagaytay: Regular Mall Hours Other Robinsons Mall branches: CLOSED Black Saturday Regular Mall Hours Easter Sunday Regular Mall Hours POWER PLANT Maundy Thursday Close...

I was supposed not to do the Alay Lakad this year in exchange for a pilgrimage in Mt. Maculot, but I remembered I made a vow to do it every year so I crossed out that mountain in Cuenca from my agenda to walk to the Shrine of Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage for the third time. ( Click here to view my Alay Lakad 2010 post or here for the Alay Lakad 2011 post .) Melford and I left the house at almost 10:00 PM on Maundy Thursday, April 5, 2012. We originally planned to take a bus to Ortigas but buses were rare and there was already a large crowd gathered at the bus stop, presumably all going to Antipolo. We decided to go to Pasig instead and start walking from Simbahan ng Pasig. Mepot, who was doing the Alay Lakad for the first time, was overwhelmed with the amount of people going to Antipolo when we reached Ortigas Avenue. Most of them were in groups, some were with their families that included toddlers, while some were with their significant others, holding hands while wa...

The Alay Lakad from Ortigas to Antipolo Cathedral is a yearly thing for many. It wasn't my kind of thing before, finding it silly and nonsensical. It was a form of repentance as well as sacrifice to commemorate the suffering of Christ. But I knew only the minority of those who do have the true intentions. I knew it's better to just go to church or read the Bible and ask for forgiveness of your sins through sincere prayers, than to show the world you're doing a pilgrimage just for the purpose of showing off. I must admit I did the Alay Lakad last year just for the fun of it, but halfway through the walk, I realized sore feet and aching leg muscles make you more in touch with what Jesus Christ had to go through to save us. Not that we had to go through the same physical pain like those who choose to be nailed to the cross, but a little bit of pain makes your faith stronger (at least in my own experience). We were still in Antipolo last year when I made the vow to do...