Fourteen Stations, Seven Churches

It's Holy Week again. Holy Thursday was spent going about the city for Bisita Iglesia - that tradition of praying the fourteen stations of the Cross, ideally doing one station for every church visit. My family usually prays two for every church that we visit, so that makes the trip somewhat easier because that would simplify things for us and trim down fourteen visits to seven. It's not my favorite thing to do, but it's one of the consistent sacrificial traditions we undertake every year; with that in mind, I've been in the process of learning not to be such a complainer since the first time we did this as a family.

This year, we visited the St. Joseph Parish Church (most famous for the Bamboo Organ in Las Pinas), St. Andrew's Cathedral in Paranaque, the Shrine for St. Therese near Resorts World, a teensy chapel my parents used to frequent when they used to live in Tambo, the church of Pateros, the Presentation Parish in BF Homes, and another church in the Fort. It was the most tiring bisita we did in years (usually we do it later in the day bordering on early evening), and it definitely took a toll on my temper. Huhu. I was grumpy for about half the trip because of the heat, mainly, and the fact that all I really wanted to do was relax in bed. But like I said, it's just one of the sacrifices we have to do for God. And I did get to see some of the loveliest churches in Manila (St. Joseph was just such a beauty with all the centuries-old stone), so that was just awesome. :)

Hope you're having a wonderful Holy Week. Whether or not you're at home or out of town, do remember to spare a minute or two for a bit of prayer! An advanced Happy Easter and God bless. :)