Viva Il Papa

It was the warmest reception ever. The moment the Sri-Lanka plane touched down at Villamor Air Base, I got goosebumps – the shouts of joy, the  simultaneous pealing of the bells in all Catholic churches throughout the land, the anticipation of seeing the Pope finally landing on our shores. What a blessing! And when he showed his face at the window of the plane, everything seemed so surreal.

And he seemed excited too to disembark from the plane and greet the people waiting there. That warm smile, the genuine look of joy on his face, so priceless.

He tried to hold on to his skullcap as he disembark but the wind was just too strong, it was blown away from his head. His cape blew over his head as soon as he stepped down from the plane.

Such overwhelming, overflowing and indescribable joy seeing him finally even just in front of the TV. He waved his hand to bless the crowd and everyone cheered. I just kept shouting, “Thank You Lord, you brought Pope Francis to us”. The motorcade from Villamor Air Base to the Apostolic Nunciature took about 37 minutes, it was so touching to see large crowds lining up the roads. God’s presence is  fully alive in our hearts as we see His shepherd in our midst. I pray that somehow his visit would inspire us more, enliven our faith,  see God in the faces of those who are in need and who have less in life. I hope his visit would teach us  the full meaning of mercy and compassion.  Mainly, he is here to give hope to those survivors of Yolanda who lost their loved ones, lost their properties and need encouraging words that life has to go on.  Hope is not lost to those who believe.  Hope is not lost to those whose faith remains unshakeable despite all the vicissitudes in life. Hope is not lost to those who believe that God is present in their lives.

He boarded  an open-air pope mobile with two religious leaders. That’s Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle on the lower right.  Can’t wait to see him make a courtesy call to Malacanang Palace this morning, have a mass with bishops and cardinals at the Manila Cathedral at noon and meet with religious families at the Mall of Asia arena later in the evening.

Viva Il Papa!

(Photo credits: various sites culled from the net – EPA, AFP,Reuters etc).

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Papal Visit 2015 (Welcome POPE FRANCIS)

The Pope’s Arrival

This is it! Today is the day  we have been waiting for, the arrival of Pope Francis to the Philippines. The past days, I’ve been glued to the TV screen on  news on what the government and social media has done in preparation for the Pope’s 5-day visit which starts today at 6pm. Just like the rest of the Filipino Catholic community I am excited to see him. I could imagine the warm welcome from a predominantly Catholic nation.

Thursday, Friday and Monday are special non-working holidays here in Metro Manila since most roads are closed to give way to the motorcade and masses that would be held at the Manila Cathedral and in Luneta. The most important event would be his visit to Tacloban  and Palo, Leyte and meet the survivors of typhoon Yolanda, saying mass there and  having lunch with choiced families from different barangays in the province.

UST Papal Visit

The Pope would visit University of Santo Tomas to meet the youth on Sunday at 10am  and the campus is open to the public. There will be a motorcade inside the campus. They have allotted separate gates for the Thomasian community at the Espana side, the football field where the grandstand is would be exclusively for the youth participants though. The youth delegates will come  from the Archdiocesan Commissions on the Youth, the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines Episcopal Commission on the Youth, the Catholic Educational Association of the Philippines (CEAP), member-schools of the Association of Catholic Universities of the Philippines, and the 2nd Philippine Conference on New Evangelization. The public are allowed to enter the back gates of the campus.  Gosh, even old/expired Thomasian alumni IDs will be allowed. I have mine but it expired three years ago and haven’t renewed it yet. Spiritual renewal is the core of Pope’s Francis visit to UST this coming Sunday, January 18.

A lot of people are asking “why UST, why always UST?” “How lucky can UST get?” When Pope Paul VI visited the Philippines, he went to UST. When Pope John Paul II came, he also visited  UST.  Pope Francis  will also visit  UST. Here’s the answer  provided by the Central Media Committee for the Papal Visit.

The University of Santo Tomas is a pontifical university, directly under the authority of the Roman Pontiff—the successor of Peter, the first pope. Aside from its function as a regular university, a pontifical university has a special mission of spreading the Gospel and promoting the teachings of the Catholic Church. The Rector of a pontifical university is appointed by the Vatican, and whenever the pope travels to a country where there is a pontifical university, it is his duty and pleasure to visit this university not only to see how it’s doing but also to inspire and encourage its students, faculty, and staff in their evangelization efforts.

Photo credit: Paul Quiambao (UST)

UST Papal Visit 1970. I was here and I remember those moments, we were even made to wear our gala uniforms. I was in high school then. (Photo credit: UST FB page)

UST Papal Visit 1981. It was the first time Pope John Paul II visited UST. (Photo credit: UST FB page)

UST Papal Visit 1995 during the celebration of World Youth Day held in the Philippines.

Mercy and Compassion

Remember, O Lord, thy tender mercies and thy loving kindnesses; for they have been ever of old.- Psalm 25:6

I love this logo. According to the official website of the Papal Visit to the Philippines,  this symbolizes the following:

COLORS.

The colors of the logo (blue, red, and yellow) are the colors of the Philippine flag. The colors therefore represent the country and its people. It is in solidarity with the victims of recent calamities that the Pope is coming to the Philippines.

CIRCLES.

The innermost circle resembles a pearl, and again it symbolizes the Philippines, which is known as the pearl of the orient seas. The white Cross symbolizes the Christian faith, and our fervent prayer that the center of our country be our Lord Jesus Christ. It serves as a reminder as well that more than a State Visit, the primary objective of the Papal visit is a religious one. He comes to show and share the Lord’s mercy and compassion with the Filipino people.

The red circle symbolizes Mercy, one of the themes of the Papal visit. Red is the color of blood and recalls the sacrifice of our Lord on the cross for our salvation, a holy sacrifice that manifests and exemplifies Divine Mercy for sinful humanity.

The blue circle means Compassion, the other theme of the Papal visit. Blue is the color of divine presence – it is the color of the sky and the sea that surround our life, much like God’s presence, that is, God’s compassionate love that permeates and sustains human existence.

The sequence of the colors follows the order of the colors of the Philippine flag: Yellow at the center, blue on top, and red at the bottom.

The red and blue circles appear like arms embracing the yellow circle. These are the merciful and compassionate arms of the Pope, the Vicar of Christ, embracing the Philippines, the pearl of the orient seas. The current Pope is well known for expressing his love and care for people by spontaneously hugging and kissing them. The red and blue circles or arms therefore symbolize the Pope’s Merciful and Compassionate Embrace, and by extension, Christ’s loving embrace. The Pope now comes to the Philippines to embrace us with his arms of love.

Finally the blue and red circles appear like ripples, or waves emanating from the inner circle, from the Cross. We pray that the Papal visit will indeed create ripples of compassion and mercy throughout the Filipino nation and beyond January 2015.

THANK YOU POPE FRANCIS. Praying for your safety and looking forward to your visit here in our country. We are indeed blessed.

Welcome to the Philippines!

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