Dec 4: Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes

Altar of the National Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes

I landed in Manila Dec 4 at 4:05 am. It was half an hour ahead of time. Let's keep it up PAL. The flight was very difficult. I find it hard to sleep on the plane. Sitting at the window was not a good decision because it was evening all through the flight. All you see outside the window is just blackness. The moon was beautiful though - it was orangy and turned quite red. God's wonder in nature. The heavens indeed declare the glory of our God.

Chapel of our Lady of Lourdes

I went to mass at the Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes. It was the first time I went there. They had a gigantic tabernacle. The altar is also beautiful. One thing that proves that the Church is One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic is what I see at mass. The mass in the Philippines is the same format as the mass in Victoria. Of course, there are some variations but the general form is the same.

Another profound experience is the Chapel of Our Lady of Lourdes. I went and offered my prayers. I am using this trip to seek God in a special way and I pray that God will answer my prayers.

One of the blessings in the Philippines is the opportunity to adore the exposed Blessed Sacrament in almost any church. This is a blessing I think most people do not realize. The adoration chapel is interesting because it is another room right behind the tabernacle. The host is about 6 inches! And the design is beautiful. The host is in the middle of something like a sun with rays radiating out. I wanted to take a picture but thought against it because it might distract those in the chapel.

The rest of the day was spent adjusting to the time - sleeping. I slept at around 4pm and woke up around 6pm. In any case, an uneventful day. I did however meet with my nephew who will be married and his fiancee. the nice thing about my mom's apartment is there's a lot of restaurants around. I took them there for dessert of halo-halo. They also offer dimsum at I think P40 per item. That's cheap! This is in Sa Lido restaurant. My dad used to take me to the original restaurant in Chinatown. I am really pleased that they are expanding. Nothing but giving people an opportunity to have good food.