Going to MOA on a Rainy Night

Wow... Really was not expecting this kind of scenario...

Kanina, after attending a novena at UST, I went off to SM Mall of Asia for Cosplay Mania and to buy tickets for the next day. However, I noticed that it was raining hard outside the church and after the mass, the main entrance was flooded, making us take the exit from the seminary. It's been like this in the last few days. Us here in Metro Manila know, flash floods happened, submerging the streets and causing heavy traffic. As much as we don't want these things to happen, we can't do anything about it since they're beyond our control. Unfortunately, much of what happened to me really went out of hand.

Anyways, I took the LRT from Bambang to EDSA and on the way, I noticed that some streets were flooded. After getting off the station, it was again raining hard and all the jeeps were full, so I had to walk pa near Heritage Hotel before I finally got a jeepney to MOA. When I came to SMX, it was cold. My toes went numb (I was wearing slippers since my shoes got really wet DX). Even though I was at a cosplay event, this is perhaps the first time I went to an event like that and I'm not happy, since, well, after getting wet in the rain and all... I was able to get two tickets for the next day, one for myself and for my brother (Yeah, I'm not going here alone, like at Toycon). After buying and getting out of SMX, it was raining real hard, harder than when I came plus it was windy. Seemed like my feet could not take it anymore, being wet and all. The traffic on the way back to the LRT was horrible. The first few meters, it didn't move for what seemed like a long time. When I came back to the LRT, as if everything wasn't bad enough, it closes since I came back there past 9, after closing hours, leaving me no choice but to take the MRT instead. I thought that I can't take more of it, since I'm far from home, I'm wet and could get sick, I'm hungry and etc... After riding the MRT, from there on out, things got better since nothing really bad happened for there on... I finally got home past 10.

It was a terrible ordeal yeah, but at least I got home, finally... after all that... It was a lot worse than I thought.. :(

Well, from all this, we could learn that we should make better decisions (now that I think about it, maybe what I did was bad... but no use regretting) and sometimes when we face difficulties, we do not know what to do anymore, especially when things go haywire and get more difficult. And of course, we don't have control over everything.

Sometimes, in life, we often face situations like these or worse. Again, there will be moments that we cannot control. Sometimes, we may get annoyed or even offended by others, plans can get ruined and everything seems bleak. In times like these, we (myself included) often react negatively and it's difficult to be positive. For sure, these are difficult moments, yet in all these, it's best thing to do is know how to respond right, find a way if possible and have faith. Sometimes, though, we have to let go of something, especially when it's unimportant. For sure, I could learn from tonight's mishaps the most since I'm the one who went through them.

The Queen Enthroned and UST's Fiesta

Yesterday, the image of Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary, La Naval de Manila was enthroned at her altar at Sto. Domingo Church, QC, marking the start of this year's fiesta celebrations. I wanted to visit the church yesterday but plans didn't go through since it rained hard, but just passed by and saw what was going on there from the jeepney on the way home from school. Today, the first day of the novena in honor of Our Lady, I got the chance to go to Sto. Domingo since I've got no classes and I have all the time to do so. I attended the 10 AM novena mass kanina. Few people attended, mostly because it's a weekday and more people attend the evening novena to Our Lady.

The altar was very beautiful as it has always been for La Naval de Manila. Even looking at the sanctuary, with the image of Our Lady enthroned in her baldachino, commands reverence and devotion to Our Lady's devotees. Seeing the altar of the church like that makes me happy.

Pics (Sto. Domingo):

Sanctuary of Sto. Domingo Church, La Naval de Manila 2014

Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary, La Naval de Manila

The National Shrine of Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary, Sto. Domingo Church, QC

Bas relief at the church facade

As a devotee of Our Lady of La Naval, it's great that it's that time of the year again... In all the years I've been attending La Naval de Manila, this is the first time that I'm blogging about this event. :)

Along with the celebration of La Naval de Manila, UST's parish, Santissimo Rosario Parish is currently celebrating it's fiesta. The celebrations there started last week with the enthronement of the image of Our Lady and today is one of the novena days. UST's feast day will be this Sunday, Oct. 5, 2014.

Here's some pics of UST's fiesta celebrations:

Nuestra Senora del Santissimo Rosario, UST

Singing the "Despedida a la  Virgen"

VIVA LA VIRGEN! VIVA NUESTRA SENORA DE LA NAVAL! REGINA SACRATISSIMI ROSARII, ORA PRO NOBIS! 

You can check more pics et al. at my Flickr account

Edit (10/7/14): Let me add better pics of Our Lady, from last Sunday and yesterday during the Besamanto.

Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary, La Naval de Manila. Taken 10-5-14

 Taken yesterday, during the Besamanto.

As October Begins (La Naval de Manila 2014)

Cover photo of the La Naval de Manila official facebook page

For Catholics, the month of October is dedicated to the Rosary. In connection to this is one of the biggest and most historical fiestas in the Philippines; the feast of Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary of La Naval de Manila or simply, La Naval de Manila.

This fiesta commemorates the Battles of La Naval in 1646, where the Spanish and Filipino forces fought against the far more powerful Dutch armada, and miraculously won through the intercession of Our Lady.

Our Lady of La Naval. La Naval de Manila procession 2013

At that time, the Dutch wanted to conquer our nation and the only line of defense for our country back then were two old Galleons that were armed for the battle. Compared to the opposing navy, our forces would have no chance of winning. In those moments, our forces turned to Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary for her intercession and for victory over the Dutch forces. And after 5 naval battles at different parts of the nation, the Spanish and Filipino forces triumphed through the intercession of Our Lady and this miraculous victory is still remembered in the celebration of La Naval de Manila every second Sunday of the month of October (this year, October 12, 2014). This is why the devotion is known as La Naval, referring to the events of 1646.

You can read a history of Our Lady of La Naval at http://www.lanavaldemanila.com/about_la_naval/

Thousands attending the procession along Quezon Ave. La Naval de Manila 2013

Tomorrow, the celebrations begin with the enthronement of the image of Our Lady of La Naval at the altar of her church, Sto. Domingo Church, QC, where it will all take place. Starting this Friday October 3 until Oct 11, Saturday will be the days of the novena. On October 4, 6, 8 and 10 will be the Besamanto at 7 PM after the novena mass, in which the image will be lowered from the baldachino for devotees to venerate. The feast is on October 12th, the 2nd Sunday of the month which is when her feast is annually celebrated and it will be highlighted by the grand procession that starts at 4 PM on that day.

 

Baldachino of Our Lady of La Naval prepared for the fiesta. Sto. Domingo Church, Quezon City

Banner of Our Lady hanging at the footbridge in front of Sto. Domingo Church, carrying this year's fiesta theme.

This fiesta has been one that I've been looking forward to every year whenever it's October. I've been attending these celebrations for years and for sure, I will be attending it again, especially the feast day itself.
Viva la Virgen! Viva Nuestra Senora de La Naval! Regina Sacratissimi Rosarii, Ora Pro Nobis!

Official Facebook Page of La Naval de Manila

edit: Did a few edits to this post and added the besomanto to the activities