Tag: CNF

Reflection, Rogation and Relaxation at Regina Rica

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The iconic statue of the Virgin Mary ft. My grandmother and Aunt

Regina Rica or The Regina Rosarii Institute for Contemplation in Asia in Tanay, Rizal is a place for peace and prayer with your loved ones as you walk through the solemn steps that lead up to the iconic 71-foot statue of the Virgin Mary at it’s center.

I went there with my family at one point in the summer this year, to be exact it was the 20th of May. Regina Rica was the last destination after our exhausting day trip in Tanay, and I wasn’t exactly expecting that we would go there – but I’m glad that we did.

We arrived at Regina Rica in the noon. It was cloudy it despite it being summer, there was even threat of rain. But it didn’t disrupt any of the visitors or pilgrims that traveled far just to get there, such was also our case since we came from Laguna.

One could feel the solemnity the place holds as they pass through the gates. And the atmosphere was really relaxing, you would feel at peace despite there being so many other people around you.

When entering the holy grounds of Regina Rica one must remember that there is a dress code: Women aren’t allowed to wear shorts and short skirts in the facility. No worries though to those who weren’t able to follow it; the institute lets them borrow long skirts and shawls for when they enter. There is also no entrance fee, but there is a parking fee for visitors with cars.

We started off with the trail leading up to the iconic statue made by Mr. Jojo Barcena Jr. The trail was patterned with tiles that had names of families written on it, they led straight up the hill to where we reached a pathway with a railing up on it. The S-Trail or Mary’s Sacred Trail as they call it led straight to the statue. as we reached there we took pictures.

The S-Trail

We went straight to the candle offering station and bought a set of candles. Apparently, a different colored candle can be lit to signify a specific prayer. I remember lighting up a green candle, which according to the signboard posted there meant “education” and offered a prayer as I lit it up.

After that, we went in line to go inside the statue (which i only found out was hollow from inside only much later.) We weren’t allowed to take pictures there because it was supposed to be only a place for healing. Along with tons of other people we spent a couple of minutes there in silence as we were led by a nun in meditating and praying.

Me and my grandmother

Soon after we left the inside of the statue we went to the place near the Pilgrim’s Labyrinth (we couldn’t actually go there because we had little children that might disrupt fellow visitors tagging along) where we got our names engraved on a cement tile. It was to be added along with the others. The names inside the feet were my grandmother and grandfather’s, the names in the middle were my mom, my dad, my aunts, my Uncles, my cousin, my siblings and me.

We’ll probably see this in the pavement up towards the hill when we return in a few years time

Nearing the end of our experience in Regina Rica, we proceeded to go down the hill – to where the RICA chapel is. Along the path we could see the facility’s beautiful columbary or the Pahuwayan Columbary also by Mr. Jojo Barcena Jr. In front of the chapel was the well of holy water were many pilgrims were filling their bottles with the said holy water, some were even bathing in it. Me, my sister and my father decided to fill a bottle of holy water from the well and went inside the chapel to were the rest of our family was. Lastly, we prayed in the chapel since we couldn’t attend the mass.

My grandmother and sister inside the RICA chapel

My experience in Regina Rica has been wonderful, it is truly a place for quiet devotion and self reflection. It’s solemnity provides a relaxing and fresh vibe – perfect for an eye opening experience. If you would ever want to visit too, you would know what I mean.

Terabithia, Growing up, and the Five Stages of Grief

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The Bridge to Terabithia is a heartwarming story about a boy named Jess and a girl named Leslie. Both don’t fit in but they found the best versions of their selves through the power of their friendship and imagination.

The movie has a lot of themes, namely: Family, Talents, Growing up, Imagination, Friendship, Love, Dreams and lastly, Grief.

I want to discuss two themes of the movie that struck me the most: Growing up and Grief. Remember the Five stages of grief? Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression and Acceptance? I’d like to think that this movie reflected grief as a major part of growing up. And notice that things one would usually consider “childish” still remain in the main protagonist even as he went on grieving the death of his friend? (oops… spoilers, my bad) because being a child and remaining a child at heart doesn’t really mean that you haven’t grown up. the things like our childhood and our grievances shape us as we grow in this world full of experiences.

Several events of my life can be reflected upon the 5 stages of grief in comparison to the events of the movie. I want to share how i grew up[ a little by going through the five stages of grief, like how Jess did in the movie.

You see when I was a kid seven years ago, just like Jess, I had no problem dealing with people. Sure I felt shy most of the time, but it was never comparable to my situation four years ago from now. Sure I grew up but I never grew out of my shell and became socially and emotionally distant with my friends and family.

The Denial:

When Jess pushed Leslie away and stopped going on adventures with her after a conversation with his father, it reminded me of a time I kept denying to my parents and to myself that I became a shut-in – a coward who was afraid to show others their flaws and mistakes. I denied to myself that I was no longer who I used to be in the eyes of my parents.

The Anger:

The line “Get Your head out of the clouds” was parallel to the time I was mad at myself because I couldn’t do a thing to change myself. I was always scared to try new things and kept telling myself that I would never get rid of my fears and anxieties. My insecurities ate at me whole yet no one realized.

The Bargaining:

The part where Jess was told that Leslie died, the part where he didn’t want to accept it reminded me of the times when I kept thinking that I could’ve changed the way that I was back then if only I changed my past decisions.

The Depression:

I could relate the time when Jess fell into depression after finally accepting Leslie dying and not going to “Terabithia” to the time when I was at my lowest. When I was scared to talk to anyone out of my super small personal bubble and spent a whole summer with no communication whatsoever with my friends.

The Acceptance:

This stage is rather recent. Compared to when Jess finally accepting Leslie’s death, I finally accepted my flaws, I am still terrified of what’s to come and anxious everyday of my life, but I accept being me.

Though i stated these five I still have an additional stage:

The Resolution:

Parallel to how Jess built a bridge leading to Terabithia, and opening it to his sister, I learned to not only live with my fears and flaws but now I try to change myself. Little by little I change myself not to become who I used to be, but to become a better version of myself I have never seen before.

I learned to love myself because of my grief and maybe that’s what most of us should realize. In my experience it’s like I watched myself die but from that death a new version of me was born. Growing up and Grief is what made me the “me” I know today and it may be that way for you. But most of your probably know that anyway.