Santissima Trinidad
This year's celebration of the Solemnity of the Holy Trinity will be tomorrow, Sunday, May 27. Tomorrow is also the Fiesta of the Santissima Trinidad (Most Holy Trinity) celebrated happily in Loay, Bohol!
After the celebration of our Lord's Ascension last May 13 (Christ's reunion with and return to God the Father in heaven), we commemorated the descent of the Holy Spirit last Sunday (Pentecost, the fiftieth day after Christ's resurrection).
For me, the sending of the Holy Spirit to us is God's generous gift of his continuing presence and link with us, after his Son returned to him during the ascension.
Tomorrow, we remember with joyful gratitude God's unending love and grace for us through the Holy Trinity; our God in three persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.
Viva, Santissima Trinidad!
This week will be our first time to enter Loay Church (also known as the Santissima Trinidad Parish) after portions of it were destroyed during the devastating 2013 earthquake. We wonder how much is left of the original church built in 1822.
We wonder whether the venerated Holy Trinity statue is still the original one we often kissed during our childhood days. Also, is the original 1865 campanilla (bell tower) without damage?
For sure, we will lift our prayers to the Santissima Trinidad as we did when we were children. The intentions will be different this time though. When we were young, often our prayers were for our own intentions and for those of our family and friends. This time, we will also lift to our Santissima Trinidad our country and the whole world. More complicated and troubled compared to the world we knew as children. Wars and conflicts linger. Peace remains elusive and continues to be threatened within our country, in our region, all throughout the world.
In our country, we are now in the midst of the "crisis of truth," as declared by Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle. He asked, in his letter to the parishes of Manila, for all to dedicate May 20 to May 31 as days of prayer, fasting and action "for the truth and common good," for a "renewed outpouring of the Holy Spirit."
All of us outside Manila may wish to heed the call of Archbishop Tagle to organize "feasts of truth and love," and "include charities as well as forums on the Constitution, Charter change, and federalism."
We are happy to note that finally our suggestion for the tolling of church bells will be done in Manila. Archbishop Tagle ordered the "ringing of church bells at 3 p.m. to commemorate Jesus Christ's death and the praying of the Chaplet of the Divine Mercy in parish churches, chapels, convents, schools, homes, and offices."
We are happy to note as well that Archbishop Tagle has called on us all to "accompany our prayer with fasting, to redirect our focus from ourselves and our groups to the community."
The ringing of bells, praying the Divine Mercy Chaplet, more prayers and fasting --we hope these will be done by all, in unity, faith, and complete surrender to God's will and power to end this turbulent period of crisis in our country and the rest of the world.
So much to pray for. We also pray all other churches throughout our country and the world will let the church bells toll for peace, for truth, for justice.
May the Holy Trinity grant us protection from power-driven countries, power-hungry individuals who are intent on hegemony rather than unity and peace.
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