The date was Novermber 28, 2010 5:45 pm and I was rushing toward the church.
Christ the King Mass
The sounds of the drums and lyres echoed as the procession for Christ the King passed by my house. All of the people were singing and participating with all their energy. It was a lively and yet serene scene. The atmosphere was so peaceful that anyone would stop and be quite as the procession passed by. The people from each house they pass would join them as they were approaching the church.
In the church, everybody was busy. The collector’s were planning, the choir was practicing and the lectors were reading. Everyone was preparing for the celebration. They want this celebration to be one of the best, for it was the last Sunday of liturgical year. It is the last Sunday before a new year for the church.
The Our Lady of Grace was packed, not a seat was empty. Everyone seemed to be there even the Barangay Captain there. The excitement drew to a close as the 6 o’ clock prayer began. The parishioners knelt, as we are all accustomed to and we prayed. The air was filled with fervent prayers. Everyone seemed to give their whole heart for every word.
When the Angelus was finished, the lector kindly announced that it was the Solemnity of Christ the King and asked everyone to sing with the choir. The altar boys rang the bells as the priest, readers and lay ministers moved towards the altar. The choir sang, I along with the collectoras sang with the whole community.
The priest reached the altar and the choir ended with a refrain. He greeted everyone and continued on with the mass. Then the choir sang “Lord have mercy” with the entire church was full of song. The atmosphere was changed to a repentant state to a lively and praising mood. “The Gloria” was then sung and again everyone sang with joy and glee.
The Celebration
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| My Supervisor - Ms. Fely Pueyo |
What I saw…
The mass was a uniting factor for all of the communities that lived here. It gathered the people from the different villages. Despite, their differences it didn’t matter. At that mass they are one community. You see the villages in that surround the OLGP are only divided by walls. Walls that state, which is Camella Homes or Jackielouville. In that parish people, were literally divide. The walls or the gates in each village were a hindrance for the community to even talk to each other. Through the Church, the community became one. For me the church, served as a reason, a purpose for people to see that they are not as different as they appear to be.
There was a procession before the mass; people there were all walking and praying. I didn’t have the chance to join the procession but I did have a chance to observe from my window. In a way I regretted not being able to be a part of that procession. Mainly because I have missed another opportunity to be closer to my community, I could have been a better parishioner but because of my laziness, I didn’t. My reluctance prevented me from going there. I just thought about what I had to give up and not about the people who I can help. I wasn’t willing to sacrifice for them. In a way, I was self – serving, I just choose this parish because was closer to my home than JDHP. After the last day of Church service it seems that I was only thinking about myself the whole time. They have been kind to me and I just used them.
