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Catholic devotees gather for the holy mass Picture: FRANCIS R. MALASIG For years, the only known way of celebrating the feast of Saint John the Baptist aside from Novena and celebration of the Holy Eucharist is the dousing of water symbolizing the baptizing act of the saints to the faithful. I believe every catholic in the Philippines is aware of this. However, first time to see the "taong putik" which literally means mud people in Bibiclat in Aliaga, Nueva Ecija in the northern part of Luzon. The event, which has been observed in the Biblicat village since 1945, sees hundreds of devotees participating to seek blessings and bountiful harvests. The mud people are covered with mud and dress in dried banana leaves representing Saint John the Baptist. Picture: JAY DIRECTO Saint John the Baptist is the elder cousin of our Lord Jesus Christ, the son of Elizabeth and Zachary whom Jesus mother Mary visited before he was born. John was the name Elizabeth and Zachary...

Tomorrow, the Filipino Catholics will celebrate the feast of the Black Nazarene. It's feast is considered as one of the spectacular event of the faithful in the Philippines. It was estimated that about 2.4 million devotees flocked the 2008 procession of the Black Nazarene. Because of its nationwide publicity, some non Christians and non Catholic Christians have wrong notion that catholics worship the image. Catholics do not worship the image but what the image represent which is Jesus Christ who gave His life for the salvation of mankind. Priests and bishop constantly remind this important note. As Filipino and as Asians, there is an urge to feel through the senses our faith. It is not something as abstract and without form. We would like to reach the Divine through something sensible. This is also the very reason that God has incarnated in our midst 2009 years ago in the person of Jesus. And constantly made himself present in the Holy Eucharist in the form of bread and wine which ...

After the hear confession in San Antonio De Padua parish in los Banos (Kumpisalang Bayan), It was passed ten o'clock in the evening Ate Paz and company, my friends from my former parish drop by and invited me to celebrate her natal day. I accepted the invitation because, it is a birthday, it only comes once a year, and as we aged, I feel more to celebrate life especially for someone I am close with. I am not a party goer individual, I prefer to stay at home. As we grow older, there are wisdom that make us change. Life is too precious and is passing, we have to use it properly and wisely. Blogs commenting Fr. Jessie's post