The title of this post is based on a saying referring to the Shrine of Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage that is located in what is now the City of Antipolo in the Province of Rizal, to the east of Metro Manila. The saying is based on observations during May when the feast of Our Lady is celebrated the entire month. While people flock to the shrine throughout the year often to pray for safe travel, many devotees go up the city on top of a mountain of the Sierra Madre range to pray the novena to Our Lady, hear Mass, or simply to partake of the other attractions of the city, including, of course, the food.
Leaving the village to fetch the Clairvoyant at the airport late last night, I was reminded of just how many people flock to Antipolo during the Lenten Season. The eve of Good Friday is usually the time when devotees walk from all over Metro Manila and the nearby towns of Rizal to the Shrine of Our Lady in what is commonly termed as "alay lakad" or literally "walk of offering." It is actually a pilgrimage of sorts for most people. I mention "of sorts" here as a form of reservation, a hesitation on my part to call it a pilgrimage like what people did in the old times. My reason is that there are now many temptations along the way to Antipolo and many people usually succumb to these temptations, usually arriving at the Shrine with full stomachs that betray the sacrifice they claim to have made in order to reach their destination. It is better, I think, that one should take a vehicle (even a bicycle) straight to the Shrine and say an honest prayer than walking and feasting along the way. The only difference perhaps is the exercise. Call it a sour grape, but I am still somewhat a purist in these things so I must apologize to any reader who would not share my view.
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