A Girl’s Notebook :)

The Catholic believers celebrates Mama Mary’s Assumption on August 15. Some countries who have the Blessed Mother as their patron saint, set this day as a holiday.

I got home from work at around 1PM and felt very sleepy. I told myself that I will hear mass in the afternoon to celebrate this day’s feast. I slept ’til 5PM. Mass in our church will start at 6PM. Well, my guardian angel, Mary and Jesus woke me up so I can attend the mass.

I prepared myself and went to hear mass. It was raining when I left the house. The mass has not started yet. I was 10 minutes earlier. Luckily I wasn’t late. I have still time to contemplate and reflect. I know that Mama Mary loves me inspite of everything.

The rain poured so hard during the mass that I thought the procession afterwards will not push through. Yet, being a Marian devotee, our Parish Priest Msgr. Pagulayan, advised that we will still have the procession for the celebration of Mary’s Assumption to heaven.

After the mass, I met my cousion April, who is celebrating her birthday on the same day.  I asked her if we will join the procession, she said she doesn’t have an umbrella and the one I brought along is only good for one person.

Nevertheless, we joined the procession. We’re dripping from head to foot! But the sacrifice we did is priceless!

I remember my ninang Lina once told me that if I pray the Hail Mary for 1000 times on this day, whatever favor I would ask from the Holy Mother will be granted. She told me about it about 17 years ago. You bet I have not completed a thousand Hail Mary yet!

This is the statue of Mary that we have in our church for Assumption.

The lights are on and the man puts on the umbrella, the procession is about to start.

A little girl went to her bedroom and pulled a glass jelly jar from its hiding place in the closet.
She poured the change out on the floor and counted it carefully. Three times, even. The total had to be exactly perfect. No chance here for mistakes.

Carefully placing the coins back in the jar and twisting on the cap, she slipped out the back door and made her way 6 blocks to Rexall’s Drug Store with the big red Indian Chief sign above the door.

She waited patiently for the pharmacist to give her some attention, but he was too busy at this moment. Tess twisted her feet to make a scuffing noise. Nothing. She cleared her throat with the most disgusting sound she could muster. No good. Finally she took a quarter from her jar and banged it on the glass counter that did it!

“And what do you want?” the pharmacist asked in an annoyed tone of voice. I’m talking to my brother from Chicago whom I haven’t seen in ages,” he said without waiting for a reply to his question.
“Well, I want to talk to you about my brother,” Tess answered back in the same annoyed tone. “He’s really, really sick..and I want to buy a miracle.”

“I beg your pardon?” said the pharmacist.
“His name is Andrew and he has something bad growing inside his head and my Daddy says only a miracle can save him now. So how much does a miracle cost?”
“We don’t sell miracles here, little girl. I’m sorry but I can’t help you,” the pharmacist said, softening a little.

“Listen, I have the money to pay for it. If it isn’t enough, I will get the rest. Just tell me how much it costs.”
The pharmacist’s brother was a well dressed man. He stooped down and asked the little girl, “What kind of a miracle does your brother need?”

“I don’t know,” Tess replied with her eyes welling up. I just know he’s really sick and Mommy says he needs an operation But my Daddy can’t pay for it, so I want to use my money.”
“How much do you have?” asked the man from Chicago .
“One dollar and eleven cents,” Tess answered barely audibly.
“And it’s all the money I have, but I can get some more if I need to.”

“Well, what a coincidence,” smiled the man. “A dollar and eleven cents—the exact price of a miracle for little brothers. ”
He took her money in one hand and with the other hand he grasped her mitten and said “Take me to where you live. I want to see your brother and meet your parents. Let’s see if I have the miracle you need.”

That well dressed man was Dr. Carlton Armstrong, a surgeon, specializing in neuro-surgery. The operation was completed free of charge and it wasn’t long until Andrew was home again and doing well.
Mom and Dad were happily talking about the chain of events that had led them to this place.
“That surgery,” her Mom whispered. “was a real miracle. I wonder how much it would have cost?”
Tess smiled. She knew exactly how much a miracle cost…one dollar and eleven cents….plus the faith of a little child.

In our lives, we never know how many miracles we will need.
A miracle is not the suspension of natural law, but the operation of a higher law.

Today may be just an ordinary day to many people in the world. But today is actually a holiday in some countries of the world. These countries include Austria, Belgium, Cameroon, Chile, France, some states of Germany, Greece, Italy, Lebanon, Luxembourg , Malta, Paraguay , Portugal, Poland, Spain and Vanuatu. Today is also a holiday in Guatemala City and in the town of Santa Maria Nebaj in Guatemala. Though the world celebrates Mother’s Day in May, Costa Rica celebrates Mother’s Day today, August 15.

What so special about this day? To us Catholic, today we celebrate The Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. It is a feast day recognizing Mary’s passage into heaven. This means that after Mary completed the course of her earthly life, she was assumed(qoute wikipedia) body and soul into heaven. This doctrine was Dogmatic definition by Pope Pius XII on November 1, 1950 in his Apostolic Constitution.

Today’s feast has a double: (1) the happy departure of Mary from this life; (2) the assumption of her body into heaven. It is the principal feast of the Blessed Virgin.

No one knows the exact date when Mary departed from earth. I tried to search the Internet about what happened on that day but there were no accounts. What I remember during one of our discussion in Legion of Mary, was that when Mary was assumed to heaveh, the people she left found roses where she was laid. 

I have read from a certain website that from the beginning there were no relics of Mary to be venerated, and that an empty tomb stood on the edge of Jerusalem near the site of her death.

Entrance to the Tomb of Mary in Jerusalem. 

The wide crusader-era stairway leading into the lower church. 

Altar in the lower church.

I remember my ninang Lina told us in one of our praesidium meetings, that when you say 1000 Hail Mary on this day in honor of Mama Mary, then whatever favor you ask for will be granted.

Well, I have not completed the 1000 Hail Mary yet.. 

This is our parish church’s Assumption patron. Lights are on and ready for the procession.

Always remember that you can never find a perfect partner

to love you the way you wanted..

Only a person who’s willing to love you more than

what you are..

Someone who’ll accept you for what

you can and cannot be..

And that’s even better than perfect.. J