Kamay ni Hesus Shrine
“If one has faith, one has everything.” ~Ramakrishna~
Lucban is not just popular for the Pahiyas festival. I was also introduced to “Kamay ni Hesus shrine” where thousands of believers visit, it is a 5-hectare property which you can sight the following:
Luklukan ni Maria,
Noah’s Ark,
Resurrected Christ,
Gallery of Saints,
Garden of Eden,
The Angels Hill,
The Marian Park
and the religious Murals.
A priest named Fr. Joey Faller put this up through donations from here and abroad.
On the side, I also encountered the Lucban longganiza and pancit habhab. These two are what Lucban is famous for.
They also boast the beauty of Mt. Banahaw, a favorite of climbers, but not my cup of tea while I still hold admiration to those trekkers and mountaineers who would not mind the difficulty of conquering heights with those heavy and huge backpacks behind them.
Though I did just a little to be able to touch the base of “Kamay ni Hesus” shrine, it took us more than 300 steps to get there, and it was a good experience and a test of endurance as well. I now understand the unexplainable feeling of climbers when they already reached their goal however high it is. There is the “high”.. =) It was visceral.
It has drawn huge crowd of tourists (local and foreign), media, photoholics, and all kinds of people from all walks of life. We even encountered a vendor who came from Canlalay and its just a town away from my hometown. It was happy and fun…=)
I knew that some of the devotees are a bit overwhelmed, thanks to the stations equipped with benches where people can rest for a while.
It is very timely this Lenten Season that I reminisce back those days when I am religiously practicing my Faith. I remember that as a teenager, me and my choir mates would literally visit 13 churches to commemorate the 13 stations showing us the sufferings of Christ, as written that it is the only way to save mankind. This sacrifice until now, is something that is very deep for me, coming from God our Father. With my bleak understanding, it was with a hope that mankind will not only acknowledge that kind of sacrifice, but to live by it, for it’s purpose.
Years back, my son’s father and I for some years, dedicated our time in doing the “Visita Iglesia” too. It was at that time when we eyed a church on a hill top in our hometown and planned to get married on that same church. Even if it didn’t meet my future husband’s must-have requirements for our wedding, I just knew I was wishing to have our vows on that particular church.
However, according to the Parish priest, we are supposed to get married at the Parish where we’re residing. It was a beautiful church. You will instantly feel the solemnity as it is standing on a hill, overlooking the vast lowlands of our hometown.
As years passed, it is only during Lent (the Holy week per se), when I have the time to have my own definition of “peace”. When everyone else got their tan lines after Easter, my skin is still in even tone. Like the “homebody” side of me at its’ strongest. There is a kind of pleasure, the simplest of its’ kind when you’re at home.
May the message of this season be in our hearts not only on these days, but the whole year through..
Happy Easter everyone! =)
Kamay ni Hesus Shrine & Healing Center is located at:
Brgy. Tinamnan, Lucban Quezon
Telephone: (042) 540 2206
Email: info@lucbankamaynihesus.com
Website:http://www.lucbankamaynihesus.com/
On Purple Wings 