Cabizera seat for Jesus.

Filipinos have always been known for their hospitality; even tourism pamphlets promote this aspect or asset of the Philippine Islanders.

Perhaps this hospitality theme came to fore because of the people's penchant to give an easy smile, especially to foreign people.

Hospitality is a treasured trait. It is a warm welcoming of guests and visitors. In the gospel reading from Luke 7: 36 - 50, hospitality is an underlying theme.

In the gospel reading of Luke 7: 36-50, Jesus was invited by Simon into his home for dinner. A woman known for her sinful past sat behind Jesus at his feet weeping and began to bathe his feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair, kissed them and anointed them with the ointment she brought.

Simon got scandalized and thought to himself, "surely if this man were a prophet, he would know who and what sort of woman this is, a sinner."

Jesus as a reply to Simon told a story of two men who owed a creditor; one owed five hundred days' wages and the other fifty days. Both were not able to repay and were forgiven by the creditor.

Jesus asked Simon, " Which of them will love him more?'

PHOTO ABOVE; 

A Feast in the House of Simon the Pharisee; Peter Paul RUBENS; c. 1618; oil on canvas; the Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg

Then Jesus said to Simon "do you see this woman? When I entered your house, you did not give me water for my feet but she had bathed them with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You did not give me a kiss, but she has not ceased kissing my feet since the time I entered. You did not anoint my head with oil but she anointed my feet with ointment. So, I tell you her many sins have been forgiven; hence she has shown great love."

If the story happened today in Manila, Jesus would have been given house slippers upon his entry at the door, cold buko (coconut) juice or a bottle of Coke upon reclining in a sofa, and the cabizera or the most prominent seat, reserved for the head of the family, at the dinner table.

I am pretty certain Jesus would have been shown hospitality even in a most ordinary Philippine house. If he were invited to a peasant home in the rural Philippines, the man of the house would have fetched water from a well for Jesus to wash his feet and hands.

Painting by late artist, Joey Velasco

Yet, ordinary hospitality is not enough to welcome Jesus, Lord of Hosts. He must be welcomed not just into our homes, but into our hearts, and reside there forever.

A Gem in an Island.

Chants of "Viva La Virgen de la Penafrancia" rang within the confines of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 as the Image of the Our Lady of Penafrancia emerged within sight of hundreds of faithful lined up outside the glassed gate.

The rhythmic chant continued as INA (Mother) was carried through the crowd into the parking lot where a specially-prepared SUV decorated with a wooden mount and floral bouquet waited for Her arrival.

Crowd at NAIA Terminal 3 greets INA.
ABOVE -Fr. Vic Flores, parish priest of San Andres Apostol shown carrying INA

The priest clutching INA and his entourage waved through the early afternoon crowd and didn't mind the various stops as people went near and touched the statue of the Our Lady of Penafrancia.

INA, as the Virgin of Penafrancia is lovingly called visited the San Andres Apostol Parish in Cainta last May 25, and was returned to her Basilica on Monday, May 27.

"Our Lady of Penafrancia (Spanish: Nuestra Señora de Peñafrancia, and in Spain as Nuestra Señora de la Peña de Francia or Virgen de la Peña de Francia) is a wooden statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary copied from the one in Peña de Francia (Salamanca, Spain).

Tens of thousands of pilgrims, devotees and tourists come to Naga City, also known as the Pilgrim City and the Queen City of the Bicol region in the Philippines, every September for a nine day novena and festivities in honor of Our Lady of Peñafrancia, the Principal Patroness and Queen of Bicol, endearingly addressed by Bicolanos as Ina (mother). The shrines in Naga, gathering more than two million devotees every year, is also one of the biggest Marian Pilgrimage Sites in Asia."

INA is the gem of Catholic Bicolandia. Revered as miraculous and a healer.

The Basilica of Our Lady of Penafrancia in Naga City, Bicol
Photo by Gener.

An astonishing island in the Caramoan Peninsula in the Bicol Province, home of Our Lady of  Penafrancia
Photo by Gener.

* Certain photos taken from the San Andres Apostol Parish facebook account.