Saying lucky aint a bad thing right?
Well, I guess, it depends upon the situation.
I just came back from an office inauguration and blessing. I was one of the invited guests.
Fortunately, the owner who is a personal acquaintance, is Catholic, so she invited a Roman Catholic priest to bless the office.
After the priests blessed the office, using the, ugh, Chupungcan type of blessing, he went around the office sprinkling every nook and cranny with holy water.
What really caught me by surprise was not the Chupungcan, which now I think is Diwan rite of blessing (cool, folks, pun was intended.) It was after the blessing of the building that the priest started blessing a fishbowl full of one peso coins. He then sprinkled it with holy water and before the, you guessed it right, showering of the coins, he reminded every one present to not spend the coins we will get, but save it and use it on the time when we will build our own houses or any structure, because according to him, these coins are "Lucky!" or in his exact Tagalog words, "Suwerte."
Is luck ever a Christian thing?
Whatever happened to God's blessings and hard work "Give us this day our daily bread."
If Christianity is all about luck, no wonder some Pinoy Catholics' devotion to the Black Nazarene and the Sto. Niño are nothing different from their "devotion" to the big, fat smiling Buddha.
The blog of a group of Filipino Catholics and their frank commentary on anything that affects their lives as a citizen of the Philippines and as a Roman Catholics.
Baka joke nya lang yun!
ReplyDeleteFr. Gary, he was serious. The priest said it more than thrice. He reminded us not to spend the coins.
ReplyDelete@ Sir pinoy Catholic
ReplyDeletewhat's the difference between the Diwan and Chupungcan blessing styles?
That's pure plain superstition. During house blessings, Filipinos ask me to the bless the coins and I told them that I don't bless objects that are thrown to the floor. Sometimes I notice coins on my feet that they missed picking so I picked it up and used it for change. ;-)
ReplyDeleteActually, Keb, it was a pun. :)
ReplyDeleteNo actual difference really as Chupungco, even though retired, still has a say in the composition of most of the liturgies that come out of RCAM and the Ordo of the Philippines.
Talking about Feng Shui creeping into our faith...
ReplyDeleteWe have a calendar here at home given to us by a religious order. So since it's supposedly a Catholic calendar, each day has a Saint's name. However what caught my attention is the entry for January 23, 2012. It says 23 (then the symbol for a new moon) Then in red letters the phrase- Chinese New Year then the word DRAGON, then after that St. Emerenziana. Now I would understand if that religious order made it a red letter day since the Chinese New Year is NOW a legal holiday in the Philippines (uhmmmm). But why include the word DRAGON? Remember that the 12 animal signs are considered as "Gods" in Chinese Folk Religion, so why include it in a catholic calendar? Mind you there are still parents who continue the tradition of naming their children according to Calendar saint names. God forbid if a parent consults this calendar and names his child Dragon (or Dragona if the child is female hehehe).
And as a pahabol, our Chinese brothers can still be considered a minority in this country. And I think the government made their new year a holiday so they could celebrate it and do their religious observances. So the question is...how about the CATHOLIC MAJORITY who needs to go to church every DECEMBER 8. Will we be given the same favor?