An evening in Lindogon

My wife and I were recently invited to an evening of meditation and prayer in barangay Lindogon, Sibonga. It was just a small group of Marian devotees organized by former Congressman Jose R. Gullas and wife Nena. The occasion was the visit in Cebu of a visionary, Sister Nene Tolentino by name, from Manila.

In case you don't know it yet, Lindogon is an upland barangay landscaped with rugged hills and rocky terrain where a group of Marian monks built a shrine for the Mother of God about a decade ago. The story goes that one of the monks received a "message" from Mother Mary advising the religious brothers to build a shrine for her somewhere in Cebu. The instructions was for the group to come to this province (they were originally based in Luzon) and look for an old woman along the way, who would guide them to the place where the shrine was to be built. The religious first motored to northern towns but no woman materialized.

Later, they took a trip southward and there at the intersection of the highway and the barangay road of Lindogon they found the woman. Even without being told, she knew what they were looking for, and she guided them up and up the almost impassable way to the hillsides which, she told the monks, was where the Virgin Mary wanted her sanctuary built.

Having secured the donation of the area, the monks proceeded to build a makeshift chapel where Mama Mary's icon was enthroned and venerated. Then a succession of miraculous happenings took place.

Healings were experienced by visiting faithfuls and words of these spread throughout the country and pilgrims came from far and near. Some came in wheelchairs and went home without them. (Now you can see a number of these contraptions displayed at the shrine, testaments of favors from the Mother of Jesus).

Yet the greater miracle has been the generous offerings of Catholics who shared their resources to build the now imposing (although still unfinished) shrine. And what was once a barren terrain has been converted into a sacred complex dominated by a full-size chapel and an Eucharistic structure set in a garden of flowering plants, arboreal trees and religious statues.

Former Congressman Gullas is one of these benefactors. During his term he spent part of his PDAP in improving the road leading to the place. He also source funds for the water system and the altar, donated fixtures and facilities plus a steady supply of food items for the religious brothers.

That evening we spent at the shrine was not a feast day, but we went there to pray with Sister Nene hoping to get imbibed with her attachment to the Mother of God. Also, we half-expected a repeat of the miracle she was favored with during her first visit years ago when a rose was reportedly transformed into a sacred host. On this visit, however, no unusual thing happened. But the peace that engulfed us and the feeling of something sublime as we went up the altar to venerate Mother Mary's icon comforted us in no small measure.

Going up the altar to pay homage to the Virgin Mary is one of the rituals for visitors. First you take off your footwear and make a beeline behind other devotees. Then slowly you make your way up an inclined ramp, traverse the altar frontage and tarry a while at the side to write down your petition. Whereupon you take a few steps up an abbreviated stairway and drop your petition in a built-in box.

At that time the box marked "Petitions" was already bulging with papers and I had to press my piece to keep it down the container. Another box nearby marked "Thanksgiving" had not too many drops-in. I told myself that perhaps the Mother of God has been granting only a few petitions. But then I checked myself and surmised that she is really responsive to prayers and must have granted many of them. However, human nature being what it is, only few must have come back to thank her. How like the ten lepers Jesus healed! Nine forgot about the Lord and only one came back.

The celebration of the Holy Eucharist was the highlight of our pilgrimage. Presided over by Fr. Christopher Amores, a newly ordained priest, the event was a touching experience, more so because the good father was a gifted sharer of the Word. Expounding on the Virgin Mother's humility, he cautioned us against pride and excessive self-concern and encouraged us to be like her as we journey along in life. Towards the end he told us that we went up the hills in search of ourselves in the light of God's love. May we continue that search, he said, in our respective lives with Mama Mary's inspiration.

So when evening ripened into full darkness we went down from the hills with our hearts quietly singing praises for God's goodness. And as we parted we thanked the Gullas couple for leading us to an unforgettable moment with the Mother of God and our Mother too.

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