A funny thing happened on the way to a grace and indulgence tour

How many churches have you visited in the Philippines? Dead silence. If I were being graded and while taking a qualifying exam, I would have been given a failing mark. Luckily, a former classmate, Minerva Tanseco, was out to correct that.

She prepared a detailed itinerary that would take a group of guilty-by-omission former classmates to at least nine churches in Rizal and Laguna inclusive of the following spiritual bonuses: Recitation of the rosary, Mass and communion, novena prayers in each church, visitation to the Blessed Sacrament, stations of the cross, lighting of candles with special prayers and petitions and quiet time for personal meditation.

This was a "grace and indulgence" tour.

In the van, Minerva made a general announcement. "Okay, ladies. We begin by reciting the 20 mysteries of the rosary."

I raised my hand and asked, "Aren’t there 15 mysteries? Where did the extra five come from?" Minerva shook her head and said, "No. There are five more mysteries that were added by the Vatican. The Vatican saw the importance of including the public life of Jesus in the recitation of rosary. These additional five mysteries are called the Mysteries of Light or Luminous Mysteries."

There were nine of us in the van and I was the only one who was not aware of this addition. Luckily, I was among friends and I did not feel embarrassed.

For those of you who are not aware of the Luminous Mysteries, here they are:

1. The Baptism of Jesus by His cousin, St. John

2. The Wedding at Cana where Jesus performed his first miracle, the turning of water to wine.

3. The Proclamation of the Kingdom of God by Jesus as he went around Galilee teaching in the synagogues, preaching the good news of the Kingdom and healing the sick.

4. The Transfiguration of Jesus at Mount Tabor. It is here where His clothes became dazzling white and Moses and Elijah appeared talking with Jesus.

5. The Institution of the Eucharist which was done at the last supper

Having recited all the 20 mysteries of the rosary, we began our visits to the churches in Rizal and Laguna. Another friend suggested, "Why don’t we include the new Stations of the Cross?" Following close behind, I stopped, "What do you mean by new? Did they change the Stations of the Cross, too?" The group laughed, "Of course. Don’t tell me you were not aware of that either?"

Dead silence.

In the traditional Way of the Cross, seven stations were taken from the gospels and the other seven from traditions of the Catholic Church. After the second Vatican Council in 1964, the Catholic Church suggested a new Way of the Cross, which is based on the biblical account of the life of Jesus and we follow to this day.

Here are the Stations of the Cross:

1. The Lord’s Supper

2. The Agony of Jesus at Gethsemane

3. Jesus Before the Sanhedrin (The high priests)

4. The Crowning with Thorns

5. The Carrying of the Cross

6. The Falling of Jesus

7. Symon of Cyrene Helped Jesus Carry the Cross

8. The Women of Jerusalem meet Jesus

9. Jesus is Nailed to the Cross

10. The Good Criminal

11. Mary and John

12. Jesus Dies on the Cross

13. Jesus is Laid in the Tomb

14. The Resurrection

I was glad I took this pilgrimage with friends who were only too happy to teach and guide me. By the time we headed home, I was no longer silent. Only dead beat.