Post Partum Party

Caleruega, Batangas - On Christmas Eve, I asked my friend "Do you pray?" No, I don't anymore. For a moment I thought, how can anyone not pray? Prayer is food for our soul. Prayer connects us to the divine universe. Prayer is our password to peace and prosperity. Then there was this silence between us. I realized I sounded like the Virgin Mary urging people to pray.

While having my pedicure in a barbershop on Christmas day, I winced through the painful cuticle cutting procedure which I specifically asked to omit. It left me in a bad mood because I had to wait another hour for Dr. Frasier to complete his grooming. I then chanced upon a newsletter of the Immaculate Conception explaining Mary's virginity from her conception without original sin to the conception of her baby sans intercourse to her post partum party at the manger where she still remains a virgin to this day.

It means she was spared from labor pains and child birthing pains as baby Jesus magically appeared from down under - 100% holistic and Epidural-free. Moving on to lunch at a family reunion that day, I sat with two teenage mothers toting their newborns as they exchanged greetings, "Sakit?"

What is it about pain that makes one a mother? Does that mean the Virgin Mary doesn't have the qualities of being a human mother because she was spared from birthing pains? Maybe it explains why mothers try to shield their child from pain because it is something traumatic to begin with. Only a few people appreciate pain in their lives. Where else but in this world can we experience pain and suffering? I am grateful I get to experience all sorts of pain in this lifetime. I just pray for courage to go through pain as it transfigures my realities into a new level of consciousness.

How do we pray and what do we pray for? Prayers are playful personal expressions of our profound Love for ourselves and that Love is Divine power. We pray for protection and guidance. We pray for forgiveness. We pray for passion and pleasure. We pray for positive healing from pain. We pray for wisdom and strength. We pray for thanksgiving.

Prior to the coming new year, I seek solitude amongst the hills of Batangas here in Caleruega. As I came out of the chapel, I was greeted by a priest saying, "Are you Chinese?" I am Filipino. But you just attended a Chinese (Mandarin) mass. I did? I thought we were all praying as one. All I heard were sounds coming from voices singing unending hymns of praise.

It was an intimate mass of nine participants. At six in the morning, I closed my eyes and prayed in the Chapel of Mary Magdalene. I was in the company of brethrens who apparently whispered behind my back, not knowing if they should start their thing or politely ask me to leave. Talk about politics in prayer.

I was about to retire late one night when I overheard this father-daughter dialogue through my window. Anak, where have you been? I went to the chapel to pray. What a good girl! Did you pray for more money? No, dad. I prayed for your good health.

Personally, I find silence the best prayer. Stillness speaks in subtle tones emanating from our hearts in the depths of our souls. In that silence, we go back to the void from where we came from. Who we pray to is of our personal preference. For a start, we can just look at the mirror and pray to our own image and likeness.

Christ tells us if we believe, we will receive whatever we ask for in prayer. I received prayer requests from friends and family to pray for them while I'm on retreat. I playfully asked, "Sure, how much prayer voltage would you require?" Prayers appear as beams of light in darkness. As my personal masseuse tells me, "I tried to access your life by meditating but somehow all I can see is bright light." I laughed and told her "You need a password to enter my soul". It's like purchasing prayer through PayPal. God only knows the encryption of each bit through the power of prayer.

A picture of the Blessed Virgin fell from one of the books on the altar and behind it is a prayer appropriately given for my purpose here. "Heavenly Father, I call you right now in a special way. It is through your power that I was created. Every breath I take, every morning I wake, and every moment of every hour, I live under your power. Let the warmth of your healing love pass through my body to make new any unhealthy areas so that my body will function the way you created it to function. Restore me to full health in mind and body so that I may serve you the rest of my life."

This New Year's Eve, skip the pyroworks. Do something more powerful - pray. The path to prayer is playful. No rules required.