St. Therese Shrine is located at Newport, Metro Manila. This was the first structure erected in the area before all the other world class buildings in the Resorts World and the Mega World Global in front of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal III. This is the seat of the Military Ordinary of the Philippines.
If this is where our Military Ordinary resides, you would ask why of all Saints, they have chosen a young woman and a contemplative nun for a Patroness. Why did they not choose a valiant soldier like Saint Sebastian, for example who was a martyr of the faith? Or may be Saint Ignatius of Loyola for that matter? There are many reasons running through my mind why they chose St. Therese as the Patron Saint of our Military. Unless we ask the very person or persons who made the choice, we would never know the exact reason.
For now, let us just enjoy our Visita Iglesia to the Shrine of St. Therese. I'll try to show you around. How about entering the Adoration Chapel. Here, we can pray more fervently without much distractions. It's so quiet and peaceful in here.You may ask for a special grace that your heart so desires. You know that God listens to all our prayers. Remember, he grants only those things that will bring us closer to Him. He may answer our prayers with a yes, a no, or wait. "Man proposes, God disposes," an old adage goes.
Oh, Lord, you know what the human heart usually asks and desires for. I heard one priest say in his homily that instead of saying "Panginoon" the Tagalog word for Lord, what we usually utter in prayer is "pahingi noon" a phrase which means "give me that". We can be greedy most of the time. Just watch the news, and you'll know what I mean. Saint Therese, help us to be more childlike and simple in our needs. Help us to let go and let God.
If you find these pictures beautiful, how much more if you're looking up and marveling at their enormity as you move around the Church. Reminder, please move around reverently and quietly because you are inside the Lord's House. We need to put our hats and cell phones off as we go around. The glass doors are works of art, too. They are decorated with angels and flowers. You'd think you're already in heaven.
A shuttle bus goes around the whole district. You can take a ride for free. Isn't it amazing? Now, let's go around some more. By the way, this is no longer part of our Visita Iglesia. This is already site seeing. Do you see the Mariott Hotel in the background? That's a 6 Star Hotel included in Resorts World Manila. A hotel can only qualify for 6 Star status if it has a shopping center, theater and casino all in one place. Maxims Hotel is also included in this Mega Compound. High rise condominiums are mushrooming in this area and you would marvel at the speed they multiply. Where do people get all the money to build all these? Surely, not from the taxes I paid? Lol!
Wohoho! What do you say of this chandelier? Everything in here is grandiose, including the price tags inside each branded shop. Oh, yes, many of us can not afford them. But do you need them to be happy? I don't! It is enough to see them and make my personal observations. Hilarious!
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