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The
trademark of Boholano hospitality will again be displayed
when city residents will open their homes to welcome visitors
who are part of the golden tradition of honoring the patron
saint, St. Joseph the Worker whose feast will be commemorated
on Thursday.
Bishop
Leonardo Medroso cited the fervor of the Boholanos in honoring
their patron saint during their feasts.
"In
all my assignments, this is the province where I noted the
residents to be very zealous in celebrating their fiestas
which is highlighted with homecoming and reunions of family
members," the church leader said.
What
is remarkable is that fiestas are celebrated here with church
rites as the center in the hearts of the residents, as shown
in the thousands of the faithful who will flock to attend
masses during their fiestas. Churches are full in all masses
whenever fiestas are celebrated, Medroso cited.
Meanwhile,
City Mayor Dan Lim and Vice Mayor Jose Antonio Veloso will
lead local officials in welcoming fiesta guests while nightly
pre-fiesta activities are held at the City Central Market
under the sponsorship of various private firms.
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Tonight,
the Miss Tagbilaran 2008 pageant and coronation night
will be held at the Holy Name University gymnasium.
Inter-island
vessels as well as planes for the city are fully booked
since last Friday to accommodate homecomers and fiesta
visitors. Fast crafts, Weesam, Oceanjet and SuperCat
are fully booked today up to Thursday as special trips
might be fielded tomorrow, vesper day.
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NOBILITY
OF ST. JOSEPH
Cinema,
TV and radio shows, economics, and folk tales - from the Spanish
to modern times - had often depicted Filipino laborers as
oppressed, downtrodden, and as much underpaid as they were
overworked.
At
the height of the Martial Law, labor was mercilessly exploited
but could not complain because of the strict ban on protest
movements. They grinned and bore it, largely in stoic resignation.
Today, while labor has become a grievance openly, there is
much for labor to complain in a Third World reality.
It
is perhaps apropos that laborers should find an apt patron
of their industry in Saint Joseph for he was a professional,
obedient, strong and bright but humble carpenter.
In
olden times, being a carpenter was a noble profession. In
the absence of modern-day gadgets and tools, he largely used
his brains as extensively as his body. Joseph taught his young
son Jesus the rudiments of the trade as apprentice at home
and perhaps accounted for the early strong development of
Jesus' physique that allowed him to withstand the suffering
at Calvary.
When
Joseph saw in a dream that he was anointed to be the foster
of the Redeemer Jesus Christ, he humbly sought to be excused
feeling he was unworthy to even wash the sandals of the God-Man
on Earth. But obedience proved to be his stronger virtue,
as Joseph eventually followed the call of Heaven to head the
Holy Family - first into Bethlehem to escape the murderous
scheme of King Herod.
One
can imagine the kind of work ethics Joseph imbued on Jesus
through the years of tutelage as carpenter apprentice as the
bonding of the father and son may have gone into a deeper
realm. One can further imagine the kind of commotion Joseph,
the foster father, would have aroused if he was around to
witness the suffering of his foster son.
Perhaps
the soldiers could have touched Jesus only over Joseph's dead
body.
But
alas Joseph the Carpenter died long before the Calvary happened
and thus the story of man's redemption through Jesus' death
on the cross came to pass.
As
we celebrate St. Joseph's Day, we meditate on the nobility
of his person and strength of his humility.
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