Saturday, April 25, 2009

Interrupted Mass

   These images are seared in my mind:

   Half-devoured steaks and untouched drinks left on top of tables.
   People running with soaked handkerchiefs covering their noses.
   Shop assistants carrying their most valuable merchandise out of the stalls.
   Families huddled in groups, positioning themselves near the doorway and breathing in precious fresh air.
   Children crying as they looked for their parents.


   But above all:

   The smoke. A white thick monster that menacingly claimed its territory... inch by terrifying inch.

   And it all took place in one of the "safest" malls in the Metro: Rockwell, Powerplant.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

   We were hearing mass in the Chapel when it happened... in the middle of singing the "Our Father," we heard the Commotion. People talking loudly. Running footsteps. Security guards on radios sprinting towards the chapel personnel, gesticulating wildly.

   And then we heard the frantic whisper: "Fire."

   So many thoughts ran through my mind... my first instinct was to run but then I remembered that most people who die in fires do not actually die from being burned, but by being trampled in a stampede, or by asphyxiation from the smoke.

I was also scared, more than I've ever been afraid before in my entire life.

But my heart grew calm as I gazed at the priest, who continued on with the mass 
after giving the short announcement that there was a fire, that it had been put out, 
that we were being asked to evacuate the premises because of the smoke, 
but that he would finish celebrating the mass. 

"You can leave if you wish," he said, and up rose 90% of the congregation.

I looked to my father, who calmly said, "We'll finish the mass," and my heart beat 
turned to normal as I looked at the composed faces of my mother, sister, and brother
...and we raised our voices loudly as we sang aloud with fervor:

"Do not bring us to the test... but deliver us from evil..."

The thought that was loudest in my mind was a prayer of thanksgiving: 
Lord, thank You, for we are together as a family. COME WHAT MAY, WE ARE
TOGETHER.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Events like these make one think of one's mortality. And of course, the most
important question of all: "Will I go to Heaven?"

So.... how was YOUR Saturday evening?

~ ~ ~ ~ ~


19 comments:

  1. How was MY Saturday evening?? Queerly enough...similar to yours. =)

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  2. NoOOOOoo! REALLY?!?!??!!! *gasp*

    haha. *hug* Am SO glad you were there with me.

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  3. I'm so grateful that you and your family are safe, Gabi.
    My Saturday evening was not as life-threatening but I spent it with my family, too. What a precious gift family is!

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  4. Beautiful. Blessed are you for having a family anchored on Jesus Christ.

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  5. Im glad you are all safe...and what a courage your family have to finish the mass. It made me think that after all this glorious existence, in the end we are confronted by a single christian challenge - are we courageous enough to die for Jesus? And this is waht matters most in life.

    Very inspiring Gab... Praise God all the time. Ingat :)

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  6. woah wait wait, when was this?!!!!! woah, i didnt know that there was a fire at rockwell. yikes, grabe, i thought at first that this was a short story. real life pala, shocks.. i'm glad you and you're family are safe! wow

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  7. Bwahahahaha! Funny ka, Mika! Short story ka diyan! Ahahahahaha!!!

    I'm glad you and your family were kept safe, Gabi.

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  8. Thank you all, for your concern!! :) Yes it was a very timely reminder. How sad for us that it takes a brush with death for most people to realize what are the most important things in life.

    Oh and Leomel... I wasn't brave at all!! But my father certainly was. His quiet strength grounded on Faith is something that I long to have, someday.

    Mika, nakakatuwa ka nga. Hehe. This happened last night (Saturday). Only one restaurant got hit (SUMO SAM) and I understand Rockwell resumed normal operations today :)

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  9. SUMO SAM PA?!!!! grabe, i just recently ate there (but in shang). la lang, what a coincidence

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  10. parang short story kaya yung opening! or at least opening scenes from a movie! i had no idea there was a fire kasi!

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  11. I kinda got scared when I read your post at first, because my mom and dad are on their way now to Rockwell for my dad's eye injections at Asian Eye. Though I'm glad you guys are okay. :)

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  12. glad you guys are safe!! scary fire (stampede, smoke etc). nothing like a scare to remind us of our mortality D: which is why we should be vigilant about being good people, always!

    on lighter note i spent my saturday night having dinner with my family at home :) most glamorous!

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  13. Oh they have a branch at Shang pala. Yeah Sumo Sam is one of our family's favorite restaurants din... sarap ng steak combo nila hehe and super sulit for the price because there's so much food involved. Won't be tasting it for some time, though, since it's closed now for renovation (sigh)

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  14. Haha hmmm Mika you've given me inspiration... will try my hand at writing short stories nga. :)

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  15. It's perfectly safe now, Kim :) Actually I think the security people were very efficient in getting everyone out of the building when there was a fire... and I understand it was quickly put out. Freak accident lang talaga...

    Thanks for your concern!

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  16. Tama ka diyan, Nicole. Ika nga nila... "Live each day as if it were your last."

    Yeeeaaah!!! Nothing beats family bonding time!!! Whether at home or outside.

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  17. oh wow.. that could have been the one of the scariest but also (ironically) one of the calmest, most beautiful experiences you've ever had... am i right? :)

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  18. oo nga Ate Gabi! i remember one of the most important things in writing a feature article is to write a catchy opening phrase/sentence/paragraph! :)

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