Journey to the 30-Feet Statue &/Or, THE Monasterio de Tarlac

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His Majesty, Christ the Risen Lord

Checking our itinerary enroute from Manaoag, my guy-cousin and I suggested making a side trip to the Monasterio de Tarlac to complement a seem-like pilgrimage. Many thanks to Ms. Leng from the Capitol and her clear-cut instructions, the journey to the 30-feet statue was light. Just don’t mind the errors on the kilometer-distances and lack of signage from the North.;p Anyhow, as we ride down the rollercoaster-winding road, we busied ourselves with snapshots of life along the countryside of San Jose, Tarlac in the obliterating hotness emanating from Mr. Summer Sun. Life is simple. What you see in pages of our elementary books depicting rural life came alive by what we have witnessed thru Tarlaqueños living by the roadside. We saw kids and their mommies bathe and wash their clothes in the river, rice grains being dried out on pavement, rice terraces, mountain ranges, mga bahay kubo kahit munti with accompanying halamang sari sari, people in huddles playing cards, dayami in their grandeur. A portrait so well straightforward.  You wouldn’t think that, at the end of it all, is the impressive mountain of hope so-called Mt. Resurrection, as it holds still the mold of the 30-feet statue of the Risen Christ. It's like seeing Christ the Redeemer in Rio De Janeiro, en fait. My uncle the driver suddenly exclaimed upon seeing the mound with almighty enthusiasm (which is quite a very unusual reaction from him). AS we all have no idea on what to expect. All I know is, my family and friends from Opus Dei have told me worthy stories. And Now, I do mine. Do visit the Monasterio, should you must first at its website: http://monasterio-de-tarlac.weebly.com/. A good friend sums it up in a nutshell, Experience to Believe. And let me add to that in extreme, “God At Work”.

Well worth visiting.