All will be Well

Flowers in the church front yard

"All will be well." This was the prevailing message from the Easter mass I attended yesterday, when I joined my sister's family and her sister-in-law's family in a Catholic mass in Aliso Viejo, a few minutes away from where we're currently staying in Orange County. It has been a while since I last attended a Catholic mass and I could say it was very different from the ones I've attended before. It was unconventional. My sister said it had hints of a Christian/born-again service. The choir was accompanied by a band (complete with a drum, which I only see in Christian services); the message/homily was relatively longer than the usual homilies; even the church set up was very modern. The "altar" was made of a large, unpolished stone where the priest went around while he was giving his homily. At the start of the mass, he sprinkled holy water at the entire congregation and made sure that every one received the blessing. Instead of using the usual container to hold the water, he used a bunch of leaves which was more absorbent and in effect, produced a lot of water when it was waved towards the crowd. Towards the end of the homily, he gave out a giant easter egg, a chocolate rabbit, and a stuffed rabbit to three lucky recipients. The priest was very lively, the message was great, and they had good, upbeat music. The crowd was very receptive and truly enjoyed the entire mass. I wasn't expecting much from the mass, but I enjoyed it as well, and found it relevant that the priest was talking about resurrection, new beginnings, and the inevitable joyful ending, knowing that you are one with Christ. 

with family :)

I could say, at this point, that I will be going through new beginnings brought about by transitions in different aspects of my life. This trip came as a timely break, a respite from all the issues and from my tedious routine the past several years. I've realized that there are certain issues in my life that haven't reached their proper resolution and it's probably due to the fact that I haven't sincerely lifted them up to God. Dear God, please help me to sort out all the issues that need fixing and to really start anew this time around. As I lift everything (as in EVERYTHING) up to You, I can honestly say that eventually, no matter what happens, no matter how uncertain things may seem, all will truly be well.

And belated happy resurrection Sunday to everyone :)

More huge and pretty flowers in church :)