It was a blessed feather in the cap for Cuneta Astrodome when the Marriage Encounter Foundation of the Philippines (MEFP) for the first time, through the La Santa Trinita ME Community, held its traditional Maundy Thursday recollection on the said stadium last 21 April 2011. This was also the same kind of prominence that Teatro Enrile at Camp Aguinaldo got when MEFP held their previous recollections there.

Ever blessed with “heavy” resource speakers, the recollection started with a talk from Bro Domeng Rodillas dwelling mainly on love, forgiveness and shared blessings based on his personal experience. Laced with some of his occasional humor and rendition of relevant songs , the talk was very touching, inspirational and motivating.

Life sustaining food, in its literal and figuratively spiritual forms, a constant in every celebration and gathering was the next topic delivered by preacher Bro Alvin Barcelona. He personally chose his piece to be titled “Celebrate”. From the Holy Book, he expounded on the presence and meaning of food at the wedding in Cana, the feeding of the multitude, manna from heaven, the celebration of the return of the prodigal son and the Last Supper.

With reference to Ash Wednesday, going back to where one started when lost on his way was the accepted response to a poser by the last speaker, Father Arlo Yap, SVD. Fr. Yap defined the topics he discussed with vivid analogies : returning to the LORD like a borrowed pot or pan cleaned prior to its return to the owner; one’s good deeds and values changing another’s sinful life was represented by two plastic bottles, the clear content of one clearing the murky content of the other and finally, sharing one’s overflowing blessings to another characterized by two pieces of cloth and a mirror.

MEFP founder Father Ruben Tanseco officiated the Holy Mass and the re-enactment of the Washing of the Feet . In his homily he coached the MEFP communities to fight and unburden the country of its cross heavily weighed down by two of its leading problems, corruption and poverty.

With the excellent audio-visual presentation of the event, bigger venue, good coordination and to top it all, a big attendance, the recollection was truly a successful and blessed undertaking.