| Letters of Aquila and Priscilla |
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All generations will call me blessed! (Lk 1:48) |
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Every year on the 11th of February, a procession is held from the Promasan church to the Shrine of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Sendang Sono in Central Java. During the months of May and October, thousands visit the shrine where a Mass is celebrated at four o’clock in the afternoon. It was in Sendang Sono that the first Catholics in that area were baptized on 14 December 1904. Fr. V. Lith, SJ blessed the water from Semagung spring (or Sendangsana) and Fr. Andreas Martaatmadja from Muntilan baptized around 170 people. Some years later, Fr. Prennthaler, SJ proposed to the people of Kalibawang to build a shrine of the Blessed Virgin Mary. An image of the Blessed Mother was ordered from Europe while the people carried stones, sand and limestone to build a shrine similar to the one in Lourdes, France. The shrine was blessed on 8 December 1929. On 11 February 1940, Fr. Jasawihardja, SJ blessed the laying of the cornerstone of the church in nearby Promasan. Then in 1958, the fourteen Stations of the Cross were constructed on the hill from Promasan to Sendang Sono. The idea was to encourage pilgrims to first visit the church in Promasan and then to walk up the hill – stopping and praying at the Stations of the Cross and contemplating the Passion of Christ – to the Shrine of the Blessed Virgin atop the hill in Sendang Sono. We first heard of Sendang Sono sometime late last year. Because of the spiritual joy we experienced during our pilgrimage to Lourdes in May last year, we decided that we would also go on pilgrimage to Sendang Sono. Thus during the Christmas holidays, we prepared for our trip to Yogyakarta to visit the church in Promasan and shrine in Sendang Sono. Unfortunately, after Christmas I got sick with flu. Not wanting to disappoint the children, we left anyway by train on the evening of 27 December although I was having fever and muscle pains. We arrived in Yogyakarta very early Sunday morning. That afternoon, we attended Mass in a church about 20-minute walk from our hotel. We got caught in a shower while walking and I was wet and feverish during the Mass. As a result, my flu got worse the following day. We had to change our plans because I had to rest and take medication. We decided to visit Sendang Sono on our last day in Yogyakarta hoping that I would be well by that time. During the next two days, Jean and the children visited the sights of Yogyakarta while I rested in the hotel. On the morning of 30 December, I was still weak and feverish. But I did not want to miss the chance of visiting Sendang Sono. So after breakfast, Jean, our three sons and I left Yogyakarta for the one-hour drive to Sendang Sono. We went first to the church in Promasan. After praying, we walked up the hill to pray the Way of the Cross. Because I was still sick, we walked very slowly. It took us over an hour to complete the 14 Stations of the Cross, walking up the winding dirt road leading to the grotto of the Blessed Virgin Mary. In front of the grotto, we prayed the rosary. With two more Hail Marys before completing five decades, I felt very weak. My knees were giving way and I sat on a rock in front of the grotto. After completing the rosary, I told Jean that I could not go on any longer. I needed to lie down and rest. We started walking down the hill towards the car to return to the hotel. But just a few paces from the grotto, I could not walk any more. I felt very cold and asked for my jacket. Jenner immediately said, “I will get it,” and he ran as fast as he could to get my jacket from the car. I sat on the pavement, feeling very weak and exhausted. I heard Joubert praying over me. Then for about a few seconds I lost consciousness. But it was a wonderful feeling. I felt no pain, no stress. First I felt I was fading away and saw nothing but a bright white cloud. And then I saw and felt nothing. When I regained consciousness, I remained sitting for a while trying to muster some strength to be able to walk to the car. Jean and the children were all around me trying to keep me warm and comfortable. After a few minutes, I felt strong enough to walk. The following day, we left Yogyakarta. My fever was gone. We had a pleasant six-hour train ride to Jakarta. Sendang Sono seems to be a most unlikely place to find a shrine of the Blessed Mother. It is out of the way. One has to get off the main road and pass through a narrow and winding dirt road to reach Promasan church. And yet as I reflect on the events that happened then, I am reminded of Mary’s hymn of joy and praise of God, the Magnificat: My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant. Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name. His mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation (Lk 1:46-50). This prophecy has come true in Sendang Sono. In the middle of nowhere, on a hill in the center of a predominantly non-Christian nation, Mary is being venerated as the Blessed Virgin Mother. Mary’s statue in Sendang Sono resembles the Statue of the Crowned Virgin located in the middle of the plaza in Lourdes. But Sendang Sono is not Lourdes. There is no comparison between the Promasan church and the Rosary Basilica or between the Stations of the Cross in Sendang Sono and the Lourdes Way of the Cross. To be honest, if I had not been sick and had not lost consciousness while on pilgrimage to Sendang Sono, our pilgrimage would probably not have been extraordinary. I believe that God allowed those events to happen so that I might be led to reflect on the deeper meaning of the Shrine in Sendang Sono. And the deeper meaning is that whether in Sendang Sono or Lourdes, one will encounter God if he or she will just take time to seek Him. Indeed I encountered God in Sendang Sono: in the quickness of Jenner’s reaction to get my jacket; in Joubert’s praying over me; and in Jean’s and Jonjon’s loving care and concern for me. God’s presence was very evident in their actions. As in Lourdes, I also experienced a little bit of heaven in Sendang Sono with that indescribable peace and joy which I felt as I passed out into unconsciousness. In fact, when I reflect on the events that happened, I feel like repeating Mary’s words, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant,” but I dare not because I honestly feel unworthy. I just praise and thank God for His goodness using my own words. My brothers and sisters, God is in Sendang Sono. Our dear Lady, the Blessed Virgin and Mother of God, is in Sendang Sono. She is there for anyone who seeks her. If you can find the time to walk up the hill to contemplate on the Passion of her Son and offer a rosary, you will find her. And she will lead you to her Son, our Lord and God. |