Visiting Belen Exhibit at San Damiano Chapel

First of all, belated Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you, Hivers! I've been gone for so long due to some personal reasons, but the good news is that I am back and am starting to regain my mental health. The holidays seemed to be so ordinary for me, but I still felt grateful because me and my family had a wonderful and peaceful celebration. Last night, while walking, I heard the church bell ring, and it seemed that they were having another mass. Since I still have enough time, I went inside to pray and offer some wishes in the candle area. Since there are only a few people inside, I took some time to roam around and visit some sculptures of the saints and nazarene.

The first sculpture I noticed was the Black Nazarene. When I was young, I always get scared of this, believing that His eyes would move and open.

As I was looking for the restroom of the church, I got an unexpected chance to visit the First Nativity Scene, where there are lots of figurines and miniatures depicting the birth of Jesus Christ.

Here is the first Belen I saw inside. The miniature is very detailed, and I remembered the Belen figurine we had years ago. My Granny used to collect some Belens, and months before Christmas, me and my cousins will help her arrange that in her living room.

The second Belen was also wonderful, as it highlighted the angel that visited baby Jesus in the manger.

Ohh more figurines depicting the birth of Jesus. I think there were people who offered their Belens to be shown here in the chapel.

The most attractive Belen was this huge figurine of Joseph, Mother Mary, and Jesus. In front of them is a prayer for Christmas. I humbly asked for some guidance and blessings and also offered some prayers for the soul of some of my relatives who were no longer here to celebrate Christmas and the New Year with us.

For a few minutes, walking inside the chapel, I felt sad but, at the same time, grateful. I felt sad because I was missing the old Christmas years ago. I missed the night full of carolings, night masses with my grandma, and a lot more. But on the other hand, I still feel grateful because I am still alive and my family is getting financially stable. And next Christmas, I do believe that it will bring a lot of blessings, as I will be graduating and starting to work on a regular basis.

Anyway, this concludes my short walk for this week. I hope you enjoyed my unexpected visit to San Damiano Chapel here in Sta. Ana Manila, Philippines. I miss posting my stroll blogs here in #WednesdayWalk community created by sir @tattoodjay and I was glad to share something special today.

Have a blessed day ahead!