It is for grown-up children to witness their parents’ love for each other and the sacrifices they made in bringing them up. It would be a subtle way for parents to teach their children that it would bring them joy if their children will also live up to commitments they make in their lives in their chosen vocation. That is the reason why there are wedding anniversaries for married and sacerdotal anniversaries for priests and renewal of vows for the sisters and nuns. When papa and mama celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary, we, their children, were witnesses of two people happily in love.

Luz _ The 25th wedding anniversary celebration at Caleruega, Nasugbu, Batangas with the image of Jesus’ Transfiguration was a perfect setting for myself and Danny’s second wedding day “to reaffirm the seriousness of the vow we made during our wedding day. It is for us a reminder that God touches us for He loves us and wants us to live happily ever after.

Why Caleruega? Interestingly, both Caleruega and Sea and Sky were created in 1994. Caleruega as a venue for retreats and seminars of the Dominican Institutions and Sea and Sky offers College education that specializes in tourism. These institutions are situated on a hill. Being a product of the University of Santo Tomas myself, an institution of the Dominicans, Caleruega is truly apt for our wedding. Bishop Antonio Tobias, the officiating prelate is also an alumnus of UST.

Mark 9: 2-10 is about Peter, James and John being led up a high mountain by Jesus where he was transfigured before them The climb must have been difficult but the view must have been so magnificent that Peter ended up saying, LORD, IT IS GOOD FOR US TO BE HERE! During our Jubilee Pilgrimage at Holy Land, my twin Nila and I were privileged to go up Mt. Tabor, the site where the Transfiguration of Jesus took place. Something beautiful awaits him who climbs a mountain. The view at the top is beautiful and literally breath-taking. This is the reward for one who persevered. But something beautiful happens also within the beholder: a sense of achievement for having persevered, a deep feeing of CONFIDENCE TO BE ABLE TO CLIMB MORE MAINTAINS. They say that some kind of transfiguration occurs whenever you climb a mountain. YOU DO NOT ONLY GET A BETTER VIEW, YOU ALSO COME DOWN FROM THE MOUNTAIN A BETTER YOU.

Climbing mountains is how I describe my 25 years with Danny and the children. The paradox of marriage is that in becoming one new entity as a couple, a family, we do not lose ourselves. Instead , the qualities we bring to our relationship _ the gifts, the strengths, the unique characteristics that make us who we are, are enlarged and encouraged and given impetus to grow. We become more ourselves.

There are some things that make the climb easier, however, the journey less perplexing. One, communication, the sharing of words andfeelings and even long silence. Two, celebration, the setting apart of times out-of-the ordinary, the building of traditions for good things and bad. Three, community, with each other, with the larger family, with friends, with the whole world, and with God. Give your dreams to God, build your marriage, your family, and your life on the wisdom of the world.

May we keep our covenant, sealed 25 years ago, everlasting for another 25 years, where we say “I do” for each other. Two wordsthat entail reality to be borne faithfully by us: to build a HOME of our own and make it a HAVEN OF LOVE TODAY AND FOR ALWAYS.

Nila’s Message:

In our wedding invitation you saw pictures of our parents. Those pictures hang on the wall at the staircase of our home. As I look at it, I make a mental picture of Chicoy and I celebrating our own. The wish became stronger as my elder sister, Dr. Rosa Martinez and twin sister Luz Bolong celebrated their silver wedding anniversaries. Our celebration today is therefore the realization of that dream.

Our church wedding 25 years ago was held at the Ermita Church. In the church is the image of Nuestra Senora de Guia (Our Lady of Guidance), the oldest Marian image in the Philippines is enshrined. This year we celebrate the Eucharistic and Marian Year. Rev. Fr. Amador Foz gave us a calendar with these beautiful images of the Eucharistic Jesus and Mary that he made. The CBCP proclaimed 2004-2005 the Eucharistic Marian Year.

Marriage is a love story about believing without seeing in the power of love that make it last a lifetime. By the pictures of our parents (our first teachers) celebrating their silver wedding anniversaries, they showed the meaning of commitment. The picture of Chicoy signing our marriage contract shows that marriage vow is sacred “to have and to hold...until death.” This is the reason why we are celebrating our silver wedding anniversary to teach and show our children that they, too, may follow our footsteps.

God has showered us his abundant blessings most especially with three wonder sons. But like all marriages, ours has its shares of ups and downs. Couples need to reaffirm their love for each other. In 1990, I told Chilcoy that we join a Marriage Encounter Weekend in Tagaytay and her consented. Then in 1999, we attended another ME Weekend here at Vigan City. These two ME Weekends made us closer for we responded in God’s call of love and forgiveness.

Marriage is until death but love for each other is to be in heaven for eternity. Three years ago my husband was sick and had to undergo an operation. I took care of him at the Cardinal Santos Hospital and I asked a priest to give him confession. We pray daily the Holy Rosary before we sleep.

Through Jesus in the Eucharist with Mary, we pray that we will be blessed with another 25 years of love and be blessed with our children’s children. Indeed, we agree with the words of wisdom uttered by the late Bishop Fulton Sheen, “It is only on your 10th or 25th wedding anniversary that you really have loved.”