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Pahiyas Festival
Celebrated every May 11 to 15, the Pahiyas Festival coincides with the feast of San Isidro Labrador, the patron saint of farmers, to give thanks for a bountiful harvest. The people of Lucban, Quezon celebrate San Isidro’s feast day in all flamboyance with varied festivities all over town, topped by a religious procession along the streets. The houses are all decorated with native “pahiyas” (décor) called “kiping,” leaf-shaped and multi-colored rice paste wafers. Also thrown in are “suman” (sticky rice), “puto” (rice cakes), fruits and vegetables, rice grains and rice stalks, beautiful and rare flowers and ferns, native lanterns, even “lechon” (roast pig) – all adding to the thousand colors of Pahiyas.

Mt. Banahaw
This 7,382-foot extinct volcano is famous for its mystical attributes. Unique religious rites are held here during Holy Week by pilgrims who believe that Christ walked on this mountain. There are approximately 66 to 68 registered religious sects whose members hold rituals on the mountain on Holy Week. The mountain is also a favorite site of amulet hunters. Mt. Banahaw is located at the western part of Quezon.

St. Michael the Archangel Minor Basilica
One of the oldest churches in the province, it was first built in 1585 and repaired in 1590 using nipa and palm. In 1600, they used bricks to enhance the site. The church was destroyed by an earthquake in 1743 and later rebuilt and made bigger in 1856. It is located in Tayabas, Quezon.

Bird Island
It was a coral formation, which became an island. The island is now a sanctuary for the birds that fly over the main island of Polillo and its neighboring areas. Every afternoon, groups of birds gather in the sky and head towards the island to spend the night there. Bird Island is located in Polillo Island, Quezon.

Puting Buhangin Beach
Situated in the Pagbilao Grande area, this pure white sand beach, with crystal-clear and calm water, is a favorite place in Pagbilao during the summer months. The white sand beach is about 70 meters long and 10 meters wide. A small cave is found at one end of the beach. Putting Buhangin is located at Pagbilao Grande, Pagbilao, Quezon.

Quezon National Park
With an area of about 9,830,765 hectares, the park has an intricate system of caves, waterfalls, springs, creeks, gorges, and ravines set against a quaint backdrop of lush greenery. The park teems with flora and fauna, from butterflies to birds and monkeys tugging along their young while crossing the street. The trees are so tall and huge that they make the zigzag road darker than it should be. The park is also the site of Pinagbanderahan, where the Filipino Revolutionaries planted the Philippine flag in their fight against the Spanish colonizers. Quezon National Park encompasses the western municipalities of Atimonan, Pagbilao, and Padre Burgos. It can be reached by walking for about one hour from the road to the top of a ridge.

Zigzag Road
Also referred to as Bitukang Manoko or Eme Road, Zigzag Road can be found in the middle of the Quezon National Park. Its curves are so tight, and the road so steep, that vehicles have to literally inch their way up. Along the roadsides are the lush vegetation of the Quezon National Park.

Atimonan Rockclimbing
This abandoned rock quarry 165km south of Manila is easy to get to, and offers a variety of routes, some suitable for beginners, others quite difficult. The rock limestone, with a mixture of pocket holds, vertical cracks, and overhangs. There are six established routes, ranging from 10 to 40m in height, with difficulty ratings from 5.8 to 5.11. Large areas of rock, including some of the highest points, remain unexplored and the potential for new routes is excellent. The Tayabas Mountaineers, based in Lucena, climb here regularly, and will often accompany guest climbers without charge.

AUGUST 10
ST. LAWRENCE

This famous martyr of Rome lived in the third century. He was one of seven deacons who were in charge of giving help to the poor and the needy. When a persecution broke out, Pope St. Sixtus II was condemned to death. As he was led to execution, Lawrence followed him weeping. "Father, where are you going without your deacon?" "I am not leaving you, my son," answered the pope. "In three days you will follow me." Full of joy, Lawrence gave to the poor the rest of the money he had on hand. He even sold expensive church vessels to have more to give away.

The prefect of Rome, a greedy man, thought the Church had a great fortune hidden away. He ordered Lawrence to bring the Church's treasure to him. The saint said he would, in three days. Then he went through the city and gathered together all the poor and sick people supported by the Church. He showed them to the prefect and said: "This is the Church's treasure." The prefect was furious. In his anger he condemned Lawrence to a slow, cruel death. The saint was tied on top of an iron grill over a slow fire that roasted him. God gave him so much strength and joy that Lawrence is said to have joked. "Turn me over," he said to the judge. Before he died, he prayed that the city of Rome might be converted to Jesus. He prayed that the Catholic faith would spread all over the world.

Lawrence died on August 10, 158. His feast spread throughout Italy and northern Africa. Emperor Constantine built a beautiful basilica in Lawrence's honor. St. Lawrence is among the saints mentioned in the First Eucharistic Prayer at Mass.

Daily Reading & Meditation

Thursday (8/10): "If the grain of wheat dies, it bears much fruit"

Scripture: John 12:24-26 (alternate reading: Matthew 16:13-23)

24 Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. 25 He who loves his life loses it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26 If any one serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there shall my servant be also; if any one serves me, the Father will honor him.

Meditation: What can a grain of wheat tell us about life and the kingdom of God? Jesus drew his parables from the common everyday circumstances of life. His audience, rural folk in Palestine, could easily understand the principle of new life produced by dead seeds sown into the earth. What is the spiritual analogy which Jesus alludes to? Is this, perhaps, a veiled reference to his own impending death on the cross and resurrection? Or does he have another kind of "death and rebirth" in mind for his disciples? Jesus, no doubt, had both meanings in mind for his disciples. The image of the grain of wheat dying in the earth in order to grow and bear a harvest can be seen as a metaphor of Jesus' own death and burial in the tomb and his resurrection. Jesus knew that the only way to victory over the power of sin and death was through the cross. Jesus reversed the curse of our first parents' disobedience through his obedience to the Father's will -- his willingness to go to the cross to pay the just penalty for our sins and to defeat death once and for all. His obedience and death on the cross obtain for us freedom and new life in the Holy Spirit. His cross frees us from the tyranny of sin and death and shows us the way of perfect love. There is a great paradox here. Death leads to life. When we "die" to our selves, we "rise" to new life in Jesus Christ.

What does it mean to "die" to oneself? It certainly means that what is contrary to God's will must be "crucified" or "put to death". God gives us grace to say "yes" to his will and to reject whatever is contrary to his loving plan for our lives. Jesus also promises that we will bear much "fruit" for him, if we choose to deny ourselves for his sake. Jesus used forceful language to describe the kind of self-denial he had in mind for his disciples. What did he mean when he said that one must hate himself? The expression to hate something often meant to prefer less. Jesus says that nothing should get in the way of our preferring him and the will of our Father in heaven. Our hope is in Paul's reminder that "What is sown in the earth is subject to decay, what rises is incorruptible" (1 Cor. 15:42).