FEAST OF MARTYRDOM It was all in preparation for the celebration of the Feast of St. John Nepomucene {May 16, 2012) – the Martyr of the Secret of the Confessional. While the house was being prepared. Repairs were going on at every corner of the premises. General cleaning was the order of the day- after all, in three days the Festival shall be celebrated and visitors were expected to come. A Catering service was hired. We bought all the needed items for a Fiesta. Our preparation was indeed interminable. The garden was trimmed of dried leaves and unsightly weeds. My helper noticed a small leak from our metallic water tank but I presumed welding could still wait until after the Fiesta. So, the leaking water tank was temporarily alleviated by roof seals and paint, and that was after discovering that our stand-by water tank was giving out foul-smelling water that has been stagnant for quite a while. I decided to rest for a cup of coffee when I discovered that the coffee maker was clogged and hot water won’t flow. I took my old but still functioning coffee maker just to discover too that its glass receptacle was broken. I took my last stand-by coffee maker and fitted it with an ordinary porcelain coffee pot to serve as its receptacle. Almost in state of opprobrium, I again discovered that the electric socket for the water dispenser was out of order; the maid failed to clean the whole receiving room and every other space connected to it. I almost poured my hot coffee on myself. I felt like shouting but I was aware I should keep my best composure at the moment. Feast Day came with everything seemingly now in order. We were ready for a prodigious celebration. My uniformed waitress and two waiters were totally servile ready for whatever was coming their way complete with smile and sunny front. A few minutes later, acrimonious feeling started when one by one invited guest explained their varied reasons for cancelling their coming… from doctor’s appointment to previous commitments to simple ‘silence’ or refusal to give any explanation. It was ordinary regular working day, I reasoned to myself. Everything ass too late anyway. All the necessary discomforts had to be accepted for all its sad effects for this too is Martyrdom in harmony with the Feast of a True Martyr of the Church. Sigh…!