Healing stone...

Up in Monte Maria, Batangas City, there is a huge stone near the chapel. Pilgrims came and rubbed smaller stones onto this huge stone. Curious, I thought... so I walked to the crowd gathering near the stone and interviewed one of the men fervently rubbing a small rock onto the stone. 

Naturally, the conversation was in Filipino; an English translation follows (in grey)

Rochie: Bakit niyo po kinikiskis ang maliit na bato sa malaki? 

Why are you rubbing the small stone on the large one?

Man: Makapangyarihan ang malaking bato na ito. Sa pagkikiskis ng maliit na bato sasanib ang kapangyarihan mula rito papunta sa maliit na bato.

The large stone is powerful. Rubbing the small one onto it, I allow the powers of the large stone transfer to the small one.

Now that sounded like a script from an old Filipino movie! I had to stop myself from laughing, and started walking a few steps away, just in case the man realised that I wasn't convinced.

Rochie: Tapos po?

And then?

Man: Ilalapat ang bato sa masakit na bahagi ng katawan ko. (sa isa pang nakikinig) Tingnan mo itong batong inilapat ko sa batok ko. Nabasa. Nangangahulugang nasipsip ng bato ang sakit ng batok ko. 

I put the small stone onto the nape of my neck. (To another listener) Look at the stone. It's wet. This shows that the stone has sucked the pain from the nape of my neck.

Not meaning to be rude, but I thought that the stone was moistened by the man's sweaty nape, and no miracle occurred. He believed it, though, and I wasn't about to point it out to him in case he'd say the stone didn't work because there's a non-believer in his midst.

No wonder Catholic Christians are accused of idolatry and paganism.