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Saturday, January 14, 2006
We come to worship you
By Jenara Regis Newman
What is the power of this Child that he draws people to come and worship him? And what moves people to go out of their way and share with countless others the image of the Child they worship?
For 12 years now, Ayala Center Cebu has had this annual exhibit of Santo Niño statues at its activity center. People came not just to see the statues but to worship Him in these days of His fiesta. And for 12 years, people like Suseng Arsenal and Dr. Lourdes Jereza have taken their treasured Santo Niño statues out of their homes so other people can see them and, perhaps, offer their prayers to the God-Child who has blessed their homes for generations. In the case of Jaime Amatong, who has the tallest Niño in the exhibit, it was a desire to share his Niño with everyone: before he participated in the exhibit, he used to parade the Niño around the city in a pick-up truck, and so he considered it a blessing when he found out there was actually a venue where his desire could be fulfilled.
The exhibit also features a prayer room (this year, it is in the shape of a kiosk of the Magellan’s Cross) where devotees can kneel and pray to the Santo Niño, especially as the theme of this year’s exhibit is “We come to Worship You.” Thus, the exhibit focuses on images of the Santo Niño, mostly of the Santo Niño of Cebu and Prague, actually venerated in the homes of the exhibitors like Sotero Tabanes, Glen Albutra, Richilieu Colina, Val Sandiego, Dr. Chito Paulin, Mary Ann Radaza, Fr. Desuyo, Msgr. Cris Garcia and the Society of the Angels of Peace.
Msgr. Garcia has the most number of Santo Niño statues on the exhibit, about 25 of them, plus ten “capas” of the Pilgrim Santo Niño, the Niño used during the fluvial procession. He houses these Niños at the convent of the Society of Angels of Peace in Talisay where he also has the Pilgrim Niño in his keeping.
So why do people come to worship Him and share their statues for others to worship? It’s not simply that the image of a child is so endearing but that this particular Child, this Child King, brings with Him the blessings, the peace and joy and bounty of His kingdom.
Pit Señor!
For Bisaya stories from Cebu. Click here. (January 14, 2006 issue)
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