Hello, gentle readers.
For all we know, when we are all hit by different challenges in life, we seek His guidance, protection, and even more.
Through faith, we are all united as one. We were all joyful.
As a Cebuano Lumad (born and raised in Cebu, Philippines), our great devotion to Santo Niño is everlasting.
Through the ups and downs of every Cebuano, Santo Niño will be our great defender.
We can lean on Him no matter what our problems or our requests, and He will grant them with no hesitation.
In January of every year, Cebuanos flock to Basilica Menore del Santo Niño to celebrate its fiesta, or the time when Santo Niño came to Cebu. It was celebrated every 3rd Sunday of the month of January every year.
Cebuanos or even other devotees from the other side of the world attended the nine-day novena to celebrate this festivity.
Some are there to offer candles and even change the dress or the cape of Senior Santo Niño. To express their love and praise for the baby Jesus Senior Santo Niño.
Santo Niño had many stories about him walking during the night, and when he came back, his cape was full of amorserko.
I also heard stories that there was a pawnshop near the basilica where a child beggar used to go and want a gold piece. The pawnshop really knew that it was Senior Santo Niño, so they gave him gold.
The next day, one of the church personnel asked Senior Santo Niño, Where did you get this? (Just in his/her mind) So, many years after that, they just kept on collecting the gold and stored it in a safe area.
Also, recently, I read on Facebook that their child can't really speak that well. That day, they attended a Novena Mass at the Basilica Minore del Santo Niño and also the Walk with Mary Foot Procession. They also brought their four-year-old child with them.
The mother said on her post that her child couldn't speak, but he could hear what they told him. The child can only tell Maya and Pay, which means mama and papa or mother and father. After the procession, they ate snacks on the sidewalk. Upon seeing their child, he was so happy that he had someone to play with.
The parents were amazed that the kid looked like Senior Santo Niño with curly hair, but the parents were worried because the child that played with them was barefoot. The parents called their son, saying that he was hungry, but the child just nodded his head.
After such, the playmate of their child came to the parents to say goodbye to them, saying "Bye bye, baby," then hugged the other child. The parents were overwhelmed by what they saw at that time. They wanted to take a photo of the child, but, sad to say, they were low on battery at that time. Then they got home and rested for like 2 hours, and at that time their child was sleeping.
For some reason, the child was crying and crying, saying 'Baby' and pointing to Senior Santo Niño. And, you know, it was amazing. The parents were shocked, like they really asked their child again, "What, Marco?" and Marco replied, "Baby."
Parents were crying for being overwhelmed that their child was able to speak already. That's only a portion of Senior Santo Niño's greatness.
That is why even my family, whose devotees to Senior Santo Niño, also have a fiesta celebration every last Sunday of the month of January to show our respect to Senior Santo Niño.
Our senior Santo Niño had his own story to tell. For the past years, one of those was one time when we had nothing or no money to buy things to celebrate our fiesta.
My mother asked our neighbor to ration its pig to us, and it was already pledged by our neighbor to ration it to us, but the night before the fiesta, our neighbor bailed to us, and she literally sold it to others.
During that night, they were involved in an accident, including their pig. Make pledges to Santo Niño if you are ready, and those things come from the heart. Let's not abuse his greatness.
Santo Niño helped us in every way possible.
Another time in the past, the cape of our Santo Niño was very old. During our novena, we light up candles and put them far away from Him. So that it will not be caught by fire. Unfortunately, a sudden wind blew the fire into the cape, so the cape was on fire. Meaning our Santo Niño wanted us to replace its cape. Every year, my mother always goes to the city just to replace the dress or cape. And you know what our Santo Niño were keep on smiling. It was very happy at that time.
Sometimes, when seeing the face of our Santo Niño, His face was full of mud. So he was just going to clean His face.
That's Senior Santo Niño for us.
Just believe in Him.
coz'
God gives us trials not to impair us but to improve us.
Trials test and strengthen our faith. Trials prove the genuineness of our faith, which fills our hearts with joyful assurance of salvation and results “in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ” (1 Pet. 1:7)
Can't wait to tell you more about my next adventures. 😊