The devotees at the Basilica

Tightly packed every hour in the Santo Niño Basilica square is a mass of people who come from far and near to do homage to the Child Jesus. There's a novena mass every hour of the day during the fiesta week but the sea of devotees never ebbs. What drives these people to swarm into that church compound like bees before a honeycomb? Faith of course is the answer.

It's not a comfortable experience. Since seats are limited one has usually to spend a solid hour on foot, an ordeal which, to many pilgrims, is really a test of physical endurance. But what is faith if not reinforced by mortification? The beauty of it is that after the sacred moments one feels energized instead of worn out and inside himself some kind of quite joy dominates.

There has been no survey conducted on why each devotee has been faithfully attending the novena prayer. If there was, most of the responses would undoubtedly be expressive of gratitude for graces received. Each of them for sure has had some favors granted, such as healing from a life-threatening disease, passing a crucial examination, peace in the family, promotion in one's career, productivity in business, and other favors. Along with favors come prayers on serious concerns about oneself or one's loved ones. Perhaps, one's child has a problem in his studies or a married daughter is finding family life difficult, or about a friend who is immersed in vices-- these could be the themes of one's prayers to the Santo Niño.

Actually, I know a number of people who were healed from serious afflictions like cancer, heart diseases, and blood pressure related incapacities. One of these, an education supervisor, was scheduled for operation to remove a cancerous mass in her stomach but after days of prayers (by family and friends) found herself totally cleansed. Another was recommended for surgery to remove an intestinal obstruction, but on final examination the growth had completely disappeared. Still another was suffering from angina pectoris, but after praying to the Child Jesus of whom he is a consistent devotee, found himself completely healed.

Favors granted or asked for could therefore be one of the reasons why people continue to attend the novena prayers. Of favors granted this writer was one of the recipients (as recounted in this paper some years ago). That favor happened when the Holy Child helped him pass the school superintendents test even with a limited preparation, a feat which enabled him to rise to the rank of a schools division head and later to the highest education post in Central Visayas.

Be that as it may, it is wrong to surmise that people flock to the Santo Niño only because they have favors to ask. Many must have been drawn to him simply for love of him, favors or no favors. Many are well of in life and as such what favors they need, if any, must have been only peripheral in importance.

Love of the Holy Child is of course a gift, and Cebuanos must have been highly favored by their Child Advocate in dispensing such gift. That love is conspicuously expressed as they sing in unison “Kanamo malooy ka unta nga kanimo nangilaba. . . ,” with hands outstretched in a gesture of surrender and adoration. As they queue in endless lines to come near him and touch the spot where he stands, and as they walk with him during the religious procession forming a river of faithfuls----these are gestures projected loud and clear for all the world to see.

A phenomenon of faith is certainly what characterizes these happenings during the fiesta season of the Santo Niño. Some observers find it suggestive of fanaticism. But faith oftentimes defies reason and decorum and prayers are not always expressed in solemnity and pious rituals, but also in joyous celebrations.