CEBU, Philippines — The Catholic faithful are encouraged to continue to pray to God, despite the challenges and hardships that would come their way.
“Ang kalinaw wala nagpasabot sa kahapsay. Ang kalinaw wala nagpasabot sa kahilom sa kinabuhi. Ang kalibutan dili mahutdan sa kalisud ug ang kalibutan dili mahutdan sa mga pagsulay sa kinabuhi. Apan kung mag ampo ta kanunay, makasugakod ta uban nato ang Ginoo,” said Reverend Father Nelson Zerda, OSA, during the solemn mass in commemoration of the first mass, baptism and wedding in the country.
“Matud pa sa ininglis, God did not promise us a rose garden or a life with ease and comfort, but He promised us that He will journey with us until the end of time,” said the presiding priest before the thousands of devotees attending the solemn mass at the Basilica Minore del Santo Niño (BMSN) de Cebu.
“Mao kana atong panaw, ang panaw sa pagtuo, ang atong walk of life mahimong walk of faith kay kauban man nato ang Ginoo kay nag ampo man kita kanunay niya,” Zerda added.
In their Facebook post, the BMSN stated that the reenactment commemorates the planting of the cross, the first baptism, mass, and wedding in Cebu.
The tradition is held at the Santo Niño Pilgrim Center on the eve of the feast day, and hours before the start of the Solemn Foot Procession.
The giving of the Santo Niño image, the planting of the cross, and the first baptism marked the introduction of Christianity in the Philippines way back in 1521, it added. — GAN (FREEMAN)