(Part 11)
Manuel Enriquez dela Calzada originally wrote this in Cebuano, it was translated into English by Martin Abellana. It was published in 1965. It was Consuelo Enriquez Uy, a descendant of the Dela Calzada, who donated copies of the book to the Cebu City Library.
Numerous entries on the legends of the Sto. Niño de Cebu are contained in the book. CEBUpedia is running a series of selected stories in the book, with the hope that the Cebu City government, in coordination with the family of Manuel Enriquez dela Calzada, will reproduce the book so it can be distributed to the public schools in Cebu City.
“He stopped talking and looked about him. All eyes hung to his lips. He took a deep breath and then began his story.
“‘Yes, mi General, I did climb to the turret in order that I could pay homage to Santisimo Sacramento. There at the turret I knelt down for I could not perform my religious obligation-the visita iglesia for I was on duty. There I knelt down and visited Jesus Sacramentado, praying to Him, imploring Him to give me good health and protect me from evil. I pondered on His Evangelio, His Passion, and His Flesh and Blood which is in Sagrada Forma and which is with us in the sacred Apostolic Roman Catholic churches.’
“The general, the chaplain, the officers and all the soldiers around were all tongue-tied. They could not believe their ears nor their eyes. Could this be Victoriano, the broken-tongued soldier who could hardly pronounce a word? Could this be the Victoriano who was so modest, and so humble that he could not stand talking to a small gathering? But look at him now. How fluently he talked and how confident and self-assured he stood in their midst.
“‘Really, what happened last night, mi General, was unbelievable. It might have been a dream or it was an actuality but it is up to you to believe it or not.’”
“‘El caso es,’ Victoriano continued his narration, ‘while I was kneeling down, I saw a very spacious hall-very wide and very quiet in front of me. When my eyes were accustomed to looking at the hall which had very shiny floor, my eyes were directed by a bright light which focused to a boy who was dressed like an acolyte. The boy walked in my direction. He was carrying something covered with a handkerchief. I felt no fright at all. I waited for the boy to come to me. As he reached my side, he uncovered the something which he carried. It was a cup.’” (To be continued)