Something New For New Year

A lovely start of 2021 for Nissa and 0bet. They got their new car yesterday, their third since they got married. They sold the first one, a Honda Civic a few months ago.

Officers at the bank are allowed to change cars every five years. 40% of the total cost is shouldered by the bank and 60% by the employee depending on the rank of the employee. Obet is a Senior Manager at Bank of PI. Junior officers are given 20% by the bank and they shoulder the rest.

Nissa wanted a more roomy and comfy car so they purchased a 2021 Ford Territory and got it yesterday. I asked Nissa if they would also sell their Hyundai car but she told me it would be their spare.

The regulatory pose with all car dealers here. They removed their face masks for the photo op.

Ah, happy faces. They took it for a spin yesterday. I told them that if they would have it blessed at Antipolo Cathedral soon, they could leave Nate here since Antipolo is very near our place. It is where the image of the patron saint for travellers is located that is why most car blessings are done there. Would love to see that sunroof.

Today is also the Feast Day of Señor Sto. Ñino, the child Jesus, it is only observed in the Philippines. It is a special privilege given to the country for so many years now. Nissa and the family have their fiesta today.

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Feast Day of Senor Sto. Niño

“At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, ‘Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?’ Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them, and said, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. ‘Whoever receives one little child like this in My name receives Me’.” – Matthew 18: 1-5

We celebrate the  Feast of  Sto. Niño every 3rd Sunday of January, the Holy See has granted us special permission to celebrate it, a unique devotion among  us Filipinos.  It is a festive celebration which recalls our conversion to Christianity.  We attended the 9am mass at St. Jude Parish and it was presided by Fr. Leo Luanzon, one of my favorite guest priests in the Parish.

An image of   Senor Sto. Niño

What a great homily!  Fr. Leo emphasized three points during his homily – Peace, Dependence and Obedience.  In a family, it is always the children who drive us to be at peace with one another. We should always consider that children  need our love and understanding .  Young kids are solely dependent in us to take care of them and the nurturing does not stop even if they become adults.  It is our responsibility as parents to teach them the proper values that they will carry until adult life.  The behaviour of the child is reflected on how the parents teach  him/her  in early life.

Little children rendering a song after the Holy Mass

Fr. Leo Luanzon of the Marian Missionaries of the Holy Cross

We are also celebrating our town fiesta in Pangasinan.  Our church is named Sto. Nino Parish.  I grew up having two grandparents (my lolos) being active in the Parish and I remember the days when I used to tag along every Sunday to hear mass.  One of the highlights of the Sunday masses was visiting the image  of Sto. Nino and praying and touching his lovely face.   The place where the image was enshrined was behind the altar  and you have to climb the stairs to see  it.The stairs were made of stones, roughly about a foot from one step to the next so you can just imagine how a child of six or seven  would find it hard to climb it but always, the lovely image of the Sto. Nino was worth it all.   During the nineties, the lovely image was stolen and it was never returned.  I wonder why some people have the heart to steal religious images.  What would they do with it? 

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