Christening

Bb: Huh! Why are there so many people here?


Bb: Pano ko kaya i-shoot tong kamay ko sa bibig ko? Anlayo naman....


Bb: Nay, bored na ako... hahay...


Bb: Ayan, malapit nang matapos! Yehey!


Mga Ninong, Ninangs


April 2, 2006
1:00 A.M.
Our Room
Rewritten from a piece of tissue

A few hours from now and my son will be “Christened.” I prefer to use that term than “baptism.” To me, the former puts everything in the right perspective. It highlights the center and the whole reason for going through the ceremony.

Earlier, I’ve said my prayers. I was in the middle of it when I felt the urge to write. I prayed for my son’s spirituality. Even before the “ceremony,” I’ve already lifted up to God my son’s life particularly his spiritual life.

I am a Catholic. I came from a family of devout Catholics and so it follows that I “should” be baptized a Catholic too. I was only a babe then. It was hardly my personal choice. My parents just passed on to me what was passed on to them by their parents. Now, I am about to do the same thing for my son.

I know that like me, my son will experience God in more ways than just in the confines of the Catholic tradition. In my case, I grew to love Him more in my personal pursuits. As I “struggled” towards my own becoming, I sensed a loving God helping me along the way. I want the same thing for my son.