My own miracle from the Santo Niño
From the early days of the solemnities honoring the Santo Niño de Cebu there have been many happenings, personal or social, which can be considered miraculous. Miraculous, in the sense that the events cannot be explained why they occurred or what caused them to occur. For skeptics, the factor of coincidence is usually cited as the reason why they happened. But for believers coincidence or no coincidence, what happened after praying to the Holy Child is no less a miracle.
Some of the miraculous events are social in nature, as when a typhoon plotted to hit Cebu City suddenly swerves away. Most, however, are personal in category, as when healing occurs after petitioning the Child for it.
Do you believe in the miracles said to be attributed to the Holy Child of Cebu? I used to be a doubting Thomas about them. But after I experienced my own personal miracle I am now a believer of the mercy and compassion of the Child we venerate at the Basilica Minore.
Here is my story (if you have not read about it in this column some 10 years ago.)
In 1974 the Department of Education Culture and Sports (the old name of DepEd) scheduled a competitive examination for school superintendent. I was an area supervisor at that time stationed in Cagayan de Oro City. Having heard about review classes in Cebu, I filed a request for a three-month leave of absence in order to attend such classes. But my superintendent disapproved my applicationsaying that my services were urgently needed during those months. I was disheartened, but, because he advised me to pray to the Santo Niño for help I did not lose hope.
I followed that advice. And every time I came home to Cebu I would sneak a visit to the Santo Niño and did my prayers. Of course, I also did some reviewing on my own using whatever materials I could lay my hands on.
The week of the examination came. Since it was to be held on a Sunday (at the Philippine Normal School in Manila) I took the boat on a Friday staying at the third class area. There I found out that my cot was right beside that of a friend who was also on his way to the test. On top of his cot I saw a pile of folders containing typewritten materials on school superintendency.
These were what we took up in our review classes at CNC (Cebu Normal College), my friend told me. One by one I started going over the materials re-reading those which I felt important. One folder entitled "Internalization of Moral Values" stood out as very significant because it contained the articles written by key educators at a seminar in Manila. I read this several times until late at night trying to memorize some salient points.
On the day of the examination, I found myself in a classroom with about 50 other examinees. The examiner told us that the test consisted of four parts of 25 points each and that the first part scheduled that morning was thesis writing. She gave us the test question in a folder and cautioned us not to open the folder before the go-signal. At exactly eight o'clock the go-signal was given. I then opened my folder and read the instructions. It said: Write a thesis in not less than 2,000 words on this subject "Internalization of Moral Values" My God, I told myself, this was the very subject I studied in the boat. And I started organizing my thoughts and outlining these. Then I started writing, the words coming out of my mind as if someone was dictating to me.
After about one hour and a half I finished my thesis. The time given was three hours so I had plenty of time to go over the write-up and correct some errors. Later in the day, we went through the other components of the test which I found rather difficult but manageable.
More than a year later when the results were announced I was one of the seven Cebuanos who made it. Thanks to the Senior Santo Niño!
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