Endownment of Love

As I look back on my life, the one thing that I believe to have sustained me the most in my journey was the abundant provision of love. As it would be said in the native tongue: “Kini ang pabawon nga gugma gikan sa akong katigulangan,” an endowment of love from my elders. With it, there is never a challenge in life I cannot surmount.

When one grows up surrounded with love, he tends to treasure the gift more – and, curiously, he is ready to give it away. I am speaking from my own experience. Only by giving love away can it grow and flourish – love is not to be hoarded or kept to oneself.

I believe that all people are blessed with love, because all people were created by the same God that glows with immeasurable love.  But not everyone realizes the truth in what the Bible says – that even if a person has everything yet does not have love, then that person is nothing.

I clearly remember the people whose love nurtured me and helped shape my life. Their loving wisdom has guided the choices I’ve made. I remember particularly well my maternal grandparents, Don Juan Rivera and Doña Andrea Rivera, may their souls rest in peace, who constantly expressed their great love for God by never forgetting to return some of the blessings they received.

The San Agustin Church, now known as the Basilica del Santo Niño, teems with items that everyone can see but whose backstories of love aren’t so well known. For example, the big cross that used to hang in front of the altar is made of hardwood that my Lolo Juan scouted for and imported from Spain. Over the years, this cross has been transferred to different areas around the church, and currently it can be seen on the right side of the church wing facing the altar.

Through many, many years, an annual “Triduum” for the feast of the Santo Cristo de Limpia has been celebrated in the Basilica. This year it is from September 9 to 11. There is a Mass at 4:00 o’clock in the afternoon on September 11, Wednesday.  The Santo Cristo de Limpia is so called because the icon originated from a small village named Limpias, in Covadonga in Asturias, Spain. The name “Limpia” comes from the thermal waters known as the Waters of Limpias. The village is small, about 1,200 residents, and it is here where the Church of St. Peter was built.

The image of Santo Cristo de Limpia depicts Christ in agony looking towards the heavens. It is said that depending on what angle you look from, the expression of Jesus in the image is not only of pain, but also of prayer and contemplation.

In time, my mother Mama Pining eventually took over the religious responsibilities of her parents, by being a functional member of the church in whatever way she could and in sharing with the less-fortunate whatever blessings the family had. When Mama joined her Maker in 1984, it fell on my shoulders to carry forward the family tradition of religious faith and of giving back. It is not easy, but I am not complaining; instead, I consider it a privilege to be doing it for the Lord and for “the less of my brethren.”

And I thank God that, in fulfilling this mission, I have the full support of my wife Nena. She is very active in the activities of the church. In fact, she has talked me into sponsoring the renovation of the area where the Santo Cristo de Limpia now hangs, in time for the annual feast this year. At this point, Nena and I invite the faithful devotees – especially the youth – to join us in this year’s celebration.

In love no task is a hurdle, but a privilege. It is such a joy to give love away, to let it grow and flourish. It never hurts, no matter how difficult the task may sometimes be.