Continuing with my Catholic Life (Part 1)

Doing what the Catholic Church requires like praying the Rosary, attending masses, obeying parents and doing good works seemed enough to earn a place in heaven. My parents likewise ensured that I have received the sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation and the Eucharist.

My parents believed that the Sacrament of Baptism is an essential rite that actually brings about death to sin and entry into the life of the Most Holy Trinity. Immersion in water symbolizes not only death and purification, but also regeneration and renewal. Thus the two principal effects are purification from sins and new birth in the Holy Spirit. Likewise, my parents believed that Baptism makes one to become a member of the Body of Christ accepted as brothers by the children of the Catholic Church. Baptism sealed me with the spiritual mark of belonging to Christ. No sin can erase this mark, even if sin prevents Baptism from bearing the fruits of salvation.

My parents allowed me to go through the essential rite of the sacrament of Confirmation to be sealed with the Gift of the Holy Spirit as once granted to the apostles on the day of Pentecost. Confirmation brings an increase and deepening of baptismal grace. For the two sacraments, my parents chose the same person as my godmother (ninang).

When I was in Grade 3, we were taught by our religion teacher the importance of the sacrament of the Eucharist. We were informed that the Holy Communion separates us from sin. The body of Christ we receive in Holy Communion is "given up for us," and the blood we drink "shed for the many for the forgiveness of sins." For this reason the Eucharist cannot unite us to Christ without at the same time cleansing us from past sins and preserving us from future sins: For as often as we eat this bread and drink the cup, we proclaim the death of the Lord. If we proclaim the Lord's death, we proclaim the forgiveness of sins. If, as often as his blood is poured out, it is poured for the forgiveness of sins, we should always receive it, so that it may always forgive our sins. I thought , because I always sin, I should always partake Holy Communion.

Digging Deeper Into my Religion

My older sister is already first year High School and am in Grade 5. Now, we hear masses occasionally, that is, at eve of Christmas Day, New Year, Feast of the Three Kings, Palm Sunday, Good Friday, Easter Sunday, Town Fiesta, Barangay Fiesta and birthdays. I just help my mother do the household chores on week-ends like cleaning the house, washing the dishes, sweeping the yard, among others. Sometimes, we go to the river and get oysters and mussels for viand. At times, we go to the fishpond dikes to get tree branches (fuels) for cooking but most of the time, we go to our uncle's house and play with our cousins games like hide and seek, chinese garter, piko (hopscotch), etc.

After a short nap in the afternoon, I read the Catholic Cathechism Book of my mother. She was a teacher in religion prior to passing the teachers' Board examination. It was an old book but I love reading it because of the drawings and sketches. In addition, I get to know the reason why we (as Catholics) do things like having communions, confessions, pray to Mama Mary, observance of the Lenten Season and many more.

In my simple understanding of the book, I need to confess my sins to priests to cleanse my sins and be holy and acceptable to God. Confession is necessary prior to communion. Communion is required to receive the Body of Christ and praying to Mama Mary is inevitable to intercede to Christ for my prayer requests. My mother told me that if Mama Mary would tell Jesus what to do, He would do it. I need to observe the lenten season by eating less and no meat on Fridays to suffer with Christ.

Hearing Sunday Masses

My family no longer attend Sunday masses regularly. My eldest sister and brother are already studying in Manila and my parents were busy; my mother for washing clothes and cleaning the house and my father and two older brothers for attending to our fishpond.

However, me and my older sister go to the town to hear mass every Sunday. Although my parents gave us money for our fare, we walk through the "pilapils" (fishpond dikes) and use our money for buying comics like Aliwan, Love Story or sometimes movie magazines like Kislap, Moviestar, etc. After hearing Sunday masses, we also buy "halo-halo" for refreshments and some native cakes like puto, biko as "pasalubong" (present) to those who were left in the house.

It was a routine, a ritual which me and my older sister did for about two years. The sermons were oftentimes boring that we sleep or occupy our minds with other things thus, we can not relay the message to those left at home. We continually justify our attendance to the Sunday masses by saying "so we can have our communions" but we never understood what it meant. We were praised by the people who see us for diligently attending the Sunday masses but we were not spiritually energized.

What energized me spiritually are my personal prayers uttered in the secrecy of our family room. I usually study my lessons after classes, reading aloud. But after an hour, I pray alone with my knees on the floor and head bowed down. I pray for God's blessings and deliverance for me and my family.

Winning a Bible Quiz Prize

I was about nine years old (grade 3) when I joined a Bible Quiz during our barangay Fiesta. I forgot how many contestants were there (that was 32 years ago) but what I vividly remember is my winning answer to the question: Where is Jesus Christ? All of my opponents answered "in heaven" but my answer was "in my heart". An answer which was a direct revelation from God. Nobody taught me about this.

The prize was only P20, enough to buy me some toys and food to enjoy. It was heart-warming though when people I met after the fiesta greet me with adoring words like "Ang galing mo naman!" (You're excellent!)" or "Ikaw ba yong nanalo nong fiesta?" (We're you the winner during our barangay fiesta?)".

As I look back, the prize and people adoration are nothing compared to the enriching experience I had to show God's spiritual blessings in Christ as what was spoken of in Ephesians 1:4- 10 "For He chose us in Him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight. In love, He predestined us to be adopted as His sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with His pleasure and will - to the praise of His glorious grace, which He has freely given us in the One He loves. In Him, we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace that He lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding. And He, made known to us the mystery of His will according to His good pleasure, which He purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment - to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ.

Knowing Jesus Christ

I first get to know Jesus Christ through my Catholic parents, brothers and sisters. They told me that Jesus Christ is the son of God born of a Virgin. When He was on earth, He did a lot of miracles like healing the sick, feeding more than five thousand hungry people with five loaves of bread and two fishes, turning water into wine, among others. They said that Jesus Christ died in the cross that their sins and my sins will be forgiven.

Growing up in a Catholic family allowed me to go to the Catholic church and hear mass on Sundays. Every first week of the month, my family holds a Novena to Our Lady of Manaoag and the Lord's Pardon. It was a family ritual which I enjoyed doing as we alternately (boys vis-a-vis girls) recite the mysteries and Hail Marys. Forty days after the celebration of the Easter Sunday, my family goes to the Manaoag Church in Pangasinan to hear mass, line up to image of Our Lady of Manaoag and celebrate the Ascension Day. Each year, we likewise observe feasts of patron saints in our Barangay sitio and Town Fiesta. I observe a festive and colorful atmosphere each fiesta with bandiritas all over the place, band playing their instruments and various games for children. I always look forward to these events.