“Deepen your faith.”
This was the message
of Fr. Jonas Mejares, OSA, rector of the centuries-old Basilica del Sto. Niño in downtown Cebu City, in yesterday’s “Hubo” (undressing) dawn Mass that officially marked the end of Fiesta Señor 2013.
“The feast of the Sto. Niño has passed. As we witness the Hubo of the Sto. Niño, may we deepen what we have learned as well as our faith,” Mejares told the people who braved the cold weather and the rains to attend the 4 a.m. Mass at the basilica’s pilgrim center.
“Why do people call upon the Sto. Niño? Each one of us has experiences to narrate. People kept on visiting our basilica, toe the line, and kiss the image of the Sto. Niño to give thanks to Him.”
Mejares said the “Hubo” ritual, where the image of the Sto. Niño is stripped of fiesta clothes, given a ritual bath and fitted with simplier garments, should remind people about what it means to be a Catholic.
“We come here to witness the Hubo not to have the sacred water with which the image of the Sto. Niño was dipped. Instead, we should realize the real essence of being a baptized Catholic,” he said.
After his homily, Mejares undressed, bathed and dressed up the image.
As pieces of the clothing were removed, the congregation sang “Christe exaudi nos (Christ graciously hear us),” to commemorate the passion and death of Jesus Christ.
After the undressing, the Holy Child’s image was dipped in water, wiped with a towel and dressed in his ordinary garb, starting from his boots up to his crown.
For every piece donned, the faithful sang “Christus vincit, Christus regnat, Christus, Christus imperat (Christ conquers, Christ reigns, Christ commands),” in remembrance of Jesus’ glorious resurrection.
The Hubo ritual ended with a drum roll of the Sinulog beat.
“Bisan sa way hunong nga ulan, di na makapaatras namu..saad na gud ni namu sa Sr. Sto. Nino,” said Reni Mamaboy of Talisay City who has been a devotee of the Sto. Niño for 16 years . (The rains cannot stop us from our devotion to the Señor Sto. Niño.)
Mamaboy said attending the Hubo mass completes his pilgrimage after attending the Sto. Niño novena Mass and joining the feast day celebrations last Sunday. He said this is his way of thanking the Holy Child for the strength to cope up with life’s problem and for the good health of his family.
A replica of the original image of the Sto. Niño given by Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan to Cebu’s Queen Juana in 1521 was used in the ritual.
The original image remained inside the Sto. Niño Chapel of the basilica. The changing of the dress of the original image was made in a private ceremony before the feast last Sunday.