For those who are cynical about the belief in Sto. Niño, they would attribute the Cebuano tradition and culture as paganistic and idolatrous due to the statue of the little child who is honored and adored to be great because of his miracles leading to increase the faith of the devotees. For 444 years, Sinulog is celebrated in plea and worship to Senior Sto. Niño after Miguel de Legaspi. But how can we explain this to everyone not in the religious but in the ordinary perspective?
Faith is not a reality which is only religious but also ordinary as we affirm to the evidences and proofs ascertaining to the will which assents to the truth. Faith has to do something with the truth why it continues to assert something to be still believable and credible. People do not believe to the statue of Sto. Niño because the child Jesus talked to them but through to the patterns and pieces given from the miracles as answered prayers. The language of faith communicate through signs and symbols. As a Symbol, the image represents the faith of the Cebuano community from their experiences with Christianity. As signs, the Cebuanos do not celebrate Sinulog for a blind faith but Sto. Niño has meaning to their life. Sociologically, historians do not believe in miracles which are only subjective to one's experience. Miraculous situations may not be true but experiences are many times mysterious. Because of the answered prayers, love and devotion emerged as expressions of one's faith and owe to the mystery hidden in experience.
Next year 2021, the Philippines will celebrate the centennial anniversary as a Nation and this has to do with Sto. Niño, the icon basing Cebu to be the cradle of civilization. So faith in the Sto. Niño is not blind because love and devotion are concrete phenomena realized from the mystery of Cebuano experiences.
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