People, especially those who are not from Cebu Province, would wonder why devotees of the Sto. Niño raise their arms and wave to the Holy Child whenever they hear the chorus of the song “Batobalani sa Gugma.” Why is this so?
It’s really amazing and moving to witness how people express their faith and devotion to Sto. Niño. But most of them, if not all, don’t know nor mind the literal and symbolic meanings of their waving to the image of the Infant Jesus. For the youth of today, the Feast of the Sto. Niño is the grand parade. For the older ones, it’s the Novena Masses. And often it is during these Novena Masses that the song “Batobalani sa Gugma” (Magnet of Love) is sung and people would instinctively raise and wave their arms. These gozos (song of praise; an old form of catechism) to the Infant Jesus have become a medium of the people’s expression of faith and devotion.
This Batobalani sa Gugma reveals to us that God alone is the source of unconditional love. It attracts us to His innocence, purity of mind and heart and simplicity. And this is our greatest challenge: to embody the childlike attitudes patterned from that of the Infant Jesus.
It’s really amazing and moving to witness how people express their faith and devotion to Sto. Niño. But most of them, if not all, don’t know nor mind the literal and symbolic meanings of their waving to the image of the Infant Jesus. For the youth of today, the Feast of the Sto. Niño is the grand parade. For the older ones, it’s the Novena Masses. And often it is during these Novena Masses that the song “Batobalani sa Gugma” (Magnet of Love) is sung and people would instinctively raise and wave their arms. These gozos (song of praise; an old form of catechism) to the Infant Jesus have become a medium of the people’s expression of faith and devotion.
This Batobalani sa Gugma reveals to us that God alone is the source of unconditional love. It attracts us to His innocence, purity of mind and heart and simplicity. And this is our greatest challenge: to embody the childlike attitudes patterned from that of the Infant Jesus.
