Somewhere in Milaor, Camarines Sur, there lived
a fourth grader boy who
would follow this route to school everyday: He has
to cross the rugged
plains and cross the dangerous highway where
vehicles are recklessly
driving to and from. Once passed this highway, the
boy would take a short
cut by passing by the Church every morning just to
say Hi to God, and
faithfully say his, "Magandang umaga po" in Bicol
dialect. He was
faithfully being watched by a Priest who was happy
to find innocence so
uplifting in the morning,
"Kamusta Andoy! Papasok ka na?" "Opo padre ... "
he would flash his
innocent grin, the priest would be touched. He was
so concerned that one
day he talked to Andoy,
"From school...", he advised "Do not cross the
highway, you can pass
through the Church and I can accompany you to the
other side of the road
... that way I can see that you are home safe ...."
"Thank you father ..."
"Why don't you go home ... do you stay in this
church right
afterschool?"
"I just want to say "Hi" to my friend, God," and
the priest would leave
the boy to spend time beside the altar, talking by
himself, but he was
hiding behind the altar to listen to what this boy
has to say
to his heavenly FATHER.
"You know my math exam was pretty bad today, but
I did not cheat -
although my seatmate is bullying me for notes ... I
ate one cracker and
drank my water, Itay had a bad season and all I can
eat is this
cracker. Thank you for this! I saw a poor kitten
who was hungry and I
know how he feels so I gave my last cracker to him
... funny but I am not
that hungry ... Look, this is my last pair of
slippers ... I may
have to walk barefooted next week ... you see this
is about to be broken
... but it is okay ... at least I am still going to
school ... some says
we will have a hard season this month, some of my
classmates have
already stopped going to school ... please help them
get to school again,
please God? ... Oh, you know, Inay had hit me again,
it is painful, but I
know this pain will pass away, at least I still have
a mother ... God, you
want to see my bruises? I know you can heal them ...
here... here and ....
oh ... blood ... I guess you knew about this one
huh? Please don't be mad
at Inay, she is just tired and she worries for the
food in our table and my
schooling that is why she hits us ... Oh, I think I
am in love ... there's
this pretty girl in my class, her name is Anita ...
do you think she will
like me? Anyway, at least I know you will always
like me, I don't have to
be anybody just to please you, you are my very best
friend! Hey your
birthday is two days from now!!! Aren't you
excited? I am! wait till you
see, I have a gift for you .... but it is a
surprise! I hope you will like it! Oooops, I have
to go ..." then he
stood up and calls out, "Padre, padre, I am finished
talking to my friend
... you can accompany me to the other side of the
road now"
This routine happens everyday. Andoy never
fails. Father Agaton shares
this every Sunday to the people in his church
because he has not seen a
very pure faith and trust in God, a very positive
look
at negative situations.
One Christmas day, Father Agaton was sick so he
could not make it in the
Church, he was sent to the hospital. The Church was
left to 4 manangs who
would chant the rosary in 1000 miles per hour, would
not smile and would always find fault in what you
do, they are also very
well versed in cursing if you irritate them! They
were kneeling, saying
their kilometric rosary when Andoy, coming from his
Christmas party,
playfully dashed in, "Hello God!!!!! I "
P----!!!!! (a curse) Bata ka!!!! Alam mo nang may
nagdadasal!!!!!
Alis!!!!!"
Poor Andoy was so terrified, "where's Father
Agaton? He is supposed to
help me cross the street .... and to be able to
cross the street I will
have to pass by the back door of this church ... not
only that, I have to
greet Jesus-it is His birthday, I have a gift right
here ...." just as he
was about to get the gift out of his shirt, the
manang pulled his shirt and
threw him out of the church. "Susmaryosep!!! (does
a sign of the cross
fervently) Alis kang bata ka, kung hindi matatamaan
ka!!! So the boy had no
choice but to cross the dangerous side of the road
in front of the church.
He crossed. A fast moving bus came in. There
was a blind curve. The
boy was protecting his gift inside his shirt, so he
was not looking. There
was so little time. Andoy died on the spot. A lot
of
people crowded the poor boy, the body of a lifeless
young boy ...Suddenly,
out of nowhere a tall man in pure white shirt and
pants, a face so mild and
gentle, but with eyes full of tears... He came and
carried the boy in His
arms, He was crying. Curious bystanders nudged the
man in white, and asked,
"excuse me sir, are you related to this child? Do
you know this child?"
The man in white, His face mourning and in agony,
lifted up and answered,
"He was my bestfriend ... " was all he said. He
took the badly wrapped
gift in the bloody chest of the lifeless boy, and
placed it near His
heart. He stood up and carried the boy away and
they both disappeared in
sight. The crowd
was curious ...
On Christmas Eve, Father Agaton learned of the
shocking news. He
visited the house, and wanted to verify about the
man in white. He
consulted the parents of Andoy. "How did you know
that your son
died?"
"A man in white brought him here." sobbed the
mother.
"What did he say?"
The father answered, "He did not say anything.
He was mourning. We do
not know him and yet he was very lonely at our son's
death, as if he knew
our son very well. But there was something peaceful
and
unexplainable about him. He gave me my son, and
then he smiled peacefully.
He rubbed my son's hair away from his face and
kissed him on his forehead,
then he whispered something ..."
"What did he say?" "He said to my boy ..." the
father began, "Thank you
for the gift ... I will see you soon ... you will be
with me ..." and the
father of the boy continued, "and you know for a
while, it felt so
wonderful... I cried, but I do not know why .... all
I know is I cried in
tears of joy ... I could not explain it father, but
when that man left,
something peaceful came over me, I felt a deep sense
of love inside... I
could not explain the joy in my heart, I knew my boy
is in heaven now ...
but ... tell me father, who is this man that my son
talks to everyday in
your church, you should know because you are always
there... except on the
time of his death ..."
Father Agaton suddenly felt the tears welling in
his eyes, with
trembling knees, he murmurred," ... He was talking
to no one .... but ....
GOD...."
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