Being godparents

Last weekend was quite a busy one for me. First off, we had our three-day business planning that lasted til Saturday morning. Then my wife arrived later in the night because she was godmother to her friend's daughter.

Morning found us taking a couple of jeepney rides to Paco, constantly asking (or is it nagging?) the driver if we were near Herran and Concordia yet. We made it in good time, actually, considering how inept I can be at giving and following directions. Which is why I didn't bring Blackie along. I can get so hot tempered when I get lost while driving.

I observed new things during the ceremony. Firstly, theirs is more elaborate than the one Jo-Lo had. The godparents actively participated in blessing the child and professing the faith in behalf of the kid as they held candles. Which made me wonder about the inconsistency in the ceremony here and in Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Baguio. Are the priests allowed to make these changes? I would have appreciated having this ceremony for Jo-Lo, and I'm sure the godparents would have too, inspite of its being more lengthy.

At any rate, despite warnings by the commentator, most parents rushed off in leaving the church after the christening. It's believed that the kid who goes out first will dominate the other kids in his christening batch. Funny thing is, after rushing out, they went right back in to have their group photos taken.

I also learned some new things during the christening. A kid will go through three sacraments: first is Baptism which is done as soon as possible, then Confirmation when he reaches the age of 12, then Communion afterwards.

Godparents must be 16 years and older. At this age, it is believed that the person is now able to make sound judgements and is able to comprehend the responsibilities accorded him or her as a godparent. Of course, that is subject to debate :-).

At the altar, a group of boys started rehearsing their roles as sacristans. Reminded me of the time I did some chapel service way back in high school.

After the christening, we went to their home and had our hefty lunch. After some time, the father was making his rounds among the guests and was asking, "hard o beer?" It's drinking time! Ummm ... I really do not drink that much inspite of what Cherry says. And even for beer, I only drink San Mig Light. So I said beer and was promptly given a Pale Pilsen. Uh oh. I motioned Tina to ask for San Mig Light. So she was given one as well. Wait a minute ... now I have to drink two beers! Tina tried taking a gulp or two, and she grimaced every time. I drank most of it and half of the Pale Pilsen, then we bade farewell and set-off to Divisoria!

As godparents, we remember our inaanaks on Christmas by giving them gifts. But that list is getting longer every year so our shopping time gets longer too. Not that we're complaining; we also get to do shopping for ourselves and friends and family anyways! After our footwear change (which we also bought in Divi), we spent the rest of the afternoon milling about, haggling, and hauling our purchases around.

It was already quite late when we finished. We took an FX going back home, and we were faced with a traffic build-up. We soon realized the reason for the standstill when we saw fireworks light up the dark sky. It was the start of the SEA Games! The FX detoured and took a less-congested route and we eventually made it back home. *whew!*