Awakened with Holy Water
By DON JOSE V. SALITA
WHOA! Cold drops of water woke me up from what could have been deep sleep— in the wrong place!
I was at The Feast— dozing off in the middle of the homily by the priest presider, Fr. Erick Santos, priest of the Archdiocese of Manila.
Seeing me asleep, he doused my face with holy water!
Known for his rib-tickling, yet edifying homilies, Fr. Erick passed on after a lingering illness on February 9, 2017. He was only 55 years old.
He was such a powerful preacher, lacing his talk with hilarious asides, holding you up in complete attention, and you leave the church smiling if not laughing
out loud.
So, why was I catnapping during this great priest’s homily?
Well, first, let me trace back how I found out about The Feast.
I am a student, taking up Music, majoring in Voice, at the University of Santo Tomas.
My college friends, Cindy Zafe and Angel Joie Bayona, told me about The Feast being held at the SM Mall in Manila. A prayer meeting in a mall? Curious, I checked it out, attending The Feast all by myself.
And since I love Music, I naturally enjoyed The Feast, mainly because of its lively, beautiful Worship songs. But with my course, I usually stay up late practicing compositions assigned in class. Such as the night before I attended The Feast that one day.
Friends laugh about it when I tell them about Fr. Erick dousing me off my nap. But the holy water he baptized me off my slumber has kept me alive with fervent faith in God to this day.
Singing for the Lord
I readily signed up to serve in The Feast SM Manila, of course, in the Music Ministry, and the Warmth (Ushers’) Ministry as well from 2013 to 2017.
In 2018, I served in one of the Feasts of the Feast Bay Area District— the main Feast being held at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) in the Manila Bay complex.
I joined the Music Ministry of the afternoon session of Feast PICC (below, left).
In 2019, I moved to Feast Makati Salcedo, joining the Worship team.
Starting in 2020, I went back, serving in the Warmth Ministry of Feast PICC P.M., in what’s called the “Overflow” session — extra session for those who could no longer be accommodated in the already crowded regular sessions.
I was happy to serve, but the year 2020 was the height of the Coronavirus Disease (COVID) Pandemic. To prevent the spread of the disease, the government imposed Community Quarantine which included social distancing protocols, and consequently, preventing mass gatherings, such as the live Feast.
We went online, calling the virtual gathering Feast at Home. It was new to all of us, and I had a hard time adjusting. Just like everyone else, I guess, I felt really anxious.
By God’s grace, the Feast Bay Area started to hold a virtual Holy Rosary session. I have joined the session, so grateful that praying the Rosary has helped me to connect more to God during these trying times.
Because of the peace I felt inside me when I prayed the Rosary, I volunteered to serve in the Feast Bay Area Holy Rosary. I noticed though that it’s difficult to get people to join the Rosary crusade. But hope springs eternal, and my faith remains strong that in time, we can have more people joining and really getting connected with Jesus through the crusade.
Worshipper
Today, I am serving in the Music Ministry of the online Feast PICC P.M. and Feast Makati Salcedo.
It isn’t easy to get people to join Worship from home, especially since you don’t see the people you are leading— there is no congregation in front of you.
It sure is different from the Worship nights we’re all used to.
I miss serving live, but I remember what the question our Music Ministry head posed on our team: “Stripping you off of the lights, the band, and the stage – are you still a worshipper?”
That hit me, and I knew as I reflected on my answer to the question, God revealed something new to me. God reminded me that service in itself is an overflow. It is a response. When someone is loved in that capacity, the automatic response is to also love.
I miss these live fellowships with my spiritual family. But now, I have a deep connection with them through virtual screen.
And every day, I am telling myself, “Kapit lang, andito lang ang pagmamahal ni Lord para sa akin.”
Yes, I hang on, hold tight on God’s love— right here ever Present for me.
