Only a few devotees attended the traditional “hubo (undressing)” of the image of the Child Jesus, or Santo Niño, in the central Philippine city of Cebu on January 22 due to the pandemic.
Authorities said the number of people who visited the church for the “hubo” Mass was fewer compared to those recorded in the past.
During the traditional ritual, the faithful were reminded to answer the call of Jesus to be missionaries.
“When [Jesus] chose [the apostles], he saw their obedient heart, ready to follow his mission for them of proclaiming the Kingdom of God,” said Augustinian priest Pacifico Nojara.
Father Nojara officiated the “hubo” Mass wherein the image of the Santo Niño is undressed and bathed and draped with simple clothes, a ritual that dates back hundreds of years.
The priest said this year observance is “symbolic” as the Philippine Catholic Church marks the 500th anniversary of the arrival of Christianity in the country.
“This ‘hubo’ is symbolic for all devotees because it reminds us of our desire and commitment to change our hearts and to be humble like a child by undressing our sins of transgressions so that we become a new healed disciples of God,” said Father Nojara.
The priest said devotees should follow the example of the apostles who were “normal people” and also had “imperfections.”
“It wasn’t their weakness that Jesus sought,” said Father Nojara, rector of the Basilica of the Child Jesus in Cebu.
The annual feast in honor of the Child Jesus began on January 8.
