The Feast of San Buenaventura: A Family Tradition and a Father's Prayer
We celebrated the feast of San Buenaventura (St. Bonaventure) at home on July 15. I’m not sure if this is a tradition observed in Metro Manila, but in my hometown, we used to commemorate it when I was growing up. We also call it “Pista ng mga Bata” because the celebration is also a way of giving thanks to San Buenaventura for keeping children healthy and safe.
This is a practice we continue even in Metro Manila, especially since we have kids of our own. This year, I ordered desserts instead of cooking at home. What I do miss most, though, is exchanging homemade delicacies with our neighbors, even if we were both holding plates of biko with latik.
If you are a dad like me, I’m sure a part of your daily prayer is for your kids' health and well-being. Every chance we get, we ask for the safety of our children and loved ones. In fact, I believe we pray for our kids more than we do for ourselves. And when we pray for ourselves, it’s still about asking for strength so that we can support them well.
On a further note, I’m sure many parents are also worried about their children’s safety these days, what with all the recent news about violence involving minors.
School shootings, stabbing incidents, school brawls, etc.: I shudder, knowing the randomness of those atrocities.
I used to only hear news about school shootings in the US. I used to think it odd that such incidents seemed to have the highest occurrence in the US.
Nevertheless, I was also wishing that we wouldn’t have to deal with such incidents here in the Philippines.
It doesn’t help knowing that some Pinoys are easily influenced by what they see on social media and do the same.
I hope the recent school shooting incidents are isolated cases, although it’s hard to discount the idea that the minors involved might have been groomed by external influences to do such crimes. That fact is even more alarming, since the world is so open and connected via the World Wide Web.
Strangers have access to kids via social media, online games, and the like. Strangers can manipulate kids’ minds in the guise of games and other seemingly innocent activities. We really can’t tell who or what’s lurking in cyberspace.
That’s why we parents need to be mindful of the activities that our children do, what they access on the web, and even subtle changes in their behavior. Let’s guide them and be present for them whenever we can so that they grow up to be kind individuals.
As we celebrated the Feast of San Buenaventura this year, I realized that some traditions become even more meaningful once you have children of your own. What used to be a simple family custom has become a yearly reminder to be grateful for our kids and to never take their safety and well-being for granted.
The world our children are growing up in is very different from the one we knew, and while we can’t control everything they will encounter, we can choose to be present in their lives.
We can listen to them, guide them, teach them kindness, and help them make good decisions. Hopefully, that’s enough to give them a strong foundation as they navigate an increasingly connected world.
I hope this tradition continues for many more years; not just because of the food or the memories it brings, but because it reminds us to cherish our children, appreciate the time we have with them, and do our best to help them grow into compassionate, responsible adults.
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