For the last month or so, it had been
difficult for me to write. My heart and brains were muddled, and at the bottom
of it was the sudden illness and eventual death of someone close to our family.
It was hard for me to understand what
happened. Ninang Nessy was sick, but quite strong, the last time we saw her,
which was in early February, after a Sunday Mass. She was one of the
cathechists who gave lectures and seminars to the parents and godparents whose
children would be baptized. But that morning, she could not conduct the lecture
because she has not been feeling well. Still, she stopped for a brief chat with
me, and gave her blessings to me, Nald and Sonata, as she usually would every time
we met. I consider those blessings, blessed.
I admire the small, faithful Ibita family
– Ninong Ching, Ninang Nessy, and their only child, King. However, King came into
the picture a bit later. Before he came along, the bond between our families
have begun.
Back in the early 1990s, when our church
was a simple four-post chapel topped with plain roofing sheets, our family
(Daddy, Mommy, my grandmother, my cousin Janet, and I) would be there on the
following evenings for novenas and Mass:
Tuesday – Holy Face of Jesus
Wednesday
– Mother of perpetual Help and Bible Service
Friday
– Bible Service and Holy Hour
Saturday
– Anticipated Mass
Sunday
– Sunday Mass
The regular attendees were the Ibita
couple, Bro. Bert and Sis. Ched, and Sis. Angie. Sometimes we would be joined
by Bro. Joe and Sis. Melyn, Sis. Connie, Sis. Buena, Sis. Zeny, and others.
After the prayers, we do not stay long, but those prayer meets, lasting for
more than a year, forged a kinship among us.
Back then, Bro. Ching and Sis. Nessy
were childless. Then, years after, and following a miscarriage, the community
celebrated when Dominic Emmanuel – King – was conceived and born, That time, Sis.
Nessy was already in her late 30’s or early 40’s.
King grew up “in the church”, witnessing
his parents serve the Lord faithfully. It is no wonder that he followed in
their footsteps. For years, he was the leader of the acolytes, and also served
as keyboardist for the Youth Choir. He went on to study Conservatory of Music
in UST, culminating in his graduation recital held last December. His formal
graduation will be in May.
Notwithstanding that she will not physically
see her only son march on stage to receive his diploma, or that she will not
witness anymore the future successes of his son – I do not think that Sister
Nessy carried any bitterness in her heart. In her humility, simplicity,
obedience, and forbearance, she has surrendered everything to the Lord. During
her final days, perceiving that her health was continuing to fail, she accepted
whatever was to come with grace and calm. In the second dawn after Easter, she quietly
surrendered her spirit.
I cannot detail all that their family
has contributed for the growth of our parish, or of the Sacraments that they
have helped administer to countless souls. I also do not wish to talk in detail
about the simplicity of their lives, but suffice it to say that at her death, despite
holding on to nothing but faith in our God, all her final wishes were not only
granted, but exceeded by far.
Her send-off ceremonies were simple, but
beautiful. The Mass was officiated by a priest from UST who was fatherly to
King, and who volunteered to give his blessings up to Tita Nessy’s final
resting place.
Under the soft rays of the sun, with the
scent of incense heavy in the air, we bade her goodbye….for the meantime. Our
hearts were sad, but we knew she is in the best of hands. Yes, she has passed
on, and too quickly at that, but God never left her, or her family. That they
went through the ordeal of her sudden sickness and death with such ferocious
faith and composure – only God’s grace
could have sustained them like that.
I believe that Sister Nessy, flanked by
Jesus and Mama Mary, witnessed the entire ceremony with her usual childlike
delight. Tita Nessy was a diligent but silent worker. She was never celebrated
for all her years of dedicated service….but just this once, just this once, she
was. And our hearts are warmed because of it.
"To Ninang/Tita/Sister Nessy, thank you for your sweet smiles, for your love for our family, for taking the time to sit with us and share little stories every now and then. Your life and death may have been swift, but it is enough to inspire hope and faith in us. Please pray for us and continue to love us from up there. We will always remember you, and someday we will see you again."
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