Have you ever walked on the sidewalk of Recto Street on a random Sunday morning only to be puzzled because the melody of the Eat Bulaga theme song is buzzing through a speaker in the Parish?
You’re probably not wrong, though. It really is that melody. But if you pay close attention to its lyrics, you’ll hear that it invites everyone who hears it to join Munting Kristo Sunday School.
Munting Kristo will not be Munting Kristo if it weren’t for the children. After all, it was formed in 1987 by a group of catechists with a vision of making a parish-based catechesis for kids. It responded to the need for children to grow in their faith after the Sacrament of Baptism. The past 35 years were not easy and the journey to where we’re at right now has proven to be difficult. As cliche as it may sound, it was truly all made possible by God. And He made it possible through the children.
There were two Munting Kristo kids who were really close; best friends. They were like sisters, albeit from different mothers. Inseparable. Once, a fellow MK leader overheard them fighting. And like any other people who fight, they avoided each other. They barely talked that day. They played with the other kids instead of their usual routine of playing together. But before that session ended, we saw them sitting beside each other. Being the marites that we were, we overheard the other kid saying, “sige na nga, friends na ulit tayo”. And just like that, they were friends once more.
A few months ago, an MK kid approached me after our Sunday school and gave me a piece of paper. (Not to brag but she gave me a note that was solely for me and another that was for all the other leaders.) When I opened the paper that was for me, it read: “[t]hank you po sa inyo dahil ang bait bait niyo. [S]ana po yong inyong [wish] ay matupad na 🙂 I ♥️ MK”. I kid you not when I say that I was smiling from ear to ear having read that. So I called her again before she left. I thanked her for the letter and asked her what her wish was to which she replied: “sana po matapos na po ‘yung COVID.” She said it so simply and without thinking twice. Boy was I taken aback, and not gonna lie, I was really close to tears.
Children never fail to amaze me. There is joy in hearing their shouts and giggles as they play Bahay, Baboy, Bagyo. There is beauty in seeing their eyes as it glimmers in wonder when hearing the story of Creation. There is warmth in feeling the random hugs of the children as they bid goodbye after a Sunday school session. Indeed, it is as Psalm 127:3 says: “Children are a heritage from the Lord, offspring a reward from Him.”
MK was formed as an avenue for catechists to teach children about the Catholic faith. While there is no question that catechists change the lives of children, I assert that the other way around is also true: children change our lives. Jesus said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven” (Mt. 18:3). By humbling ourselves like a child, we begin to see the world from their eyes. We accept the innocence that their minds have and the purity that their hearts have. Our hearts, then, become a place where Jesus can dwell, our minds become filled with the news of salvation and eternal life, and our souls move our bodies to spread this Good News.
I was once that young kid singing and dancing to the MKSS Theme Song joyfully. At age 6, I was invited by my childhood best friend to join the organization. I found myself going to the sessions every Sunday. I played with the other kids, listened to our ate and kuya attentively, sang with them during the Mass, played some more, experienced becoming an angel, danced while singing Feliz Navidad (I was bibo), and many more things that were probably wiped out from my memory by childhood amnesia. I really didn’t know what was the sense of everything that we were doing. All I knew was that I was having fun while learning about God and the Catholic faith with my new-found friends.
As time went by, I grew up, and so did the people around me. We grew up with and in MK. Some started as timid children and grew to be people who were more confident in interacting with others. Some started as verbose kids who eventually grew up to be people who thought twice before speaking their minds. In an environment that fosters camaraderie, acceptance, and peace, one grows. However, in MK, people do not just grow morally and spiritually. One also begins, to borrow Socrates’ aphorism, to know thyself. We started to discover what we were capable of, what our strengths and weaknesses were, how to deal with our emotions, and what personal relationships meant for us, among many other things.
This is not just my story. This is not just my narrative. If more, it is a collective experience shared by many people who were once MK kids. Pope Francis once said that “[c]atechists are witnesses who have themselves encountered Jesus, and wish to lead others to encounter Him.” True enough, most of the present leaders and facilitators, and many that came before us, if not all, started as MK kids. God called us, or more so, He allowed us to know Him more. God, through Munting Kristo, molded us to use our talents for purposes that are greater than our lives. He called us to be His new evangelists, proclaiming His Holy Name and spreading the Good News of salvation and eternal life. This, I think, is the greatest lesson MK has taught everybody who became part of the organization.
There will always be a need for evangelization and catechism. After all, it is an opportunity for us to fulfill our Savior’s Great Commission. Munting Kristo was formed to fulfill this need. It was and will always be about having fun and enjoying while learning about God and the Catholic faith. As long as there are children willing to dedicate their lives to knowing God and Jesus, as long as there are hearts that are touched by these children who are willing to dedicate their lives for this very purpose, our mission of welcoming children into the Church continues. Munting Kristo was, is, and will always be, a family proclaiming God’s Most Holy Name, spreading His Good News, and walking together to enter His kingdom.
Now, have you heard what the MKSS Theme Song says? Sa Sunday school, sumama ka na; puro saya ang madarama!
Article by: Jan Zyrille Silva
Photos from: Estrella Communications and Munting Kristo Sunday School