El Señor de la Transfiguracion de Cavinti - Cavinti, Laguna's Beloved "Amamang Badong"

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Señor de la Transfiguracion de Cavinti
In the simple yet historic town of Cavinti, Laguna, a few kilometers away from Lumban, Laguna, one of the oldest Churches in Laguna is located in this simple town where it is dedicated to the Señor de la Transfiguracion - one of the earliest known in the country since 1619. 

A simple yet great devotion to Our Lord Jesus Christ of the Transfiguration developed over the past centuries and it continues to be vital to the people of Cavinti. 

The image

The image of the Señor de la Transfiguracion of Cavinti is that of a free standing image of Our Lord Jesus Christ at the moment of his glorious Transfiguration where all four Canonical Gospels tells us that on the moment of his Transfiguration, his garments were white as snow and his countenance was majestic. 

There were three images of the Señor de la Transfiguracion that is venerated in Cavinti, Laguna, the original image that is located at the facade of the Church, the majestic altar image, and the processional image.

The processional tableaux of
Señor de la Transfiguracion de Cavinti
A key point in the Life of Christ

The Transfiguration of Our Lord is one of the key moments in the Life of Jesus Christ for it was here that he showed his divinity to Sts. Peter, James and John, his Apostles. In these four Canonical Gospel accounts, Jesus and three of his apostles, Peter, James, John, go to Mount Tabor to pray. On the mountain, Jesus begins to shine with bright rays of light. Then the prophets Moses and Elijah appear next to him and he speaks with them. While the Apostles behold this heavenly vision, the Voice of God was heard saying "This is my beloved Son, My Chosen, Listen to Him." After the transfiguration, Our Lord Jesus asked the three Apostles to keep the whole event a secret until His Resurrection.

The Transfiguration is one of the miracles of Jesus in the Gospels. This miracle is unique among others that appear in the Canonical gospels, in that the miracle happens to Jesus himself. St. Thomas Aquinas considered the Transfiguration "the greatest miracle" in that it complemented baptism and showed the perfection of life in Heaven. The Transfiguration is one of the five major milestones in the gospel narrative of the life of Jesus, the others being Baptism, Crucifixion, Resurrection, and Ascension. In 2002, Pope Saint John Paul II introduced the Luminous Mysteries in the Rosary, which includes the Transfiguration. Our Lord's Transfiguration is a pivotal moment, and the setting on the mountain is presented as the point where human nature meets God: the meeting place of the temporal and the eternal, with Jesus himself as the connecting point, acting as the bridge between heaven and earth.

The original image of Señor
de la Transfiguracion de Cavinti
The origin

The devotion to Señor de la Transfiguracion, also known as "El Salvador del Mundo", or "Amamang Badong" (a derivative of "Salvador") to the simple townsfolk, began sometime in 1606 when the Puhawan siblings found an image of the Señor on top of binayoyo tree. At that time, Cavinti was part of Lumban and the image was initially enthroned to the Church of San Sebastián de Lumban. 

However, strange events happened after the image's enthronement. There were reports that the image of the Señor went missing in the church of Lumban and the people will find the image back to the Binayoyo tree where he was found for several days. The people later realized that the image wanted to stay to the location he chose and decided to build a chapel in his honor. 

The Chosen Tabor of Amamang Badong

The Transfiguration of Our Lord Parish in Cavinti, Laguna
Cavinti was then part of the ecclesiastical administration of the town of Lumbang until 1619 with Father Alonso de Ampudia as parish priest. The first church was made up of temporary materials as the stome version came later. The church of Cavinti was built on the spot where the image was discovered. 

The first stone church and convent were built in 1621 under the supervision of Father Pedro de San Martin, but it was severely damaged during the 1639 Chinese uprising. Cavinti became an independent parish from Lumban in 1819. Three years later a belltower was started for the church and this was completed by 1831 despite the 1824 earthquake which partially damaged the stone church and totally destroyed the convent. The present church was first built during Father Manuel Benitez's term in 1834 and was completed by Rev. Fr Manuel Gonzalez before 1851 and it is one of the most preserved old Churches of Laguna.

Señor de la Transfiguracion de Cavinti
Miracles

Since the miraculous finding of the image and the manner on how Our Lord chose a place for veneration, several accounts of miracles and unusual events surrounded the image of Amamang Badong for centuries that continues up to the present. There were instances that it is said that Amamang Badong would go down from his altar and disguise himself as a hermit or a beggar that would go around Laguna invite people to come over Cavinti to celebrate the Fiesta of the Transfiguration and come to his house near the municipal hall. When the people who accepted the invitation would go to the said location, they were surprised that the house that the mysterious hermit mention was the Church and when they'll see the altar image of the Señor, they were surprised for they claim that it the image would resemble the mysterious hermit that invited them. 

Another instance was that the people of Cavinti would make sure that the niche altar of the original image at the facade of the Church is illuminated for it is said that the Señor would go down to his niche to find bulbs or lamp for lighting his niche. The people would somehow panic if they learned that there was no light at the niche and for the possibility that the Señor would go down and remind them about this practice. 

Señor de la Transfiguracion de Cavinti
The devotion

The devotion to El Salvador del Mundo of Cavinti continues to be strong and lasting for centuries. The locals of Cavinti, Laguna held on to Our Lord for the graces necessary for their lives. His August 6 fiesta is held with much rejoicing and solemnity in the area. The Parish at present holds a Sixth of the Month devotional day for Amamang Badong to commemorate the day of His transfiguration at Mount Tabor to further strengthen the devotion to Our Lord of the Transfiguration. 

As we ponder upon this significant event of Our Lord Jesus Christ, we are invited to focus us on the end of the Christian life. End in the philosophical and theological sense means purpose or goal. The Transfiguration helps to explain the very meaning and purpose of life. We will all be transfigured, as the Lord Himself was transfigured, when our redemption is complete in the Resurrection of the Body. Then, we will live in the new heaven and new earth, in a transformed cosmos! This reality is meant to affect the way we live our lives beginning right now for our own good and for our sake.

El Señor de la Transfiguración de Cavinti, kaawaan mo po Kami!

References:

Clowes, John (1817). The Miracles of Jesus Christ: Explained According to Their Spiritual Meaning, in the Way of Question and Answer. Manchester: J. Gleave.
Huerta, Felix de (1865). Estado geográfico, topográfico, estadístico, histórico-religioso. Binondo: Imprenta de M. Sanchez y Ca.
Historical Markers: Regions I–IV and CAR. Manila: National Historical Institute (Philippines). 1993. p. 46. 
Lockyer, Herbert (1988). All the Miracles of the Bible. Harper Collins. 

Special thanks to Mr. Edward Ramos of the Transfiguration of the Lord for the narrative and some photos of the Señor de la Transfiguración of Cavinti, Laguna that were utilized for this blogpost. Some of the photos are courtesy of the Transfiguration of Our Lord Parish Facebook page. +AM+DG+

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