The Sailor and the Boy Christ

CEBU, Philippines - The story of Portuguese sailor Ferdinand Magellan and the image of the Santo Niño he brought to Cebu is a matter of historical record. It is not clear, however, if the story is one of destiny or mere happenstance.

Magellan came to Cebu in 1521 and gave the image of the Santo Niño (Christ as a little boy) to the native queen, Humamai, as a baptismal present on her conversion to the Christian faith, together with her husband, Rajah Humabon, and 800 others. A few days after, Magellan was killed by Lapulapu, the chieftain of the neighboring Maktan tribe.   

During the next 44 years, there was no account of the Santo Niño. Then, in 1565, a soldier of the second Spanish expedition under Miguel Lopez de Legazpi found the image among the rubbles in an area that had been gutted by fire. The Santo Nino was unscratched. 

It is said that in the interval between Magellan and Legazpi, the Santo Niño became a pagan idol among the native people. That's probable, considering that there was no one to nurture the budding Christian faith in the community; the natives must have had easily slid back to their old religion.

In fact, there were reportedly several attempts by the natives to destroy the Santo Niño. But they failed every time. And so they came to be convinced that the little statue had power.

As the Santo Niño eventually became a part of the village life, the local people claimed it as their own. When Legazpi would later ask about it, the villagers claimed that the image was there since the ancient times. They never associated the Santo Niño with the gift that Magellan gave to their queen. They had many legends about the origin of the image, some of which have survived to this day.

One legend has it that the Santo Niño image was originally a piece of driftwood that got caught in a local fisherman's net. That, no matter how the fisherman tried to throw it away, the driftwood kept coming back. Finally, he decided to just keep it.

Then, surprisingly, his boat was soon heaving with fish. The fisherman attributed his plentiful catch to the driftwood. He brought the driftwood home, and told the whole village his story. They all began to worship the wooden piece, which slowly turned into the statue that it is today.

According to writer Nick Joaquin, the Santo Niño is such "a symbol of Philippine history, because it came with Magellan, became a native pagan idol, and then reestablished as a Christian icon by Legazpi."

But the story between Magellan and the Boy Christ hints of a much deeper meaning.

The great explorer was reportedly trying to earn the distinction of being the very first man to circumnavigate the globe. Propagating Christianity might not have been his main reason for daring to tread on uncharted territories. The endeavor was probably more for personal glory.

There was no way Ferdinand Magellan could lose the battle at Maktan. He had superior firepower and military acumen over the bolos and raw rage of the tribal warriors. But he lost.

He failed to claim the land for his king. He failed in propagating the faith. Magellan was a highly learned and much decorated man, no doubt—but a mere human, still.

On the other hand, the wooden statue that could not move on its own or preach a single word has conquered where the man of great might failed. By just standing there, patiently waiting, the Niño has claimed the village, then the whole island, and eventually the rest of the archipelago, for the Father.

So was it destiny why Magellan lost? Why did the Niño allow the fall of his great advocate? Whatever the reason, why does it matter? What is one human life worth when God Himself offered the life of His only son for the sins of mankind?

Yet, had Magellan won in Maktan, he would have also taken credit for the surge of faith that was eventually to sweep across the islands. Hence, perhaps ,he had to be cleared out of the way in order for the glory of God to clearly shine through.