Now This Child Has Been Named and Blessed!

An infant or a child is said to be "offered" to the Lord for that child is His spirit child. And these "little children" is like the kingdom of Heaven.

The Child and Her Mother

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has its own way of doing this. And it is one of the ordinances which is usually conducted every first Sunday of the month. Since this is the first Sunday of the month, our Church,

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints or LDS officially set aside this day as fast and testimony Sunday, where this ordinance is appropriately to be conducted as one of the businesses for the Sacrament meeting.

Fast and  Testimony

Every member is encouraged to fast for two meals and give a generous fast offerings to the Church for their poor and the needy members. And every member has given a time to bear their faith-promoting testimonies of the truthfulness of the Gospel, of the four standard works of the Church (The Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, Pearl of Great Price, and The Bible), the Sonship of Jesus Christ, the restoration of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and the instrumentality of Joseph Smith of restoring the True Church of Jesus Christ here on earth.

Mary Rose and Me

And the naming and blessing of a child in the Sacrament meeting is the main business in the said Sunday's service. And I'm privilege to do this task.

While I was sitting with my family in one of the pews in the Sacrament hall, I was approached by our branch president, President Jimboy Loreto. He shook hand with me and tipped me that I was one of the priesthood holders to name and bless a child after the opening hymn and and the invocation.

I didn't have any second thought for I'm always ready and prepared. Before when we were new members of the Church, I named and blessed all of my children in separate occasions.

Anyway the first to do the ordinance was former branch president Joemar Montero who named and blessed Mary Joy, twin sister of a child I'm going to bless. Then I followed.

Naming and Blessing

A group of priesthood holders assisted me in a circle, while I held the 2-year-and-2-month old child in my hand. With the proper authority I had, I named the child and she would be called as Mary Rose Santiana Heraldez in which her name will be recorded in the Church history, and gave her a blessing.

I blessed Mary Rose with the wisdom of the Lord that she may use it when she grows up by the nurture and admonition of the Lord through the faith of her parents, that she may be an instrument in bringing back those lost sheep back to the fold of our Heavenly Father, that she may be safe, unharm, and protected as she will be doing the Lord's work someday upon reaching the missionary age, and upon reaching the age of accountability she may be fully well guided to choose what is the right and what is wrong and press forward in crying repentance and baptism in the true Church of Jesus Christ.

And I also blessed her that her faith  may not be  weakened because of the trials and challenges that she may encounter while she's living and doing th3e Lord's work, and that she may overcome them, coming off conqueror. I sealed these blessings in the name of Jesus Christ.

With this ordinance I did, my testimony was strengthened and was very grateful for the Lord of
giving me this spiritual opportunity to "name and bless" His spirit child.

Little Children

"But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come to me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 19:14, KJV)

By the way, Mary Rose and Mary Joy's parents are Richard and Jeralyn. Richard, their father was a trisikad (pedicab) driver who had to "sikad" (roam around the place to find a passengers, transport them to their place of destination) for the whole day to earn a meager income for a living.