Bogotá, Colombia, May 9, 2013 / 11:00 am
A three-year-old Colombian boy has garnered attention across the internet for a video in which he dons priestly garments and "celebrates" Mass, reciting the liturgy from memory.
Samuel Jaramillo, who is an orphan, lives with his grandmother and an aunt in the city of Medellin. When family members posted a video of the boy pretending to celebrate Mass on YouTube, it gained rapid popularity, attracting nearly 300,000 views in just over a week.
His relatives told reporters that last Christmas, Jaramillo did not ask for toys like most kids his age. Instead, he wanted "priest's clothes" and the objects necessary to "celebrate" Mass.
He has learned to recite the Mass from memory with the corresponding pauses, intonations and gestures of an experienced priest.
In a reflection published by El Colombiano, Father Daniel Monsalve noted Jaramillo's "passion for what he says and the tenderness that inspires him" in the videos.
"Amid a changing world that is at times indifferent to religious matters, this child appears as a testimony of love for God and fascination for sacred celebrations, most certainly fostered by those who care for him and by the priest of his parish," Fr. Monsalve wrote.
Cases like that of Jaramillo "should not only awaken religious fervor but also serve as an example for the promotion of priestly and religious vocations, supported always by the encouragement of parishes, seminaries and houses of formation," he added.
Jaramillo's aunt, Elizabeth Rojas Arango, said, "This isn't something we taught him, and we don't even attend church," but Jaramillo goes to Mass every Sunday and on Tuesdays with his grandmother, Rosa Eva Arango.
Rojas Arango said the decision to post the videos of Samuel online was not "to try to make him popular, but because they are moving."
Jaramillo knows the Creed by heart and even preaches his own homilies.
In an interview with RCN television, Jaramillo said he wants to be a priest when he grows up.
Fr. Monsalve said that when people see Jaramillo, "They will be amazed and will be unable to resist clicking on 'Like' or 'Share.' However, it will be God who continues speaking to humanity through the nobility and humility of his littlest children, the favorites of the Kingdom of Heaven."
He also underscored the role of parents and relatives in the education of children.
"Parents and all those involved in the care of children must continue to fulfill that essential role of giving testimony and encouragement," he said.