Maging akin muli

• Watchlist

Jun Jun, 26, is a newly-ordained deacon. By tradition, he may now be addressed as "Reverend," a title that sounds better with his full name, Christoper Santos, Jr. But he prefers to be simply Junjun-ordinary, simple, cool. Junjun entered the seminary at age 12, but he nevertheless enjoyed his childhood and teens, managed to have a couple of girlfriends in secret, earned good grades, and taught himself to sing pop songs as well. He has never doubted his vocation, but often wonders if there are ways to live it "outside the box." Music is the language of his heart, the prayer of his soul. After ordination as a deacon, he is sent to his hometown to assist in the parish and gain pastoral experience as a way of preparing for his ordination to the priesthood. There he meets Fr. Salvador Bautista, 65, fluent in Latin and Italian, a product of the "old school." Ordained just as the reforms of the Second Vatican Council were launched, Fr. Doy had served in several parishes before being assigned to the rural Parish of Santiago Apostol the past five years. MAGING AKIN MULI accompanies Junjun on his journey to the priesthood. At Santiago Apostol, he encounters the complexities of life for his fellow pilgrims in the parish -a generous but demanding benefactor, a young lady in distress, a couple whose son is on death row. The lives of these people enrich his own, but also challenge his vocation to be good and holy, to belong to God. The film explores the tension between human freedom, what people decide to do with their lives, and divine wisdom, what God asks of each person.