Cycle B - Year I:  

17 January 2021:  Feast of the Sto. Niño

(Liturgical Color: White)

Readings:

First Reading:        Isaiah 9:1-6

Second Reading:   Ephesians 1:3-6, 15-18

Gospel:  Please Read  Mark 10:13-16

"The Sto. Niño: the human face of God!"

Every child born into our world is a living testimony that God has not grown tired of the human race. The first martyrs of the early Church were the Holy Innocents, whose Feast we celebrated last December 28. These male children were massacred by King Herod in his search for the baby Jesus.  And God Himself became a child when He came into our world to save us.  Such is the importance of a child in God's plan.

Every third Sunday of January the Church celebrates the Feast of Sto. Niño or the Holy Child.  Filipinos revere the image of the Sto. Niño throughout the country.  The devotion to the Holy Child is said to be the oldest and one of the most popular in the Philippines, recalling the birth of the Catholic faith in our country in 1521.  This year the Feast is more significant as the country is celebrating its 500th year of the Catholic Faith.

Why did God choose to be a Child in Jesus?  Let us reflect on this Sunday's Gospel.

The Feast of the Holy Child is a celebration of the incarnation of Jesus Christ, our Savior.  That is, God came to us as a child to show us how to become children of God, and how we must entrust our lives to our heavenly Father.  God chose to make Himself visible in Jesus as an appealing child in order to draw us to Himself.  For Jesus Himself loves the little children as we can read in today's Gospel narrative.  The Lord sees in their eyes the reflection of the freshness and holiness of God's kingdom.

In the Gospel reading, people were bringing children to Jesus that He might touch them. But the disciples rebuked them who wanted to shield Jesus from the children.  Our Lord contradicted them and allowed the children to come near Him.  Jesus wanted to demonstrate by His action of welcoming the children that God's love has ample room for everyone.  Because no one is unimportant to God.  He comes to each person individually that He might touch them with His healing love and power.  And Jesus says that anyone who "does not accept the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it."

In general, children can be great role models for those of us who are adults. Perhaps, it is debatable whether children in the time of Jesus had same qualities of the children in our modern generation who are exposed to all sorts of questionable moral standards. But then the Gospel speaks about children typically as just who they are.  For a child is without ambition, pride and self-importance, and thus our model of humility before God.  In such a transparent and humble soul without deceit or guile we are able to see our Lord Jesus Christ Himself.

Also, "children" here can be taken in a wider sense to include all those who approach Jesus with a completely open, unprejudiced mind.  Included in "children" are those who have a low status in our society.  Such people are often more ready to hear the message of the kingdom and to take an active part in it.

One of the gifts of children is that they live in the moment.  They enjoy life and they have capacity for joy, laughter, and the simple gifts of life.

The devotion to the Sto. Niño instills the virtue of simplicity, obedience and trust in God.  Such is the lesson for the Gospel reading this Sunday.  It brings to out attention the mystery of childhood.  We are called to become like children, having the open and trusting disposition to accept the Lord's gifts with gratitude and without reservations, ever humble and careful not to despite others, so that we may enter the kingdom of heaven.

The Feast of the Sto. Niño is also the Village Fiesta in the place where I live as our Patron is the Sto. Niño.  It would have been our 37th Village Fiesta celebration today.

This time, however, civil authorities do not allow large gathering, and so no fiesta celebration for us, to prevent the spread of the corona virus.  This means there will be no Holy Mass and the nine-day nightly novena in our Chapel.  It is really sad.

May the Feast of the Sto. Niño inspire us to have a special love for the "little ones" in our midst... the poor, the defenseless, the persecuted, and those who rely on God only for their support.

A Blessed Feast of the Sto. Niño to us all.  And thank you for a moment with God.

Ad Jesum per Mariam!