FEAST of the SANTO NIŇO

Gospel Bullet Points (Mt 18:1-5.10)

• One of the most popular devotions in the Philippines is devotion to Sto. Nino. One sociologist commented that this devotion to the Sto. Nino is so popular because we want Jesus to stay young forever—cute, harmless, and as a child, He does not make a lot of demands. But then, we must remember that Jesus grew in age, wisdom, and stature (Luke 2:52). He became a mature person. And so we must also grow in our Christian faith – into mature Christians.
• In the Gospel, Jesus took a child and said, ” Unless you turn and become like children, you will not enter into the kingdom of heaven.”
• With that, the Lord is trying to give us qualities that make the child the symbol of those who are citizens of the kingdom. Let us take note of some of these qualities: 1) The child’s humility and simplicity; 2) The child’s dependence; and 3) The Child’s trust.
• Jesus made these qualities as preconditions for membership in his kingdom when He said, “whoever does not accept the kingdom of God like a child, will not enter it” (Mk 10:15; Lk 18:17).
• The child’s HUMILITY is the pattern of the Christians’ behavior to his fellow men, and the child’s DEPENDENCE and TRUST are the patterns of a Christian’s attitude towards God. As we celebrate the Feast of the Santo Niño, let us all do our best to have the qualities of a child so that the kingdom will be ours, too. ¡VIVA, SEÑOR SANTO NIÑO!