FEAST  OF  STO. NINO:  "UNLESS YOU BECOME LIKE LITTLE CHILDREN……"

Fr. Orlando P. Sapuay, MS

January 18, 2009

Is 9:1-6                

Eph 1:3-6,15-18               

Mk 10: 13-16

 God loves you because there is only one of you.

God is always searching for you….

always after you…..always waiting for you

For you are His happiness.

This theme from last Sunday is followed through

as we celebrate the Feast of Sto. Nino,

An historic symbol of the arrival of Christian faith in the Philippines.

This child is light in darkness; joy as at harvest time;

freedom from poverty, misery and bondage; the end of war and violence.

He is peace forever; his dominion is vast and established on justice.

And we are the sons and daughters of the Father of Jesus, chosen with Jesus

Since the creation of the world to be holy and to live in His presence.

Last January 9, we witnessed the longest ever procession

of the devotees of the Black Nazarene.

The crowd was estimated to be up to 3 million people,

marked by what one bishop called “fanaticism”

As people jostled, surged and swarmed around 

the centuries old image  to offer thanks and prayers.

Many devotees threw white towels and handkerchiefs t

o other devotees on the carriage

To wipe the statue in the hope of carrying away some of its healing powers.

The solemnity of the mass was marred by a commotion

right at the middle of the homily

Of cardinal Rosales as devotees became unruly,

shoving  their way forward to get close to the Nazarene,

breaking the barrier of marshals.

The cardinal, visibly annoyed, discontinued his homily

As he spoke sternly, “We appeal to you to let us finish the mass.

Let us make this devotion orderly”.

This would seem to be the predominant image of spirituality

among our people up to this day.

One may say that the Filipino  may have lost many things in life –

Their health, their jobs, even their businesses – but not their faith.

This kind of spirituality, however,

falls short of the spirituality that Jesus Himself proclaimed  

In the gospel of St. Matthew, when Jesus was asked by the disciples,

“who is the greatest?”,

He called a little child, set the child in the midst of the disciples and said: 

“I assure you that unless you change and become like little children,

you cannot enter the kingdom of heaven.

Whoever becomes lowly like this child

is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven and

whoever receives such a child in my name receives me” (Mtt. 18: 1-5)

Whose heart  is not moved by the birth of a child?

Who can experience the happy face of a child

and not feel a surge of hope?  Hundred of years,

before Christ was born,

the meaning of His coming was described:

“ a light has dawned on this who live

 in the land of the shadow of death….. for a child is born to us”.

Every birth is a sign that God has not yet given up on the human race. 

Let us first consider the way three evangelists

describes in summary this image of a child.

Matthew:  We are to be the children of God  

who are greatest before God by serving the least among

our brothers and sisters in imitation of Jesus,

his beloved child who was lowly and the servant of all.

With the gentleness of God in Jesus  we are to receive the children:

the least of the world, the forgotten, the poor and those without power.

Mark: We are like to be children like this one

who blesses the world with light, joy and freedom—

this is what we are to become like,

in imitation and following the one who is peace

and who brings justice forever for those in need.

Luke:  We must be the children of God, about our Father’s business first,

knowing the father and worshipping with Jesus.

We must be subject to those around us,

obedient but also  faithful to God, first and foremost.

And we must ponder all these words

 and works of Jesus so that we might become the children of light,

the peacemakers of God.  

“Unless you become like little children…”  suggests that we are to be childlike. 

It shows us what it means to grow   up

--becoming more and more childlike and less and less childish.

What usually happens to us may be the exact opposite for as we grow up

We seem to become more and more childish and less and less childlike.

Consider  all the  childlike qualities we admire

and behaviorally we do the exact opposite.

A child  may argue and quarrel with a playmate and yet in no time

they are at play together once again.

On the other hand, as grown-ups we may hold grudges

and avoid each other for a long time.

We say it is childlike to trust.

A child  does not seem to have too many worries and anxieties

While as adults we are forever worrying and beset with anxieties.

We envy children for their excitement and eagerness to explore and to learn

While we have grown cynical, critical and negative.

If we sit down and take a pen and paper,

list down in one column the childlike attitudes we admire,

then on the other  column  make a list of childish attitudes and behaviors,

we may get the biggest surprise of our lives

in finding out how much we have grown—

both childlike and childish.  But then again,

it takes a little child to  be able to do this. 

It takes the courageous humility of a child.

Someone said: “The shortest distance between you and  God

is the mere distance from your knees to the floor”.

Humility  is the greatest childlike attitude.

Growth happens best or should we say, 

happens only  to those of humble hearts.

Should we not say then that growing is not merely growing  “up”

but growing “down”.

Consider how, for example a tree.

It is growing down with its roots as much as it is growing up

 with its branches and leaves.

The way down is actually the way up

It has been written that whenever our Lord raised up His eyes,

he wished to perform a great work.

It must be noted that he raised his eyes from below,

from the true ground of profound humility.

The power of heaven works best up what is below,

so too God works most in a humble heart,

“Unless a grain falls to the ground and dies……………….”

Jesus would be lifted up in shame but that lifting up in shame

is also a lifting up in glory.