The feast of the Sto. Niño is not and should not become a devotion to "cuteness." The image of the Sto. Niño is patterned after Isaiah 9, about the babe upon whose shoulders the hope of a darkened world depends. The birth of the Christ-child represented in the image of the Sto. Niño when contemplated under the aspect of Augustine's idea of the "Totus Christus" should remind us Filipinos that though we are still relatively young as a Church, we are already invited to participate in the work of our Head. The reading for today's feast about Jesus who tells his parents that he is supposed to be about "the Father's business" is a reminder that being a child of God means sharing in His concerns. Read the relevant article here and use the following as your guide for reflection.
1. One of the aspects of Christian life that the devotion to Sto. Niño reminds us is that of spiritual childhood. Jesus said that the kingdom of God is for children, that is, those who allow themselves to be carried by the Father.
Reflect: Childhood not childishness which is an attitude that considers oneself the center of all. To be a child means being able to put oneself in the hands of one's parents, to trust them so as to be led by them. How have you been allowing God to lead you through the different moments of your life?
2. Therese of the Holy Child's "Little Way" is a logical consequence of the understanding that spiritual childhood is allowing God to be the Father He wants Himself to be in our lives. The "Little Way" is to live in utter trust and confidence that littlest actions one can perform so as to please the Father and show one's love for Him suffices. One need not to do big deeds or heroic acts such as the ones the great saints performed. A child who knows oneself to be loved need simply to do whatever one can so long as it is to please the Father.
Reflect: How many trivial things do you do daily that have been wasted simply because you did not make the conscious intention of doing them for the love of God?
3. All the baptized at whatever age are called to participate in the missionary life of the Church. Even children.
Reflect: What do you do as parent or an elder brother or sister so as to help the younger members of your family participate in the work of evangelization?
