Feast of the Sto. Niño Jan. 17, 2010 (Lk 2:41-52)
Each year his parents went to Jerusalem for the feast of Passover, and when he was twelve years old, they went up according to festival custom.
After they had completed its days, as they were returning, the boy Jesus remained behind in Jerusalem, but his parents did not know it. Thinking that he was in the caravan, they journeyed for a day and looked for him among their relatives and acquaintances, but not finding him, they returned to Jerusalem to look for him.
After three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions, and all who heard him were astounded at his understanding and his answers.
When his parents saw him, they were astonished, and his mother said to him, "Son, why have you done this to us? Your father and I have been looking for you with great anxiety."
And he said to them, "Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father's house?" But they did not understand what he said to them.
He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them; and his mother kept all these things in her heart. And Jesus advanced in wisdom and age and favor before God and man.
After they had completed its days, as they were returning, the boy Jesus remained behind in Jerusalem, but his parents did not know it. Thinking that he was in the caravan, they journeyed for a day and looked for him among their relatives and acquaintances, but not finding him, they returned to Jerusalem to look for him.
After three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions, and all who heard him were astounded at his understanding and his answers.
When his parents saw him, they were astonished, and his mother said to him, "Son, why have you done this to us? Your father and I have been looking for you with great anxiety."
And he said to them, "Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father's house?" But they did not understand what he said to them.
He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them; and his mother kept all these things in her heart. And Jesus advanced in wisdom and age and favor before God and man.
After celebrating the Feast of the Lord's Baptism, where we saw Jesus as a grown man who was baptized in the Jordan, we come to reflect upon His childhood again as we celebrate today the feast very dear and unique to us Filipinos - the Feast of the Sto. Niño.
The image of the Christ child comes in varied costumes. Sometimes, He is robed as a prince; sometimes, He is an ordinary child or is dressed as a fireman, a farmer and many more, making Him one like us. This reflects the fact that Jesus was made flesh and dwelt among us (Jn 1:14). Truly, one of the greatest virtues the Sto. Niño teaches us is humility. Jesus, who is God, emptied Himself and became a child, a vulnerable and dependent child, a God who is with us. In the Gospel today, we even hear Him humbly obeying His human parents.
Jesus' obedience, of course, is, first and foremost, to the Father in heaven. That is why He stayed in the temple, in His Father's house, doing His Father's business. Like Jesus, we too are children of the Father. Therefore, we ought to imitate Jesus' humility and obedience. Our obedience should be to the Father, before to anyone else. Our first concern should always be to do His will.
As Jesus returns to childhood in our Gospel today, we, too, are invited to become like children, meek, humble and obedient. We should not let our achievements convince us that we are adults who do not need God anymore. Rather, we must remain humble, dependent on God and innocent, though probably not ignorant anymore. We must not be spoiled brats, nor rebelling teenagers, but faithful sons and daughters, obedient to our Father's will.
This is the message of the Sto. Niño, whose childhood we immortalize - we must remain forever young and beautiful before our Father.
The image of the Christ child comes in varied costumes. Sometimes, He is robed as a prince; sometimes, He is an ordinary child or is dressed as a fireman, a farmer and many more, making Him one like us. This reflects the fact that Jesus was made flesh and dwelt among us (Jn 1:14). Truly, one of the greatest virtues the Sto. Niño teaches us is humility. Jesus, who is God, emptied Himself and became a child, a vulnerable and dependent child, a God who is with us. In the Gospel today, we even hear Him humbly obeying His human parents.
Jesus' obedience, of course, is, first and foremost, to the Father in heaven. That is why He stayed in the temple, in His Father's house, doing His Father's business. Like Jesus, we too are children of the Father. Therefore, we ought to imitate Jesus' humility and obedience. Our obedience should be to the Father, before to anyone else. Our first concern should always be to do His will.
As Jesus returns to childhood in our Gospel today, we, too, are invited to become like children, meek, humble and obedient. We should not let our achievements convince us that we are adults who do not need God anymore. Rather, we must remain humble, dependent on God and innocent, though probably not ignorant anymore. We must not be spoiled brats, nor rebelling teenagers, but faithful sons and daughters, obedient to our Father's will.
This is the message of the Sto. Niño, whose childhood we immortalize - we must remain forever young and beautiful before our Father.
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