TO BE CHILDLIKE IN ORDER TO BECOME GODLIKE.
January 19, 2020: Feast of Sto. Nino (Philippines)
A German proverb says, “He who teaches children learns more
than they do.”
For having never been a good dancer, I know nothing of the
rules of dance. But I like the Latino Salsa Dance. When you a seated, it seems
so easy to execute. It looks like making two steps forward and one backward,
and so it goes.
Analogy is not always logic, but today’s feast looks like a Salsa
Dance. We officially closed the Christmas festivities last Sunday with the Baptism
of the Lord, and just after one week in the ordinary time, we are like taken
back to Christmas with Jesus again as a child. The feast of the Holy Infant, “Santo
Niño” is truly a back to Christmas – Balik-Pasko – with great lessons on the child
Jesus and on children in general.
Beyond the aspect of back to Jesus’ infancy, today’s feast
focuses our attention not only on the love that we have or that we owe to the Child
Jesus, but, and mostly, on the love that we must give to children and to
childlikeness. Children are ‘holy’. Children are a blessing. Children are a
gif. More, children are a lesson of God for our humanity. They are the vehicle
of God’s love for us by the virtues they incarnate.
In the other hand, today’s readings give us a renewed
opportunity to get to know Jesus and deepen our love and trust in him as the
Son God gives for human salvation. In the first reading, the Prophet Isaiah
speaks of the coming light. The coming of the Lord, the awaited Messiah, will
open Israel to a new beginning. “The people who walked in darkness have seen a
great light; Upon those who lived in a land of gloom a light has shone.” That
resplendent light will open the people to God and to an “abundant joy and great
rejoicing.” The birth of the child, the infant king, announces restoration,
peace, justice and harmony. Through him, the saving power of God will be made
manifest.
Paul, in the second reading, tells us that in Christ Jesus,
we are all chosen as adopted children of God. We are invested with the childlike
virtues, for, we all are made children of God. In Jesus, we are made people of
strong faith, hope and love. Therefore, Paul can pray that we also grow in
wisdom and insight in order to know God plainly.
As children of God, the Gospel comes as a call for us to be
welcoming to children and love them the more; to never despise them. Because,
in them and through them, we have God’s image. The scene of the Gospel bears a
great lesson on what must be our relationship with children. We read that the
disciples were arguing, willing to know “who is the greatest in the kingdom of
God?”
Actually, we all dream of greatness, of preeminence, of
first position or authority. Everyone would like to be the greatest one. Jesus,
in today’s extract tells us that the way to greatness lies in the littleness. “He
called a child over, placed it in their midst, and said, “Amen, I say to you,
unless you turn and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of
heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom
of heaven.”” It is an urgent and steady call to become childlike if we want to
access God’s kingdom.
Childlikeness can be observed in the virtues of simplicity,
humility, deep trust, surrenderness, openness, etc. A child is a creature who
can do nothing by himself. He always needs instructions, support, love and rely
on his parents. More beautiful is that, a child is the greatest example of
honesty, and sincerity in love. He has no duplicity, no corruption…
Childlikeness is expression of perfection, purity at its original nature. To be
childlike is to be Godlike, image of holiness.
Unfortunately, we live in a society, in a world which has
lost that sense of childlikeness. Not only that our world seems to not like or
love children, (abortion, child abuse, children trafficking…), but we hate all
that sounds like humility and littleness. We all thirst for grandeur, fame,
honor… The feast of Santo Niño comes to challenge you and me. It tells us that
God resides in simplicity and humility. The kingdom of God belongs to the
humbles. As we all dream of that kingdom, let us try all that we can to become
anew like children so that we can become like God.
Let us end our meditation with the prayer to Santo Niño of Cebu:
“O miraculous Santo Niño,
prostrate before your sacred Image, we beseech you
to cast a merciful look on our troubled hearts.
Let Your tender love, so inclined to pity, be softened at
our prayers, and grant us that grace for which we ardently implore you. Take
from us all unbearable affliction and despair.
For your sacred infancy’s sake hear our prayers
and send us consolation and aid that we may praise you, with the Father and the
Holy Spirit, forever and ever. Amen.”
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