Feast of the Sto. Nino [January 20, 2013]

The Sunday Gospel [Feast of the Sto. Nino - January 20, 2013]

Luke 2:41-52

41Each year his parents went to Jerusalem for the feast of Passover, 42and when he was twelve years old, they went up according to festival custom. 43After they had completed its days, as they were returning, the boy Jesus remained behind in Jerusalem, but his parents did not know it. 44Thinking that he was in the caravan, they journeyed for a day and looked for him among their relatives and acquaintances, 45but not finding him, they returned to Jerusalem to look for him. 46After three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions, 47and all who heard him were astounded at his understanding and his answers. 48When 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.” 49And he said to them, “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” 50But they did not understand what he said to them. 51He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them; and his mother kept all these things in her heart. 52And Jesus advanced [in] wisdom and age and favor before God and man.

Reflection

Ferdinand Magellan is credited with bringing the devotion to the Santo Nino in the Philippines. When he came to the country in 1521, he had with him an image of the  Child Jesus. Magellan gave this to Queen Juana of Cebu when she was baptized. In 1565 Spanish troops led by Miguel Lopez Legazpi returned to retake the country and Cebu. The troops razed Cebu to the ground. In one large house that was gutted, the soldiers found the image of the Child Jesus that Ferdinand Magellan had given to Queen Juana. For some reason, the image was miraculously spared from the fire. Our devotion to the Santo Nino began with this miracle.

According to the 1981 paper of National Artist Nick Joaquin, the Santo Nino has become a symbol of Philippine history “because it came with Magellan, became a native pagan idol, was reestablished as a Christian icon by Legazpi, and has become so Filipino that native legends annul its European origin by declaring it to have arisen in this land and to have been of this land since time immemorial.”

Today, Cebuanos continue to lead the devotion to the Santo Nino. At the Basilica in Cebu City, which houses the image of the Santo Nino, devotees venerate the image day and night. Hundreds of miracles have been attributed to the Santo Nino. A voluminous book would be required to record all these miracles.

Like Queen Juana and our ancestors, our Mother Mary and her husband Joseph, let us love the Child Jesus. Let us also love all children. Let us also learn to appreciate the humility, and the genuine and unconditional love of children.

Love all children. Love the Child Jesus. Love the Lord Jesus, and you will be richly blessed.

Source: The Reflection is from Bro. Abel Navarro (you can visit his blog at http://myblogabelnavarroabel.blogspot.com/).