God has a Mission for You

HOMILY
5th Sunday in Ordinary Time (C) – 10 February 2013

Readings: Is 6:1-2a, 3-8; Ps 138:1-2, 2-3, 4-5, 7-8; 1 Cor 15:1-11; Lk 5:1-11


The Gospel this Sunday recounts the story of the call of Simon and his partners, the brothers James and John, after a miraculous fish catch. Jesus told Simon (Peter) the iconic words: “from now on you will be catching men” (Lk 5,10).

The same theme of being called by God is found in the other two readings: that of Isaiah in the First Reading and of St. Paul in the Second. In the Old Testament, there is a common pattern, a leitmotif, in the way prophets are called by God.

1. First, God reveals Himself in an extraordinary experience of grace.
2. This evokes feelings of awe, and also sinfulness and unworthiness, in the one called.
3. Then God gives His assurance and
4. ...the call to mission.
5. Finally, the one called accepts God’s invitation.

Sts. Peter and Paul may not be prophets in the Old Testament sense of the word but the same leitmotif emerges in the respective stories of their call. In a way, they are more than prophets for they already share in the three-fold mission of Christ: that of being prophet, priest and king.

And so it is with us. The readings this Sunday are reminders that every one of us is also called by God to mission.

What does it mean to be called? Imagine yourself being plucked out of your ordinary existence and presented by God Almighty Himself with an opportunity to work with Him closely, intimately, in the great task of building His Kingdom? Imagine the many life changes you have to go through if you would take the offer. Wouldn’t you feel honored and at the same time humbled – maybe even troubled by such an offer? Why me, you may even ask.

I know I would; I have gone through a similar experience myself. Same with most priests I know. There comes an inevitable point in seminary formation when we realize we are unworthy of the grace we are seeking. This, I believe, is what being “poor in spirit” means.

It is precisely this spiritual poverty that makes our eyes more open to, our hearts more accepting of, the reality of God’s love happening in many ways in our lives. In turn, this spiritual openness makes us more responsive to God’s call.

This experience is not the exclusive domain of priests and religious today, or prophets of old. There was a wedding I officiated where I remember the groom earnestly declaring to his bride: “I don’t know what I have done to deserve a blessing like you.”

The realization of the gratuitousness of love makes us want to participate more in the experience, and share with others the joy we find in it. This, I believe, is what a “calling” means.

And though we may not have the grand mystical religious experience that prophets and apostles have, God nevertheless calls everyone, each to his or her own mission in life. His call is always to participate in His life of grace ever more fully.

Like the leitmotif of the call of the Old Testament prophets, God’s call to us also follows a pattern.

First, the awareness of mission begins with the realization that God is indeed love (no matter how trite the words nowadays may sound). He has loved us more than what we deserve, more than we can ever know. In short, our being called to mission springs from the joy of being loved, and flows into wanting to share the same joy with others.

Second, our call happens where we are right now. We have become so used to the term “fishers of men”, and thought at the same time that the term refers only to priests or religious, which is not entirely true. Every Christian is a fisher of men. By calling Simon and company that way, Jesus transforms their mindsets – used to seeing mostly the daily grind of their lives and occupation – and opens them to the infinitely greater reality of the Kingdom of God, and their place in it.

Thus, they are no longer just people who merely go about their daily lives – they are transformed. They still go through the same drudgeries of life, but now they are men on a mission. The same applies as well to us.

Fishers of men could then be very well translated to carpenters of homes, builders of communities, teachers of the Truth, students of Christ’s life, call center agents of God, engineers of the Kingdom, planters of faith in persons’ hearts, doctors for the masses, couples for Christ, and so on. Our mission begins where we are right now.

Third, our first mission is personal transformation. As we come to terms with the enormity of the mission and our own inadequacies, we learn that before we can change others, we have to change ourselves first. And if we go by the lessons of Peter, Paul, and the prophets, we learn that transformation is a life-long process. Even with the gift of prophecy, the prophets have their constant struggles with depression and doubt; Paul has his “thorn in the flesh” which “kept him from getting proud”; and we know very well the frailties of Peter.

Fourth, we are working for God. Let us be clear: the transformation that we seek – in ourselves and in the world – is accomplished not so much by virtue of our heroic efforts alone but by our cooperation in the work of God. Our problems may be big, our mission bigger, and ourselves inadequate – but we have a big God, and He will enable and complete us. St. Paul sums it in 1 Cor 15,10 (from the Second Reading): "But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace to me has not been ineffective. Indeed, I have toiled harder than all of them; not I, however, but the grace of God that is with me."

As practical application of our reflection upon this Sunday’s readings, I would like to point out that this week, there are two important dates we need to keep in mind – aside from February 14, Valentine’s Day.

February 13 this year is a more important date: it is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of the season of Lent. By the imposition of ash on our foreheads, we commit ourselves to the call to conversion and transformation, which is what Lent is about.

February 12 is another important date: it is the official start of the campaign period for candidates for senators and party lists.

As candidates campaign for our votes, the most recent pastoral letter from our bishops teaches us “to be mindful of our right and duty to promote the common good by using our vote”. It is not about building a “Catholic vote” as about voting according to our conscience. And the bishops also remind us that “conscience must be informed and moral judgment enlightened. A well-formed conscience is upright and truthful. It formulates its judgments according to reason, in conformity with the true good willed by the wisdom of the Creator” (CCC, no. 1783). Thus, even our right to vote becomes an expression of the mission.

Fifth, have you accepted already God’s particular mission for you? Tell God your answer in prayer. But before you do, I would like to share a funny cautionary parable that has circulated in emails some time ago…

While walking down the street one day a Philippine politician is tragically hit by a truck and dies. His soul arrives in heaven and is met by St. Peter at the entrance.

"Welcome to heaven," says St. Peter. "Before you settle in, it seems there is a problem. We seldom see a high official around these parts, you see, so we're not sure what to do with you."

"No problem, just let me in," says the politician.

"Well, I'd like to, but I have orders from higher up. What we'll do is have you spend one day in hell and one in heaven. Then you can choose where to spend eternity."

"Really, I've made up my mind. I want to be in heaven," says the politician.

"I'm sorry, but we have our rules." And with that, St. Peter escorts him to the elevator and he goes down, down, down to hell.

The doors open and he finds himself in the middle of a green golf course. In the distance is a clubhouse and standing in front of it are all his friends and other politicians who had worked with him.

Everyone is very happy and in evening dress. They run to greet him, shake his hand, and reminisce about the good times they had while getting rich at the expense of the people. They played a friendly game of golf and then dine on lobster, caviar and champagne.

Also present is the devil, who really is a very friendly guy who is having a good time dancing and telling jokes. They are all having such a good time that before the senator realizes it, it is time to go. Everyone gives him a hearty farewell and waves while the elevator rises...

The elevator goes up, up, up and the door reopens in heaven where St. Peter is waiting for him, "Now it's time to visit heaven."

So, 24 hours pass with the politician joining a group of contented souls moving from cloud to cloud, playing the harp and singing. They have a good time and, before he realizes it, the 24 hours have gone by and St. Peter returns. "Well, then, you've spent a day in hell and another in heaven. Now choose your eternity."

The senator reflects for a minute, then he answers: "Well, I would never have said it before, I mean heaven has been delightful, but I think I would be better off in hell."

So St. Peter escorts him to the elevator and he goes down, down, down to hell. Now the doors of the elevator open and he's in the middle of a barren land covered with waste and garbage. He sees all his friends, dressed in rags, picking up the trash and putting it in black bags as more trash falls from above. The devil comes over to him and puts his arm around his shoulders.

"I don't understand", stammers the politician. "Yesterday I was here and there was a golf course and clubhouse, and we ate lobster and caviar, drank champagne, and danced and had a great time. Now there's just a wasteland full of garbage and my friends look miserable. What happened?"

The devil smiles at him and says, "Yesterday we were campaigning… Today, you voted."

Called to be Prophets for our Time

HOMILY
4th Sunday in Ordinary Time (C) –  3 February 2013

Readings: Jer 1:4-5, 17-19; Ps 71:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 15-17; 1 Cor 12:31—13:13 or 13:4-13; Lk 4:21-30


Our Gospel passage today is a continuation of the story last Sunday. Here we listen to the reaction of Jesus’ hometown crowd to His message. It went from condescending amazement to irate contempt to attempted murder. But it was not yet His time, and so – as the Gospel tersely puts it – He “passed through the midst of them and went away”.

The theme of the Readings this Sunday is that of “prophecy”. The First Reading describes the call of the prophet Jeremiah. In the Gospel, Jesus utters the (in)famous line: “no prophet is accepted in his own native place”.

Why is prophecy important to our lives as Christians? What does it mean really? Is every Christian called to be a prophet, or is it just limited to a chosen few?

The Catechism teaches us: “By Baptism the baptized share in the priesthood of Christ, in his prophetic and royal mission” (CCC 1268). Thus, every baptized Christian is called to be a prophet like Christ.

Now, as to what it means to be a prophet, I would like to share three characters of the prophetic mission.

1. Prophecy is in the service of the word of God.

For the ancient Greeks, prophecy is the gift of discerning the will of the gods. In the Judaeo-Christian tradition however, prophets are chosen by God to communicate His message to the community.

In the Old Testament, the message of the prophets usually begins with “dabar Yahweh”, “this is the word of Yahweh…”, “Yahweh says…”, “thus spoke Yahweh…” This signifies that the words of the prophets are not their own but God’s, and their mission is to transmit them faithfully to the people.

There is a common characteristic among prophecies in the Old Testament: they are constant reminders to the people. Prophecies generally offer not some new teaching but a reiteration of some aspect of the Law or the whole spirit of it, for example, on true worship, on justice, and love of the poor.

2. Prophecy is a work of truth-telling in love.

St. Paul in 1 Cor 13,1-3 (in the Second Reading) states: “If I speak in human and angelic tongues, but do not have love, I am a resounding gong or a clashing cymbal. And if I have the gift of prophecy, and comprehend all mysteries and all knowledge; if I have all faith so as to move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.”

Prophecy is all about truth-telling. But when truth is used without love, it can be a weapon of destruction. It can destroy self-esteem, reputation, even lives. Let us remember this when we feel compelled to speak about right and wrong to a friend or to a community in need of guidance.

God sent prophets to His wayward people because of His love for them. Prophets, even when their words sting, still transmit God’s love and guidance to His people.

3. Prophecy is witnessing to an authentic life.

The first hearer of God’s message is the prophet himself. Thus, the first to follow the message he is to transmit must be the prophet himself as well. If in the past we hear “practice what you preach”, today we also hear “the medium is the message”. And this is true not just to preachers, but to anyone who has the mission of being a prophet, which is to say, every Christian. Pope Paul VI has this say: “Modern man listens more willingly to witnesses than to teachers, and if he does listen to teachers, it is because they are witnesses.”

Now committing to an authentic life is just an initial step. This commitment will be greatly tested when faced with rejection. The lives of prophets are not easy. Almost always they are met with opposition, suspicion and persecution. Jesus several times reminded the Jews of what their forefathers did to the prophets of their time: they killed them. Jesus the prophet follows the same path as the prophets of old.

The Gospel story this Sunday is but one of many instances when Jesus’ message and person met rejection. It is also a solemn reminder to his followers that engaging in prophetic ministry is fraught with difficulties. But this should not dishearten us.

When rejection comes, it has to be acknowledged – and analyzed. Maybe it happened because our truth-telling was lacking in love, and so more love is required. Or because our intended recipient or audience was not yet ready, and so more patience is required. And then there are also the kind of rejection that seeks to discourage us from pursuing the good that we do or intimidate us into giving up.

Posted on the wall in one of Blessed Theresa of Calcutta’s homes for children in India are some lines known as the “Paradoxical Commandments”. The motivational speaker Dr. Kent M. Keith wrote those lines as a way of dealing with the debilitating effects of rejection, especially for those working to make people’s lives better.

“People are illogical, unreasonable, and self-centered. Love them anyway.
If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish ulterior motives. Do good anyway.
If you are successful, you will win false friends and true enemies. Succeed anyway.
The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow. Do good anyway.
Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable. Be honest and frank anyway.
The biggest men and women with the biggest ideas can be shot down by the smallest men and women with the smallest minds. Think big anyway.
People favor underdogs but follow only top dogs. Fight for a few underdogs anyway.
What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight. Build anyway.
People really need help but may attack you if you do help them. Help people anyway.
Give the world the best you have and you'll get kicked in the teeth. Give the world the best you have anyway.”

Another popular version of these lines in the internet ends with:

"Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough, give the world the best you've got anyway.
You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and God. It was never between you and them anyway."


In the First Reading, when God called Jeremiah, He was quite clear about the resistance and persecution His prophet will face in pursuing his mission. God was also quite clear about another thing: that He will be with Him all the way assuring his victory.

Jer 1,19 says:” They will fight against you but not prevail over you, for I am with you to deliver you, says the LORD.”

Prophecy means proclaiming bravely the truth of God's love. God is calling. Are you willing to become prophets for our time?

The Power of the Word of God

HOMILY
3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time (C) – 27 January 2013

Readings: Neh 8:2-4a, 5-6, 8-10; Ps 19:8, 9, 10, 15; 1 Cor 12:12-30 or 12:12-14, 27; Lk 1:1-4; 4:14-21


This Sunday is National Bible Awareness Sunday. The readings are most appropriate to the celebration. Both the First and Gospel readings show the profound impact of the Scriptures on their listeners.

The First Reading from the Book of Nehemiah contains a heartwarming historical scene during Israel’s period of rebuilding after Cyrus the Great defeated the Babylonians and permitted the exiles to return to their homeland. Among the first things the people did was to gather and listen to the Scriptures, especially to passages from some rediscovered books thought previously to have been lost. The account said that the reading started at daybreak and extended till noon! All this time, the people listened attentively as Ezra read and interpreted the book of the law. The people were also weeping as they hear the words of the law, prompting Nehemiah to exhort them not to weep for “Today is holy to the Lord your God.”

This Old Testament story has parallels with the Gospel passage this Sunday. The people were gathered at Sabbath in the Nazareth synagogue. Jesus read from the scroll of the Prophet Isaiah. All eyes were upon him. The people could feel something special about this man Jesus whom many of them knew. And then He said: “Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing.”

Jesus has just identified Himself to his hometown as a prophet and more: He is the fulfillment of their prophecies about the Messiah who is to come. Yet here the parallel ends for the succeeding verses narrates how the one piece of news that was awaited and hungered for by generations of Jews was received not with acceptance or gratefulness but with disbelief and agitation, until finally His town mates attempted to kill him by trying to drive him over a cliff. But His death at their hands was not meant to be. At least not yet.

If the people in Jesus' town and time didn't believe Him, could we confidently say, that unlike them, we believe in Jesus? Before we make a quick and easy response towards the affirmative, let us examine carefully first Is 61,1-2, the short verse that Jesus read:

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to bring glad tidings to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives
and recovery of sight to the blind,
to let the oppressed go free,
and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord.”

Do you believe that this passage is already fulfilled? Or more importantly,  do you believe in Jesus? Maybe the part about Jesus being anointed by the Spirit. But what about the blessings promised to the poor, the prisoners, the blind and the oppressed?

If the Word of God is powerful and since Jesus Himself has proclaimed the Scripture passage to have been already fulfilled, why is it that there still seems so much that needs to be done? 

People are still poor, and not just materially. There are those who are lonely and rejected; those burdened with a mentality that keeps them poor and perpetually dependent upon some master or patron; those afflicted with an unquenchable desire to acquire, else they will always feel inadequate.

People are still captives, and not just those in jail for crimes. There are those imprisoned by guilt, by hatred, by their unmet needs for redemption, forgiveness and reconciliation.

People are still blind, and not just physically. There are those blinded by prejudice, ignorance, envy, pride and fear; those who have been so hurt and jaded they could no longer see the goodness of humanity or hope in themselves.

People are still being oppressed. Even oppressors themselves have their own far stronger oppressors to deal with. There are also those overcome with self-pity and despair.

How are we to understand this seeming contradiction between the words of Jesus and the not so perfect reality before us?

1. Christ’s Mission Statement

Some commentators say that by taking Isaiah’s prophecy as words spoken about Himself, Jesus was presenting to the world His manifesto, His vision-mission statement as the Messiah. Here we are introduced for the first time to the core of His message: the urgency and necessity of the Kingdom of God.

2. Christ’s Mission is meant to be shared

The mission of building God’s Kingdom is brought by Jesus and fulfilled in Jesus, but He also intended to share it to the rest of the world. For the building of God’s Kingdom requires our full assent and cooperation. This is what it means when we say: Christ brings salvation to all.

The Gospel this Sunday is actually divided into two parts: the bulk of the message is taken from Luke chapter 4; however the introduction is taken from the very beginning of Luke’s Gospel. Here the Gospel writer explains the purpose of his writing this “accurate narration” of Jesus’ story: so that one Theophilos “may realize the certainty of the teachings (he has) received”. At the time of the writing of this Gospel the story of Jesus, His life and mission, has been handed over from one Christian community to another – no doubt inspiring more and more people to follow the way of Christ.

And yet there's more: the name Theophilos means "he who loves God", thus Luke may be referring to a particular man who goes by the name, or he may be alluding to everyone, that is to everyone who profess to love God.

3. God’s Kingdom must first begin in the heart

This brings us back to explaining Jesus’ manifesto vis-à-vis the real world. Before we can talk about reforming social structures or changing social attitudes, we have to assume that all these longed-for changes begin somewhere basic, somewhere foundational: in the human heart.

An old adage puts it this way: “I acquired courage and sought to change the world. And then I acquired wisdom and thus sought first to change myself.”

That is why Jesus came as a person and revealed that God has loved us first and unconditionally, so that we too may love Him and have a relationship with Him. Loving relationships begin in the heart. And so before we seek to change the world, we ask what does my beloved wants? What is God’s plan for me, for others? Or better yet, how may I respond to God’s unconditional love?

The theme of salvation that is at once personal and social, local and global, has been explored by a famous novel by Victor Hugo – turned into an even more famous musical – and recently into a movie: Les Miserables.

The story is set in France ten years after the French Revolution – a movement that began with many good intentions but ended up with more violence and poverty than before. Ten years after deposing their king and executing the royal family, the French has another king in his place, and dissatisfaction is once again stirring. In this bleak era of broken dreams and failed expectations, along comes Jean Valjean, an ex-convict who jumped his parole and took on another identity.

He was a prisoner, tortured and broken, for 19 years – five years for stealing a loaf of bread, the rest for attempting to escape. Yet throughout most of the story, he was a model of mercy and charity. He became a wealthy entrepreneur and mayor of a town, and has shown great concern to the plight of the downtrodden. He protected a sick prostitute and brought her to the hospital. And when she died, he made good on his promise to take care of her daughter whom he adopted as his own. Even when faced with the opportunity to kill his relentless pursuer, the Chief Constable Javert, he instead chose to save him from the revolutionaries.

What prompted this man who has suffered so much injustice and cruelty from his fellowmen to become instead a light in the darkness for the many people whose lives he touched? The answer lies at the beginning of the story, when the newly-paroled Jean Valjean was welcomed and fed by a kindly bishop. Still cynical and opportunistic, he tried to steal a few silver pieces from his gracious host, but was once again caught by the police and brought back to the bishop. What the bishop did and said changed his life forever. To his surprise, the good bishop confirmed Jean Valjean’s alibi that the stolen silver were in fact his gifts to him, and that in Jean Valjean’s haste he forgot to take the better pieces. When the police officers left, the bishop told him:

“And remember this, my brother,
See in this some high plan.
You must use this precious silver
To become an honest man.
By the witness of the martyrs,
By the passion and the blood,
God has raised you out of darkness:
I have bought your soul for God.”

That one significant experience of pure and unconditional love was the turning point in Jean Valjean’s life.

Back to the question: “Do you believe in Jesus?” If we say “Yes, we do believe in Jesus”, it means we love Him who has first loved us wholly and unconditionally. To believe in Jesus means to take to heart His words and live by them, for His words are truth. To believe in Jesus is to let the power of God's words work in us through our sharing in Christ's mission to build God’s Kingdom – where the poor are blessed, the prisoners are freed, the blind see, and everywhere the goodness of the Lord is manifest.

The last lines of Jean Valjean in the musical is worth remembering:

“And remember
The truth that once was spoken
To love another person
Is to see the face of God.”

And a Little Child shall Guide Them

HOMILY
Solemnity of the Santo Niño (C) – 20 January 2013

Readings: Is 9:1-6; Ps 97: 1, 2-3, 3-4, 5-6; Eph 1:3-6, 15-18; Lk 2:41-52


On the third Sunday of January we get to have a set of readings and prayers different from the rest of the Universal Church. Today the Philippine Church celebrates the Solemnity of Señor Santo Niño. Pit Señor!

The prophet Isaiah prophesies in Is 11,6: "and a little child shall guide them." The feast is symbolic of the founding of the faith in our country. The image being venerated is originally the gift of Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan (sailing under Spain) to Hara Amihan, wife of Rajah Humabon of Cebu, in 1521 on the occasion of the couples' baptism as Christians. Many of their constituents were baptized with them.

After Magellan was killed in Mactan, the Spanish presence was not felt until 1565 when Miguel Lopez de Legazpi came and defeated Rajah Tupas, ruler of Cebu and nephew of Rajah Humabon. When the battle was over, the image of the Santo Niño was found by a Spanish soldier, relatively unscathed in a burnt-out hut.

Today, the center of this national fiesta is still Cebu, though there are major cities and local churches who celebrate this feast around the same time as well.

What is the significance of celebrating the feast of the Infant Jesus?

1. It is a celebration of the God who is with us and became one of us.

The mood is fittingly expressed in how the Sto. Niño is garbed in many different ways: in traditional robes, contemporary toddler clothes, police uniform, soldier’s uniform, basketball jersey (Barangay Ginebra!), etc. The costumes may be too much for some, but they do deliver the message: Jesus is one of us.

This is the mystery of the incarnation expressed in popular imagination. Jesus went through childhood like the rest of us. And surely suffered fools gladly like not many of us.

There is though an unhealthy tendency in the devotion that runs counter to the very idea of celebrating Christ’s incarnation. There are those who put the image of the Santo Niño in stores and homes mainly for the purpose of bringing in luck. When devotion turns into this, we degrade Christ and turn him into an idol, a lucky charm. We rank Him alongside the “laughing Buddha”, the jade frog with the coin in its mouth, and the golden cat with its perpetually waving right arm. This is not true devotion, this is idolatry and sacrilege.

As an aside, the image of the Santo Niño was recovered in a burnt hut, along with other wooden idols. The image was quickly put in a proper place of honor. Later a church was built on the site where it was found. Since then festivals around the country honoring the Santo Niño were celebrated to commemorate the rediscovery of the image and the reestablishment of the true faith.

2. It is a celebration of the God who invites us to grow with Him and in Him.

Lk 2,52 (in the Gospel this Sunday) says: “And Jesus advanced in wisdom and age and favor before God and man.” Of course, the child Jesus grew into adulthood. Last Sunday, we celebrated the Solemnity of His Baptism. He was baptized when he was around 30 years old.

We too are called to mature in faith. The image of the Christ Child, given as a gift to the newly baptized Hara Amihan, renamed Juana, is symbolic as well of the infant faith of our people. How have we grown as a Christian people since then?

Let us take time to identify certain cultural traits that stunt our growth in the faith:

a. Nominal Catholicism. A great number of our people are Catholics in name only. However, not much attention is given to formation in the faith after baptism.

b. Folk Catholicism. Even now, non-Christian beliefs on the supernatural get mixed with the true faith. However, a contemporary – and more insidious – updating of this tendency is the corrupting influence of New Age beliefs and practices.

c. Cafeteria (or should we say in our case, turo-turo) Catholicism. There are also many who prefer to choose which doctrine or moral teaching to believe and live by, which bible quote suit their mood for the day. Those that they find difficult or do not conform to their way of life are discarded in favor of more “convenient ways” of being Catholic, or so they think.

d. Split-level Christianity. The tendency to compartmentalize worship and practice, devotion and morals, in my opinion, is the biggest obstacle to our maturing in faith.

As a child naturally grows to maturity, so God too constantly invites us to grow from our simple faith as a child to a faith that seeks favors to get by the realities of life, then to a faith that puts complete trust in His love, and finally to a faith that is ready to offer oneself and everything one owns in doing God’s will, in imitation of Christ who is one with the Father.

3. It is a celebration of the God who identifies with the little ones.

I remember a story told by a parish priest during Christmas in 2006, right after typhoon Reming devastated Albay. He said he was walking along his parish patio when two brothers, both of grade school age, approached him. He could see they were arguing in hushed tones as to who should talk with him. He thought they would be inquiring whether there are still any relief goods left. The older one finally came up to him and said they would like to make a donation. Then he promptly produced a small plastic bag filled with coins. It was their savings the whole year. He said their parents told them to save so they could buy gifts for Christmas. Lately their parents also told them about the many people who were affected by the typhoon. So they decided to help in their own way.

The Santo Niño embodies the best traits of children: their goodness, trust and humility, their capacity and thirst for learning, their potential for greatness. The Christ Child leads us to rediscover our childlike trust in God, our faith in the goodness of humanity and in our capacity to change for the better.

The Santo Niño also reminds us to be kind to the little ones, and to come to their defense when needed. The little ones are not only the children. They are the last, the least and the lost. Mt 25,40 says: “Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.”