Sunday, January 15, 2017 Feast of Sto. Niño 1st Reading:
Isaiah 9:1-6 2nd Reading: Ephesians 1:3-6, 15-18 Gospel:
Matthew 18:1-5, 10
At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”
He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.
D@iGITAL-EXPERIENCE
(Daily Gospel in the
Assimilated Life
Experience)
To God life must be so sacred because he restored humanity back to life through the gift of an infant in a manger. In the Philippines, people celebrate this infant’s birth the longest in the world, beginning December 16 with the Misa de Gallo, and ending in the second Sunday of Ordinary Time with the celebration of the Feast of the Holy Child (Santo Nino). As far as ritual is concerned, there is nothing lacking in our devotion as sign of gratitude to the gift of this Holy Infant. Hardly had the 2016 Christmas ended when we have begun the novena to the Sr. Santo Nino. It is an unmistakable sign of commitment to follow the holy child at every stage of his human development. But would that we follow him not only as an infant in the manger and a child beautifully clad as prince but also as the Suffering Servant of Yahweh in Mount Calvary!
It’s amusing to follow an infant, and much more alluring if that infant is also a prince. What if he’d be stripped of his royal vestments and sentenced to die like a criminal? A child is pleasant to follow because he imposes no requisites. A child orders this and that. But such are always subject to our discretion. What happens when that infant grows up and becomes the suffering servant with non-negotiable demands? Jesus said, “If you want to follow me, you must deny yourself, take up your cross and follow in my footsteps.”
As we honor the Holy Child today, let’s do the “VIVA PIT SENYOR” chant with clinched fists thrown into the air, not because we are angry but because we are determined to give Jesus all our strength till we get to Calvary with him. Let us stop the current practice of throwing our hands into the air with open palms out of respect for Europeans who take offense at this gesture because it reminds them of the atrocities Hitler had done to humanity. Let’s revert back to old practice of shouting Viva Pit Senyor with clinched fist as we show our determination to follow Jesus until death. Viva Pit Senyor! – (Atty.) Rev. Fr. Dan Domingo P. delos Angeles, Jr., D.M.
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