Let the Child in You Rule!

The Feast Of Santo Nino
20 January 2008

First reading: Isaiah 9:1-6
The people who walk in darkness have seen a great light. A light has dawned on those who live in the land of the shadow of death.

You have enlarged the nation; you have increased their joy. They rejoice before you, as people rejoice at harvest time as they rejoice in dividing the spoil.
For the yoke of their burden, the bar across their shoulder, the rod of their oppressors, you have broken it as on the day of Midian.

Every warrior’s boot that tramped in war, every cloak rolled in blood, will be thrown out for burning will serve as fuel for the fire.

For a child is born to us, a son is given us; the royal ornament is laid upon his shoulder, and his name is proclaimed: “Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

To the increase of his powerful rule in peace, there will be no end. Vast will be his dominion, he will reign on David’s throne and over all his kingdom, to establish and uphold it with justice and righteousness from this time onward and forever.
The zealous love of Yahweh Sabaoth will do this.

Second Reading : Ephesians 1:3-6; 15-18
Blessed be God, the Father of Christ Jesus our Lord, who is in Christ has blessed us from heaven with every spiritual blessing.God chose us in Christ before the creation of the world to be holy and without sin in his presence.

From eternity he destined us in love to be his adopted sons and daughters through Christ Jesus, thus fulfilling his free and generous will. This goal suited him; that his loving kindness which he granted us in his Beloved might finally receive all glory and praise. I have been told of your faith and your affection towards all the believers so I always give thanks to God, remembering you in my prayers. May the God of Christ Jesus our Lord, the Father of Glory, reveal himself to you and give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation that you may know him. May he enlighten your inner vision, that you may appreciate the things we hope for, since we were called by God.
May you know how great is the inheritance, the glory, God sets apart for his saints.

Gospel: Matthew 18: 1-5, 10
At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked him, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”

Then Jesus called a little child, set the child in the midst of the disciples, and said, “I assure you that unless you change and become like little children, you cannot enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever becomes lowly like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven, and whoever receives such a child in my name receives me.

See that you do not despise any of these little ones, for I tell you: their angels in heaven continually see the face of my heavenly Father.”


Reflection

By Anabelle Payod-Balla

I used to wonder why Jesus favored the children in this Gospel. And as I grow in God’s grace, I came to know the answers which I think all of you must know or must be thinking right now. Children are known to have a pure heart, trusting, very open to their feelings, grateful, loving, and more. And my next question is why? Why are children like this? I believe it is because they came and were made from a Great Being, from God, just like the rest of us. They are still pure and still so close to God. They evoke happiness, hope, peace, and love. Their souls are still within the circle of God’s embrace and they still carry with them God’s peace, joy, love, compassion, kindness, and so on! These are the qualities ingrained in all of us when we were in our mother’s wombs- the qualities of goodness, God’s gift to us all! These qualities maybe enriched or buried but is never lost over time, it depends on how close we still are to God’s embrace. Some of us may have moved farther away for good, some may have remained close and some may have wandered far away but are now trying to move closer, back to the Source of these great qualities.

I hope that today’s Gospel will awaken the child in all of us and will bring forth the good qualities given to us by our Father. And as we enrich these qualities as our strong hold to bring us back to Him, let us rejoice in the thought of seeing Him face to face in heaven.

May all of us feel and recognize God’s presence in every child we meet everyday no matter what their appearances or status in life may be- even those children on the streets whom we think is being used by gangsters in order to raise money through begging. Let us constantly show kindness to all of them, to ourselves. This will help grow the good qualities in them and in us.

Father, thank You for giving us Jesus, the true joy of the world. As we celebrate the Feast of the Sto. Nino today, may we look up to Jesus and strive to be like Him who remained close to You by retaining the qualities of the child: forever trusting in Your power, loving, kind, compassionate, and obedient to Your will. Amen.


We still have the child in us, set it free and openly rejoice in God’s love!