Rev. Patrick Vance S. Nogoy, SJ
Feast of the Sto. Niño
January 17, 2016
Growing up, I was taught to pray to the Sto. Niño before I sleep. I remember whispering simple petitions for good health, new toys, and gratitude for family and friends. It did not cross my mind to wonder how God can be such a little kid robed in red and gold vestment and adorned with crown and scepter, holding the world in his tiny hands. What stuck with me was his child-like smile—friendly, sincere, and innocent. That was enough to put me to peaceful sleep.
As Christmas cheer and glow give way to the light of Ordinary Time, the child Jesus begins growing up. Gone are the magic of the stars, majesty of angels, and magnanimous gifts from the Magi. In the Gospel, God grows up in regular fashion, embracing the routine of Israelite religious festivities and learning from among family and teachers of His chosen people. What I find remarkable is how God is at ease with the ordinary, how comfortable He can be in growing up, and how vulnerable He becomes in his engagement with humanity. The light Isaiah prophesied in the first reading does not overwhelm but is rather friendly. It does not glitter, trying to catch attention. It illumines without discrimination and discreetly carves a home among those who live in darkness. The child Jesus as light is friendly, knows how to live with family, friends, and community through obedience.
His friendliness is not without sincerity. He engages the teachers of the Law in the Temple with respect, despite being a mere child. Discovering and growing in truth demands sincerity. The child Jesus as light is sincere in his search for truth given his respectful dialogue with experts. Illuminating one another in dialogue instead of ripping and grandstanding in debates leads to a collaborative effort in search for truth. Here, the teachers of the law marvel at the child Jesus’ wisdom because His questions and answers have deepened the search for truth of Israelite faith. Often, the energy of youth is enticed by recklessness, distrust of authority and tradition, and unstable trends. This leads to an isolated and meandering journey to the truth. On the other hand, those deemed by society as politically insignificant and most vulnerable are voices often unheard or marginalized. Dialogue does not happen because it is overshadowed by insecurities and display of power. Sincere search for truth leads to collaboration, listening to the voices of the least, lost, and last.
Sincere friendship is predicated in innocence. Often, innocence is mistaken for naiveté. Yet, innocence, to put simply, is the absence of malice. In God’s choice to live among us, we are gifted with the experience of innocent light. This light restores our own innocence through the path of selfless love. The first instance of such innocence ironically is the child Jesus’ hidden years of practicing obedience. The heart of obedience is authentic listening. Listening, as much as possible, should be without malice. We can only grow in listening and even beg for it as grace, especially when we are caught in the situations demanding a significant amount of self-sacrifice. Similarly, light does not call attention to itself; its purpose is to bridge the object and the source. In its shining, it decreases, giving way to the union of source and object. Similarly, the child Jesus’ innocence serves as a bridge, uniting God and people. Without malice, the child Jesus is able to find God through his parents, teachers, and community through obedience. He acts like light, decreasing, in order for God and people to find one another through Him.
I cannot recall how many of my personal petitions were granted by the Sto. Niño. I was not able to cultivate a personal devotion, enough for me to count. There are times when I thought I outgrew such image of God. Yet, I am still drawn to Him, every now and then. His smile reminds me how a powerful God can be disarming as a child. Light beams in His smile, the kind of light that is friendly, sincere, and innocent. It is hard to find such smile nowadays and our yearning can only groan in the darkness of despair, violence, betrayal, and suffering we experience almost daily. It does not hurt to bring this longing on our knees to the Sto. Niño before we sleep. More than the petitions for health, new toys, and gratitude for family and friends, may the child Jesus grant us the same grace of child-like smile—friendly, sincere, and innocent—the kind of smile that makes of us faithful bearers of the light of faith to one another and to the world.
Grab a copy of Rev. Patrick Nogoy’s collection of essays on love, “Touching Love: Thoughts and Stories.” Now available in all St. Paul’s Bookstores and Tanging Yaman stores. 