ILOILO City’s Dinagyang Festival seems to be the last of the festivals that are said to be held in honor of the Santo Nino in the month of January. I am not sure which among such activities are really held in honor of the Child Jesus. Most of them seem to be celebrated for tourism purposes.

I will not be a killjoy who will assassinate the festivals that are said to be held in honor of the Holy Child. The Department of Tourism may get back the award they gave me. This column is about the biblical passage found in Matthew 18:1-5, 10. 

The passage reads: The disciples approached Jesus and said, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” He called a child over, and placed it in their midst, and said, “Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever receives one child such as this in my name receives me. See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that their angels in heaven always look upon the face of my heavenly Father.”        

The Biblical Diary explained that children are powerless, dependent, and receptive. They accept with open arms things given them. They candidly show their joy and delight if they have done nothing to deserve these gifts. Their attitude illustrates that the kingdom is God’s pure gift, not merited or claimed as one’s due. Because the kingdom is given for free, one can only receive it in an attitude of childlike trust in God.

Adults believe that they must work to build their future. Hence, their world is often marked by cunning and deceit, routine and jaded outlook, compromise and cold calculation.

Children, on the other hand, live and enjoy the present. They are spontaneous and fresh, totally open to the future and disposed to new beginnings. They have complete trust in the persons who care for them. Truly, they mirror the newness of God’s kingdom revealed in the Child Jesus.

The feast of the Santo Nino really falls on the 3rd Sunday of January. It is supposed to challenge us to cherish the same childlike qualities, count ourselves as belonging to God’s kingdom, and commit ourselves to do our best for all children.         

It seems that the Sto. Nino spirituality is very rare among adults nowadays. It is sometimes lost very early among children.

A child usually grows up according to a pattern set by the family or the environment. The child will turn into a person who will mold the offspring in the same manner. The cycle tends to continue unless that particular person is able to break free from the pattern.  

Since childlike qualities seem to be lost even in young children, who do we look up to as an example? Sorry, but I’ve given up on some leaders a long, long time ago. Maybe, my background as a case study researcher has something to do with the attitude. Such attitude is contrary to what I was taught inside the monastery.

The monastery taught us to turn other cheek when slapped, to throw back bread when hurled with stones. However, it’s very difficult to pray the anger away. 

Since I was diagnosed to have cancer (with complications in the circulatory system), I’ve been trying to be a good person. There is always a struggle to maintain childlike qualities that may help me enter the kingdom of heaven when the physical body finally stops.

It is very difficult to live with the Sto. Niño spirituality. I have to control myself from laughing when I hear shouts like Viva Sr. Sto. Niño.

Please try to avoid using the name of the Lord in vain.

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