The Feast of the Holy Child

The devotion to the Santo Nino is based on an image that the Magellan expedition of 1521 gave as gift to Queen Maniwangtiwang (Christian name: Juana) and rediscovered by a sailor of the Legaspi-Urdaneta expedition of 1565. The image was given to the Augustinians for safekeeping and is now housed at the Basilica del Sto. Nino in Cebu. From Cebu, the devotion spread throughout the Philippine islands through the work of the Augustinian friars. Prior to the image’s coming to Philippine shores, devotion to the Holy Child was already being promoted among the faithful in Europe. It is a devotion associated with Christmas, and therefore to the Incarnation. At present, the devotion to the Holy Child has many forms. The Santo Nino devotion is distinctly Filipino.

Relevant Links

Let the Little Children Come To Me
Feast of Sto. Nino: The Kingdom and Spiritual Childhood
See also this article on the reading from Ephesians: He Has Graced Us In The Beloved

Guide for Reading

1. Divide Mark 10:13-16 to smaller parts based on the sentence flow you made from it. Give a memorable title for each part you isolate

• Identify the main verbs for each sectional part and the subjects
• What is more important in the story: is it Jesus embracing and blessing the children or what he says about the children? Is Jesus’ act of welcoming the children illustrative of what he says about them or not?

2. Check what commentators say about the passage:

• What was the status of little children in first century Palestine? Why do you think were the disciples rebuking those who brought the children to Jesus? Who do you think most probably brought the children, the mothers or the fathers?
• What are the qualities of children that make them the ones most fitted to enter the kingdom of God? (Is it because they are cute?)

3. The gospel narrative is a pronouncement story: it highlights the words of Jesus. Read this article about Pronouncement Stories

Comparing the Readings

There is no correspondence between the first reading and the gospel. The choice of readings are dependent on the themes that underlie the Feast of the Holy Child. The gospel reading in fact was chosen because of the theme of spiritual childhood as given by one of the promoters of the devotion to the Holy Child, Therese of Lisieux (also known as Therese of the Child Jesus). The reading from Ephesians is anchored on the idea of spiritual childhood:

In love He destined us for adoption to Himself through Jesus Christ
in accord with the favor of His will,
for the praise of the glory of His grace
that he granted us in the Beloved

The reading from the Old Testament (Isaiah 9:1-6) is a prophetic oracle about a new born king who would bring peace and new hope for a people confused and despairing. It is a passage associated with Christmas and evokes the image of a babe or a small child in royal raiments.

Suggestions for the Lesson

Please read the article “The Santo Nino and the Total Christ” for possible homiletic and catechetical themes.