The WORD in Other Words by Fr Midas Tambot SVD (Hongkong)
Feast of Sto Nino / Proper to Philippines
One day, I was rushing down to Central District, Hong Kong and was about to cross the road when a scene on the other side stopped me from proceeding. It was of a boy, about 6 years old, defiantly refusing to cross the road, against the plan of his exasperated mother. Why? Because as the little boy pointed towards the traffic lights, “The red light is on!” Though upset, the mother yielded. I, on the other hand, was embarrassed but got wiser from the incident.
How true are the words of the Lord: “…the kingdom of God belongs to the little ones.” They do not only gravitate towards what is good, but can even lead us to Jesus and to what is good, if only we are humble enough to learn from them. I stayed put till the light turned green and whispered a prayer: “Lord, help me not to be an obstacle for the little ones and distort their idea of what is right, instead let me be an instrument in helping them grow closer toYou.”
Today, the Feast of the Sto. Niño is also a celebration of how we were gifted with the Christian Faith and how through this faith, we too became children of our Heavenly Father. Hence today we ask the question: “How am I as God’s child?”
In 2000, I got to watch a movie entitled “Patriot” with Mel Gibson and Heath Ledger playing main characters as father and son. In one of the scenes, the son is arguing with his father to allow him to volunteer in a war that his father is against. In the heat of the argument, the son, as if to remind his father, shouts, “I’m not a child!” to which the father retorts, “You’re my child!”
Can we outgrow our need for God; can we be so wise, powerful and wealthy that God becomes irrelevant in our lives? May the feast of the Sto. Niño remind us to always be humble and live according to God’s guidance. May we entrust ourselves constantly to God’s protection and love. For no matter what, we will always be God’s child.
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