SANTO NIÑO
THE GREAT GOD OF
LITTLE THINGS
Feast of Santo Nino
Early January each year, Manila
celebrates what seems to be a feast incompatible with the prevailing Christmas
spirit. This is the annual
procession of Senor Jesus Nazareno, the ancient statue of the Black Suffering
Christ in agony, humbly carrying the cross. The procession is marked by frenzy,
anarchy, ecstasy and popular religiosity.
It has its supporters and its critics.
Then we switch to another
celebration, this time, national in scope. This Sunday we celebrate the feast
of the Holy Child Jesus, lovingly addressed as Senor Santo Nino. Not for adult
males only, the entire community prays, sings and dances to honor the childhood
of the Son of God. Not centered on suffering, the image portrays the innocence
and meekness of a child. No jostling, lawless crowd, here we have only genuine
merriment sensitive to the presence of all.
Both the Black Nazarene and the
Holy Child images are addressed as Senor.
Senor is a Spanish word for Lord, Honorable Sir, Master. Jesus is Lord as he carries the cross
for our sins on the way to Calvary.
But Jesus is Lord also even as a young boy living in Nazareth with his
mother Mary and foster-father Joseph, unknown to all, save to these two, as the
very promise awaited by Israel. The gospel of Luke, Chapter 2, shows us Mary
and Joseph continuously marveling at the ways of their child.
God comes to us in the great
events of our salvation history, in very dramatic ways and monumental
gestures. But God also comes to us
in the simplicity and normality of love, patience, obedience and labor of daily
life. In fact, God entered our
history and lingered longer in the normal routine of ordinary life compared to
the mere three years of concentration on the public ministry, passion, death
and resurrection. God comes to us
big, yes! But more often than
that, he visits us small! We meet
the same God and Lord of history and of every human heart.
Do you have the sensitivity to
perceive the presence of Jesus in the little things around you? In the little persons you meet? In the
humbling experiences you encounter?
In the silent moments of life?
In the boring details of everyday?
The Santo Nino feast challenges us to have a more open attitude to seek
God in these simple things, and to give thanks to God for his presence and
grace.
Your husband may not be bringing
home millions, but isn’t his fidelity to the family amazing? Your children may not be at the top of
the class, but don’t they exhibit devotion to their studies? You may not have everything you desire,
but aren’t your health and peace of mind the envy of others? If we develop the
habit of noticing the things we can be grateful for each day, surely, we will
be surprised that God is truly present in more ways than we expect.
The feast of Santo Nino is not
just about an image or a revelry.
It is a reminder that our great God is with us in the many little things
that happen to us. And we are most
connected to the Lord when we pause awhile and give thanks for these tiny
details we often ignore, and yet, are powerful signs that God truly cares.
