great ordinary happenings

Señor Sto. Niño de Cebu

The Solemnity of the Infant Jesus as King is commemorated with today’s Gospel (only here in the Philippines)* enshrining the little child: “Let the children come to Me, and do not stop them, because the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I assure you that whoever does not receive the Kingdom of God like a child will never enter it.” (Mark 10:14)

As what I have heard from the priest during the homily: The Feast of the Infant Jesus is much celebrated here in the Philippines, and we have two good reasons for this:

1. Its being historical – When Ferdinand Magellan landed in Cebu in 1521, which marked the discovery of the Philippines, he gave the native queen Juana (who was converted to Catholicism together with Rajah Humabon, the chieftain) a statue of the Infant Jesus, robed in red as a little King, complete with crown, scepter on His right hand which has the gesture of blessing, and on His left, the world with the Cross on top of it. It is said that many years after, in 1565, when the expedition of Miguel López de Legazpi came, the Spaniards found the image among the burnt ruins of a big fire, but miraculously left unburned, though it came out black. Devotion to the Señor Sto. Niño de Cebu (the Philippine version of the Holy Infant Jesus of Prague in Czech Republic) since then flourished up to this day, made more popular due to numerous miracles happening in the lives of the devotees after praying to the Infant Jesus for whatever are their needs.

2. Its being dogmatic – This is one feast that is uniquely Filipino, as this has been declared by a Papal decree only for the Philippines. The Pope must have seen the fervor of the devotion of the Filipinos to the Infant King, plus he must have considered its being historical, or it could just be as God has designed it to be, making the Philippines the first Christian nation in the Far East.

The two challenges therefore of the Gospel to the faithful are, as the priest celebrating the Eucharistic celebration exhorted this morning, that we have to continue the spirit of being evangelizers, and that we have to love the least of our brethren: the marginalized, those who lack, those who are weak, as represented by a child.

Let all our countrymen therefore rejoice during this special feast celebrating the Infant Jesus as King. As the Cebuanos and all devotees shout, “Viva, Pit Senyor!”

*Today’s Holy Mass Readings (Philippines)
1st Reading: Isaiah 9:1-6
Responsorial Psalm: Ps 98:1,2-3ab, 3cd-4, 5-6
2nd Reading: Ephesians 1:3-6, 15-18
Gospel: Mark10:13-16

Compare to: Today’s Holy Mass Readings taken from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) website (which is universal):
1st Reading: 1 Sm 3:3b-10, 19
Responsorial Psalm: Ps 40:2, 4, 7-8, 8-9, 10
2nd Reading: 1 Cor 6:13c-15a, 17-20
Gospel: Jn 1:35-42

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