Being Child-like as a Virtue

Reflection on the Feast of the Holy Child Jesus by Rev. Fr. Earl Allyson Valdez

Is 9:1-6 | Ps 97 | Eph 1:3-6, 15-18 | Mt 18:1-5,10

Image of the Sto. Nino | Photo from Wikipedia

It seems that the Christmas season truly ends on the Feast of the Sto. Nino, which many churches and communities celebrate anytime between the second and the last Sunday of January (although there are some who still extend it to the presentation of the Lord, on the Feast of Candles or the Candelaria). 

For us, this makes sense, because not only do we celebrate the birth of the Lord, but also we take the time to meditate on his childhood before we journey with Him in his three-year ministry once he reaches the age of thirty. This, in fact, becomes an opportunity for us to reflect on Jesus’s growing years, one which we remember with much imagination save for just one episode that showed us his life as a child, namely when he remained in Jerusalem and was found by his parents in the Temple, talking with its priests and learned men.

This tells us of the necessity to begin from childhood; but more than that, Our Lord reminds us that even there is something that we should learn from our own experience of childhood, in whatever way and circumstance there is. Our gospel reading for today points us to the importance of celebrating and recognizing childhood as part of Our Lord’s life and ours as well, namely that the true access to the Kingdom of God is a child-like attitude. 

But what does that mean to be child-like, a virtue which is opposed to something that carries very negative connotations: childishness? Perhaps we can take a cue both at the life of our Lord, as the Sto. Nino, and how children were portrayed in the gospel today. 

Giovanni di Paolo, “Madonna and Child with Two Angels and a Donor.” | Photo from The Collector

Apart from being found in the Temple, all we know is that “the Lord grew in wisdom and stature” (Lk 2:52), but we can see how it works when we think of what it truly means to be a child, especially in our own experience and understanding of what a good childhood is. Perhaps the parents among us have a vision of it: being nourished well, forming basic patterns that develop virtues, and having a good education. 

However, childhood as you also know is also a messy part of a human being’s journey to maturity. It was there where mistakes were made, lessons were learned, and impressions about the world were formed. I would imagine that Our Lord himself, though not having sinned, has made mistakes regarding certain matters, perhaps out of curiosity and the desire to know. It was at a time when we see, smell, taste, and touch anything that made us curious, a feeling that the Lord certainly had when he was living with his parents. 

Childhood also means building fantasies and dreams which may seem outrageous and fantastical; however, within these fantasy worlds, we see our dreams and visions form of who and what we want to be when we grow up. And most importantly, childhood is knowing that we have people who raise us, whom we depend on, one that Jesus had also experienced with Mary and Joseph.

It is this same sense of childhood that the children in our gospels show when coming to Jesus. Perhaps it was out of curiosity or wonder over these people who were traveling together. Perhaps it was out of a kind of knowledge that they could not explain, a knowledge of who Jesus and His disciples are, which led them to Jesus. But whatever the reason is, we see these children being open to the world and the people around them, even facing the risk of being sent away.

Carl Bloch, “Let the Little Children Come unto Jesus.” | Photo from International Catholic Network

These two images lead us to not only the Sto. Nino, but also the Lord who is with us and in us since our birth, a Lord that gives us a sense of wonder and aids us in learning about the world through the things we experience.

Hence, this is what it means to be a child: to grow in innocence and closeness to the Lord as the one who takes care of us after a long day of playing and exploring. Remembering Our Lord as a child reminds us of not losing this enthusiasm for living and exploring new things. Life may be tiresome and most often repetitive, but the Lord reminds us to keep our eyes open for new and interesting things, for grace-filled encounters, and meaningful experiences. Only children who have a good sense of enthusiasm for life, and we hope that we also have that disposition in life, capable of seeing and experiencing the new, the grace-filled, the meaningful, and the exciting moments. May we not be people who complain of the cycles of our life as if they have no meaning at all, but ones who always look with so much joy and enthusiasm. 

Sto. Nino parade in Tondo | Photo from GMA News Network

To grow as a child also means to know that our lives depended on those who take care of us. We notice that it is the children who frequently and openly search for their parents and their parental figures when they are having difficulty with something, knowing that they could be taught and guided. May we never forget the Lord who always never got tired of being with us, granting us our needs, and giving us chances to learn from our experiences. 

We ask then, the grace to always be children in the way we see the world. We pray for those whose childhood needs to be redeemed, especially when it comes with experiences of distrust and abandonment, and we hope that as we celebrate the Feast of the Sto. Nino, we become like Our Lord, who did not just become a child once in His life, but who also learned lessons from his childhood which showed us the way to the Kingdom. Amen.