MANILA— The devotion to the “Holy Child” (Sto. Niño) does not end in owning an image of the child Jesus and having it blessed yearly on its feast day.
Emulating the virtues of the Sto. Niño and applying them on the everyday lives of the people is the real essence of the devotion to the miraculous image, according to Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle.
In his homily at the Sto. Nino de Tondo Parochial Church on Sunday, Tagle urged churchgoers to lead humble lives and reflect on the virtues of the Sto. Niño in their everyday living.
“Unless we change our ways and return to being ‘like children,’ we will never experience the kingdom of God,” the archbishop said. According to Tagle, “being like children” means living humble and modest lives.
“We are all called to turn our devotion into positive changes that can only be attained if we live with humility and modesty,” he added.
The Manila archbishop noted that the original Sto. Nino image in Cebu has always been believed to be the oldest religious image in the country.
OBEDIENCE
If the Filipinos would learn to emulate the virtues of the child Jesus and show obedience to the Holy Father, Tagle said that a ray of hope would shine through in the country.
This hope and solidarity were very visible after the destruction brought by the recent calamities, Tagle said.