“Gifted to give.” With this theme the Church is celebrating the 500 hundred years of Christianity in the Philippines. The Santo Niño Sunday, is one of the clearest expressions of the gift of faith of the Filipino people. Well known by everyone that the image of the Santo Niño was a gift to Queen Juana of Cebu on the very day of her baptism. From this event of our history, one can draws inspiration to reflect on the gift of faith. As the Santo Niño devotion is at the heart of many believers. It is the concrete historical icon that marked the beginning of Christianity in the Philippines.

Gift. Jesus in the gospel is telling the disciples if “one does not accept the Kingdom of God like a child will not enter it.” Accepted as a gift. Only a child and those with a heart like them can enjoy fully the gift received as he/she is somehow aware that it came from someone else greater than him and for free. He/she didn’t work for it. The gift is not a reward. This gospel presents to us once more the opportunity to stop dealing with God and His Kingdom in the commercial way – doing things for reward. 

The image of the Santo Niño conveys to us the all-important lesson of becoming child-like in order to enter God’s kingdom. And the way to do this is to emulate the attitude of a little child. Basically, we can mention the attitudes of a childlike: humility, obedience and trust. Such things are not attractive to adults who place so much value on self-sufficiency and want to have control over everything in life. As we can see this feast is a strong invitation to conversion. The way of conversion is the way of Jesus. He welcomes and bless the children. In reality all those who overcome the attitude of resistance to the kingdom. 

The gift of faith we received, we are called to share it with all. Gifted to give and to make it grow. This is the aim of the Missio ad Gentes, the Santo Niño Feast and of every disciple of Jesus who welcome the kingdom as a little child.