Sto. Niño is a gift of God’s love —bishop

In celebration of the Feast of Sto. Niño, Bishop Shane Mackinlay on Sunday reminded the Catholic faithful that the statue of the Holy Child of Jesus given by the Spaniards to the Philippines centuries ago was a gift of God’s love.

In his homily at the Basilica Minore del Santo Niño de Cebu, Mackinlay, Bishop of the Diocese of Sandhurst, Australia, stressed that it is not the wooden statue of Sto. Niño which should be celebrated, but everything that it represents and reminds people of.

He said the gift of Sto. Niño is a sign of the Christian faith that was proclaimed in the Philippines for the first time more than 500 years ago. 

“The statue of Sto. Niño and the cross that were given at the same time were gifts from the Spanish explorers, but it’s not first of all their gifts that we celebrate. It’s the gift that they wanted to share with the people of the Philippines—-the gift that they had received from God, the gift of God’s love,” he said. 

“That’s the first gift that we celebrate. That’s the most important gift. It’s the gift that we see shared first of all in the very generous, overwhelming, outpouring of God’s love in creation that in so many ways was brought to its fulfillment in Jesus taking on a human form in God dwelling amongst us.” 

Mackinlay said the gift of Sto. Niño was also a reminder of the Filipinos’ willingness to embrace the gospel that was proclaimed and to follow after Jesus as his disciples. 

With this, he added that the way that the Catholic faith has developed and flourished all over the country and the way that it has enriched not only the Filipinos, but the cultures, lands, and the peoples all over the world should be celebrated as well. 

“Wherever in the world, people have encountered that gift of the love of God. That generous, overwhelming love of God that was embodied here in the Philippines in that gift of Sto. Niño. It’s being experienced as a magnet, a magnet of love that draws people to encounter and be in relationship with the God who is love,” the bishop from Australian said.

“A magnet that calls us in our turn to be shaped, to allow God to shape us as people who embody the love that we have received and the love that we show for God and for those around us,” the clergyman continued. 

During the Feast of Sto. Niño, Mackinlay said Filipinos should thus renew their commitment to the mission that has made the Church in the Philippines a magnet and an inspiration for so many people throughout the world. 

President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. on Sunday called on devotees of Sto. Niño to translate their faith into action to spread the message of hope, love, and joy to other people. 

Cebu City has prepared numerous activities to commemorate the feast of Santo Niño, observed on the third Sunday of January every year.

Ten masses are scheduled on Sunday at the Basilica Minore del Santo Niño de Cebu, some in Cebuano and others in English. The Mañanita mass started at 4 a.m., while the last mass is to be held at 7 p.m.—RF, GMA Integrated News