Cycle B Ordinary Time 2nd Week Sunday

Feast of the Santo Niño

News of a simple act of kindness on a New York subway has gone viral on social media.
A young man, with his head covered by the hood of his sweatshirt, fell asleep on the shoulder
of an elderly man who was seated beside him. When someone else offered to wake the young
rider, the older man quietly said, “He must have had a long day. Let him sleep. We’ve all
been there.” Then he let his tired young fellow train rider sleep on his shoulder for a little less
than an hour, until the older man had to gently ease out and get up for his stop. In the
meantime, another passenger snapped a photograph and posted it on social media, and it went
viral.
The photograph went viral perhaps because the elderly man’s kindness seems to resonate
with what we all long for—the kindness that reflects the heart of God. And in today’s
gospel, we see this kindness and gentleness in Jesus when His friends tried to protect Him
from the noise and bother of little children. Annoyed by this, Jesus insisted that they allow
the little ones to go to him so that he could take them in His arms and blessthem (Mark
10:16). And in the process, He invites all of us to trust Him like a little child (vv.13-16):
Let the children come to me. Do not prevent them, for the Kingdom of God belongs to
such as these. Amen, I say to you, whoever does not accept the kingdom of God like a
child will not enter it.
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“Whoever does not accept the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it.” Jesus
reminds us that no one will enter the Kingdom of God if we do not approach the Father like a
child. And indeed we are children of God. As Paul reminds us in his letter to the Ephesians:
“In love, he destined us for adoption to himself through Jesus Christ, in accord with the
favor of his will, for the praise of the glory of his grace the he granted us in his beloved.”
And in today’s gospel Jesus reminds us to be ever childlike in our faith relationship with
Him while continually putting aside our childish self-centered ways. 
But what does it mean to have the faith of a child? Here are some qualities of
childlike faith to which every Christian should aspire and seek to nurture, no matter
what their age.
1. TRUSTING – Children know how to trust their parents without and fear of
hesitation. When their fathers pick them up and tossed in the air, they do not shout out of
fear and instead giggle and laugh because they know they will plunge back in their fathers’
arms. They are fearless and not mindful of any danger when they explore their
surroundings because somehow they know that they are under the watchful care of their
parents.
Do we trust that the Father always has our back? Are we confident that the Father
will not let go of us, especially in the darkest moments of our lives?
2. TRANSPARENT – Children are not good at hiding their flaws, their wrong doing or their
emotions.  What you see is what you get and there is little or no deceit in them. They do
not bother manage their image as many of us adults do. They are quick to reveal what they
think and what they feel, to confess what they have done and to receive what they need in
terms of forgiveness and comfort. 
Can we be transparent to the Lord, coming before him as who we truly are, without
having to hide anything?
3. CAREFREE –  Children are free to live in the present unlike adults who get stuck in the
past or rush into the future, thereby missing the present moment.  They have no worries
about a bank account, the price of gas, the next appointment with the doctor, office politics
or what people think of them.  They can focus and enjoy the moment because they are not
uselessly anxious of the complications and distractions of this life. 
Are we free to live in the present, free to live in His service, free to focus on the things
that really matter?
4. INSISTENT – As everyone knows children can be persistent.  They never tire of asking
questions and making requests.  They think that if they are insistent long enough they will
eventually get what they want.  “Puede ba Ma? Sige na, ngayon lang, promise!” And they
are right, they will get what they want.
Are we persistent enough in begging the Lord to grant the deepest desires of our
heart knowing that it is only by his grace and mercy that our deepest desires shall be
fulfilled?
5. JOYFUL – A child’s joy lies not in the event or circumstances they are in but in being
with the people that they love. Living in God’s loving presence is the source of a true and
lasting joy that will always be independent of our circumstances.
Like a child smiling with glee at the sight of their parent, we can smile with glee at
the knowledge of God being with us, for He has promised to never leave us nor
forsake us.
6. WONDER - Children are amazed by everything and adults have the tendency to have lost
all sense of wonder. Adults may know a lot but there’s always more to learn and new ways
to see things. Picture when a child “discovers” their feet as if they just suddenly appeared
—they look at them in such amazement. Then consider how your body is functioning
without your effort at all.
Do I find myself in awe and wonder at how God continues to be present in my life?
7. IMAGINATION – (e.g. riding a bike) Children see possibilities where many may see
problems.  Their imagination knows no limitation.  Little do they care or are they aware of
what an audience might think. They have faith in their abilities without knowing that
adults are there to hold them up.
Do I tend to despair when faced with many problems and challenges. Or am I able to
imagine possibilities which I believe can happen by the grace of God?
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Pope Leo the Great exhorts us:
Christian, remember your dignity, and now that you share in God’s own nature, do not
return by sin to your former base condition. Bear in mind who is your head and of
whose body you are a member. Do not forget that you have been rescued from the
power of darkness and brought into the light of God’s kingdom.
Today, the Feast of the Santo Niño, Jesus lets us know that all of us are safe in His presence.
Whether awake or asleep, we can lean on Him. When we’re exhausted, He provides a safe
place for us to rest. Today, Jesus invites us to remember that through him, we have been
made adopted children of God. He invites us to approach him and the Father with childlike
confidence if we are to enjoy eternal union with them.
“For a child is born to us, a son is given us; upon his shoulder dominion rests.” Today we
celebrate the Child Jesus that has been given us, through whom we have been made adopted
children of God. We ask for the grace of a childlike faith in our Heavenly Father, to love and
obey the Father the way Jesus has showed us.
“A simple, childlike faith in a Divine Friend solves all the problems that come to us by land
or sea.” – Helen Keller