Reflection for Sunday January 16, Feast of the Sto. Nino (In the Philippines): Luke 2:41-52

Gospel: Luke 2:41-52

Each year his parents went to Jerusalem for the feast of Passover, and when he was twelve years old, they went up according to festival custom. After they had completed its days, as they were returning, the boy Jesus remained behind in Jerusalem, but his parents did not know it. Thinking that he was in the caravan, they journeyed for a day and looked for him among their relatives and acquaintances, but not finding him, they returned to Jerusalem to look for him.

After three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions, and all who heard him were astounded at his understanding and his answers. When his parents saw him, they were astonished, and his mother said to him, “Son, why have you done this to us?

Your father and I have been looking for you with great anxiety.” And he said to them, “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” But they did not understand what he said to them. He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them; and his mother kept all these things in her heart. And Jesus advanced [in] wisdom and age and favor before God and man.

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Reflection:

Do you always bring your children to church for Holy Mass before the onset of Covid-19? 

As we celebrate today the feast of Sto. Nino we will obviously not be seeing processions, motorcades and parades in honor of the child Jesus. This acceptable considering the threat brought to us by covid-19. What is important is in the midst of covid-19 we still don’t forget to introduce our children to our faith.

Joseph and Mary absolutely knew the importance of introducing their child to their Jewish faith. That is why they brought the twelve years old Jesus to worship God during the yearly celebration of the feast of Passover. Joseph and Mary completely knew also that their worship for God will help form the young mind of Jesus. By doing so Jesus would learn to love and honor God more than anything else in this world.

The primary duty of parents is to teach their child/children to love and honor God and this they can do by teaching their children about our faith. Because the moment they do so everything that is good and Godly is inculcated in their young minds. And this will become their guiding light as they grow up.

During this pandemic induced times that we are in let us continue to teach our children about our faith and to love and honor God. Because this will serve them very well as they move forward with their young life. – Marino J. Dasmarinas