Word and Songs | Sto. Niño Devotion - Its Significance in Following God's Will

We should consider ourselves lucky and blessed that we still have a vibrant spirit of popular piety as evidenced by the tremendous outpouring of devotees during the feasts of the Black Nazarene which we celebrated last Sunday and Santo Niño on this third Sunday in ordinary time. We should thank God for this blessing and strive to keep it strong and growing always.  There is more to today’s feast than simply a popular devotion.  It has many elements:  historical, cultural, religious, and traditional.  For example, this feast is also a celebration in honor of children.  One of the reasons why Sto. Niño is so popular in the Philippines is that Filipinos love children.  A healthy society celebrates children as a gift of God.  But sadly, many societies see children more as an obstacle to happiness and a threat to prosperity.  As a result of this distorted thinking, abortion is widespread in the world.  Friends, devotion to the Santo Niño – a child, a unique child, an extraordinary child, a divine child – helps counter the evil of abortion, reminding us that the life of every child is precious and sacred.