Devotees urged to live Santo Niño faith daily

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By Rjay Zuriaga Castor

“The Child is with us, not only once a year, but every day.”

Devotees of the Señor Santo Niño were urged to move beyond celebrating the Holy Child only during the annual fiesta and to integrate this devotion into their daily lives by aligning their minds, hearts and souls with the child Jesus each day.

Most Rev. Jose Romeo O. Lazo said that while the celebration unites millions of the faithful, true devotion should shape everyday life.

Lazo served as the main celebrant and homilist of the Feast of Señor Santo Niño de Cebu at San Jose Parish Placer on Sunday morning, Jan. 25.

He said the theme “Santo Niño, we are one” should not be confined to festive celebrations but should resonate daily in the lives of devotees.

“If you look at the records, so to say, of people with the devotion of Santo Niño, it will be millions,” he said. “We become one because of that devotion. Beautiful that Santo Niño can gather us as one.”

Lazo also challenged the faithful to reflect on the role of the Santo Niño in their everyday lives.

“Has the Santo Niño affected our lives day by day?” he asked. “In other words, then, can we say that on a daily basis our mind is like that of the Santo Niño? Is our heart like that of the Santo Niño? Is our soul like that of the Santo Niño?”

He stressed the importance of reflection, noting that while the joy of the fiesta is uplifting, it happens only once a year.

“It’s good to look into this because we might be enwrapped with the fiesta because it’s a joyful one,” he said. “Almost everybody is there but that is only one celebration every year.”

“It’s good to reflect on that because the feast of the Santo Niño is not only one day,” he added. “It’s an everyday feast, because the Child is with us, not only once a year, but every day.”

Lazo said devotion to the Santo Niño also symbolizes growth, noting that just as the Child Jesus grew into Jesus Nazareno, individuals are called to grow in age, wisdom and their relationship with God.

He added that parents have a responsibility to set a good example by living honest, truthful and God-centered lives so their children can emulate them.

As children of God, Lazo said the faithful are called to deepen their connection with their Heavenly Father, mirroring a child’s relationship with parents, which he described as essential for spiritual growth and well-being.

The Santo Niño, he added, serves as a model for divine life by teaching believers to be childlike, trusting, dependent and obedient to God’s will.