God is carrying us (Santo Niño)

Today we gather in joy, color, and song. We carry the image of the Santo Niño, we dance, we shout “Pit Señor!”, and we fill our streets and churches with faith. But before anything else, let us pause and ask: Why are we really here?

We are here because we are grateful. As we carry the image of the Santo Niño, we are reminded of a deeper truth: long before we carried Him, God has been carrying us. Through poverty and sickness, through disasters and disappointments, through family struggles and personal failures—we are still here because we are beloved children of God.

Our gathering today is not only a celebration; it is a thanksgiving of survivors, of people who have been held by God even when life was heavy. Like children in the arms of a loving parent, we come before the Santo Niño with grateful hearts.

Three invitations for us in this celebration:

Invitation to Humility: Surrender and Trust in the God Who Cares

In the Gospel, Jesus places a child in the center and says: “Unless you change and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven” (Mt 18:3).

A child is humble—not because he is weak, but because he trusts completely. A child knows he depends on another.

Many of our struggles as Filipinos come from carrying burdens alone:
• worrying endlessly about tomorrow, about health, about work...

The Santo Niño teaches us humility, not as shame, but as surrender—the courage to place our lives again in God’s hands.

To be childlike is to say:
“Lord, You know my struggles. I trust You. I surrender.” This fiesta invites us to return to that trust, to kneel again, and to believe that the God who carried us before will carry us still.

Invitation to Responsibility: Caring for Children in Today’s Difficult World

Jesus continues: “Whoever receives one child such as this in my name receives me” (Mt 18:5).

To honor the Santo Niño is not only to honor an image, but to protect real children—especially today, when they face so many dangers:
• hunger and lack of education,
• broken families and absent parents,
• confusion from social media, violence, and false values.

In our devotion, Jesus reminds us: How we treat children reveals how we receive Him.

This is a call to parents, families, communities, and the Church: a call to listen more, to guide patiently, to create safe homes and spaces of faith.

A society that truly loves the Santo Niño must also defend the dignity, innocence, and future of its children.

Invitation to Maturity of Faith: Beyond Sinulog, Toward Daily Witness

Finally, Jesus’ call to become childlike is not a call to remain immature. Our devotion must grow.

The Santo Niño invites us to a faith that matures— from celebration to conversion,.from dance to daily discipleship.

Sinulog is beautiful. Our dances are prayers. But the Santo Niño also asks:

• How do you live after the music stops?
• How do you witness in your workplace, family, and community?
• Do you choose honesty over corruption, forgiveness over anger, love over sin?

A mature faith is seen not only in fiestas, but in faithfulness— when we choose what is right, even when it is hard.

Conclusion: Today, as we carry the image of the Santo Niño, let us remember that we gather in gratitude because God has first carried us. Beyond our sinulog dances we are called to humble trust in His loving care, we are entrusted with the responsibility of caring for the young, and we are invited to a faith that grows and witnesses daily.

May our cry “Pit Señor!” not end today, but echo in the way we live, love, and hope.

Viva Santo Niño! Pit Señor!