Talking to young people about the devotion to the Sto. Nino, I get the strong impression that their attitude toward him is mostly at the level of the externals and the social. There's some tinge of religion in it, but all that is somehow drowned by a big layer of the fun and the 'coolness' that accompanies such devotion.
In other words, the devotion is not actually there, or at least, it is not strongly embedded in their mind and heart. And that's why there is quite a bit of inconsistency between their apparent fervor in attending the activities surrounding the devotion and the effects of this devotion in their actual daily life. As they themselves say it, they find it hard to "relate."
I also get the impression that the image of the Child Jesus strikes the young people mostly as simply an object of ornamentation, something like a doll. And if there is something religious about it, it's more of the superstition type or a kind of amulet rather than a religious icon that would elicit a deep spiritual reaction.
This is one of the challenges that this popular devotion to the Sto. Nino faces. If properly handled and sustained, this devotion can actually give tremendous benefits to the spirit life of the people.
The devotion teaches humility, simplicity, transparency, virtues that are so basic in our life. It teaches how one can be consistently Christian and holy while going through his daily routine of ordinary work and concerns. It teaches that we can also be a divine king like Christ in our daily affairs, etc.
I suppose this is where the clergy should be in the forefront to directly care and form those who are open to receiving spiritual, moral and doctrinal formation. In this regard, let's pray that bishops and priests realize this duty more deeply and act on it. This should be given more priority over some administrative or bureaucratic tasks that often take their-our -time.
The objective to aim at is to reduce that gap between people's profession of faith and show of piety on the one hand, and their consistency in the daily life that should be marked by the effects of genuine holiness, not the showy one.
Questions like how should we address the issue of religious ignorance and confusion so rampant in our society today, should be taken up. This is not to mention the challenge of how to resolve the pervading religious indifference, apathy if not hostility that we can also notice around.
This is where we can try to devise a pastoral program that would make use of people as both sheep and shepherd. Everyone needs to receive formation, but everyone also has to contribute to give formation, with due respect to their state and conditions in life.
This is where those who already have a working a vibrant and solid piety should reach out to those who have little or no piety at all yet. They should feel addressed by the words Christ told his apostles: "Peace be with you, as the Father has sent me, so do I send you." (Jn 20,21) They need to sharpen their apostolic concern.
We should go beyond giving classes and modules. While these are always important and necessary, we need to find ways of dealing with persons individually and personally. In other words, to enter into their minds and hearts, using all the human and the spiritual and supernatural means available.
We cannot deny that even those who appear to have a stable life of piety can still betray shallowness in their appreciation of the doctrine of the faith and morals, and are still beset with spiritual and moral inconsistencies. In other words, a continuing plan of formation should be in place.
With the celebration of the feast of Sto. Niño with its open display of the rich deposit of faith and piety among the people, we should see to it that we avoid falling into complacency, or self-satisfaction. We have to step up to the next level.
In Church history, we can remember that centuries ago, most of Europe was suffused with popular piety and religion. It was the source of many missionaries that spread the seeds of the gospel to many parts of the world.