A Third Christmas
For Filipinos, the Feast of Santo Niño is often considered a "third Christmas." The first is celebrated during Simbang Gabi, the second during the Christmas season itself, and the third with the Feast of Santo Niño, particularly highlighted by the Sinulog Festival. Liturgically, the readings for this feast bring us back to the themes of the Christmas season.
A Historical Gift
In 1521, Ferdinand Magellan arrived in the Philippine Islands. His chronicler, the Italian Antonio Pigafetta, reportedly gave a local queen, Doña Juana, a special gift: an image later called the Santo Niño (Holy Child).
When the Spaniards returned in 1565, they found the same image in a house, adorned with flowers and enthroned on an altar. Remarkably, Christianity had survived, even without the presence of foreign missionaries. The nascent faith was preserved in the form of innocent veneration of this image.
A legend claims that locals even addressed the image as “Bathala”—the ancient Filipino name for God.
The "Wunderkind" in Isaiah
The first and second readings for the Feast of the Santo Niño, proper to the Philippines, are the same for all three liturgical years (A, B, and C). Only the Gospel differs. However, all the readings emphasize the theme of a child.
Isaiah’s depiction of the child is particularly enigmatic and invites deeper reflection.
The prophet Isaiah speaks of “a child is born to us… on whose shoulders dominion rests… and whose name is ‘Wonder-Counselor [PELE YO'ETS] , God-Hero [EL GIBBOR], Father-Forever [ABI'AD], Prince of Peace [SAR-SHALOM]’” (9:6).
The context of Isaiah 9:1-6 is not so clear, although biblical scholars share some reasonable suggestions.
The text is likened to ancient Egyptian rituals celebrating the accession of a new pharaoh. Such enthronement is usually accompanied by the giving of throne names by the assembly of the gods and goddesses. The rite ends with the divine assembly adopting the king as their child. That could explain the four titles above conferred on this wonder-child.
A few suggestions have also been made as to the identity of the mysterious child “who is born to us” and who becomes a ruler.
One candidate is the child of King Hezekiah of Judah. Hezekiah's reign is dated as 715-687 BCE. Both biblical and extra-biblical sources attest to the war strategy employed by Hezekiah against the invading Assyrian army led by Sennacherib (705 BC - 681 BC). In that invasion, through Hezekiah’s negotiation and prayer, Jerusalem was spared from apparent destruction (2 Kings 18-20, Isaiah 36-39).
This prophetic text also speaks of oppression in the familiar images of servitude—yoke, pole, and rod (Is. 9:3)—a “yoke placed on the neck” (Isa. 10:27); the pole is used to strike the shoulders (Isa. 10:24), and the rod is an instrument for beating prisoners into subjection (Isa. 10:24).The identity of the oppressor in this context is not specified, but interpreters point to a brief period of foreign rule by the Assyrian empire, perhaps during the campaign of the Assyrian king Tiglath-Pileser (744-727 BC; see 2 Kgs 15:29) and later continued by Shalmaneser V (726-727 BC).
Oppressive measures in those days included the payment of tributes to the empire and sending the leaders into exile. In any case, the prophet Isaiah portrays in symbolic imagery the coming liberation of his people from oppression: the transition from the land of gloom (9:1)—a figurative language for the underworld (see Job 10:21-22)—to a place of brilliant light. In other words, there will be an end to hostilities, war will be abolished, and it will be replaced by “abundant joy.”There will be peace (SHALOM) characterized by “judgment and justice” (MISHPAT and TSEDAKAH; see 9:6).
All of these magnificent events will happen because of the birth of a wonderful child. The fact that such great hope would rest on a child would be a factor for Christians to identify the child with Jesus (note that this text is read at Christmas Midnight Mass as well)—an allusion that is immortalized in Handel’s Messiah (Part I - “For unto us a child is born”).
The Child as Divine
It is rare in the Bible or the ancient Near East for a deity to be portrayed as a child.
In contrast, when gods are described, images that characterize strength and power are used.
In the Canaanite religion, the supreme god, called El, bears the title of “the Bull”. The goddess. Anath takes the form of an eagle. The god Baal is associated with thunder.
In the Bible, God is at times compared with a lion (see Amos 1:3) or an eagle (Exod 19:4), even with a mother (Isa 66:13), but rarely with a child. The reason is that a child is a symbol of weakness.
That our God would assume the form of a child speaks then of his humility and solidarity with those who are weak.
St. Paul eloquently captures this in his Letter to the Philippians:
"Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God something to be grasped. Rather, he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness; and found human in appearance, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross" (Philippians 2:6–8).
Our celebration of the Feast of the Santo Niño, including the Sinulog Festival, invites us to marvel at the humility of God, who chose to dwell among us as a child—a profound symbol of hope, peace, and divine solidarity with humanity.
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