Happy Feast Day of Santo Nino! This year is a blessing because as we celebrate Santo Nino, it is also the Jubilee Year. Jubilee year happens only every 25 years. We only celebrate Santo Nino once a year. I am not always lucky to have the opportunity to preach to you on this important feast. So, I prepared a very long homily for today. I usually preach for 18 minutes, but today, it will only be 20 minutes! But don’t worry. I prayed to the Lord that He would not put you to sleep during my homily.

This year, we celebrate the Jubilee Year 2025. This Church Tradition was initiated by Pope Martin in 1425, and the first Jubilee door at St. Peter’s Basilica was opened and is celebrated every 25 years. The Jubilee year 2025 began in Rome on the Vigil of the Lord’s Nativity, December 24th. Pope Francis blessed and walked through the Holy Door of the Basilica of St. Peter. Passing through the door means renewal and a new beginning. You leave the old and embark on something new in God’s loving grace.

Through kindness and compassion, the Church is mindful that not all the faithful can visit the Vatican. Thus, it opens the door to different dioceses around the world. This signifies that God’s mercy is boundless and available to all. Different dioceses worldwide began opening the designated doors on Holy Family Sunday. In the Diocese of Palm Beach, the Holy Door was designated at the Cathedral of St. Ignatius of Loyola.

The theme for this year’s Jubilee is Pilgrims of Hope. The theme invites the faithful to share the hope of their Christian faith with others around the world. A pilgrim is a person who travels to a holy place to find spiritual meaning. A pilgrim is different from a traveler. A traveler simply wants to have a good time or relaxation over the trip. For instance, a pilgrim passes the holy door with an inner meaning of peace. In contrast, a traveler or a tourist passes the door only out of curiosity. They lack a sense of reverence, grace, or meaning. This is the same in life. A pilgrim journeys with a sense of mission and purpose. A pilgrim journeys with hope.

Today, we celebrate the feast of Santo Nino and are reminded to move ahead in faith. The reverencing of Santo Niño is the oldest of our devotions in the Philippines. Filipinos have passed on an identity of love for Santo Niño from generation to generation. You will see the image of Santo Niño in almost every Filipino home. The image is often dressed in red for domestic use and in green for businesses. Santo Niño reminds us that through Jesus, we will never be abandoned in our suffering. We have hope.

It’s no wonder that in the Philippines, even with hardship and challenges, people are joyful. Our faith has always informed us to be hopeful in God. Happiness is a Filipino trademark.  Filipinos are named among the happiest people on earth.  Think about this. When there is flooding, we convert the flooded streets into swimming pools. You can see people smiling, laughing, and singing karaoke while waiting for the storms to come. We have a great sense of humor which we use in navigating through hard times. We face life with a positive perspective. We know things will get better. We are pilgrims of hope, and we inspire others to hope as well.

Catholic Churches were established in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates. This occurred mainly because of the number of Filipino faithful working there. In Ireland, Churches are empty to historic proportions. Filipino immigrants fill in the gap. They have become active in their parish churches. Here in America, we are growing. Our devotional practices, like Simbang Gabi and Santo Nino, are now known all over the country. Aside from saying Kumusta, Anglo priests would greet me with the words “Simbang Gabi” or “Santo Nino.”  

When I was a kid in Southern Philippines, we had priests from Ireland, Canada, and the United States. They went to minister to the Philippines. I remember Fr. Duffy, Fr. Murphy, Fr. Smith, and many more. But time has changed. We are ministers to the world.  We evangelize the world. We have Fr. Zamora, Fr. Dennis, Fr. Marvin, Fr. Geopel, Deacon Jojo, and all of us lay Filipino Catholics. We exemplify God’s words through our actions and good works. We bring hope to the church. We bring hope to hospitals, nursing homes, hotels, cruise ships, and wherever we are found.

One day, on my first week as Pastor of St. Vincent Ferrer, a parishioner came to me and told me, Fr. I would like to you to know that a person from your country brought me back to the church. I was admitted to the hospital because of a flu. I was down and isolated. A nurse from the Philippines attended to me. She was very caring. Every day, she smiles, and her presence brings peace and comfort to my soul. She would tell me stories about her family and life in the Philippines. She also shared her plight to come and adjust to a new life in the United States. One day, I saw a rosary in her pocket when she was trying to reach her pen. I asked if she prays the rosary, and she said, everyday. She told me that her faith in the Lord gives her strength. She was new to this country and said whenever she comes to Mass, she feels at home with the Lord. The prayers and liturgy that we celebrate here are the same back home. God is everywhere, and she takes her strength from the Lord. She mentioned the community celebration of Simbang Gabi during Christmas and the Santo Nino feast in January. Needles to say, she also mentioned lumpia, pancit and adobo. faith was contagious. It brought me back to faith and to hope again.

My friends, let us celebrate our faith! Today, when we dance, we carry the Santo Nino to guide and direct our every path. Every time you dance the Sinulog, you move two steps forward. Then, you move one step backward. The rhythm continues. This Sinulog dance tells us that we must stay grounded in our faith. Wherever we go, carry that faith because our faith makes us pilgrims of hope. Don’t go through the motions of life without looking back and being grounded in faith. Faith fuels hope. Without faith, it is difficult to be hopeful. 

So what does it mean? Come to Church on Sundays, pray daily, join our cultural gatherings, and stay humble. There are times when we become successful, and sometimes we feel different. We feel we don’t need God. We think we are on a different level, and we start feeling embarrassed of our faith and our roots. Make no mistake in finding hope and security in things other than the Lord. Always put your feet on the ground. In every two steps forward, make a step backward to praise and give the Lord thanks.

Also, let us take care of ourselves. Remember, Jesus is here. We have a savior who was born as a child. You are not the savior, so don’t act like one. Do not be the savior of the whole barangay in the Philippines or even your family. Give the people you love back home the chance to dream. Allow them to discover their potential and God’s path for them to advance in life. Allow them to have confidence in themselves and hope.

Do not be a savior, and tell yourself that you will do it all. If you take control of yourself and your dreams, God will take aside and allow you to do it all.  Our mind needs to rest, and we do not need to carry heavy loads.

Starting today, we say, we will continue to be pilgrims of hope, mindful of God’s abundant grace and support.  We will always be joyful and hopeful in this Jubilee year and the years ahead. Our lives are anchored in our faith in Santo Nino, the living God.