HUNTERSVILLE — Catholics who have a devotion to the Divine Child Jesus (Divino Niño Jesús in Spanish) gathered for a special bilingual Mass offered July 20 by Father Aaron Huber at St. Mark Church.
The Divino Niño Jesús devotion, popular especially in Colombia, is traced to a mystical vision a Salesian priest, Father Giovanni Rizzo, had in 1914 while he and other Salesians were building a church in a poor area of Bogota. In his vision, Father Rizzo saw the child Jesus standing and holding out his arms, saying, “Take me with you, I want to accompany you.”
The Divine Child Jesus devotion became popularized in the United States by Mother Angelica, foundress of EWTN and the Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament in Hanceville, Ala.
During his homily, Father Huber explained the significance of the Divine Child Jesus to us today: “Our Lord says in Scripture that unless you become like a child, you cannot enter the Kingdom of God. Why? Think about that. If you’re an adult, you’re thinking ‘OK, I spent most of my life learning how to not be a child anymore.’ I would argue that the reason why He said that is because children are simple. Their lives are not complicated. And most importantly, they have an undivided heart.
They love entirely or they don’t love at all. The Divine Child Jesus loved entirely with an infant’s heart. It was the same heart that would eventually be pierced open so that we can see the life of grace pouring out into the sacraments of the Church. Brothers and sisters, it’s not complicated. Don’t try to divide your heart because a divided heart doesn’t really know how to love. Let’s learn how to love from the Divine Child and He will show us everything we need to know.”
— Photos provided by Amy Burger
