Editorial

Devotion

A sea of devotees of the Black Nazarene yesterday flocked to the Quirino Grandstand, heard mass, and then joined the procession from Luneta to Quiapo church. It’s an annual event that has been factored into the traffic and security plans of the City of Manila.

It’s also all over the media as some kind of spectacle, like the crucifixions in Pampanga during the Holy Week. It’s one of those events that make the Philippines distinct.

Followers believe that the Black Nazarene is capable of performing miracles just as it has done for centuries. Participation in the procession is supposed to show devotees’ willingness to embrace hardship and sacrifice for their faith.

To an outsider, the fervor with which people participate in the exercise may be difficult to grasp. Nonetheless, nobody is ever in a moral position to question the religious practices and habits of believers. Not even when the devotees verge on the fanatical, go out of control or expose themselves unnecessarily to injury, even death.

The local government, the Red Cross and the police lent support to the devotees, as they had year after year. They directed traffic flow, kept a lid on fanatical participants, ran after thieves and provided medical attention to those who fainted, had difficulty breathing or suffered hypertension or dehydration. Fortunately as of press time, there have been no casualties yet. In recent years, some devotees were trampled on or suffered heart attacks.

Still, one wonders why this kind of zeal is not shown by Catholics in other religious celebrations. Does each of these devotees understand why he is there? Has he reflected on whether risking his life would increase his chances at eternal life? Have his parish leaders explained the importance of touching the statue of the Black Nazarene beyond the literal sense?

Or is it just herd—or flock—mentality, unenlightened and indiscriminate? What happens in the remaining 364 days of the year?

Leaders of the Catholic Church and the guardians of individual parishes should be more active in bringing down the sense of the devotion to the people, especially to those who do not have the capacity to evaluate, or challenge, long-standing practices and celebrated beliefs.

It’s this kind of education they should be preoccupied with, instead of, for instance, meddling in politics and government policy.