KAGANAPAN NG BUHAY: The Quadricentennial Celebration of the feast of the Black Nazarene in Quiapo (1606-2006)

c/o http://images.gmanews.tv/ 

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

The last major order to come to the Philippines which also played an important role in the evangelization of the country is the Order of Augustinian Recollects (OAR). On May of 1606, the first group of the Recollect missionaries composed of ten priests and four brothers arrived in Cebu[1]. They eventually landed on the shores of Manila, bringing with them from Mexico the life-size image of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ genuflected under the weight of the cross which was popularly called as “The Black Nazarene”. The image was enshrined at the first Recollect church in Bagumbayan (now part of the Rizal Park), which was inaugurated on September 10, 1606, and placed under the patronage of the glorious precursor and martyr, St. John the Baptist[2].

Two years after, the revered image was transferred to the Recollect church dedicated to St. Nicholas of Tolentine in Intramuros. The Recollect Fathers vigorously promoted the devotion that in a short span of 15 years the Confradia de Jesús Nazareno was established on April 21, 1621 which eventually gained papal approval. Some time in the 18th century, the then Archbishop of Manila, Basilio Sancho, directed the traslación (transfer) of the image of the Nazareno to the Church in Quiapo, again providently placed under the patronage St. John the Baptist. The devotion attracted an even bigger following throughout the country[3].

The 'traslacion' from Luneta to Quiapo. 

The uniquely Filipino devotion merited the sanction and encouragement of two Popes, Innocent X in 1650 with a Papal Bull canonically establishing the Confradia de Jesús Nazareno, and Pius VII in the 19th century, by granting indulgence to those who piously pray before the image. The image survived the great fires that destroyed Quiapo Church in 1791 and 1929, the great earthquakes of 1645 and 1863, and the destructive bombing of Manila in 1945 during World War II[4]. After four hundred years, the Filipinos’ devotion to Our Lord continues to grow and nourish the faith of the people.

THE QUADRICENTENNIAL CELEBRATION

On January 8, 2007, a great number of devotees flocked to the Quirino Grandstand at the Luneta and the Quiapo Church to pay homage to the image of the Black Nazarene. It is a part of a two-day celebration of the feast which highlighted the first half of the Jubilee Year declared by Most Rev. Gaudencio Cardinal Rosales , DD from May 31, 2006 to June 1, 2007 in honor of the fourth centenary of the Black Nazarene.

Many of the devotees arrived clad in burnt red color and made a pilgrimage on barefoot. Many were keeping vows (panata) to the Black Nazarene in exchange for favors. They prayed in front of the image, touched it, and venerated it for a longer period of time without the stress and tension caused by the usual impatience of the crowd that waits for the image to leave the church for the annual procession.

At 6:00 a.m. of the following day, January 9, a high mass was celebrated by Cardinal Rosales, followed by an “agape” or sharing of food by the devotees. A paseo de banda or parade of bands, Parangal kay Nazareno performance of brass bands and Bayanihan Dancers was held at about 9:00 a.m. After the image was brought to Rizal Park in a motorcade on January 8 for the overnight vigil and other activities, it was returned to Quiapo Church at noontime of January 9 in a solemn procession on a longer route. In effect, it re-enacted the traslación.

AN EXPERIENCE OF THE MIRACLE OF THE BLACK NAZARENE

I was beginning to feel that I will be sick because of the climatic change and the holiday stress which prompted me to take a rest. This happened on the evening of January 6, 2007. My sore throat became worst and my body temperature increased. I woke up at 4:00 am the following day shivering. My mind tried to control my body and I was still able to conduct a canonical interview and baptize 16 children on Epiphany Sunday. But in the afternoon until the morning of that day, I was terribly ill again. I became anxious about my assignment in 'popular religiosity'. How can I attend and observe the Quiapo festivity if I can’t even stand without feeling drowsy? We eventually learned that a group of Central seminarians will be serving at the 6:00 am mass on January 9. We grabbed the opportunity but to our surprise, we were asked to serve as deacons. With a weak body, I went to the Grandstand for our practice. Later, I realized that the Black Nazarene will be coming any moment. When I saw the image, I became glad and with teary-eyes moved by the emotion of crowd uttered a prayer of gratitude for such a privilege to witness such historic event at a close vantage point. I was not able to touch the image until the following day. Miraculously, my sore throat and my fever were gone by the time I served in the Eucharistic celebration. This may not be as grandiose as compare to a miracle of a lame who stood and made a walk of faith but an assertion that God is always there for us. Everyday creates a history and everyday a miracle happens. We may not be aware of it but God is with us all the time. God reaches out His hand to us and it is up to us if we will reach out our hands to Him in return. God does not only work in spectacular events but likewise in our usual ordinary everyday life.

We served well in the Eucharistic celebration and I was even the one who proclaimed the Gospel; the one whose voice has been previously impaired by sore throat and whose body cannot even stand for a minute without feeling dizzy.

THE UNIQUENESS OF QUIAPO

Unlike the devotion to the child Jesus (Sto. Niňo) which is venerated not only in Tondo but also in Pandacan, Aklan, Iloilo, Cebu and other far-flung regions, the image of the Black Nazarene has been centered in Quiapo. Furthermore, the image of the suffering Christ stirs the faithfuls’ emotion in a way that a person can relate to one’s own sufferings in life. Those who attended were more of the poor, less fortunate, classes C, D, and E crowd who find their hope for a better life in the miraculous image. In other words, the “masa” crowd as compared to other more pompous and elaborate celebrations swamped Luneta and Quiapo. The devotees consider it a rare privilege to be able to wipe his towel or handkerchief on the image robed in burnt red, kneeling and carrying a cross. They claim that the Black Nazarene always grants their petitions, both material and spiritual. The love and devotion that the people bear for Our Lord Jesus Christ whose miraculous image is lovingly called “Nuestro Padre Jesús Nazareno” play in personifying the Christian injunctions of learning to humble and deny oneself, and to courageously take up one’s crosses and trials in life in imitation of Christ[5].

When I wiped my handkerchief on the robe of the image, I felt three things: privileged, emotionally carried and honored. Not all people, though some fall in line, are given the privilege to touch the image since the seminarians, deacons and priests were granted a special request to touch the image. The people around moved me to faith. It became a communal act of veneration. I felt honored for being there because it is only once in my lifetime that one experience such a historic event that united the Church in the Philippines at that moment.

A POST-FESTIVITY EXPERIENCE

After the feast day itself (January 9), I went to Quiapo Church to pray and thank God for the everyday miracles that I receive. Quiapo is busy as usual and there were many people as compared to ordinary days. Some were praying the rosary. Some were reciting the novena. Some were walking towards the main altar in the center aisle walking on their knees. I stayed in front of the first pews and prayed for half an hour, asking God for the courage to continue my ministry. After that, I decided to exit the Church when I saw the confession line. There were a number of penitents and it took me another 30 minutes to reach the priest. But there is a line longer than that of the confession. It is the line leading to the image where one can touch it. It is not surprising to see such a number of people falling in line for the image and likewise, a shorter line for the confession. Indeed, the former is more sensually appealing but the Church must continue to encourage the cultivation of the sacramental life of the faithful the same way that the friars of time immemorial painstakingly promote the devotion to the Black Nazarene. There is nothing wrong in venerating the image that played an important role not only in one’s life but in our culture and in the Church of the Philippines but it must not overshadow the sacraments.

The Second Vatican Council recalls that tradition also witnesses to great ways of private and communal prayer. Popular devotion is very important for the spiritual life of the faithful and the Church has always been aware that it has to remain in contact with the liturgy, while She respects the special character of Popular devotion. In affirming the primary place of the liturgy, “the summit toward which the activity of the Church is directed; it is also the fount from which all her power flows”[6], Vat. II also recounted that “the spiritual life, however, is not limited solely to participation in the liturgy“[7]. In fact, to nourish the spiritual life of the faithful there are also the “popular devotions of the Christian people“[8], especially those recommended by the Apostolic See and practiced in the particular Churches with the mandate or the approval of the Bishop. In recalling how important it is that such devotional expressions conform to the laws and norms of the Church, the Conciliar Fathers set forth the underpinning of theological and pastoral understanding: these “devotions should be so drawn up that they harmonize with the liturgical seasons, accord with the sacred liturgy, are in some way derived from it, and lead the people to it, since in fact the liturgy by its very nature is far superior to any of them“[9]. Moreover, the Archdiocese of Manila underscored that the Quiapo celebrations must be directed at understanding the doctrines of the Roman Catholic Church and encouraging the faithful to frequent the Sacraments of Confession and Holy Communion. In this case, popular devotions lead us to sacraments and therefore to God.

CONCLUSION

The Quadricentennial celebration carried the theme: ”JESÚS NAZARENO – KAGANAPAN NG BUHAY[10]” which appropriately embodies Jesus Christ’s salvific role as center of our lives. The Archdiocese of Manila aims a two-fold objective[11] of the celebration: (1) The renewal and strengthening of the faith of the Filipino people in the tender mercy and love of Almighty God, who sent His Son as a sacrifice for our sins[12]; and (2) The preservation and enhancement of the heritage devotion of the Filipino people in the Passion and Death of Our Lord Jesus Christ, the “Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world”[13], under the special appellation of Nuestro Padre Jesús Nazareno. 

Gradually, such objectives are being addressed throughout the Jubilee Year of the Black Nazarene. Pope John Paul II in his Apostolic Letter Vicesimus Quintus Annus wrote that: “Popular devotion should not be ignored or treated with indifference or contempt, since it is rich in values, and per se gives expression to the religious attitude toward God. But it needs to be continually evangelized, so that the faith which it expresses may become an ever more mature and authentic act. Both the pious exercises of the Christian people and also other forms of devotion are welcomed and encouraged provided that they do not replace or intrude into liturgical celebrations. An authentic pastoral promotion of the Liturgy will build upon the riches of popular piety, purifying and directing them towards the Liturgy as the offering of the peoples.” [14]

This shows the importance of knowing the value of popular devotion, of caring for its genuine substance, of purifying it where necessary, of enlightening it with the light of Sacred Scripture, and of directing it toward the Liturgy, without opposing one to the other.

___________

[1] cf. Lucio Gutierrez, OP, Archdiocese of Manila: A Pilgrimage in Time (1565-1999), Vol. I, (Manila: The Roman Catholic Archbishop of Manila, 1999), pp.34-38. Also P. Herce, O.R.S.A., “The Recollects in the Philippines,” Boletin Ecclesiastico de Filipinas, pp.225-228

[2] cf. http://www.rcam.org/Homilies/2006

[3] ibid.

[4] ibid.

[5] cf. Mt. 16:24

[6] Sacrosanctum Concilium, n. 10

[7] ibid., n. 12

[8] ibid., n. 13

[9] ibid., n. 13

[10] Jn. 10:10

[11] cf. http://www.rcam.org/Homilies/2006

[12] 1 Jn 4-10

[13] Jn. 1:29

[14] ORE, 22 May 1989, n. 17d, p. 10