What or who are we devoted to?

One of the blessings we can revel at each start of the year is the Feast of the Black Nazarene. The annual procession every 9th of January commemorates the transfer of the image from the walled city of Intramuros to Quiapo Church, Manila City where the icon is housed. This dark, life-size image of Christ carrying the cross during “The Passion” dates back to the Spanish era.

Augustinian Recollect friars had it transported from Acapulco, Mexico and it was said that the ship was burned during its voyage to the Philippines causing the sculpture to turn dark. While that has been a legend, the events of the image having survived the bombings, earthquakes and fires during World War II is true.

Every year, many Filipinos would risk their lives attending the actual procession despite the heat and the crowd as an act of faith and devotion. Some even walk barefoot as a sign of humility. While many others would still question the validity of such action, the best answer came from Cardinal Tagle when he said, “To understand the devotee you have to be a devotee. Only a devotee could best understand a devotee.”

This time, instead of looking at pictures of crowds of people and trying to feel what they must have felt being sandwiched in the horde of bodies if only to attempt to understand their devotion, why don’t we try to ask ourselves how in the world faith pushed them to subject themselves into such a situation? Instead of deciding to book that ticket for next year’s procession if only to physically understand them, maybe we can first ask ourselves, “What or who are we devoted to?”

The year has just begun; may we find the answers. (Fiona Samantha Ajoc)