TALKING to young people about the
devotion to the Sto.
Nino, I get the strong impression that their attitude toward him is
mostly at the level of the externals and the social. There’s some
tinge of religion in it, but all that is somehow drowned by a big
layer of the fun and the ‘coolness’ that accompanies such devotion.
In other words, the devotion is not actually there, or at
least, it is not strongly embedded in their mind and heart. And that’s
why there is quite a bit of inconsistency between their apparent
fervor in attending the activities surrounding the devotion and the
effects of this devotion in their actual daily life. As they
themselves say it, they find it hard to “relate.”
I also get the impression that the image of the Child
Jesus strikes the young people mostly as simply an object of
ornamentation, something like a doll. And if there is something
religious about it, it’s more of the superstition type or a kind of
amulet rather than a religious icon that would elicit a deep spiritual
reaction.
This is one of the challenges that this popular devotion
to the Sto. Nino faces. If properly handled and sustained, this
devotion can actually give tremendous benefits to the spirit life of
the people.
The devotion teaches humility, simplicity, transparency,
virtues that are so basic in our life. It teaches how one can be
consistently Christian and holy while going through his daily routine
of ordinary work and concerns. It teaches that we can also be a divine
king like Christ in our daily affairs, etc.
I suppose this is where the clergy should be in the
forefront to directly care and form those who are open to receiving
spiritual, moral and doctrinal formation. In this regard, let’s pray
that bishops and priests realize this duty more deeply and act on it.
This should be given more priority over some administrative or
bureaucratic tasks that often take their—our –time.
The objective to aim at is to reduce that gap between
people’s profession of faith and show of piety on the one hand, and
their consistency in the daily life that should be marked by the
effects of genuine holiness, not the showy one.
Questions like how should we address the issue of
religious ignorance and confusion so rampant in our society today,
should be taken up. This is not to mention the challenge of how to
resolve the pervading religious indifference, apathy if not hostility
that we can also notice around.
This is where we can try to devise a pastoral program that
would make use of people as both sheep and shepherd. Everyone needs to
receive formation, but everyone also has to contribute to give
formation, with due respect to their state and conditions in life.
This is where those who already have a working a vibrant
and solid piety should reach out to those who have little or no piety
at all yet. They should feel addressed by the words Christ told his
apostles: “Peace be with you, as the Father has sent me, so do I send
you.” (Jn 20,21) They need to sharpen their apostolic concern.
We should go beyond giving classes and modules. While
these are always important and necessary, we need to find ways of
dealing with persons individually and personally. In other words, to
enter into their minds and hearts, using all the human and the
spiritual and supernatural means available.
We cannot deny that even those who appear to have a stable
life of piety can still betray shallowness in their appreciation of
the doctrine of the faith and morals, and are still beset with
spiritual and moral inconsistencies. In other words, a continuing plan
of formation should be in place.
With the celebration of the feast of Sto. Niño with its
open display of the rich deposit of faith and piety among the people,
we should see to it that we avoid falling into complacency, or
self-satisfaction. We have to step up to the next level.
In Church history, we can remember that centuries ago,
most of Europe was suffused with popular piety and religion. It was
the source of many missionaries that spread the seeds of the gospel to
many parts of the world.
Now, that continent is all but dried up in terms of
spirituality. In its place is a deep-seated paganism and secularism
where God has no more place. Religiosity is practically retreating
again to the caves and deserts, the catacombs and the ghettos. How
this happened should be a great lesson for us to learn.
Nino, I get the strong impression that their attitude toward him is
mostly at the level of the externals and the social. There’s some
tinge of religion in it, but all that is somehow drowned by a big
layer of the fun and the ‘coolness’ that accompanies such devotion.
In other words, the devotion is not actually there, or at
least, it is not strongly embedded in their mind and heart. And that’s
why there is quite a bit of inconsistency between their apparent
fervor in attending the activities surrounding the devotion and the
effects of this devotion in their actual daily life. As they
themselves say it, they find it hard to “relate.”
I also get the impression that the image of the Child
Jesus strikes the young people mostly as simply an object of
ornamentation, something like a doll. And if there is something
religious about it, it’s more of the superstition type or a kind of
amulet rather than a religious icon that would elicit a deep spiritual
reaction.
This is one of the challenges that this popular devotion
to the Sto. Nino faces. If properly handled and sustained, this
devotion can actually give tremendous benefits to the spirit life of
the people.
The devotion teaches humility, simplicity, transparency,
virtues that are so basic in our life. It teaches how one can be
consistently Christian and holy while going through his daily routine
of ordinary work and concerns. It teaches that we can also be a divine
king like Christ in our daily affairs, etc.
I suppose this is where the clergy should be in the
forefront to directly care and form those who are open to receiving
spiritual, moral and doctrinal formation. In this regard, let’s pray
that bishops and priests realize this duty more deeply and act on it.
This should be given more priority over some administrative or
bureaucratic tasks that often take their—our –time.
The objective to aim at is to reduce that gap between
people’s profession of faith and show of piety on the one hand, and
their consistency in the daily life that should be marked by the
effects of genuine holiness, not the showy one.
Questions like how should we address the issue of
religious ignorance and confusion so rampant in our society today,
should be taken up. This is not to mention the challenge of how to
resolve the pervading religious indifference, apathy if not hostility
that we can also notice around.
This is where we can try to devise a pastoral program that
would make use of people as both sheep and shepherd. Everyone needs to
receive formation, but everyone also has to contribute to give
formation, with due respect to their state and conditions in life.
This is where those who already have a working a vibrant
and solid piety should reach out to those who have little or no piety
at all yet. They should feel addressed by the words Christ told his
apostles: “Peace be with you, as the Father has sent me, so do I send
you.” (Jn 20,21) They need to sharpen their apostolic concern.
We should go beyond giving classes and modules. While
these are always important and necessary, we need to find ways of
dealing with persons individually and personally. In other words, to
enter into their minds and hearts, using all the human and the
spiritual and supernatural means available.
We cannot deny that even those who appear to have a stable
life of piety can still betray shallowness in their appreciation of
the doctrine of the faith and morals, and are still beset with
spiritual and moral inconsistencies. In other words, a continuing plan
of formation should be in place.
With the celebration of the feast of Sto. Niño with its
open display of the rich deposit of faith and piety among the people,
we should see to it that we avoid falling into complacency, or
self-satisfaction. We have to step up to the next level.
In Church history, we can remember that centuries ago,
most of Europe was suffused with popular piety and religion. It was
the source of many missionaries that spread the seeds of the gospel to
many parts of the world.
Now, that continent is all but dried up in terms of
spirituality. In its place is a deep-seated paganism and secularism
where God has no more place. Religiosity is practically retreating
again to the caves and deserts, the catacombs and the ghettos. How
this happened should be a great lesson for us to learn.
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