WE should be most thankful to God for
the tremendous piety
we, as a people, have. If we just look at the very impressive pictures
of the people who joined the “Traslacion” of Hesus Nazareno in Manila
recently, we cannot help but feel breathless at the amazing display of
religious fervor. The crowd was so thick and solid that not even a
needle could pass through them. The threat of terror could not throw a
wet blanket on such fervor.
In Cebu recently, the same observation can be made. The
people’s devotion to the Child Jesus (Sto. Nino) is so palpable and
mesmerizing that the heavy rains and the floods, not to mention, the
fear of terroristic violence, could not dampen. Just by being there in
one of the Masses or in the processions, you cannot help but be swept
away by the intensity of the people’s piety.
But for all this blessing and privilege we enjoy, we
should not forget to acknowledge the great responsibility of managing
our popular piety well. We cannot deny that there are things that need
to be clarified, purified, re-grounded and refocused, or that simply
have to be enriched since the fertile conditions for enrichment are
already there.
We have to understand that this is a continuing task. We can
never rest in this. We have to be wary of our tendency to be taken in
by a sense of euphoria that can deaden our sense of duty.
We have to make sure that the religious dimension is
always preserved as the main animating element of the celebration. We
need to strengthen it, and equip it with the appropriate “antidote”
against foreign elements that can also be expected to come.
That’s because popular piety can attract all sorts of
things. It’s like a pie in the open air. Politicians, for example,
will take advantage of it. For good or evil, we cannot determine for
now. So, some regulating indications have to be made.
Business people, the big ones and the small ones,
obviously will also do some milking and killing of the big event. This
is all very understandable. Again, some effective regulating
provisions have to be made.
Different people from different fields will use it for
their respective interests. There has to be a way of determining which
is compatible with the over-all celebration and which is not. People
from the fields of culture, education, sports and entertainment, etc.
will all have a field day.
The Church leaders have to be most active and persistent
in stressing the spiritual and supernatural dimension without
detracting from the legitimate human dimension. This is not an easy
task.
The clergy should take the lead in undertaking a most
active and effective evangelization with respect to popular piety. Of
course, the laity too should do their part. The whole Church should be
involved in some organic fashion in this duty.
The aim to reach is to make everyone closer to God, with
faith strengthened and alive, producing fruits of sanctity and
apostolate and not just something professed and bandied about. In
short, everyone should grow in his spiritual life, with a spirituality
that is abiding and properly adapted to one’s personal and social
circumstances.
This will involve a whole range of details that embrace
the entire gamut of Christian and human life. Catechesis has to be
done always, with the appropriate plan to cover the Creed, the
Sacraments, the Commandments and morality, and Prayer.
It cannot be denied that popular piety can highlight one
aspect of Christian life at the expense of the other aspects. For
example, people can get very hot about lighting votive candles before
their favorite saint, but fail to appreciate the need for going to
Mass and to confession. They can look fervent in churches, but are
little devils or even horrible monsters at home or in their work
places.
Of course, our popular piety should bear fruit in our
spiritual and moral lives. It just cannot be an emotional or
psychological affair, a matter of merely following social fads and
trends, something that is showy on the outside but quite empty inside.
It has to be rooted on genuine relationship of love with God and
everybody else. Otherwise, it would just be a sham, perhaps making a
lot of noise but having no effect.
In this regard, again the clergy should be on the
frontline. Let’s pray that the 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.
we, as a people, have. If we just look at the very impressive pictures
of the people who joined the “Traslacion” of Hesus Nazareno in Manila
recently, we cannot help but feel breathless at the amazing display of
religious fervor. The crowd was so thick and solid that not even a
needle could pass through them. The threat of terror could not throw a
wet blanket on such fervor.
In Cebu recently, the same observation can be made. The
people’s devotion to the Child Jesus (Sto. Nino) is so palpable and
mesmerizing that the heavy rains and the floods, not to mention, the
fear of terroristic violence, could not dampen. Just by being there in
one of the Masses or in the processions, you cannot help but be swept
away by the intensity of the people’s piety.
But for all this blessing and privilege we enjoy, we
should not forget to acknowledge the great responsibility of managing
our popular piety well. We cannot deny that there are things that need
to be clarified, purified, re-grounded and refocused, or that simply
have to be enriched since the fertile conditions for enrichment are
already there.
We have to understand that this is a continuing task. We can
never rest in this. We have to be wary of our tendency to be taken in
by a sense of euphoria that can deaden our sense of duty.
We have to make sure that the religious dimension is
always preserved as the main animating element of the celebration. We
need to strengthen it, and equip it with the appropriate “antidote”
against foreign elements that can also be expected to come.
That’s because popular piety can attract all sorts of
things. It’s like a pie in the open air. Politicians, for example,
will take advantage of it. For good or evil, we cannot determine for
now. So, some regulating indications have to be made.
Business people, the big ones and the small ones,
obviously will also do some milking and killing of the big event. This
is all very understandable. Again, some effective regulating
provisions have to be made.
Different people from different fields will use it for
their respective interests. There has to be a way of determining which
is compatible with the over-all celebration and which is not. People
from the fields of culture, education, sports and entertainment, etc.
will all have a field day.
The Church leaders have to be most active and persistent
in stressing the spiritual and supernatural dimension without
detracting from the legitimate human dimension. This is not an easy
task.
The clergy should take the lead in undertaking a most
active and effective evangelization with respect to popular piety. Of
course, the laity too should do their part. The whole Church should be
involved in some organic fashion in this duty.
The aim to reach is to make everyone closer to God, with
faith strengthened and alive, producing fruits of sanctity and
apostolate and not just something professed and bandied about. In
short, everyone should grow in his spiritual life, with a spirituality
that is abiding and properly adapted to one’s personal and social
circumstances.
This will involve a whole range of details that embrace
the entire gamut of Christian and human life. Catechesis has to be
done always, with the appropriate plan to cover the Creed, the
Sacraments, the Commandments and morality, and Prayer.
It cannot be denied that popular piety can highlight one
aspect of Christian life at the expense of the other aspects. For
example, people can get very hot about lighting votive candles before
their favorite saint, but fail to appreciate the need for going to
Mass and to confession. They can look fervent in churches, but are
little devils or even horrible monsters at home or in their work
places.
Of course, our popular piety should bear fruit in our
spiritual and moral lives. It just cannot be an emotional or
psychological affair, a matter of merely following social fads and
trends, something that is showy on the outside but quite empty inside.
It has to be rooted on genuine relationship of love with God and
everybody else. Otherwise, it would just be a sham, perhaps making a
lot of noise but having no effect.
In this regard, again the clergy should be on the
frontline. Let’s pray that the 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.
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