Purifying our popular piety

THIS, of course, will be a continuing, endless task. We

first of all should be most thankful that in spite of the many

secularizing factors affecting the world today in general, we in our

country still manage to have a very moving popular piety or the

showing of our faith, devotion and religion in a collective and public

way.

            But we should not forget that while we are most happy that

we still have a vibrant spirit of popular piety, we should also feel

the need to continually purify that piety from elements that actually

undermine it even if they look like they are reinforcing it.

            We cannot deny that popular piety is very vulnerable to

all kinds of superstitious beliefs and practices that can have the

appearance of faith, devotion and religion, but actually do not lead

us to God but rather to our own sense of self-fulfillment.

            Not that with God and the authentic practice of piety and

religion we would not have this sense of self-fulfillment. In fact,

with God and the authentic practice of piety and religion we would

have a deep and abiding sense of self-fulfillment.

            But it is a self-fulfillment that does not confine us to

our own selves alone. It is one that will truly bring us to God and to

everybody else, irrespective of our differences and conflicts. It is a

self-fulfillment that fills us with the awareness that we are truly

getting closer to God, following his will more faithfully and

lovingly, and also getting closer to everybody else.

            We just have to realize that our spirit of popular piety

is not a product of what is called as the ‘herd mentality,’ where like

animals we would just blindly follow where the tide goes, where the

public trends and atmosphere suggest.

            We need to put all our mind and heart into our piety and

practice of religion, and not just be dragged by the unreliable

impulses of our human instincts and emotions that are not yet inspired

by true faith, hope and charity.

            In this regard, we should always feel the need to rectify

our intentions, because it is very easy for us now to fall into

self-deception and hypocrisy. Christ told us, for example, that we “be

careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be

seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in

heaven.” (Mt 6,1)

            Then he continued, “And when you pray, do not be like the

hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on

the street corners to be seen by others…But when you pray, go into

your room close the door and pray to your Father…” (Mt 6,5,6)

            It is not that we cannot pray collectively and in public.

We can and, in fact, we should, because that is simply an expression

of our social nature. And our piety and practice of religion can also

have this collective and public character because of our social

nature. But we should see to it that our intentions are pure.

            That is, that we are truly talking and adoring God, and

not just making a show. And that our relationship with everybody else

becomes tighter and more meaningful and goes along the ways of true

charity.

            Toward this end, we need to examine ourselves to see if

indeed our participation in the acts of popular piety is authentically

motivated by faith and love for God and others. From there, let us

help one another develop a true spirit of popular piety, doing a lot

of catechesis and, of course, giving good example of how this popular

piety ought to be lived.

            We need a lot of role models in this department of our

life. Let’s take advantage of what we already have in terms of popular

piety and develop it further, pushing it to a higher level, and not

allowing it to deteriorate into a pagan, orgiastic celebration!