“Then from behind him came a woman, who had suffered from a haemorrhage for twelve years, and she touched the fringe of his cloak, for she said to herself, ‘If I can only touch his cloak I shall be well again’. Jesus turned round and saw her; and he said to her, ‘Courage, my daughter, your faith has restored you to health’. And from that moment the woman was well again” [Matthew 9:20-22]
[1]The 1906 icon of Our Mother of Perpetual Help enshrined above the altar. [2] The Baclaran Phenomenon. [3] Visit of Pope John Paul II to Baclaran.
Christianity, the venerable Flemish theologian Edward Schillebeeckx, O.P., once defined, is first and foremost, a story and a practice, rather than a doctrine and a rule.
“Biblical religion,” wrote Carroll Stuhlmueller, “was never confined to sanctuary ceremonies and theological speculation.” Religion serves naught, if it is not closely associated with the needs and crises of families.
An Australian philosopher priest, Gerry Gleeson, once said jokingly to us that there’s something for everyone in the Catholic Church. At the time, we were chatting in Leuven, Belgium, about a phenomenon we observed at the Franciscan church along Tiensestraat – a small church right in the city, with a strong aroma of incense and candle and a huge and impressive stained glass image of the young Francis of Assisi meeting the pope. Run by the Franciscan Conventuals, Eucharist was celebrated daily at seven in the morning and every hourly thereafter till one in the afternoon. Apart from Mother Mary, St Anthony was a huge favourite in that church. Every Tuesday at the end of the Mass, the people lined up to kiss a St Anthony relic and drop some coins in a basket. While liturgy was going on, it was common to suddenly hear very loud footsteps made by very good leather shoes on hard concrete floor, starting decisively from the back of the church, moving single-mindedly along its side, and heading purposefully towards a statue of Mother Mary located at the front of the church, just to the right. In this small church, you see clearly the source of this “insolent” and yet accepted, cacophonous and yet tolerated footsteps while Mass was going on. In full view of those attending Mass, an elderly lady could be seen dropping some coins into an unpadded metal box, making loud clanging noises as the coins yielded to gravity, lighting a candle, saying a prayer (often audibly), and walking all the way out to whence she came, her good European shoes making good traction on the concrete floor, blissfully oblivious of the Eucharistic consecration going on at the altar. You could see her touching the foot of a statue of St Anthony just before she exited the church. You do your thing; I do mine. There’s something for everyone in Catholicism.
“Filipino Catholicism is heavily influenced by popular devotions and this fact makes Filipino Catholicism alive and colourful,” writes Luis D. Balquiedra. An accomplished Professor of Sacred Liturgy in the Philippines, he certainly knows what he is talking about. These are a few selected excerpts from what he wrote on the topic of popular religiosity [1]:
- The key for an interpretation and understanding of the Filipino popular religiosity is their lingering mythical mentality. Mythical mentality is at the heart of cosmic or natural religion which the pre-Christian Filipinos professed and which is absorbed in popular Catholicism.
- Myths are not false legends but religious stories of the great beginnings narrated in symbolic language. Mythical mentality is also magical because it is influenced by the magical principles of similarity and contact. Because of mythical mentality, Filipinos do not simply pray before the image of the saints; they touch them.
- Wittingly or unwittingly, the Spanish missionaries used the devotion to the saints as the door through which they made the Spanish version of Catholicism enter the religious life of native Filipinos. With little doctrine the native Filipinos embraced the Catholic religion without much resistance but primarily as devotion to the saints… The majority of Filipino Catholics give more importance to the cult of the saints than to doctrine and personal relationship with the Lord.
The moment we told friends at DLSU-Manila that we were interested to visit religious sites to witness popular religiosity in action, two common suggestions shot up at once – “Go to Baclaran on Wednesday and Quiapo on Friday. You will see really huge crowds.”
The National Shrine of the Mother of Perpetual Help in Baclaran
Baclaran, Manila, hosts the famous National Shrine of the Mother of Perpetual Help, run by the Redemptorists. Celebrating the 75th anniversary of the Shrine, they alluded to the cosmic dimensions of this hugely popular religious site:
- Today we thank God and his Blessed Mother for all that has happened over the past 75 years. For the stories that show God’s hand visible in all that has taken place here. Surely we can believe that He chose the spot, remote, and unpretentious. The men who began here in 1932 could never have imagined how their work would develop. Today, this remote spot has been turned into a place of miracles that has become famous throughout the world.
Indeed, “famous” is the word. On a good, clear day, Baclaran, known around the world as the place of miracles, attracts tens of thousands of pilgrims every Wednesday. On arrival, we were shocked to see the candlerarium, already the size of a small chapel, jam-packed by pilgrims. This is the one place where the Novena in honour of the Mother of Perpetual Help has been conducted continuously since 1948. When the new church was under construction, Msgr. Jovellanos, then the Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Manila, said: “Baclaran has become the greatest single factor in the renewal of faith in post-war Philippines.” Today, the Novena devotions are held throughout the length and breadth of the Philippines.
Early morning Mass and confessions throughout the day are integral features of the daily programme at Baclaran. On the hourly celebration of the sacrament of reconciliation, Bacalran’s official website explains:
- The confessional room becomes a refuge within a refuge. The penitent’s bell is a summons to help; that glimmer of red above the “box” a star that guides the weary traveler to his true home. The murmured exchange between priest and penitent unleashes the merciful power of God. The penitent rediscovers that peace of mind and heart that has eluded him. Recovering self understanding, he begins to see that the universe has not descended into chaos, that the laws of men and nature still hold sway, that life does have direction and purpose, that sin, and guilt, its persistent companion, has been taken out, and he is once again made whole.
Baclaran is not just a place of popular devotions and hoped-for miracles. It is a place of prayer. Opened 24/7, this Shrine of Mary who leads our hearts and minds towards her Son Jesus provides a quiet space for silent prayers as well. Anonymous young and old come to this sanctuary to place themselves in prayer before Jesus.
At Baclaran, we instinctively feel that one is standing on holy ground and is instantly caught up in a blissful veneration of the Blessed Mother. One smiles in perfect comprehension to hear and read about the visits of the late Pope John Paul:
- Early in the 70’s Cardinal Karol Wojtyla, Cardinal Archbishop of Krakow in Poland, said Mass in the Shrine of Baclaran. Later in 1981, and now Pope John Paul II, he was to revisit the Shrine at his own request, and there dedicated the peoples of Asia to the Mother of Perpetual Help. The current political unrest in the Philippines, long enslaved by martial law, moved him to speak directly to the President about the urgent need for change in the life of the nation. The country was beginning to lose hope. Baclaran, keeping pace with the people, provided a platform for all engaged in the struggle for freedom.
The Redemptorists, to be sure, are missionaries. In Baclaran, what they have built is a perpetual mission with the active involvement of the laity. “Now the laity has assumed its rightful place in the pastoral ministry of the Church, by proclaiming the Word, and complementing and continuing faithfully the work of the pioneers.” This complementarity is described by the Redemptorists:
- The Shrine has long since developed into much more than a pilgrimage centre. No apostolate it seems can exhaust the zeal of the company of priests and sisters and lay volunteers who are associated with the Shrine. The Shrine comes complete with a medical and dental clinic, financed by the donations of grateful devotees of the Blessed Virgin; made available for the relief of the truly poor, deprived and oppressed.
- So while the ills of the spirit are attended to directly by Mother and Son, the physical needs of a legion of poor are not neglected. Such diversity of apostolate gives a richer meaning to the title of the Mother in whose name the Shrine was erected – she who is ready, whatever the need, spiritual or temporal, to extend a helping hand to all.
Listed amongst its goals and strategies for church apostolate are making the Shrine a vibrant centre of wholistic and integral evangelization; a vibrant centre of lay empowerment; a centre where the social services and community building mission is a clear actualization of Marian devotion and liturgical-sacramental ministry; a center of healing and reconciliation; an increasingly more meaningful, participative and animated liturgical community; and a dynamic and relevant youth ministry. During the visit, we had glimpses of active lay volunteers and social programmes that benefit the poor and marginalized.
We concluded our brief visit with a very good impression of the ongoing work being carried out at Baclaran. Fr. Ino A. Cueto, CSSR, the current rector, who is a fellow theology graduate from Leuven, Belgium, and a visiting professor at the University of Ateneo, knows the importance of augmenting spiritual renewal with ongoing catechesis and faith-formation for the people. He welcomes all who wish to bring a pilgrimage group to Baclaran to get in touch with him before hand so he can set up a pilgrimage-package for them. Time-permitting, the package may include a historical and catechetical briefing, spiritual reflections, confession and liturgy. That sounds like a mighty good offer! Google Baclaran and get his contact details.
The Black Nazarene at Quiapo
[1] Filipino: Mahal na Itim na Nazareno; English: Our Father Jesus [the] Nazarene. [2] Procession of the Black Nazarene at Plaza Miranda during the 2010 feast.
The Quiapo district in Manila is famous for the “Black Nazarene”, housed in the Minor Basilica of the Black Nazarene. The name came from a statue of Jesus, originally of fair complexion, having turned dark after it survived a burning ship on its arrival from Mexico. At Quiapo, the “Black Nazarene” is venerated weekly with Friday Novena Masses. There are also three annual processions associated with this iconic statue, most notably on January 9, when a huge crowd gathers to celebrate its transfer and enshrinement in the present Basilica.
This statue has a very long history. As early as 1650, Pope Innocent X approved it for veneration as a Sacramental. Apostolic Blessing was given to the statue in 1880 by Pope Pius VII who granted plenary indulgence to those who piously pray before it. For the Filipinos, religious veneration of the Black Nazarene helps them to identify with the Passion of Jesus Christ. From the burned and darkened image of the Black Nazarene, devotees relate their own poverty and daily struggles to the wounds and tribulations experienced by Jesus. The Black Nazarene phenomenon in the Philippines reflects a religiously inclined people who struggle daily with the hardships of life. For them, the Black Nazarene packs a tremendous mass appeal. At the Basilica, devotees also pay homage by clapping their hands at the end of each Mass offered at the shrine.
On the day of our visit, the weather was foul. Still, we saw thousands present in the basilica as our visit coincided with a Mass. All we could manage was a brief stop, before our guide for the day, Fr Viju, a priest from India studying at the De La Salle University-Manila, whisked us off to the University of Santo Tomas to meet with two Indian religious sisters for lunch and a tour of the campus. We can only suggest to overseas readers interested in this famous “Black Nazarene” to google the subject for further details. On our part, we shall conclude with some pointers suggested by the Gospels on popular religiosity.
What do the Gospels say?
In their official publication on popular devotions, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops said:
- The Fathers of the Second Vatican Council recognized the importance of popular devotions in the life of the Church and encouraged pastors and teachers to promote sound popular devotions.[2]
The Vatican II document Sacrosanctum Concilium too, makes the important acknowledgement that people need the popular devotion and private prayer life beside the official liturgy. Basing our perspective on Scriptures, we see the biblical witness taking the matter a crucial step further; the Gospels actually point us to the understanding that the material world is good and that the material can embody and transmit the spiritual. The affirmation of the goodness of the material world is based upon the doctrine of the incarnation, as the taking by the Son of God of actual human flesh. Edward Schillebeeckx is again most helpful in this as he unpacks the sacramental principle in these terms:
- The embodiment of the spiritual in the material, and the communication of the spiritual in the material, is the sacramental principle.
For some, touching statues is superstition; for others, it’s a simple, child-like faith. In Mark 6, Jesus returned to his hometown Nazareth. The people were amazed who heard him preach in the synagogue, but Jesus was amazed at their lack of faith, resulting, Scripture says, in his inability to work miracle there [Mark 6:1-6]. In stark contrast, look at the faith of the haemorrhagic woman in the opening quotation to this post from Matthew 9. A fuller and decidedly more poignant report is given in Mark 5:21-43. Setting this story in a sandwich composition, with the raising of Jairus’ daughter forming the two outer components of the sandwich, the evangelist Mark brings home the message of faith to the hilt. The woman had so much faith that she thought if she could but touch Jesus’ cloak that she, a long suffering daughter of Abraham, would be healed by this Son of David. And look at how she was not only rewarded for her faith by a miraculous healing, but gloriously affirmed in her faith by Jesus. We must never take hope away from the people. Pointing to Jesus, Baclaran and Quiapo symbolise a place of grace and a church of hope. As a people of faith, we can never over-emphasise the significance of grace and hope in our faith-practices within an organized religion where laws, systems and structures tend heavy-handedly to tramp everything else, including the Spirit-inspired. The Gospels remind us how, as Jesus insisted on the urgency and the imminent coming of the reign of God, as opposed to the reigning mentality of self-serving laws, systems and structures, this would quickly translate into the confrontation in which he would be hurriedly and ruthlessly brought to his early and dreadful death. In Jesus, the people of faith must see and learn with urgency that the purification of the system has got to be an on-going dimension of the mission which he began and which they now continue.
And so, in conclusion:
- There is no doubt that in the Philippines, as in everywhere else in the world that we have been, and most certainly in Malaysia-Singapore-Brunei, the region of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference that we come from, there is a serious need for on-going adult faith formation to augment the people’s “simple” faith. In this regard, our plea, as always, is to the official church that is in charge of the official structures and finance and vested with the official mandate, for really committing to serious adult faith formation as a key element of their mission ad intra.
- At the same time, however, we would be seriously remiss if we did not stress that it would be extremely juvenile to deride or fail to give legitimate channels for the practice and expression of popular religiosity. All that most of the countries that we have been, that pride themselves as having been liberated from “myths” and “superstitions” and “devotional practices” and have elevated themselves to a supposedly more “mature” and “enlightened” cerebral faith, have to show are empty pews.
- Furthermore, whenever you have an institutional church that is mired in crises, just as the official side of the Roman Catholic Church has never been more obnoxious and scandalous to its own lay faithful as it currently is – nose-deep as it is in its failure of accountability in colossal clerical sex scandals and financial mismanagement – devotional practices will remain a crucial sanctuary for the protection of the people’s faith. And so, it is not for no good reasons that the Vatican approved that the National Shrine of Our Mother of Perpetua Help at Baclaran be kept open 24/7, and that Pope John Paul II made a personal request to include a stop at the Shrine during his official visit to the Philippines in 1981.
A final word on making pilgrimage tours to the Philippines. Friends in Kuching have asked if it is good and feasible to organize pilgrimage tours to Manila. Our answer is a definitive “yes” to both.
Notes:
[1] Luis D. Balquiedra, “The Interaction Between Popular Religiosity and the Official Liturgy in the Filipino Church,” in Theo Week 2000: Emerging Theological Themes [Manila: University of Santo Tomas, 2001], 422-432.
[2] See “Popular Devotional Practices: Basic Questions and Answers” issued by USCCB, November 12, 2003.
Copyright © Dr. Jeffrey & Angie Goh, August 2012. All rights reserved.
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