A Night at the Procession, Jan. 9th

 

We don our church organization uniform – white, collared tee-shirt with logos front and back. We forgo taking light dinner. We brush our teeth, put on cologne, and head to Church on our sturdy SUV.

The Church is still half-full; we find other members of our group neatly seated in pews at the left side of the main altar.

Our congregation is readying itself to mimic the translacion which is happening at the moment at the heart of Manila.

Translacion is the yearly procession that re-enacts the original procession which brought the image of the Black Nazarene from its original location (now Rizal Park or Luneta) to the Quiapo Church in Manila, now known as the Basilica Minore of the Black Nazarene.

Today, there are about 5 million Filipino men and women, most of them barefoot, inching their way along the narrow streets of downtown Manila – jostling to get nearer the Andas  (the carriage that carries the Black Nazarene) – many of them being pushed and shoved forward by bodies unknown to them. In fact, one member of the Hijos de Nazareno died this morning, from exhaustion and a heart attack.

Our translacion  in our Parish is no match to the one taking place in Quiapo. Last year, the first year our church’s version of translacion took place, there were more people, and after the procession, the owner of the Black Nazarene hosted a thanksgiving dinner at the church’s Social Action Center.

In the Quiapo area, rich and ordinary families provide food and refreshment to the devotees. The atmosphere is that of a fiesta. Some individuals throw in money as thanksgiving for answered prayers.

Our local priest, Fr. Vic, answers the question many people ask: why are the Filipinos so devoted to the Black Nazarene, and in a fanatical way, at that?

He refers to the Gospel reading of the day where a man diseased with leprosy, an outcast of society, forced his way near the Jesus of Nazareth and declared, “ Lord, if you choose, you can make me clean.”  And Jesus said, “ I do choose. Be made clean.”

The devotees of the Black Nazarene, like the Leper, force their way to get near the Image, or throw their towels to be wiped onto the Nuestro Senor Nazareno, because their faith and devotion tell them that they, too, will be healed by Jesus, no matter what their station in life is. It is all about “pananampalataya,” (faith), the priest says.

We light our candles and move with the other devotees. Our church’s own version of translacion is unique in its own way : low key, no fanfare, less candles, shorter route.

But all that matters is in the heart of the faithful.