Inspirational
The Massive Black Nazarene Procession
The December 30, 2019 Thanksgiving Procession is a preview to the massive one to be held on January 9, 2020.
The December 30 affair caused some confusion because of wide media coverage that it was the ‘most orderly’ in history. Many thought it was the main event, not the preview.
The previous Black Nazarene procession in January 2019 was the most massive in history. The longest was in 2012, 22 hours from dawn to dawn, 9 hours longer than the usual. All four wheels of the carroza (carriage) broke down one by one. Anticipating a more massive procession in January 9, 2020, a new security arrangement is being prepared.
Like an omen, the 2012 procession stopped for a long time right at the heart of the Quiapo Muslim enclave, reminding us of the bond between Muslims and Christians, especially after the devastation of Marawi. People slept on the pavement, waiting for the Image to pass their street. When the city government wanted to make a short cut due to the delay, residents came out in droves to protest. Security forces suppressed cellphone signal to and from the Quiapo area.
The Black Nazarene procession of 2019, broke all records, more massive, more violent, requiring more security more than ever. We expect the same to happen this year, 2020. Previously, women did not join the violent mob, but in 2019, they dared to stick together and assert themselves in a predominantly male crowd. Lord, we offer the Filipino people and the Filipino nation to you, our Messiah.
MESSAGE FROM THE NAZARENE
There are two messages in this historic affair, one from Filipino devotees, the other from the Nazarene. The message from the devotees is a simple prayer, “We will never abandon you, Lord. Even amid the greatest trials You send us, such as the 20-odd typhoons every year, we endure as long as you are beside us.” And the message from the Nazarene is just as simple, “I will never abandon you because you have not abandoned Me. I am the ocean, you are the rivers. Flow into me as I flow back into you, just like the rains that nourish your fields. I am the vine. You are the branches. Abide in me as I in you.”
THE ESSENCE OF FILIPINO FOLK DEVOTION
Nowhere in the world can other Christian communities rival the Filipino Black Nazarene devotees, exemplified by the grass-roots mammoth crowd. Many say it is fanaticism, but theologians say it is the unique character of Filipino devotees, especially with regards the panata, the vow to attend the procession for the rest of one’s life, as atonement for one’s sins. There is no fanaticism in that, only pure prayer not in words but in action. The essence in the Black Nazarene devotion is a prayer for forgiveness of our sins, and homage to the Messiah through whom sins are forgiven.
