We may be a poor, Third World, developing country, but if there is one thing the Filipinos have a surplus of, it is faith. Faith in a benevolent God who will give our children a future that is better than our present. That faith, I believe, is the one thing that has kept us and will keep us from self destructing.

Two events this week have put emphasis on the faith of Filipinos in general.

The first is a news item citing the Cebu Governor's act of offering eggs and goodies to the Carmelite nuns, asking for the weather to be cooperative during the rescheduled Asean Summit that will be held there shortly. Governor Gwen Garcia was also reported to have made the same offering and request to the same convent for the original schedule of the summit last December, but the faith of the national government officials who called off the summit at the last minute, citing poor weather as the official reason for the postponement, must have been lesser than that of the woman governor.

Now, poor weather is yet again threatening to rain on Cebu City's international parade and the Carmelite nuns have been called to duty again with eggs and sweets. The most powerful men and women in the country are still left with no choice but to turn to faith in trying to stop rain from falling on their beloved Asean Summit. Will God, through the intercession of the nuns, grant their request this time around? Only time will tell.

Those government officials who pulled the plug on the event last December will have to be a bit more faithful this time around or we as a country will be humiliated yet again when this particular international summit, the reason behind millions of pesos of spending on the cosmetic beautification of Cebu City, suffers another last minute postponement due to poor weather.

The second event this week that showcased the Filipino brand of faith was the feast of the Black Nazarene in Manila. The Black Nazarene is a 400 year old burnt image of Jesus Christ, and is the patron saint of Quiapo. As evidenced by the humongous crowd that followed its procession from Luneta to Quiapo church, this particular image has a lot of devotees. Many of these devotees have reported miracles after they have touched the statue.

The crowd, which was estimated to number at least 100,000, comprised of your regular Filipino folk. There were no powerful politicians, save for a sprinkling of self proclaimed "devotees", who were probably there more for their political ambitions than their personal religious beliefs. There was no offerings of eggs or goodies, the people in the crowd just wanted to touch the statue as it made its way to its home, Quiapo Church. The statue slowly marched toward its destination, moving through a sea of almost fanatical devotees who were pushing, jostling, doing everything they can to be able to touch the Black Nazarene.

Those unfamiliar with the ways of the Filipinos will be stymied by this amazing display of faith. How can a burnt carving of Jesus Christ, which is on display daily at the Quiapo church, thus easily accessible to the general public, attract such a large crowd during this particular day? Are its miraculous powers intensified during its feast day, when it is brought out of the church and mobbed by this intensely devout crowd? Nobody knows except the devotees who year in and year out risk bodily harm and troop to Quiapo during its feast day just to get a chance to touch or even just see the figure of the Black Nazarene.

Our country has rituals for the faithful from all walks of life, from the obscenely wealthy to the poorest of the poor. In the case of the two examples cited above, the well off have the option of buying their blessings, asking the convents to do their praying as they hope for divine intervention for their parties not to get ruined by bad weather.

On the other hand, our countrymen who cannot afford to buy their blessings try to earn it by walking barefoot in a massive crowd, trying to get close to a charred 400 year old statue that is literally being mobbed by like-minded devotees, hoping that touching it momentarily or wiping a piece of cloth on it will get God's nod and grant their wishes.

Whether through donations, pilgrimages, prayers, or anything in between, the most important ingredient in all these rituals is faith. Those who don't believe will simply not make the effort. Why donate eggs for fair weather if you don't think it will work? Why join the massive crowd at the feast of the Black Nazarene if you don't believe in its miraculous power? Why pray to God if you don't believe in Him at all? We may be a poor, Third World, developing country, but if there is one thing the Filipinos have a surplus of, it is faith. Faith in a benevolent God who will give our children a future that is better than our present. That faith, I believe, is the one thing that has kept us and will keep us from self destructing.

 

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