Black Nazarene devotion mirrors faith and hope

Every year, the Feast of the Black Nazarene never fails to bring tens of thousands of pilgrims from all over the country from all walks of life to its procession. This is the largest religious festival in the country which is held on January 9 every year. Last year, the festivities started already the day before with a night vigil at the Quirino Grandstand at Luneta Park. The next morning the statue was brought to Quiapo church in a huge procession attended by more than half a million devotees.

The procession started way back in the 17th century when thousands of men would parade the streets with the centuries-old, life-size black wooden statue of Jesus (of Nazarene), knelt down under the weight of the cross. For more than 200 years, the statue has been placed on a gilded carriage every January and pulled through the streets of Quiapo by male devotees dressed in maroon. People who touch the Nazarene were reported to have been healed of diseases. Because of this, thousands of religious followers try to get close enough to touch the image and perhaps receive a miracle. They also throw towels to the people guarding the statue and ask them to rub the towel on the statue in hopes of carrying some of that power away with them.

The Black Nazarene statue is said to come from Mexico, which was also a former colony of Spain and the center of the Galleon Trade that included the Philippines. The statue, which was carved by an Aztec carpenter,  was brought to Mexico by a priest. And from Mexico, it was brought to the country during the Spanish colonial period on May 31, 1606, by the first group of the Augustinian Recollect missionaries who landed on the shores of Manila. It was told that during the trip, there was a fire on board and the statue caught fire. Hence, it became black or charred. This reminds me of another black icon I saw when I was in Mexico. This statue was also popular with devotees. Even a priest used to go there. The story was that this priest had the devotion of starting his day by kissing the feet of the figure of the crucified Christ in his church. One of the parishioners asked the priest for permission to marry the priest’s sister. But he had a very bad reputation so the priest refused to give his permission. The man, knowing about the priest’s devotion to the crucifix, placed deadly poison on its feet. The next day, the priest kissed the poisoned feet of the crucifix. Nothing happened because the figure in the crucifix absorbed all the poison in its system and turned black. The statue may actually be black to begin with, like many similar statues in Latin America.

In the book of Matthew Chapter 9, verses 19-22 (King James Version of the Bible), we read, “. . . And, behold, a woman, which was diseased with an issue of blood twelve years, came behind him, and touch the hem of his garment: For she said within herself, if I may but touch his garment, I shall be whole. But Jesus turned him about, and when he saw her, he said, Daughter, be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole. And the woman was made whole from that hour”. In another version, we also read, “Jesus immediately recognized healing power had gone out from him, he turned to her and told her to take courage because her faith had healed her”.

There have been recorded miracles of healing after devotees touched the statue of the Black Nazarene, or even the rope that is hoisted to move it, hence the large throng of people that converge every year. But there also have been reported deaths and injuries every year during the processions, which we hope will not happen again tomorrow.

Whether it is faith on a living God or a statue, may these stories of great faith and miracles encourage us and make us stronger to battle the storms of life.