Jesus Before Christianity vs. The Nazarene of Quiapo and the Santo Nino

The past couple of weeks have been dry days for me mainly due to a very bad case of colds coupled with fever, body aches and just a general sense of malaise. So I decided to dig up my old books and pulled out what I thought is still relevant today. The following are some thoughts I want to share with you today...

Albert Nolan’s book, Jesus Before Christianity is a such a rich source of reflection for me. From the first chapter alone where he talks about the political situation in Jesus' time as well as the solution that Jesus brought with him, I remember immediately Teddy Benigno’s series of columns in the Philippine Star before he died some years ago as he wrote about the present situation in the country and his proposed solution. He wrote about the plight of the poor who are growing exponentially every year and becoming poorer still, the inequitable distribution of wealth with the vast majority of resources in the hands of very few families, the stark corruption in government, the scandalous militarization of the bureaucracy, the frightening escalation of violence, and even the utter helplessness of the institutional Church today. He talked about a terrifying social volcano that is to erupt inevitably if we do not do something right away. He then proposed what to me was another political solution – the formation of yet another political group he then called “Freedom Force”.

At the other end of the spectrum, organized religion advocates a spiritual solution to bring back Christ in the government and in our society in general. Here, I remember a neon-lighted billboard boldly proclaiming “Christ is the Answer” along Taft Avenue in Manila of the 60’s. In this regard, I have been a witness these past weeks to two examples of this kind of response to our problems at hand.

Last January 9, Metro Manilans as well as those from neighboring towns celebrated the feast of Christ the Black Nazarene in Quiapo. On the day of the fiesta itself, a million plus devotees, mostly urban poor males, flock to Quiapo for the procession where they try to outhustle each other in holding on to a huge rope while pulling the cart bearing the Nazarene. They also do everything so they can wipe their towels off the statue for the much needed blessing. Veteran observers say this year’s crowd was the largest ever in Quiapo’s history. And they add, because life has never been as hard for the Filipino common tao as it was last year.

The other example of spiritual solution that comes to mind is the Santo Nino. As I write this, I am fresh from attending mass in our subdivision chapel whose patron saint is Santo Nino and whose fiesta is today (January 20). The Santo Nino is a favorite among Filpinos and his statue is displayed in almost every home and even in business establishments. Today’s fiesta is also one of the biggest events in many places such as Cebu, Iloilo, and Aklan. At mass today, the priest-celebrant, who is a foreigner was so surprised to see almost every family at mass bringing their own version of the Holy Child in various shapes and sizes, dressed in so many different ways, and placing these before the altar. He was requested later to bless the statues after the mass. When he asked one of them after the blessing why everyone has a statue, he was told that the Santo Nino is their protector and advocate who had answered their prayers in the past.

I now realized after re-reading Albert Nolan’s book that these two forms of Jesus Christ set forth by organized religion do not represent the true Jesus before Christianity who, Nolan says, is the real answer, the way to total liberation and fulfillment not only for us Filipinos but for the whole humankind. Certainly not Jesus the Nazarene who represents a suffering, defeated Jesus on his way to his crucifixion – who for many Filipinos is merely a dispenser of favors and miracles. Certainly not the innocent, cute, and helpless Holy Child who only encourages us to continue to be childish and not child-like. These expressions of religiosity but not of true spirituality only further our inaction and indifference to our present situation.

In saying this, I belittle neither the faith of the devotees to the Nazarene of Quiapo and the Santo Nino, nor the miracles that have been wrought in their name. But, I think ours is what Nolan calls “the type of religion that emphasizes the supernatural world in such a way that one does not need to be concerned about the future of this world and all its peoples, (that) offers a form of escape that makes it all the more difficult to solve our problems.”