Prepared by: Richard G.

Pazcoguin UST-IR

The Catechism for Filipino Catholics (CFC) describes the Filipino Catholic with the following Characteristics: Family-0riented Meal-Oriented Kundiman-Oriented Bayani-Oriented Spirit-Oriented

We Filipinos draw our sense of self-identity from our families. Our families provide us with a sense of security, stability, and belongingness.

Hindi siya iba sa atin. Christ is our kapatid, and because of this, we deem ourselves worthy to call God Ama Namin and our Lady as Mahal na Ina.

For us Filipinos, our salosalo is more than just nourishment of the body. We strengthen our relationships by sharing a meal. The Filipino handaan is an expression of our good will.

The Eucharist is our salo-salo, our family reunion. Christ is our tinapay ng buhay, the Host that throws a piging as a sign of his gracious love- love that sustains us, love that makes us one as Gods people.

The Kundiman is a sad love song. We are naturally attracted to those who are kawawa or kinakawawa. We are also very patient and forgiving alang-alang sa pinagsamahan. We are willing to suffer for the sake of others.

Christ is the God who keeps on loving us to the point of suffering and death. Pinagmalasakitan tayo. In him we find someone who understands our struggles and heartaches for he himself has been through it all.

We look up to heroes. We admire people who give up their lives for our sake. We do not want sad endings to our stories. Perhaps we endure suffering because we there is someone who is willing to sacrifice on our behalf to defend us from oppressors and get us out of our misery.

Jesus is our Cristo Rey, the king who is tagapagtanggol ng inaapi, kampeon ng masa. He is the defender of the poor and the oppressed. As king, he assures us that things will go well since he has already triumphed over evil.

For us Filipinos, the supernatural is natural. We are likely to believe in the existence of the invisible and the mysterious.

It is easy for us to accept Jesus as miracle-worker. Jesus is the mapaghimala, the makapangyarihan sa lahat who can exorcize demons, heal diseases, control nature.

As Filipinos, we have shown preference for two images of Christ:

The Suffering and Dead Christ

SANTO NIO

The Christ Child

JESUS NAZARENO SANTO ENTIERRO

The image of the Santo Nio is the oldest religious image in the Philippines. The wooden image, made by Flemish artisans, was brought to the island by Ferdinand Magellan in 1521, just like the Magellan cross. Magellan gave the image Santo Nio to Queen Juana as a baptismal gift. Forty-four years later, In 1565, Cebu was for a big part destroyed by a fire. The fire was set on purpose by the Spaniards as a punishment for hostile activities of the Cebuanos. In one of the burned houses, a Spanish soldier found the image of Santo Nio remarkably unscratched! Since then, the miraculous image has been treated by the Cebuanos as their patron saint. At present, the miraculous image is kept in the Parish convent, and only a replica, adorned with gold and precious stones and enshrined in glass, is venerated inside the Basilica Minor del Santo Nio.

From Christ, the Sto. Nio, we learn that:

God really became human, and being a man like us, he has made himself even more accessible. Christ identifies himself with the little ones. As a child, he is a God who became weak for our sakes. When we defend and protect the weak, we preserve the image of God in them. Christ favors the child-like. It is by being like children that we are able to enter the Kingdom of Heaven.

The Black Nazarene is a life-sized statue of Jesus Christ that a priest bought in Mexico, carved by an Aztec carpenter. The statue was brought to Manila by the first group of Augustinian Recollect friars in 1606. In Quiapo, the devotion to Nuestro Padre Jess Nazareno attracted a very big following. Its popularity, which initially spread to the northern and southern provinces of Luzon, spreads overtime throughout the Philippines. Pope Pius VII, in the 19th century, granted indulgence to those who piously pray before the image of the Black Nazarene of Quiapo. Today, despite the rough and tumble that usually accompany the yearly procession of the image, the Filipino people's devotion to Our Lord in the special appellation of Nuestro Padre Jess Nazareno continues to flourish. The procession, and the accompanying Feast of the Black Nazarene, takes place every year on the ninth day of January. It is usually the single largest festival of the year in the Philippines. For more than 200 years, the church has been placing the statue on a gilded carriage every January and pulling it through the streets of Quiapo. People who touch it are reported to sometimes be healed of diseases. Catholics come from all over Manila on the chance that they will be able to get close enough to touch the image and perhaps receive a miracle. They also throw towels to the police who guard the statue and ask them to rub the towel on the statue in hopes of carrying some of that power away with them.

From Christ, the Nazareno and the Sto. Entierro, we learn that:
Christ is not a stranger to our sufferings Christ found us worth dying for. Christ is the supreme example of pagmamalasakit. He not only became one of us, he even bore our pains. Suffering is not only for the guilty, but mysteriously, even the innocent suffer. In faith, we accept that there are certain things we have to suffer for the sake of others.

Other Filipino Popular Devotions to Our Lord

Devotion to the Sacred Heart has two elements: consecration and reparation: 1.We consecrate ourselves to the Sacred Heart by acknowledging Him as Creator and Redeemer and as having full rights over us as King of Kings, by repenting, and by resolving to serve Him. 2.We make reparations for the indifference and ingratitude with which He is treated and for leaving Him abandoned by humanity.

Other Filipino Popular Devotions to Our Lord

The most popular devotion to the Divine Mercy of Our Lord is the THREE OCLOCK HABIT, a prayer which commemorates the death of our Lord and the outpour of Gods mercy as a consequence of that death. The devotion to the Divine Mercy demands that we 1. Ask for Gods Mercy 2. Be Merciful 3. Completely Trust in Jesus.

Lord Jesus, Prince of Peace we lift up to you our country. Bless the Philippines with the peace that only you can give. Let there be an end to armed conflict. Heal us of all division. Gather us around your table so that as one family we may celebrate your selfgiving love. We pray for economic recovery and for good government. Give us leaders who will lead us to prosperity and to national renewal. Finally, may we not be contented with being the only Christian nation in Asia. As we strive to follow your will, may we spread your light to all the peoples of Asia That they too may acclaim you as their Lord and Savior. Amen.

DISCIPLESHIP FOR FILIPINOS

Bishop Teodoro C. Bacani, Jr., D.D.

Manila: Gift of God Publications; 1988

CBCP Episcopal Commission on Catechesis and Catholic Education

CATECHISM FOR FILIPINO CATHOLICS

Makati: Word and Life Publications, 1997