I FOUND myself in the middle of a wave of people, mostly young men, parading barefoot before the image of the Black Nazarene. We were like bees or small fish swarming around the image. For some outsiders, this piety is crazy, but as one devotee paraphrased Pope Francis’ famous quote, “Who are we to judge?”
For me it was literally an experience of “being bruised” and “smelling like the sheep” as Pope Francis had asked priests to do in their pastoral ministry.
However, I do hope that Filipino Catholics would translate this devotion into acts of mercy, compassion and justice. Like anyone who travels around the Philippines, the extreme poverty of many people and the wide gap between the rich and poor disturb me. Nothing has changed much since I left the Philippines 34 years ago, except the development and the rising of many new buildings, mostly classy condominiums that cater to the rich and balikbayans in Makati and other parts of Metro Manila.
It feels good to walk around the high-end malls in Makati like the Rockwell or to reside in a cozy condominium — they insulate and isolate one from hot weather, pollution, and traffic. But when one does this, a deep sense of sadness continues to linger in one’s heart at the thought of extreme poverty experienced by many Filipinos.
The Philippines has many natural and human resources. The commerce in Metro Manila can be stretched toward neighboring provinces like Bulacan, Pampanga, Laguna and Batangas through modern and rapid means of transportation such as train system. But as I often hear from people, it is corruption in the government that has impeded economic progress.
Pope Francis says that the heart of the economy is the human person. I still hope that Filipinos and the Philippine government will take the Pope’s message as the ground for economic changes and policies.
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From a Filipino immigrant family, Reverend Rodel G. Balagtas was ordained to the priesthood from St. John’s Seminary in 1991. He served as Associate Pastor at St. Augustine, Culver City (1991-1993); St. Martha, Valinda (1993-1999); and St. Joseph the Worker, Canoga Park (1999-2001). In 2001, he served as Administrator Pro Tem of St. John Neumann in Santa Maria, CA, until his appointment as pastor of Immaculate Heart of Mary, Los Angeles, in 2002, which lasted 12 years. His term as Associate Director of Pastoral Field Education at St. John’s Seminary began in July 2014.
