AS THEY did last year and for many years before that, devotees of the Black Nazarene will gather anew Monday to wear their faith on their sleeve.
Millions of Filipinos will clog the streets of the city of Manila, following the image of Jesus Christ carrying the cross that symbolized His suffering. They will attempt to touch it, or at least have their article touch the miraculous piece of wood.
As has always been the case, the event is a logistical and security nightmare. The sheer number of attendees is enough to bring traffic to a standstill. The devotees themselves, belonging to a rather wide age range, will have specific needs, especially medical assistance. Some will think that they can bear the heat and the crowd—they will be mistaken. Some may find themselves lost, or drowning, in the sea of bodies.
There will be petty crime, notwithstanding the fact that this is a religious event.
And because we live in precarious times, there will always be the threat of terror especially given the number of innocent civilians who would be at the event. The Philippine National Police would have to take a break from its war against drugs and focus, for a day, on a war against terror from faceless enemies who may just attempt to blend with the crowd before bringing damage. They will likely sow terror, or spite the President—actually, both.
Despite all these, millions will still turn out, mostly in their maroon shirts. Their faith, or whatever else it is that drives them, will not allow them to cower before these threats.
And so tomorrow promises to be like all the other Black Nazarene feasts in history, an event that showcases the best and the worst among devotees, the government, and bystanders and armchair commenters.
The faith and the persistence are fascinating, but we hope people turn up for all the right reasons instead of a blind desire to touch a piece of wood at all costs, flaunt one’s religiosity or take advantage of the mayhem for one’s agenda.
Guidance from the Church, and thorough management by the national and local government, will be key. These will showcase how well or how poorly we have mastered making it through this day in one piece.
