Nuestra Senora de Corona

 

It’s not a good sign when I start something with a disclaimer.  It either means that F bombs are going to be dropped here and there or I will spill some good tea, mostly “freshly brewed”, at the expense of me getting cancelled. 

Please keep in mind that this is coming from a place of love and concern.  It’s just that it is so hard to fathom that at times like these, in the middle of a global pandemic, something off and dare I say, insensitive can happen in a place where love and concern for humanity should be the utmost priority. This about my local parish, a Catholic institution deeply rooted in Spanish tradition and influence.  

I have to say though, that my view about faith and religion, the Catholic church in particular, has changed greatly throughout the years.  Having said that, I have learned to respect any belief system on this earth.  Sometimes, it can be the only moral compass that guides an individual in his or her journey in life.  Having faith in a supreme being stops everyone from murdering each other because of the fear of someone great and powerful, or the fear of having one’s soul condemned to eternal fire if he or she swims against the tide.   And I thank religion for that, for instilling fear to mortal men in order that they can be reeled in at a snap of a finger of a bishop, a pastoral letter from the parish priest or by a decree of papal infallibility.  (But then again, a good number of wars have started because of faith, and some have killed in the name of god based on one’s belief.  But this is not the point I am trying to make, so I will move on). 

I can identify so many teachings of the Catholic Church that I do not agree on even with my eyes closed but I have to be specific so that I can be relevant to the topic I am trying to shoot for and in order to narrow down a very vast subject- in this way, I can specify what I think is downright inappropriate and insensitive. 

 

A few weeks ago, my mother had a phone call from an excited friend about an upcoming project that our hometown parish (in the Philippines) has decided to pursue.  A very generous parishioner has decided to donate to the church an image of the Virgin Mary, specifically in her form as the Lady of the Rosary.  This image of Mary is supposed to cost six thousand US dollars.  That is a pretty hefty price for statue that has been represented so many times in our church.  In fact, the main “retablo” of our altar bears an image of Mary as the Lady of the Rosary.  Of course, my mom and her friend, being devout and obedient Catholics, are both excited about this project.  She has tried to hide her excitement from me because she already knows how I feel about this forthcoming fundraising. 

The said project is not to finance the sculpting of the image of Mary as someone was already kind-hearted enough to donate the image.  The venture is about building a side altar where the Virgin Mary can be enthroned.  My mom’s friend, wanting to get ahead of the scoop before it comes out on social media and the church bulletin, starts calling all her amigas to collect monetary donation in order for the side altar be made into fruition.  This endeavor will cost an insane amount of money- seventy-two thousand US dollars, to be exact.  In figures, it looks like this- USD 72,000.  That’s seventy-two followed by three zeroes.  In Philippine pesos, it is about 3.5 million.  It’s 3 with six zeroes after it.  Plus change. 

I know my mom is very excited about this but she denies it.  How do I know she is?  She already sent money to donate to the construction of this lavish altar which, I think, will be made of intricate wood carvings of flowers and vines sprinkled with gold trimmings. 

In a different time, I can probably gloss over this petty venture.  But in the middle of a global health and economic crisis, spending a ridiculous amount of money over a statue and a space to have it settled seems insensitive and blatantly foolish.

 

That is when I start to pose rhetorical questions thrown casually into the air (hoping to hear an answer from heaven) so I can be enlightened about the legitimacy and urgency of this fund-raising. 

Why does our parish need another image of the Virgin Mary, when in fact, I can count by memory that we have more than 10 images of her, and more than half of them is carrying the rosary?  How is this Mary any different from the other Mary’s we already have? 

They are calling this new image as Nuestra Senora del Rosario de Hermosa.  Because we need to name her after our hometown.  Does Mary’s guidance change with her many different incarnations?

Does it really matter to her if her image is named after a town, a city, an object, or anything that occupies space? 

I am afraid to answer these questions truthfully and logically because I am just a mortal under the enchantment of an ethereal being, now represented in carved wood with beautiful clothing and adorned with jewels.

 

And why does she have to be on an altar that is specifically made for her?  All the other images of the Virgin Mary in our church does not have their own niche.  They are content with a table and cloth covering over it, which is what we have always done on certain feast days that is celebrated in her honor.  Can this Mary not stand on a regular table, and is she that special that she needs a three-million- peso altar? 

 

Three million pesos.  That is a lot of dough.  Just think of the money that can be utilized to help those who have lost their job during this trying times.  Or better yet, think of the money that can be used to purchase vaccines to stop the spread of the virus.  Or the money that can be used to finance hospitals and help people who are suffering from devastation of the COVID virus. 

On surface value, this undertaking is simply to beautify a structure that is already beautiful.  Our church has been famous for that gorgeous “retablo”.  And I don’t think there is no further depth to this surface value.  That’s about it.  It’s a project where superficial is written all over it. 

 

Maybe someone can argue that it can deepen the faith of a parishioner.  But why does it have to cost so much money?  Can one’s faith not be touched by a beautiful song, a powerful speech, a moving tribute or a meaningful ceremony?  Can one’s faith only rely on the superficial and not go beyond it?  True faith is transformative, not only to oneself but making a change to someone else’s life.  Isn’t that what Jesus wanted?  To see him in others and not just through a statue? 

Then if we see god through this man-made image and prostrate ourselves in front of it, how does it differ from idolatry? 

 

A friend of mine argued to me once that the efforts of the church during this pandemic helps the parishioners feel a sense of normalcy.  It helps them feel that the virus has no power over them, that God is above all these hardships.  Fine.  Let’s agree that God and our faith are stronger than this virus.  But it does not mean you just plunge into the virus without protection.  Did we forget that our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit and we have to keep it intact and healthy.  We still need to protect our body and more so, someone else’s.  Isn’t that the real meaning of Christ’s love? 

More than normalcy, we need to protect our physical health. The faithful’s priorities are sometimes misplaced.  What is a simple sacrifice to stop the spread of virus, or postpone any activity that will harm others along the way?  It’s not asking much.  Isn’t that the true meaning of abstinence and fasting? 

I learned from catechism class that when you fast, the money you save from it should be donated to charity or to corporal works of mercy.  You just don’t starve yourself just for the heck of fasting.  It has a corresponding merit somewhere in the plethora of Christ’s teaching, which makes perfect sense.  But this part has been overlooked by other blind followers so many times.  Everyone is only looking on the face value.  The superficial. Fasting.  Starving. Because someone told them so. Hence, the fear of someone great and powerful. 

 

My un-rhetorical question now is: Why does not anyone speak up against this project?  I may have two answers.  One is, people really believe in this “mission”:  that the presence of a beautiful image of the Virgin Mary enshrined in a massive and elaborate altar will really strengthen their faith.  And a strong faith in God will grant them courage and hope in this desperate world.  It does not matter if one is blinded of how this endeavor is achieved as long as he or she has God and Mary on their side.  They see nothing wrong with it. 

But what about others who are most in need of our mercy (and grace through monetary donations)? Of God’s mercy?   Do they not count because they do not go to church?

The second answer is where I fall under and most probably, this is where the minority lies.  I am scared of the church and its powers.  If you talk against the Catholic church, you will get branded, at least indirectly as someone who is disrespectful and most likely as someone that is too liberal and forward thinking, and as someone who does not believe in the existence of God because I questioned the relevance of this church-approved activity. 

Unfortunately, most Filipinos are raised in their home to accept and swallow the teachings of the church without placing critical thought into it because it is written, and it is dogma, and God says so.  You do not question the church because it is always right.  That is how fear is instilled on the very young mind of a choir member, an altar server or a plain joe parishioner. 

To be honest, the fact that I am voicing out this unpopular opinion can cancel me for the rest of my life as a son of Hermosa.  However, I still believe in that opinion.  I hope the parish council can convince me otherwise and enlighten me on the relevance of this altar in this COVID-era. 

 

This is not the right time to do something like this.  There, I said it. 

I hope priorities are straightened out during this time.  I do not wish to clash against an institution of two thousand years old, nor wish any disrespect to the community that raised and formed me into what I am today.  I owe them that, at the very least.  I know that the intention is without malice and I know in their hearts they mean well, but I just hope they see what is essential at this time.  And what is essential is not a side altar that will cost an arm and a leg, and the heart, and lungs and the other vital organs of someone trying to survive on a ventilator in a hospital somewhere.  

 

March 29, 2021