DEVOTION

Two days after the nation celebrated the Feast of the Black Nazarene. Millions of devotees of the Black Nazarene were flocking to the Mini Basilica of the Black Nazarene or the Quiapo Church to take glimpse and to commune to the centuries-old icon. The feast extended to some parts of the country with the Black Nazarene being their patron.

The highlight of the celebration was the 22-hour procession wherein devotees and other faithful Catholics inched closer to the miraculous icon, to touch His holiness. Others have said that the image could heal the broken heart, the hopeless soul, and could bring light to the darkness side of life.

The procession is the obvious portrayal on how faithful Filipinos are. In this tradition of Thanksgiving, Filipinos show their being resilient. For all such hertaches that poverty brings, for all such hopelessness that nature's wrath lays down the road, for all such gestures of giving up caused by life's imperfections, here is the way of trusting it all to Jesus in the image of the Black Nazarene. 

Despite such challenges faced by some of our Filipino countrymen caused by nature's wrath, there's still hope beaming in in the distance.

The procession, passing through the streets in the Manila metropolis, lasted for 22 hours before it headed back to Quiapo Church. It's almost a day of sincere devotion.

Faith, for many Filipinos, is a strong desire to keep going. It keeps Filipinos to the standpoint of resilience and courage. This long tradition of celebrating the Feast of the Black Nazarene is a way of giving it back. It is paying tribute to the Great Provider. For all such sacrifices, it's all worth it. It's all worth it for Him. After all, He is the way, the truth, and the life.
    
Photo Credit: http://www.google.com.