Diocese of Antipolo Bishop Ruperto C. Santos enumerated three of the most important lessons that the faithful may learn from their devotion to the revered Black Nazarene- that life is a calling, a journey and an offering.
“First, life is a calling. God calls upon us, to have us experience Him, to be with him. God is calling us into a life filled with blessings and grace,” the CBCP promoter of Stella Maris Philippines said in his diocesan reflection.
“In the New Testament, God spoke. In Jesus's transfiguration on Mount Tabor, God declared,’This is my Son, whom I love; with Him I am well pleased. Listen to Him.’(Matthew 17,5). God calls us to welcome and accept Jesus in our hearts, to emulate Him and to follow Him. The same calling Jesus uttered when He invited Peter and Andrew, ‘come, follow me and I will make you fishers of men.’ (Mark 1, 17). Jesus wants us to be His partner and helping-hand in reaching out to man in His salvation plan. Jesus calls upon you to be His disciples for His work here on earth,” the bishop said.
Bishop Santos said our journey on earth is our personal ‘traslacion.’
“Life is a journey. Our life is a gift from God. This is what we will bring back to Him. Our life here on earth is like a journey and we are mere travelers. We are passersby in this world. We have a final destination, and that is to be with our Almighty Father for all eternity. God is waiting for us in heaven. That is our true home. This is our translacion. From here on earth, we will cross into heaven. From this world, we must reach our final home, be ushered to God's presence in heaven,” he said.
“Therefore, while we have the time and opportunity, let us do what is good so that we can return to heaven. While we are strong, healthy, and able, let us follow and be obedient to God’s will and His laws so that we can move, translacion, from this world to the kingdom of God,” the prelate added.
“Like Jesus, in our translacion, there is a cross. We must bear the cross. We must be ready to walk the way of the cross. We will also have difficulties. Sometimes we will stumble or get sidetracked. Oftentimes, we might get wounded. This is what we must remember: Jesus is always with us. God will help us. He will strengthen us, bless us, and make sure that we will overcome all the burdens and trials. God will make sure that our translacion will be successful,” Bishop Santos stressed.
“Finally, Life is an offering. Our God is generous. There is nothing God will not grant you. God will not deprive you of anything, as long as it is according to His perfect will. We always receive something from Him. Whatever we have came from Him. God even gave His only Son for our salvation. Jesus, God the Son, offered His very own life on the cross so that we can be forgiven and be reconciled to God the Father. In response to God's call and in our journey towards our translacion, it is appropriate that we make an offering to God. We must give something back to God. Let us offer our repentant hearts, our shortcomings, and guilt. Let us express our desire to renew our lives. Let us thank God for all our successes. He made us strong and blessed us with different abilities and talents. Let us give Him back praise, honor, and glory. We have experienced God's mercy when despite our imperfections, He accepted and blessed us. Let us therefore, render to God our obedience and service. Renew your life for God, for your family. In this feast of our dear Señor Nazareno, in this celebration of His translacion, we are reminded that our life is a calling, a journey and an offering,” the Church leader said.
Bishop Santos likewise shared the history of the arrival of the Poong Hesus Nazareno in the country as follows:
“In 1606, a group of missionaries from the Order of Agustinian Recollects traveled from Jarandilla, Extremadura of Spain. They were led by Fray Benito de San Pablo. They arrived in Manila on May 31, carrying the images of the Lord Jesus in His Passion, such as: La oracion del Señor (Agony in the Garden), Señor Cautivo (Christ arrested), Señor Azotafo (Christ scourged at the Pillar), Señor Desmayado (Christ fainted in exhaustion), Señor de Paciencia (Christ crowned with thorns) Ecce Homo (Christ sentenced to death), and lastly, Señor Nazareno (Christ carrying the cross).”
“The image of Señor Nazareno is black. First, because of the fire that happened at the time it was brought to Manila. And secondly, the wood that was used, called mesquite in Northern Mexico, is black. It was similar to Kamagong, our native tree.”
“These images were placed at the former Church of St Nicholas of Tolentine in Intramuros, and brought out during processions on Palm Sundays. However, with the increased number of devotees, largely of Señor Nazareno, the Recollect Friars made a new image in Mexico as a replica of Señor Nazareno. The new images were called "Nazarene of the Poor," which is for everyone, and the other one was called the "Nazarene of the Rich," because only a few high-profile people in the society could come in and hold it.”
“Both Señor Nazareno were in Intramuros, at the St. Nicholas Church of Tolentine until Jan. 9, 1787 until the Archbishop of Manila, Basilio Sancho de Santa Justa y Rufina, ordered that the Señor Nazareno of the Poor be transferred to St. John the Baptist Church in Quiapo.”
“This is the traslacion that we celebrate every year from then on until now, commemorating the transfer or "translation" that happened on Jan. 9,1787. The Señor Nazareno of the Rich was destroyed during World War II during the so-called Battle of Manila. But the Señor Nazareno of the Poor remained safe from war, earthquakes and fires. That is why it is considered miraculous.”