JOURNEY OF FAITH After spending Friday at Quirino Grandstand for the traditional “Pahalik,” the iconic Black Nazarene once again goes on the road today for the mammoth procession back to Quiapo Church. RAFFY LERMA
A Muslim convert amid a sea of Catholic devotees joined the long lines Friday to kiss and thank the Black Nazarene, showing how two different creeds can merge in a grateful heart.
Married to a Jordanian since the late 1980s, 62-year-old Emma Pacheco Shami said her “very open-minded” husband had been allowing her to continue practicing the faith that gave her strength during her difficult youth.
“I used to go to Quiapo Church and go down the aisle on my knees,” said Shami, who grew up in Muntinlupa City and is now based in Jordan. “My life before was not easy. Growing up, we didn’t have much. I promised myself that I would strive for a better life and I prayed to the Black Nazarene for that.”
Everything she asked for, Shami said, had been granted: a loving family, a beautiful home, three children who are now professionals, and blissful years in retirement after working in Jordan’s hotel industry.
Visiting the Nazarene now is all about thanking Him. “They (my family) just give me my plane tickets and pocket money. I’ve been able to do this for the past three years; I schedule my trip during the holidays so I can pay homage to the Nazareno.”
“In my heart, I am both Muslim and Christian. The two faiths are very similar—they both believe in one God. I am lucky that my husband is a very open-minded man,” she said.
Muslims regard Jesus as one of the major prophets of Islam. He is depicted in the Koran as Nabi Isa, son of Maryam (Mary in the Christian Bible).
Today, the darkened image of the cross-bearing Jesus Christ, housed by Quiapo Church for the last four centuries, is expected to attract millions of devotees in an annual grand procession also known as traslacion.
Authorities on Friday reminded the swarm of pilgrims, mostly males who come barefoot, to keep the procession safe for fellow devotees who will try to jostle their way to touch the Black Nazarene or have a towel dabbed on the image, which they believe to have miraculous powers.
Previous traslacions had seen devotees being injured or crushed to death in the chaos as the statue was paraded from Quirino Grandstand back to Quiapo Church. Two died and over 600 were hurt in last year’s procession.
On top of the security measures, the Manila Police District (MPD) will also try to address a longtime source of “confusion” among the devotees.
The 700 Black Nazarene replicas that will be joining the procession will be kept in line at the rear end, according to Chief Supt. Albert Barot of the MPD Ermita station. Before, he said, groups bearing the replicas were allowed the join in anywhere, sometimes ahead of the carriage bearing the original.
Many devotees thus mistook a replica for the real icon, adding to the chaos, Barot said. With a report from Aie Balagtas See; Inquirer Research