Pit Senyor! Santo Niño in the diocese of Brownsville; a reflection on diversity and unity

Over the last couple of weeks, the Filipino community throughout the Diocese of Brownsville has been celebrating the days of the Santo Niño. In Harlingen, Weslaco and McAllen processions and music and much food have surrounded the festivities celebrating the evangelization of the Philippines, and the pivotal place the image of the child Jesus has played in the lives of generations of Filipino Catholics. I was able to celebrate Mass for the day of Santo Niño at St Anne Church in Peñitas. What a grace and blessing it is for the Rio Grande Valley that the Filipino Communities here so generously share their faith and devotion with us all!

The tradition of Santo Niño goes back to the first evangelization of the Philippines when the image of the Child Jesus was confided to Queen Juana. Since then the devotion to the Child Jesus spread and its meaning elaborated. Our celebration at Saint Anne's Church coincided (más o menos) with the celebrations that accompanied our Holy Father Pope Francis as he made his pilgrim way through the Philippine Islands. There was much joy in the community as they watched reports of the impact of the Holy Fathers' visit. For us here in the Valley, devotion to the Child Jesus is a vivid reminder of the sacredness of childhood. With so many of our young people in danger of losing hope, or of dropping out of school, or of feeling outcast and relegated to non-person status, we must renew our efforts to bring hope and joy to our children. And one thing is for sure, there was great joy in the celebrations around Santo Niño in the Valley!

The Mass was celebrated in English and Tagolog, with most of the music for the Mass and the processions in Tagolog, and some of the regional languages of the Philippine Islands. I am told there are more than 80 regional languages on the Islands. The celebration gave me an opportunity to reflect upon the issue of the unity and diversity of the Church. In brief, it is important to realize that the Church speaks many languages, and she speaks only one. The one language that binds us in a common identity is that of charity. Charity is the generous love that moves our devotion and fidelity to the Lord God, and that motivates our generous love for one another.

There is a language that we understand that lies beneath the individual words. I remember when I was in Detroit, Michigan, participating in one of the many celebrations surrounding Our Lady of Guadalupe. There was singing and a great procession, and a beautiful Mass. All of it in Spanish. I happened upon an elderly lady in tears. I asked her what was the matter. She told me she was Polish and her tears were tears of joy, because this outpouring of love for the Blessed Virgin reminded her of her childhood in Poland. She had not seen such a thing since then. Of course, the point is that she did not speak Spanish, but she understood the language that was being spoken that night perfectly well. This is what I mean the language beneath the different languages. 

Devotion to Our Lady or to the Blessed Sacrament or public expressions of faith during Holy Week and Christmas all speak to us on a deep level of understanding, beyond the words. To paraphrase Saint Augustine, all the words are meant to lead us to the One Word. 

So it is with us in the Rio Grande Valley and in a more general sense for the Church in the United States. What a wonderful grace it is for us to have within our churches such rich diversity of faith expression. When we participate in these celebrations we give witness to the fact that languages need not divide us, if we let the Lord Jesus draw us into himself. Love of him and the mysteries of faith he brings us unites us into a community of many languages but rooted in the One Word. This is the truly Catholic vision of life that flows from Pentecost, a renewed human race united in Christ, yet with each diverse part able to retain its identity and unique heritage of expression. And each diverse cultural community offers their faith and devotion to the wider Church. It is a gift that enriches. And, let us not forget, it is incumbent upon the larger cultural communities to protect and graciously receive with reverence the gifts that the smaller communities bring us. This mutual exchange of gifts is the way of Christ, it must therefore, be the way of the Church. Pit Senyor!

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