Columnist Explores Ritual and Essential Worship in Cebu's Sinulog Celebrations
A reader recently emailed a columnist to request examples of peripheral ritual practices observed in Cebu City, particularly during the Sinulog festival, alongside illustrations of essential acts of love practiced in daily life. The columnist decided to share this thoughtful response with a broader audience, sparking a deeper conversation about faith and action in the Filipino context.
The Dichotomy of Worship in Filipino Christianity
In a previous column, the writer asserted that the Filipino brand of Christianity is failing society. There is a noticeable tendency to engage more readily in ritual worship rather than embracing the essential worship demonstrated through hardcore Christian living. This significant shortage of genuinely Christian behavior, the columnist argues, plays a crucial role in explaining the widespread corruption and persistent poverty plaguing the nation.
Religion fundamentally involves belief in and worship of a God or gods. Within any religious framework, worship typically manifests in two distinct forms. One is peripheral and symbolic, expressed through rituals, while the other is essential, demonstrated through a life lived in alignment with the values promoted by the religion.
Examples of Ritual Practices in Cebu's Catholic Traditions
In Catholic Christianity, the principal rituals include the Eucharist and the other Sacraments. More peripheral than these core rituals are practices such as processions, novenas, and acts like dancing or walking on one's knees in church during the feast of patron saints, especially Santo Niño. The most extreme peripheral rituals involve walking barefoot in the Black Nazarene procession, self-flagellation, and even crucifixion reenactments during Lent.
These rituals undoubtedly signify worship of Christianity's God. However, they do not necessarily indicate that those who perform them are living authentic Christian lives. Ritual acts cannot serve as substitutes for a life lived according to the precepts of Jesus Christ, who emphasized in Matthew 22:39, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself."
The Essence of Christian Living: Beyond Rituals
As depicted in the gospels through the adult Jesus, not the child, the essential act of worship for a Christian is to honor the God that resides in each person. This involves respecting every individual's right to life, freedom from hunger, ignorance, ill health, and any form of exploitation or injustice. An essentially Christian life is one lived in sincere imitation of Christ's way of life—a life characterized by love, justice, and compassion for "the least of My brethren."
To draw a parallel, attending flag-raising ceremonies represents ritual patriotism. It signifies love of country but does not inherently make someone a patriot. The ultimate patriotic act is dying in defense of one's country. On a daily basis, however, patriotism simply means contributing to the nation's progress and development by performing an honest and productive job, whether as a lawyer, doctor, government official, teacher, farmer, laborer, or in any other role.
The Philippine Context: Ritual Abundance Versus Essential Scarcity
In Christian Philippines, ritual worship is prominently displayed, especially during festivals like Sinulog. In contrast, essential worship is scarce, particularly in high places of power and influence. Many politicians engage in corruption, stealing money from the people. Numerous businesses fail to provide just wages, health insurance, or safe and secure working environments for their employees. The columnist notes that incidents like Binaliw were not acts of God but resulted from human negligence. Millions of poor Filipinos are deprived of their basic rights by fellow Christians.
The Philippine Catholic Church, according to the columnist, needs to shift its emphasis from ritual to the essential worship of genuine acts of justice and compassion directed toward marginalized Filipinos. Only through this essential worship can there be meaningful improvement in the quality of their often miserable lives, fostering a society that truly reflects Christian values.
