Sincere Religiosity

The WORD in other words (2022) by Fr Antolin Uy SVD – Divine Word Seminary, Tagaytay City

Ash Wednesday – Lent

You give alms to the needy, you pray for the dead, and you fast for a cause – they are laudable acts, even if they are not religious. They merit recognition and, at times, reward. This is true in the contemporary world.

Among the Jews, however, almsgiving, praying, and fasting are highly-prized religious practices so that it’s no surprise that the behavior of the law-loving Pharisees did not escape Jesus’ straightforward rebuke. It’s bad enough to openly seek attention and recognition in one’s religious acts, but truly reprehensible when done by religious leaders themselves like the Pharisees.

This attitude of seeking of oneself and not of God, his acceptance and his mercy, drew accordingly Jesus’ threefold censure of “hypocrite.”

Among us Filipinos ostentatious display of religious enthusiasm is not uncommon. That is when we are accused of externalism and formalism by foreigners, in particular, in our exaggerated forms of devotions to Mary and the saints. One observes them among ordinary Filipinos.

Unlike the law-oriented Jews, Filipinos are sincere and unaffected, typical manifestation of popular religiosity – the mark of Filipino Catholicism. If there is a taint of pharisaic practices in the Philippines it hardly comes from our Church leaders. Popular religiosity, common in South America is genuine religiousity.