An observation that devotees to the Nazareno are getting younger and younger presents the question of whether “devotion” is enough ground work to cement young Catholics’ convictions on issues like pre-marital sex.

More than the carozza
“Devotion to the Black Nazarene must not just end up as some yearly tradition of trying to touch the image, or touch the rope, or the carozza for that matter . . . [True devotion should do away with] the thinking of being ‘my own maker,’ my own ‘master’ when it comes to what we do to our bodies,” said Jan Richmond Tieng, 26, of the Filipino-Chinese Catholic Youth (FCCY).

Tieng, whose own group, the FCCY, has members who attend the novena to the Poong Nazareno, said devotion “is reflected in our day-to-day living.”

Commenting on young Catholics’ environment, Focolare member Guilian Geronimo, 28, explained how media and popular culture present a disjointed view of sexuality, at odds with Church beliefs.

He said increasingly, women are being portrayed as just “someone to screw.”

Concrete values
Seemingly, even the fervor of devotion does not protect young people against such influences.

For Cyril Lituañas, 30, the idea of a growing segment of young Nazareno devotees is actually “inspiring,” but he challenges young people in general to translate their outward religiosity into life decisions and concrete values, specifically with regard to purity in relationships.

“Tulad sa pre-marital sex, may mga kabataan, nagsisimba naman. Alam nila hindi dapat gawin sana [Like with pre-marital sex, there are young people who go to mass. They supposedly know they shouldn’t do it],” Lituañas said, describing how outward religiosity often does not translate to values that guide day to day actions.

Real devotion is ‘pagsasabuhay’
Describing the connection between devotion to the Nazarene and having pre-marital sex, Lituañas, who is the coordinator of the De La Salle University Pastoral Office, said it is an issue of “faithfulness” to Christ’s teachings, much like fidelity in an exclusive romantic relationship.

He said, if devotees’ devotion is real, then they will put a higher value on pagsasabuhay or living it out, rather than outward expressions.

The crowd that took part in the feast of the Black Nazarene this year was projected to have reached around 9 million.