Putting our Devotions in Proper Context

If there is one thing I appreciate about our Holy Roman Catholic Faith is because it has a chestful treasure of Devotions to supplement the Sacraments. However, in the myriad of these devotions it is always easy for someone who is uninstructed in the faith to loose the way. This is the main reason why I always feel that there is the extreme need to constantly educate the faithful about the faith. Today this is very difficult to achieve because of our secular education. Majority of the faithful send their children to public schools where religious instruction is voluntary and is even scarce or non-existent in some areas. Most often, the Sunday Mass is the only opportunity for the faithful to listen to religious instruction. Yesterday I came across an article in the Philippine Daily Inquirer reporting about how the homily of His Eminence Gaudencio Cardinal Rosales of Manila was disrupted by a small group of people who were intent not on listening to the Homily, nor participation in the Mass but on getting nearer and touching the image of the Black Nazarene. This shows how these small groups of people driven by fanaticism fail to grasp the true context of the devotion. A quote from the PDI says: "“The small group that fanatically climbed to get to the Lord, that’s the example of what it should not be. That part has to be purified,” Rosales said. “The emotions, the fanaticism in it should not be there and that’s exactly what we are trying to tell the people.”(Source PDI Jan 10, 2009) The Holy Mass is more important than the processions because it is the apex of our worhsip of God. These devotions should in their proper context lead us to the Eucharist. The folkish expressions of the faith are good provided they are put along these context. There is a simple but clear explanation from Mother Angelica. According to Mother Angelica, novenas and devotions are like vitamin pills that supplements our diet. Hence these devotions are supplements to help us grow in our faith and in the realization of the true objective of our faith - holiness, love, hope and ultimately union with God. The Holy Eucharist is the most vivid and tangible expression of this ultimate goal. It is the window that gives us a foretaste of eternal life. For Christ said, that if we eat His flesh and drink His blood we shall have eternal life.