Answered prayers from Jesus of Black Nazarene, say Filipino devotees

Every year on January 9, Filipino devotees are drawn to the Image of Jesus the Black Nazarene in Quiapo, Manila, Philippines, as their prayers are answered.

This year, the Minor Basilica and National Shrine of Jesus Nazareno, also known as Quiapo Church, have gathered six million individuals in their recently concluded fiesta activity called “traslacion”.

Many devotees come and attend this annual procession to pray and ask for help from Jesus the Black Nazarene. Meanwhile, others return not to ask for anything but to give thanks for the blessings they continue to receive.

One of these devotees is now a medical volunteer and the chairman of a Nongovernmental Organization, Mr. Dennis Bernal.

According to Bernal, he started volunteering at Quiapo Church in 2017. Being one of the 10 volunteer groups that Quiapo Church accepted is a great blessing for Bernal.

"We are very blessed among the 10 groups of volunteers who were included here. We started planning on October 8 [2023], and then meetings and preparations continued. We have different tasks per organization; on our side, we are tasked with rescue and first aid," he said in an interview with Radio Veritas Asia.

They believed that by "serving without expecting anything in return from dawn to dusk," Jesus the black Nazarene would bless them.

He also shared that his daughter had leukemia when she was little but recovered as she grew up, and because of this, he never fails to thank Jesus for the good health of his whole family.

"Whenever I am here, I never ask for wealth; I am always asking for good health, especially for my daughter, who has leukemia. She had recovered since 2009... She was very young when she had the illness in her elementary days; they migrated to the US in 2011. So that is one of my answered prayers."

He added that his colleagues, who hail from different provinces in the Philippines, including Cavite, Laguna, and Pampanga, also had their petitions granted, bringing them blessings as well.

"So I always tell them, we will serve without expecting anything in return because Jesus the Black Nazarene has been very generous to us," Bernal added.

Another devotee who is also a vendor during the feast day of Jesus the Black Nazarene shared about his devotion.

Roberto, a vendor from Novaliches, said that he always prays to the Black Nazarene for the safety of his family. He said that whenever his son gets into trouble, he believes that it is Jesus the Black Nazarene who saves him.

“I brought my son here because he has been beaten and stabbed many times, but he always survives. I pray that he might be touched by Jesus,” Roberto said during the interview.

Despite experiencing many accidents, he has miraculously never been hurt or suffered a severe injury.

“I almost had an accident in the construction and warehouse. I have fallen many times, but I am always safe; I am not hurt.”

Devotees have always attributed many answered prayers to Jesus, the Black Nazarene of Quiapo Church. According to priests and psychologists, Filipinos mirror themselves in the suffering of Jesus Christ, who was carrying the cross, and this has become the main reason why this local devotion has been gathering millions of devotees for the time being.- Leahna Villajos