I was intrigued by an article by Eleanor Pinugu’s UNDERCURRENT, “Panata,” and the challenges of modern faith,” Philippine Daily Inquirer, April 10, 2023.
She relates her grandfather’s “Panata” ( Religious Pledge ) of providing free meals to his fellow farmers on Holy Thursday.
The grandmother and seven children were all involved in preparing morning dishes and distributing them for lunch in their Bulacan neighbourhoods. Eventually, the in-laws and grandchildren also became part of the effort.
A next-door neighbour’s yearly Good Friday’s “Panata” was to be the face of Jesus during the “Cinaculo,” a re-enactment of Christ’s passion and death. Then with lighted candles, they would accompany a giant religious float for a two-hour prayer walk.
Then the Easter Vigil in their local parish in anticipation of Jesus’ resurrection on Easter Sunday. Anybody raised Roman Catholic post-war and into the 60s can relate to all these as I do.
These rituals had minimal variation, only that “Panata” could be anything from pulling a religious float, self-flagellation or being nailed on the cross. It may also be a ritual of service to others or some form of self-sacrifice.
It is a pledge that goes above and beyond “self-denial” and is typically executed during the Lenten season. In Lolo’s ( grandfather’s ) time, there was a heightened level of devotion and piety during the Holy Week.
The media becomes a total partner in the spiritual regeneration of the masses. The overall conduct at this time was nothing short of mass hypnosis. The airwaves transform themselves during this time, playing sombre selections culminating in Good Friday’s “passion.”
In short, it was the environment where a “Panata” took hold or renewed. Even the quasi-religious get swept into this mass hysteria.
In Ms. Pinugu’s piece, she writes: “After my Lolo passed away, my parents continued the devotion but many of the grandchildren (including herself ) are no longer involved.” “I often hear older people lament how the youth have slowly let go of Holy Week and Easter traditions.”.
She continues, “I think it is worth reflecting on why some of the efforts are falling short of inspiring the same fervour.”…” More focus should be given to how to communicate the message better in this new context.”
Reading her article, one gets the impression that she has already pinpointed the complex reasons why today’s youth are not taking up the practices of the old.
First and foremost, the religiosity level has significantly decreased since the advent of the digital era. During Lolo’s time, radio was king, T.V. not so much.
Social media? (“MARITES” ruled the neighbourhood, says my wife ). Today’s social media is not beholden to sectarian interests unless specifically trolled by a religious faction.
The youth’s exposure to secular media is unprecedented. Radio plays whatever it wants. T.V. is no longer dependent on the airwaves or cable. It is whatever you want to watch at any time of year or day.
“How the message is communicated” in today’s context does not change the content of the message. The old “retreat” is less effective now than it once was unless one is isolated beyond the reach of a secular environment.
Today’s two-hour Good Friday service is the same as last years and the year before—the same as the one I attended when I was in grade 5. The venue, delivery and especially the content are the same.
` NOTHING ABOUT FAITH IS MODERN; THAT’S WHY IT IS ON THE OUTS
The article talks about the “challenges of modern faith.” “Modern Faith” is an oxymoron. Nothing about faith is modern, and that, in a nutshell, is the biggest problem of why it’s in decline.
She asserts: “With no access to meaningful opportunities to be formed spiritually, it is easy for one to just go through the motions of religious practices without truly engaging with one’s beliefs.”
Whether it’s the Vatican or the Taliban, Religion is raising unprecedented scrutiny. The maltreatment of women (in theocratic countries especially) and the physical, emotional, and sexual abuses of children by the clergy are putting enormous strain on the church’s credibility.
How do you entice today’s youth into an archaic organization that has not kept up with the times?
How does a young person respond to widespread pedophilia among the clergy, with parishes going financially (and morally) bankrupt from sexual abuses?
“Panata,” against this backdrop, is absurdly antithetical. There are decidedly fewer “Panata” today than when I was growing up. A good deed motivated by someone’s belief cannot be unquestionably taken over by a Gen “Y” in today’s paradigm.
Is it just me who feels that “Panata” has been a man’s fixation? I have no data to indicate the number of people involved with this practice.
Anecdotally, in the Philippines, it seems to suggest that it is indeed in the men’s territory. There is an aphorism about Religion that may have tilted the men towards a religious pledge: and that is that all religions are either founded by men or led by men.
More likely, the biblical “corporal mortification,” such as Christ’s passion and crucifixion, was seen as a man’s domain.
It is difficult to prove because women are more religious than men, even if women generally do not put themselves into a conscious experience of pain. How, then, do we continue the good deed of a “Panata”?
My wife and I have donated books to schools for over ten years. We have no religious-themed pledges, only realizing that we have severe education shortcomings and an idea that we can make a difference.
That’s all! Is God necessary to be good or ethical? “Fear of God” is a hallow basis for any act of kindness. Every statistic contradicts the necessity of a deity in our quest for our well-being.
And, without belabouring the point, Religion does the opposite to our prosperity and happiness. Suffice it to say that the most atheistic countries are also the most prosperous and the happiest.
RELIGION IS A KIND OF “SPIRITUAL LOTTERY”; YOUR CHANCES OF “WINNING” ARE NIL
All these certainties keep me awake at night: If one can be moral, ethical, prosperous, and happy, what is the whole point of all the quixotic fascination with the supernatural?
Humanity has been traumatized by fear. Today’s message may not be as chilling and terrifying as when I was in grade 5, but the message is similar: Believe, or you will be left behind!
If you think this is a paradox reserved for the Taliban devotees, you have been conned by the sectarian establishment.
Religion is a kind of “spiritual lottery” and like any lottery, your chances of “winning” is pretty much nil.
If “Panata” and other religious pledges are to survive the onslaught of secularism, Religion must have a present-day message relevant to the needs of a secular society.
And also, if you must, start teaching it to adults, not to children. ****