Theological-Pastoral reflections on the Title Nuestro Padre Jesus Nazareno by Fr. Juvelan Paul Samia
In the Philippines, some devout Catholics inquire about the appropriateness of the title "Nuestro Padre" attributed to one of the country's most renowned images of Christ—the Jesus Nazareno of Quiapo. The full title, Nuestro Padre Jesus Nazareno (N.P.J.N.), translates to "Our Father Jesus the Nazarene." This designation, they claim, raises questions, particularly given that the Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches that the first person of the Holy Trinity is "Father”, and the second person is "Son."
As stated in the Catechism, “It is the Father who generates, the Son who is begotten, and the Holy Spirit who proceeds” (CCC 254). The second person of the Holy Trinity, God’s only begotten Son, became man for our sake (CCC 465), and thus the first person is referred to as "Father" in relation to the Son, while the second person is "Son" in relation to the Father and "Brother" in relation to humanity and the rest of creation.
The author and Fr. Ramil Maranan with the Devotees of Jesus Nazareno at the Quirino Grandstand.
Nuestro Padre Jesus Nazareno in Sevilla, Spain
During my visit to Seville in Spain, the city that boasts of having one of the most impressive Holy Week celebrations in the world, I was surprised to discover that many Pasos de Cristo—processional images of Christ—bear the title Nuestro Padre. One of the more famous examples is Nuestro Padre Jesús del Gran Poder (Our Father Jesus of the Great Power), a venerated statue crafted by Juan de Mesa in 1620. This image is respectfully called El Señor de Sevilla (The Lord of Seville) by the people.
Seville is also home to two ancient and revered images of Christ that bear the exact title Nuestro Padre Jesús Nazareno: the titular image of the Hermandad del Silencio, completed in the early 17th century (most likely in 1610) by an unknown artist, and the titular image of the Hermandad de la O, created by Pedro Roldán and completed in 1685. Both of these images are processed on Good Friday, with the former leaving its church in the madrugada (midnight until before dawn) and the latter at evening.
It is worth noting that in the same century when these two images were sculpted in Spain, the first image of Jesús Nazareno was brought to the San Nicolás de Tolentino Church in Intramuros (prior to April 20, 1651). This arrival coincided with the establishment of the Cofradía de Nuestro Padre Jesús Nazareno, which received approval from Pope Innocent X. Although the original image was destroyed during the Second World War, a replica of the Nazareno from Intramuros, whose provenance remains unknown, was later brought to the Parish of San Juan Bautista in Quiapo, Manila in 1767 by order of Archbishop Basilio Sancho de Santa Justa y Rufina. This replica eventually became the renowned Nuestro Padre Jesús Nazareno of Quiapo Basilica and National Shrine.
Returning to the Spanish experience, we find that the nearby town of Alcalá de Guadaíra is home to another image of Nuestro Padre Jesús Nazareno, created by Antonio Illanes Rodríguez in 1938. It serves as the titular image of the Archicofradía Sacramental de Nuestro Padre Jesús Nazareno de Alcalá de Guadaíra, commonly referred to as Hermandad de Jesús.
In my conversations with the Sevillanos, I gained the impression that they see no theological contradiction in the title Nuestro Padre applied to Jesus Christ. When I asked the Hermano Mayor of the Hermandad de Jesús in Alcalá, Señor Ángel Oliveros, about the title Nuestro Padre, he responded with a look of curiosity, expressing no sense of oddity or theological concern. He explained that Nuestro Padre is an affectionate term for Jesus. In his view, Nuestro Padre conveys intimacy and closeness, whereas Nuestro Señor communicates a more distant and reverential relationship. Jesus is not merely Nuestro Señor (Our Lord); he is Nuestro Padre—someone who, while powerful, is also intimately close to the people.
Similarly, when I posed the same question to a costalero (a member of the brotherhood responsible for carrying the processional float) of Nuestro Padre Jesús Nazareno de Alcalá de Guadaíra, who had served for 16 years, he also gave me a puzzled look and offered no theological explanation. For the Sevillanos, Nuestro Padre is a title that is both reverential and affectionate— “cariñoso” in their language. It suggests a sense of warmth and intimate closeness to Christ.
In this context, Nuestro Padre is not merely a title of power; it reflects the relationship between Christ and the faithful. God the Father is “eternally Father in relation to his only Son, who is eternally Son only in relation to his Father” (CCC240), but the only begotten Son, who became man in Jesus Christ, is also “a father for His people.”
A souvenir photo with the Hermano Mayor of the Hermandad de Jesús in Alcalá, Señor Ángel Oliveros and Fr. Gustavo Martagón Ruiz, SDB. The image of Nuestro Padre Jesus Nazareno in the background (left photo). A photo with a former costalero (right photo).
“Fatherhood” of Christ in Scriptures and in the experience of the Faithful
While some theologians may find the title Nuestro Padre problematic, it resonates with the lived experience of the Christian faithful. As one of my Salesian confreres in Seville explained, Jesus is the father of the new humanity, saved and given new life by His sacrifice on the cross. The passage from Isaiah that is read during the Christmas Mass During the Night, and Feast of the Sto. Niño sheds light on this mystery: “For a child is born to us, a son is given to us; upon his shoulder dominion rests. They name him Wonder-Counselor, God-Hero, Father-Forever, Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:5). This prophecy, which refers to the Messiah as “Father-Forever,” underscores the belief that he is the father of the redeemed human race.
In the Gospel of John, after the Washing of the Feet, Jesus addresses His disciples as “my children” and gives them the “new commandment” to love one another as He has loved them: “My children, I will be with you only a little while longer. You will look for me, and as I told the Jews, ‘Where I go you cannot come,’ so now I say it to you. I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another. This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:34-35).
The simplest yet most profound explanation I encountered came from Señor Miguel, a lay member of the Hermandad del Gran Poder, who said: “Jesus is the Son of God, and at the same time, Our Father because He gave His life for us. This is what fatherhood is all about—giving life to your children. I am a father, and this is what I strive to do for my own children.”
Although, theologically, it might seem preferable to refer to Jesus as "Our Brother," the title Nuestro Padre grasps the profound lived experience of the Christian faithful. It reflects their experience of Jesus as one who not only walks alongside them as a brother but also gives them life as does a father. The role of the brother is not to give life, but the father is defined by his ability to give life and provide for his children.
For the devotees of Jesus Nazareno of Quiapo, he is regarded as Nuestro Padre, not only in a spiritual sense but also in an existential and practical sense. Jenezis Caluiag, a member of the Quiapo staff, explained it to me this way: “Siya po ay ‘Ama’ dahilan sa napakahirap na buhay ng ibang deboto at wala na silang ibang inaasahang magkakaloob sa kanilang mga pangangailangan kung hindi ang Jesus Nazareno.” (He is ‘Father’ because many devotees live lives of extreme hardship, and they have no one else to rely on to provide for their needs except Jesus Nazareno.)
Many devotees turn to him with pleas for healing—paggaling sa karamdaman—and for good health and physical wellbeing—mabuting kalusugan at malakas na pangangatawan—either for themselves or their loved ones. He grants healing miracles to poor people who cannot afford the expensive treatment in hospitals and to those people who suffering from incurable and end-stage illnesses.
Jesus Nazareno is known by the devotees as a father who not only offers the “new life of grace” but also provides for the existential and practical needs of his children.
Fr. Gustavo Martagón Ruiz, the parish priest of Parroquia de San Juan Bosco in Triana, Sevilla, insightfully pointed out that Jesus Christ is “a brother with us” and “a father for us,” highlighting the dual identity of Christ in the lives of the faithful. The expression “a brother with us” affirms the profound truth that, together with Jesus, we are all children of God the Father, the first person of the Trinity and the ultimate origin of everything. This is true even though his relationship with Jesus is unique, being his “only begotten Son” (CCC 239-40, 442-43).
Jesus is also “a father for us” because, through his sacrifice on the cross, he gained for us the new life of grace and salvation. Furthermore, he provides for the needs of his children. The title Nuestro Padre conveys tenderness and a deep and intimate sense of closeness. As the Sevillanos express it, this tenderness is captured in the term “cariñoso,” a nuance that is absent in the similar title Nuestro Señor.
Trinitarian Theology and Economy
The reflections drawn from the lived experiences of Christ’s faithful lead us, finally, to the mystery of the Holy Trinity, the central mystery of Christian faith and life (CCC 234). The Fathers of the Church distinguish between two concepts that illuminate this mystery: theology (theologia) and economy (oikonomia). “Theology” pertains to the mystery of God’s innermost life within the Blessed Trinity, while “economy” refers to all the works through which God reveals himself and communicates his life (CCC 236).
In theology, the consubstantiality of the three divine persons is affirmed—one God in three Divine Persons. The first person is “Father,” the unique source of all; the second person is “Son,” who proceeds from the Father; and the third person is “Spirit,” who proceeds from the Father and the Son.
The relations and operations within the Godhead are specific and proper to each person. However, in the economy of salvation, the saving works of God are common to all three divine persons. Every external operation of God belongs to the entire Trinity and cannot be attributed to one divine person alone, except by appropriation. In the context of economic Trinity, roles are not proper but appropriated. For example, the title “Creator” is appropriated to the first person because the work of creation was completed also by the Son and the Spirit. Similarly, the title “Redeemer” is appropriated to the second person because the work of redemption was accomplished not only by the Son but also by the Father and the Spirit. Likewise, the title “Sanctifier” is appropriated to the third person because the work of sanctification or divinization is shared with the Father and the Son.
In the same way, the role of fatherhood in relation to humanity is not a proper but an appropriated role of the first person. It is a role that belongs to the entire Trinity. For instance, the Holy Spirit is invoked as Pater Pauperum (Father of the Poor) in the Pentecost sequence Veni Creator Spiritus. In light of this understanding, when the Christian faithful in Sevilla, in Quiapo, and in other parts of the world refer to Jesus as Nuestro Padre, we can say that there is nothing inappropriate in doing so.
Nuestro Padre Jesus Nazareno of Hermandad dela O, 1685 (left photo). The Black Nazarene of Quiapo Church (right photo).
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