Page 147 - Key Words in Religion Media and Culture

130 Jolyon Mitchell

The allusions to a first-century figure in Palestine are hard to miss
and illustrate how Rizal’s sacrifice was sometimes paralleled with Jesus’
sacrificial death and at other times to the early Christian martyrs. Notice
how a contemporary narrative is given greater significance by its association
with an ancient narrative, which has an even longer history of repetition,
amplification, and elaboration.
In the same year as Osias’ speech, a modern museum was built at Fort
Santiago in Manila to house some of the memorabilia from Jose Rizal’s life
and death. As part of the centennial celebration of Rizal’s martyrdom and
the Philippine Revolution, the shrine was renovated in 1996. Apart from
the replica cell, there are numerous objects preserved in glass cases, such as
an original copy of Noli, sculptures by Rizal and, perhaps more poignantly,
a “secular relic,” which is a bone of Rizal’s bearing a bullet wound and
enshrined in a glass urn (Maria 1996: 261). Thousands of “pilgrims” and
tourists pay different kinds of visual homage to both this shrine and the
monument in the park every year.
Several different Filipino groups went even further in their devotion to
Rizal, weaving complex theological narratives around his life and death. The
so-called Rizalistas hold belief systems that have Rizal as their focal point.
Their beliefs and practices are far from homogeneous, with some regarding
Rizal as divine, as the embodied power of the Holy Spirit, as a second Christ,
or as a new messiah who will return (as in the Banner of the Race Church—
Watwat ng Lahi). One of the best known groups is the Philippine Church
or Adarnistas, which was named after their founder, Mother Adarna, who
believe that Rizal was “not executed but lives as true God and man” (Bowker
2005: 489). In some cases, Rizal is prayed to in worship services for healing
or help, in the same way in which Catholic saints are invoked for assistance.
Those outside these religious movements regard most of these elaborate
stories told about Rizal in these contexts as apocryphal and point to the fact
that many of the Rizalista churches have declined over the last three decades.
Nevertheless, even though many of these groups may be shrinking, their
histories of loyal following attest to the power of these elaborate narratives
to encourage devotion.
Alongside devotional elaborations are artistic elaborations of Rizal’s life
and death. Both devotional and artistic elaborations were deeply engaged
in hagiography, that is, adding to the life of Rizal the narrative motifs and
structures of martyrdom and sainthood. Some artistic elaborations have
become sites of devotion. His execution is the subject of several artistic
interpretations. For example, the national artist known as “Botong,” Carlos
V. Francisco, portrayed the moment of Rizal’s execution, in which the neatly
dressed figure of Rizal dominates the picture while his executioners stand
in the background. As his hat tumbles off his head, the look on his face is a