No Más Amor Que El Tuyo: a fitting national anthem

Pepe Alas

Jun 1

If there is one song that can easily make me tear up, then it's none other than Manuel Bernabé's "Al Sagrado Corazón de Jesús" (To the Sacred Heart of Jesus), more popularly known as "No Más Amor Que El Tuyo" (No Greater Love Than Yours). It has the most moving lyrics I have ever encountered in a song and is as patriotic as it is spiritual.

No Más Amor Que El Tuyo was the theme song of the 33rd International Eucharistic Congress which was held at Rizal Park from 3 to 7 February 1937, the first such congress held in Asia as well as the first in our country. It soon became a staple in many churches across the archipelago and was also sung during processions in town fiestas and even in religious activities of many schools (such as San Beda College). Today's seniors who have experienced the Commonwealth Period will immediately wax nostalgic upon hearing this song which has also contributed to Filipino pop culture when noontime variety show Eat Bulaga! incorporated one of its memorable lines to the opening of its theme song:

"Mulâ Aparrí hangáng Joló" (taken from "Tú reinarás sin mengua de Aparrí hasta Joló" which means "You will reign without cease).

No Más Amor Que El Tuyo consists of an eight-line chorus and two stanzas of twelve lines each, deftly written in heptasílabos (heptasyllables) and utilizing sinalefa (synalepha) to smoothly fit its emotive lines in the said metric scheme. The whole song speaks emotionally of our country's immense faith and love of Christ, and of how the Filipino nation offers up their collective heart to Him. One noteworthy line, found at the chorus, gives emphasis to how Filipinos invoke God in our language —te invoque nuestra lengua— which is obviously a reference to the Spanish language. Curiously, however, Bernabé wrote the infinitive invocar in the subjunctive instead of in the infinitive mood — perhaps a foreboding?

If I only had my way, I would make No Más Amor Que El Tuyo as our country's national anthem. Without any decalcitrance toward the current national anthem (a bastardized version of the Spanish original), No Más Amor Que El Tuyo is equally patriotic, but its patriotism is enhanced more by ardent love than by courage and valor, a love that bonds both endearment for Christ, country, and confederation.

June is the month of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and Al Sagrado Corazón de Jesús / No Más Amor Que El Tuyo is its theme song. ¡Reinará en Filipinas! ¡Viva Cristo Rey!

* E * L * F * I * L * I * P * I * N * I * S * M * O *

AL SAGRADO CORAZÓN DE JESÚS

Coro:
No más amor que el tuyo
Oh, Corazón divino;
el pueblo filipino
te da su corazón.
En templos y en hogares
te invoque nuestra lengua:
Tú reinarás sin mengua,
de Aparrí hasta Joló.

Primera estrofa:
Ha tiempo que esperamos
Tu imperio en el Oriente;
la fe de Filipinas
Es como el sol, ardiente,
como la roca, firme,
inmensa, como el mar.
La iniquidad no puede
ser de estas Islas dueña;
que, izada en nuestros montes
tu celestial enseña,
las puertas del infierno
no prevalecerán.

Segunda estrofa:
Cobija con tu manto
la casa solariega.
Bendice al filipino
que acude a ti y anega
en sumo bien al pueblo,
dulcísimo Señor.
Y mientras flota el arca
de nuestras tradiciones,
Tu corazón impere
en nuestros corazones,
y extiéndanse tus glorias
de Aparri hasta Joló.

Coro

_{Letras: Manuel Bernabé}
_{Música: Simeón Resurrección
Intérprete: Guillermo Gómez Rivera con la Rondalla de Roberto Buena
Vídeo: Fonso Velazquez}

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