1st Day of Simbang Gabi 2019

Once upon a time, there was a small town. There lived a man by himself who couldn’t see. He was blind. Yet, he carried a lighted lamp with him whenever he went out at night. 

One night as he was coming home after having a dinner outside, he came across a group of travelers. They saw that he was blind, yet carrying a lighted lamp. They started passing comments on him and made a fun of him. One of them asked him, “Hey man! You are blind and can’t see anything. Why do you carry the lamp then?” The blind man replied, “Yes, unfortunately, I am blind and I can’t see anything but a lighted lamp which I am carrying is for the people like you who can see. You may not see the blind man coming and end up pushing me. That is why I carry a lighted lamp.” 

The group of travelers felt ashamed and apologized for their rude behavior. 

Dear friends, this story reminds us of a reality that there is a reason for one why he does what he does. In our Gospel, Jesus was teaching in the temple. Instead of asking for the reason why he was doing what he was doing, the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the Jewish authorities asked Him who allowed Him to do what he was doing. Jesus did not directly give them His answer because He knew they were not searching for the truth of the matter. He often told them before that He was sent by God, yet they would not believe Him. Jesus therefore refused to answer their question. It is best to put an end to a useless argument before it begins. Jesus knew that he did what he was doing was the will of God. 

Now, in our case as a Catholic, we can hear from Non-Catholics why we go to mass for nine consecutive days known as Simbang Gabi or Misa de Aguinaldo or Misa de Gallo (Mass of the Rooster). Why do we do what we are doing? What is the reason for all these? 

Well, this practice can be traced back to year 1668, when the Spanish friars held mass early in the morning to allow the farmers to attend the said celebration (of the mass) before they set off to work in the fields. It is known as Misa de Gallo or Mass of the Rooster because the rooster or cock crows as early as three o’ clock, it wakes people up and gives them enough time to prepare for the four o’ clock mass in the morning. It is also known as Misa de Aguinaldo because the act of waking up early in the morning to hear mass is somewhat a form of sacrificial offering to God. The particular gesture is a gift or “aguinaldo” to God, thanking Him for giving Jesus Christ to the world, His only beloved Son. It is known as Simbang Gabi because the mass starts while the sky is dark and it ends while the sun is about to rise and shine. 

But why do we have the Simbang Gabi? My dear friends, Simbang Gabi is a spiritual preparation for Christmas, for the birthday of Jesus. It is celebrated in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary. It is also celebrated for the perseverance of Filipinos in the faith. Therefore, this is not just a tradition or religious obligation for nothing but for us to keep our faith. Let us then see to it that as we begin today our first day of the Simbang Gabi, we know why we do what we are doing. We know the reason why. Amen.