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 the importance of light. It is not only used by one to find his way while he
is surrounded with darkness. Rather, it is also used to highlight one’s presence
just like tracking an actor or actress around the stage.
In our Gospel, Jesus told His audience,
“John was a lamp that burned and gave light, and people chose for a time to
enjoy his light”. In other words, Jesus was telling them that John carried the
light not for his own sake but for the Son of God. John carried the light to
show to people who Jesus is. Yet instead of looking at Jesus, people chose to look
at the light carried by John. They missed the point. This also happens to some
Catholics nowadays. Some Catholics enjoy the unique experience of Simbang Gabi but they miss to look at Jesus
Christ. They celebrate Christmas but they do not even have the time to thank
God for giving the world Jesus Christ, the birthday celebrator.
Why do we have Christmas? It is to
celebrate the birthday of Jesus Christ! Why do we have to celebrate His
birthday? Well, God sent Him to the world for the forgiveness of sins so that
all will be saved. This is the reason why we rejoice. This is the reason why we
celebrate. In celebrating Christmas, we Catholics have the Simbang Gabi as our spiritual
preparation. Simbang Gabi 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. Simbang Gabi is celebrated in honor
of the Blessed Virgin Mary who gave birth to God’s only Son Jesus Christ. 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 –that Jesus is the reason why we celebrate this season. Jesus Christ is
the Son of God who became man to save the world. Let us then begin today our
first day of Simbang Gabi rejoicing in the Lord Jesus above all else Amen.
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