When Advent comes, we are excited because the “Lord is coming.” And our prayer is “Come, Lord Jesus!” Our excitement inspires us to prepare our hearts and our lives for the coming of Jesus…whether in His “second coming” as the King of glory at the end of time or of our lives…or in His “third coming” as one like us in the person of our poor brothers and sisters, everyday of our lives. Perhaps we can do three things: reconciliation with God, reading the Bible, and reaching out to the poor.
Reconciliation with God
When we are expecting a visitor, we do house cleaning. How much more must we put our house, ie, our hearts and lives, if the one who is coming is the Lord Himself. He has given us the sacrament of reconciliation to cleanse us of our sins and give us the strength to triumph over the temptations hounding us each day.
Reading the Bible
When we are expecting a visitor, especially if he/she is one we have not met before, we want to know more about him/her. How much more should be we familiar with the guest if He is the Lord. We have the Holy Bible where we can read about who this coming one is. At least Chapters 1 and 2 of Matthew and Luke will be most helpful in this regard.
Reaching out to the Poor
In the Parable of the Last Judgment (Mt 25:3-46), the king says, “For I was hungry and you gave me food.” Hence, it is the Lord we are entertaining whenever we deal charitably with our hungry, naked, thirsty brothers and sisters. And there are many of them around us. Sharing our blessings with them is one sure way of making our Christmas joyful, because there is more joy in giving than in receiving.
“In his love He has filled us with joy
as we prepare to celebrate His birth,
so that when he comes, he may find us watching in prayer,
our hearts filled with wonder and praise.” (Advent Preface II)
Wednesday, November 30, 2005
On the "Misa de Gallo/ Simbanggabi" 2
MISA DE GALLO: GETTING READY FOR 'SIMBANG GABI'
MANILA, December 15, 2003
(MALAYA) By FRANCIS EARL A. CUETO
THE alarm clock is buzzing. Just as you have drifted merrily to sleep, the clock is telling you to get up as you have to start your day. But its 3 in the morning, and the sweet allure of your bed and the enchanting feel of your pillows are simply hard to resist. But then your senses start drumming up fast and the main reason why you had to wake up early had also started ringing in your mind: Simbang Gabi or Misa de Gallo.
While trying at best to stay awake amid the cool breeze and trying to listen to the Mass itself as it unfolds at so early in the morning, Simbang Gabi has become so much a part of our lives as it has been part of the Christian Family tradition.
Simbang Gabi was adopted from the Catholic Misa de Gallo, which literally means mass of the rooster, to indicate it is held at dawn when the rooster crows.
Dawn and Midnight Masses
Simbang Gabi lasts for nine consecutive days beginning December 16. Traditionally, it is held at dawn, but some parishes offer anticipated masses one night in advance. This religious event dates back to the time when Miguel Lopez de Legazpi celebrated the first feast of the Nativity in 1565 in the archipelago.
Simbang Gabi traces its roots in Mexico when, in 1587, Fray Diego de Soria, prior of the convent of San Agustin Acolman, petitioned the Pope for permission to hold Christmastide masses outdoors because the church could not accommodate the multitude that attended the dawn services. When the request was granted, the masses became known as Misa de Aguinaldo.
It was in the 16th century when Pope Sixtus V decreed that these pre-dawn masses be also held in the Philippines starting every December 16. The decree was in keeping with the nine-day traditional festivals of Filipinos in celebrating auspicious occasions like harvestime. It was also meant to give farmers a chance to hear mass before setting out for the fields. Rural Filipinos were used to starting the day two hours before sunrise. Church bells ring to call the faithful to Simbang Gabi. In some provinces, brass bands play traditional Chirstmas music and parish priests would go as far as knocking on the doors of every home.
After the nine-day Simbang Gabi follows the Misa de Gallo (Mass of the Rooster). This is held on midnight of December 24 to welcome the birth of the Saviour. In some churches, the panunuluyan, depicting Mary and Joseph's efforts to find a suitable birthplace, is reenacted and the baby Jesus first makes his appearance in the manger of the Belen, the Nativity Scene.
Simbang gabi is said to have started in the 18th century by a Spanish friar who intended it as a novena for a bountiful harvest the following year. The friar was said to have timed the Misa de Gallo to culminate with the Misa de Aguinaldo, or the midnight mass on Christmas Eve, which was then followed by the family's noche buena or midnight meal. The masses were set at dawn to accommodate the farmers who had to attend to their fields during the day. After the harvest proves bountiful, the dawn Masses became an annual tradition.
A Sacrifice for God
Fr. Lito Jopson from the Archdiocese of Manila, explains that Simbang Gabi celebrating Simbang gabi from another part of the world aside from the Philippines can prove to be very interesting as well as inspiring. "Imagine, even though it's freezing cold, Filipinos would still flock to their churches wearing barong while the women would put on their elegant ternos. One could feel nostalgia with choir singing Tagalog songs as "Pasko na Naman" and "Himig Pasko." After the mass, the parishioners are treated to a sumptuous Filipino dinner with the traditional puto, kutsinta, and bibingka to remind them of how wonderful it is to experience Christmas, the Filipino way," he said.
Reported by: Sol Jose Vanzi
© Copyright, 2003 by PHILIPPINE HEADLINE NEWS ONLINE
All rights reserved
http://www.newsflash.org/2003/05/sb/sb003180.htm
MANILA, December 15, 2003
(MALAYA) By FRANCIS EARL A. CUETO
THE alarm clock is buzzing. Just as you have drifted merrily to sleep, the clock is telling you to get up as you have to start your day. But its 3 in the morning, and the sweet allure of your bed and the enchanting feel of your pillows are simply hard to resist. But then your senses start drumming up fast and the main reason why you had to wake up early had also started ringing in your mind: Simbang Gabi or Misa de Gallo.
While trying at best to stay awake amid the cool breeze and trying to listen to the Mass itself as it unfolds at so early in the morning, Simbang Gabi has become so much a part of our lives as it has been part of the Christian Family tradition.
Simbang Gabi was adopted from the Catholic Misa de Gallo, which literally means mass of the rooster, to indicate it is held at dawn when the rooster crows.
Dawn and Midnight Masses
Simbang Gabi lasts for nine consecutive days beginning December 16. Traditionally, it is held at dawn, but some parishes offer anticipated masses one night in advance. This religious event dates back to the time when Miguel Lopez de Legazpi celebrated the first feast of the Nativity in 1565 in the archipelago.
Simbang Gabi traces its roots in Mexico when, in 1587, Fray Diego de Soria, prior of the convent of San Agustin Acolman, petitioned the Pope for permission to hold Christmastide masses outdoors because the church could not accommodate the multitude that attended the dawn services. When the request was granted, the masses became known as Misa de Aguinaldo.
It was in the 16th century when Pope Sixtus V decreed that these pre-dawn masses be also held in the Philippines starting every December 16. The decree was in keeping with the nine-day traditional festivals of Filipinos in celebrating auspicious occasions like harvestime. It was also meant to give farmers a chance to hear mass before setting out for the fields. Rural Filipinos were used to starting the day two hours before sunrise. Church bells ring to call the faithful to Simbang Gabi. In some provinces, brass bands play traditional Chirstmas music and parish priests would go as far as knocking on the doors of every home.
After the nine-day Simbang Gabi follows the Misa de Gallo (Mass of the Rooster). This is held on midnight of December 24 to welcome the birth of the Saviour. In some churches, the panunuluyan, depicting Mary and Joseph's efforts to find a suitable birthplace, is reenacted and the baby Jesus first makes his appearance in the manger of the Belen, the Nativity Scene.
Simbang gabi is said to have started in the 18th century by a Spanish friar who intended it as a novena for a bountiful harvest the following year. The friar was said to have timed the Misa de Gallo to culminate with the Misa de Aguinaldo, or the midnight mass on Christmas Eve, which was then followed by the family's noche buena or midnight meal. The masses were set at dawn to accommodate the farmers who had to attend to their fields during the day. After the harvest proves bountiful, the dawn Masses became an annual tradition.
A Sacrifice for God
Fr. Lito Jopson from the Archdiocese of Manila, explains that Simbang Gabi celebrating Simbang gabi from another part of the world aside from the Philippines can prove to be very interesting as well as inspiring. "Imagine, even though it's freezing cold, Filipinos would still flock to their churches wearing barong while the women would put on their elegant ternos. One could feel nostalgia with choir singing Tagalog songs as "Pasko na Naman" and "Himig Pasko." After the mass, the parishioners are treated to a sumptuous Filipino dinner with the traditional puto, kutsinta, and bibingka to remind them of how wonderful it is to experience Christmas, the Filipino way," he said.
Reported by: Sol Jose Vanzi
© Copyright, 2003 by PHILIPPINE HEADLINE NEWS ONLINE
All rights reserved
http://www.newsflash.org/2003/05/sb/sb003180.htm
On the "Misa de Gallo/ Simbang Gabi" 1
Misa de Gallo
by E.C. Dioko (December 18, 2004)
We attended the Misa de Gallo last Thursday at the Santo Tomas de Villanueva parish in Pardo, this city. As expected, the churchgoers overflowed into the open spaces around the church where in semi-darkness they solemnly took part in the eucharistic celebration. Some people brought their own seats so they went through the rites with little discomfort. But most of them had to stand throughout the one hour affair, an ordeal they seemed to gladly accept, anyway, perhaps conscious of its penitential value. Stacked closely together, it was natural to feel distressingly warm and indeed, without the usual "cold nose" of December some worshippers had to use their fans.
Hearing the mass outside the church, which was where we wanted to be to avoid the stuffy air inside, we really missed the cold touch of December. Misa de Gallo and the cold wings of dawn used to lend a Christmassy atmosphere to this early morning regimen. In the past one had the extra challenge of leaving the warmth of his bed and braving the cold kiss of the awakening day outside. But no more. Blame it on El Niño or whatever. Things are really not what they used to be.Nevertheless, the whole affair was still as solemn and as meaningful as before, and at the end of the celebration you came out with an inexplicable lilt in the heart, which reminded you of what a poet once said: "All's well…God's in his heaven, all is right with the world".
Why is it that on the first day of the Misa, almost the entire barangay go to church? We once asked this from our old folks aeons ago, and the answer was: In order to live a longer life. Whether this is true or not it's difficult to say. But who dares to doubt the wisdom of the old? Even if a person has traveled a long way in the thoroughfare of science and technology, the call of tradition remains - influencing consciously or unconsciously his reaction to events and circumstances.
In fact, the Misa de Gallo is itself the handiwork of tradition, a distinctly Filipino one. "Gallo" is a Spanish word for cock, so literally translated this is a "mass of the cock", meaning a mass celebrated at the time the cocks are crowing. It is said that during the Spanish era church authorities held masses very early in the morning to enable field workers to attend them. Later, when it was felt necessary to hold a nine-day novena in honor of Jesus' birth, the mass became part of the devotion. And since gift-giving is practiced during Christmas the Misa de Gallo later was called Misa de Aguinaldo. Attending it entails some sacrifices, and these are what the faithfuls offer to the Child Jesus as their gift to him.The beauty of the Misa is therefore the beauty of the act of sacrifice we offer to the Infant Child.
Since every eucharistic celebration is a reliving of Jesus' sacrifice in Calvary, there is therefore a convergence of suffering from both the Savior and the saved. Of course, whatever inconvenience we suffer as we attend the Misa is a mere speck of dust compared to the Lord's passion in the cross. But he invites us nevertheless to the great adventure of selflessness. His assurance: My yoke is easy and my burden is light.Suffering, no matter how seemingly small and insignificant, becomes a great gift if accepted in the name of the Lord. The snippets of heartaches we feel from day to day, as well as other sense experiences, in fact, if savored with full surrender to of the divine will, can make a thousand angels smile.
This is therefore the lesson we get by attending the Misa de Gallo: Christmas is not all picnic. Sure, we rejoice that a Savior became incarnate, lived with men, and in the Blessed Sacrament stays with them to show the way. But unless we drink the cup with him, Christmas joys are mere illusions.
http://www.thefreeman.com/opinion/story-20041218-25876.html
by E.C. Dioko (December 18, 2004)
We attended the Misa de Gallo last Thursday at the Santo Tomas de Villanueva parish in Pardo, this city. As expected, the churchgoers overflowed into the open spaces around the church where in semi-darkness they solemnly took part in the eucharistic celebration. Some people brought their own seats so they went through the rites with little discomfort. But most of them had to stand throughout the one hour affair, an ordeal they seemed to gladly accept, anyway, perhaps conscious of its penitential value. Stacked closely together, it was natural to feel distressingly warm and indeed, without the usual "cold nose" of December some worshippers had to use their fans.
Hearing the mass outside the church, which was where we wanted to be to avoid the stuffy air inside, we really missed the cold touch of December. Misa de Gallo and the cold wings of dawn used to lend a Christmassy atmosphere to this early morning regimen. In the past one had the extra challenge of leaving the warmth of his bed and braving the cold kiss of the awakening day outside. But no more. Blame it on El Niño or whatever. Things are really not what they used to be.Nevertheless, the whole affair was still as solemn and as meaningful as before, and at the end of the celebration you came out with an inexplicable lilt in the heart, which reminded you of what a poet once said: "All's well…God's in his heaven, all is right with the world".
Why is it that on the first day of the Misa, almost the entire barangay go to church? We once asked this from our old folks aeons ago, and the answer was: In order to live a longer life. Whether this is true or not it's difficult to say. But who dares to doubt the wisdom of the old? Even if a person has traveled a long way in the thoroughfare of science and technology, the call of tradition remains - influencing consciously or unconsciously his reaction to events and circumstances.
In fact, the Misa de Gallo is itself the handiwork of tradition, a distinctly Filipino one. "Gallo" is a Spanish word for cock, so literally translated this is a "mass of the cock", meaning a mass celebrated at the time the cocks are crowing. It is said that during the Spanish era church authorities held masses very early in the morning to enable field workers to attend them. Later, when it was felt necessary to hold a nine-day novena in honor of Jesus' birth, the mass became part of the devotion. And since gift-giving is practiced during Christmas the Misa de Gallo later was called Misa de Aguinaldo. Attending it entails some sacrifices, and these are what the faithfuls offer to the Child Jesus as their gift to him.The beauty of the Misa is therefore the beauty of the act of sacrifice we offer to the Infant Child.
Since every eucharistic celebration is a reliving of Jesus' sacrifice in Calvary, there is therefore a convergence of suffering from both the Savior and the saved. Of course, whatever inconvenience we suffer as we attend the Misa is a mere speck of dust compared to the Lord's passion in the cross. But he invites us nevertheless to the great adventure of selflessness. His assurance: My yoke is easy and my burden is light.Suffering, no matter how seemingly small and insignificant, becomes a great gift if accepted in the name of the Lord. The snippets of heartaches we feel from day to day, as well as other sense experiences, in fact, if savored with full surrender to of the divine will, can make a thousand angels smile.
This is therefore the lesson we get by attending the Misa de Gallo: Christmas is not all picnic. Sure, we rejoice that a Savior became incarnate, lived with men, and in the Blessed Sacrament stays with them to show the way. But unless we drink the cup with him, Christmas joys are mere illusions.
http://www.thefreeman.com/opinion/story-20041218-25876.html
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