Christmas Greetings and Simbang Gabi 2014 - Days 7, 8 and 9

Before everything else... MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE! Hope you enjoyed your Christmas and while we're still at it, keep enjoying the holidays. Whatever you may have done and will be doing, I hope you all enjoy these days of the most wonderful time of the year. Keep the Christmas spirit alive everyone. :)

Now with this post, I will finally go on with the last days of the Misa de Gallo. With the last three days down, we finish another year's edition of the nine days of prayer and attending mass preparing for Christmas. Such a blessing to complete the nine days of Simbang Gabi...

Day 7 - Santissimo Rosario Parish, UST

Went back to the dawn mass after two days of not attending. For the seventh day, I returned (again) to UST. The gospel of the day focused on Mary's song, The Magnificat. The way the priest presided over this mass was very good. In his homily, he placed emphasis on preparing for Christ's coming and looking to Mary as good example for us. He emphasized also on Christmas as a time of remembering when Christ was born and remembering that he will come again in the future. During the mass, I met some friends from the UST Campus Ministry, where I usually hang out. After the mass, I made a quick visit to Sto. Domingo Church which is where I'd visit for the next day of the dawn masses.

Day 8 - Santo Domingo Church, Quezon Ave., QC

For this Simbang Gabi, I woke up pretty late (almost 4 AM) so I was in a hurry to get myself ready for the morning mass which was going to start at 4:30 AM. For Day 8, I went to Sto. Domingo Church. It's been a long time since I've attended a Simbang Gabi here. Last time I did was in 2009. Back then, the mass was held in English, but today the masses are officiated in Filipino. Like before, the crowds were huge, as it is for Simbang Gabi and this church has one of the biggest attendances for it that I've seen. Anyways, when I got to the church, the mass was about to begin. Good thing I wasn't late. The gospel of the day focused on the birth of St. John the Baptist. The priest in his homily preached about overcoming bitterness and what bad things it can do. During this Simbang Gabi, I know what some people mean when they say some aren't paying attention to the mass. Not to put them down, but some people were making conversations while the mass was ongoing. It's good to hang out with friends, even for church but there's a time and place for everything and mass is not a time for kwentuhan. They can always do that and hang out after the mass and besides, they can talk to each other in social media. Well, despite the irreverence of some, good thing many also paid attention to the mass. The setting overall was amazing with the altar decorated with Christmas ornaments and the choir, accompanied by the pipe organ, singing carols. All that for sure says it's Christmas. (^_^)

Day 9 - Santissimo Rosario Parish, UST

Originally, I had the thought of going to two masses for the final day. First was the anticipated mass and for that, I thought of going to SM Megamall for it since it's a great setting but heavy traffic forced me not to go through with the plan. Anyways, in spite of that, it's OK and guess its best that I only attend the dawn mass. For the final day, I was with ninang whom that morning since she wanted to go to Simbang Gabi. UST is where we were heading for the mass. I've said it already, but again, of all places for the dawn mass, UST's my fave place because it's a great setting for the mass (the best IMO) and its accessible, not to mention it's my school. For me, no Simbang Gabi would be complete without attending a mass in UST (this year alone, I had 4 out of 9 there). Only drawback though is that the mass is early, at about 4 AM and its far. For the last day, former UST rector Fr. Rolando de la Rosa, OP presided over and gave a great homily for the mass. In his homily, he talked about the importance of simplifying life and that we have to take away things that would complicate our lives. Noticeably enough at all the masses I went to, all the priests in their homilies made people laugh during at least one point, even a little bit. It was raining as the mass went on (and for a good part of Christmas eve). Good thing it wasn't held in the open field. After the mass, I met up with some friends again from the Campus Ministry. With this day, Simbang Gabi 2014 ends.

Christmas Eve Mass - Daniel Comboni Seminary, Roosevelt Ave., QC

As it has been in the previous years, I've attended the Christmas eve mass at the Daniel Comboni Seminary. The place is under the Comboni Missionaries of the Heart of Jesus or simply the Comboni Missionaries. There's a bond that our family has with the missionaries; before, we had a priest friend among the missionaries (Fr. Rocco, an Italian) who is now assigned to another country, we support some of their projects and personally, I had a spiritual adviser by the name of Fr. Victor who is now a missionary to Central America. Now, unlike the days of the Simbang Gabi where I went to grander settings (like UST, Sto. Domingo, SM Megamall, etc...), this mass was simple. While it wasn't as grand as the previous masses I went to, it still captured the joy of Christmas. Of course, the readings focused on the Birth of Christ. In his homily, the presider told the congregation to become missionaries proclaiming the joy of Christmas to other people. After hearing homilies where the priests made people laugh, the presider this time didn't but still, its a good homily. After the mass, there was a veneration of the Child Jesus in the manger. Not wanting to be late, I went ahead of ninang and ninong who got to the mass later than I did. All in all, a great way to mark Christmas and to remember why we celebrate this season. :)

After attending the nine days of the Simbang Gabi plus the Mass of Christmas Eve, there's this sense of fulfillment. For sure, I'll be attending this again next year. I admit, I'm starting to miss the experience but it's great that I was able to go and celebrate Christmas in such a meaningful way. Hope everyone who attended the nine days will get blessed as well and keep this tradition alive, since its one of the best Christmas traditions here in the country. :)

As for Christmas day, what I did was we visited our relatives and went to Christmas parties. All in all, yesterday was an awesome day, being with my relatives that I see only at this time of the year. The food yesterday was great too by the way. :)

To end this post, again, Merry Christmas to you all! May you have blessed, happy days ahead and also, a happy new year to all of you! o(^o^)o

Simbang Gabi 2014 - Day 3 and 4

Simbang Gabi is something I always look forward to. Since it is only once a year, it's best to take the opportunity to complete the nine days, or at least attend even once. Many people try to complete the nine day novena in the hopes of having their wishes granted. Simbang Gabi can also be an adventure as well. Sometimes, it's nice to go to different places to attend it but it should be noted though that the early morning hour (and even nightime) can be unsafe, so if you go anywhere, even to your own parish for the mass, it pays to be careful. But even with the idea of wishes and the adventure, Simbang Gabi in the end is not about those but is a way of preparing for Christmas and focusing on why we have this season. So far, the Mass for the 4th day is done and in my case, I've attended all of it thus far.

Day 3 - Immaculate Conception Parish, Marikina City

Attending Simbang Gabi in a place you haven't experienced it before is, IMO, a nice experience and that's what I had for the 3rd day. Now, I had the thought of going to Simbang Gabi in Marikina for a while and decided I should do it at a right time. I mean, going to Marikina and spending an overnight stay at my dad's place just to attend it doesn't seem like a good reason. Finally, I went on with going to Marikina last Wednesday, since there's some activities and my ninang and cousins left for vacation in the USA on the next day. Overall, my stay there was great since I spent time with dad and my relatives. Some things I did there were a bike ride with dad and a group that he's part of on Wednesday night and being with my cousins before they leave for vacation yesterday.

Now, for the Misa de Gallo, I went to Concepcion Church. While that was my plan at first, I had a thought of going to Our Lady of the Abandoned at the Bayan but in the end, I stuck with my original plan. This parish had two dawn masses and I got there at the last part of the first mass, so I attended the second one at 4:30 AM. The church was packed at both masses. Imagine, if there was only one mass instead of two, you'd be seeing an SRO church with people all over the place, and both masses already had a lot of people attending (the 2nd mass had a bigger crowd I think). The Gospel focused on St. Joseph, who would become the foster father of Jesus and would be with Mary, who was already bearing Jesus. It was a nice celebration and a good experience to attend Simbang Gabi in a new place for it. On a personal note, it's been a while since I've attended mass here and this was my parish when I was living in Marikina, though I went to a chapel near our place for mass. Now, my former place is under a new parish.

Day 4 - Santissimo Rosario Parish, UST

For the 4th day, it was either one of two places; UST or Sto. Domingo Church along Quezon ave. Between the two it wasn't easy to choose, not to mention that both places are under the Dominican Order. There are differences of course. UST's starts at 4 AM while Sto. Domingo's starts at 4:30. In the end, I went on with UST (but I'm thinking of going to Sto. Domingo in the future). I decided UST since I thought it'll be at the field this time but it was still held at the Chapel. Like day 2, one of our helpers here accompanied me and we arrived at about 4 AM, when the mass was about to start. Since we arrived late, I made a run for it to the church and the entrance hymn took place when I got there. I wasn't feeling good at first because I got irritated with the jeep that took us to UST. It's not easy to concentrate on the mass when you're feeling bad but things got better as the mass went on. The readings of the day focused on events that led to the birth of two Biblical figures. The first reading focused on the birth of Samson while the Gospel focused on that of John the Baptist, when the Angel Gabriel appeared to Zechariah telling him that his wife Elizabeth will have a son. Like last time, people attended from even outside the church. After the mass, I went to Sto. Domingo while ate went home immediately. I went to Sto. Domingo just to check out their Misa de Gallo and the mass just ended there when I came. The crowd there was so big, I decided not to go inside the church anymore due to the number of churchgoers leaving. Also, after the mass at UST, some people were taking selfies. Guess they don't wanna miss the chance of doing so... (then again, why not? :) Though di naman ako mahilig magselfie, hehe. :P)

Now, with that, were almost halfway through the Misa de Gallo. Are some of you readers attending Simbang Gabi/Misa de Gallo?

With that, I'm done with this post. Thanks for reading! :D

Simbang Gabi 2014 - Day 1 and 2

Christmas is a few days from now and other than the holiday rush, shopping and other Christmas activities, these days mean one thing for us here in the Philippines and Filipinos in other countries; Simbang Gabi. The Simbang Gabi is a series of novena masses held over the nine days before Christmas starting on the 16th (i.e. yesterday) until Christmas Eve. It also goes by the names Misa de Gallo or Misa de Aguinaldo. One of the most popular traditions, many Catholics go to church to attend mass at an early morning hour or late at night. There is also the anticipated Simbang Gabi that happens at late at night starting from the 15th until the 23rd for those who couldn't attend and/or prefer not to attend the dawn mass. This event, one of the best (probably the best, actually) Christmas traditions we have keeps us focused on the reason why we celebrate Christmas: The Birth of Our Lord Jesus Christ.

This is one of those activities that I have been long waiting for during the Christmas season and attending these nine days is an exciting experience and a blessing. Like others, I hope to complete the nine day novena. It's not gonna be easy for sure but I believe I can do this. :) It's only day 2 though and there's only 7 more to go. So far, here's where I've been attending.

Day 1 - Christ the King Parish, Project 7, Quezon City.

To start off the Simbang Gabi, I attended the mass at our parish. Although I did set up my alarm, I woke up on my own (most likely because I was excited). Both our katulongs (helpers) here in our place attended this mass and I accompanied one of them while walking to the church (she also came with me the next day). About that time, there were people were already on the way. The church itself looked festive. Parols (Christmas lanterns) decorated the church interior and lights brightened up the church facade. Mass at the parish begins at 4:30 AM. In his homily, the priest quoted Pope Francis on mercy and based on that, preached about God's mercy and patience. He also talked about the importance of patience and of being grateful for our blessings. The mass was solemn and the crowd was so big that many people in the congregation were outside of the church. In fact, most people who attend Simbang Gabi are young people like myself. The choir was festive, singing Christmas songs. Right after the mass,some of the people went to the food stalls selling bibingka and puto bumbong. I bought puto bumbong for breakfast. I went home alone though. A great start to the Simbang Gabi. (^_^)

Belen without the Child Jesus

Day 2 - Santissimo Rosario Parish, UST, Manila

For the second day, I went this time to my school in UST. Like the day before, I got excited again that I woke up at times. Of all the places I have been to for the Simbang Gabi, this is my most favorite place. It's accessible, the atmosphere is festive and the mass is very solemn. In the case of UST, the dawn mass can take place in one of two locations; the open field or the parish. If the open field can't be used (usually because of rain), like in today's case, it will be held in the parish church. Today, one our helpers accompanied me for this day (but we stayed at different places at the church). The gospel of the day focused on the Genealogy of Christ. The priest preached about giving our love for others and the importance of waiting and finding joy in waiting. To emphasize his points, he talked about his personal experiences. Good homily, although it was long. The choir wasn't that good (although to be fair, they were OK). While they sang Christmas songs, they didn't really capture the festive mood of the season or the Simbang Gabi. The crowds were big, even bigger than Day 1s crowd at Christ the King (although that's because UST Parish is bigger...).

UST Main Building

And so far, that's where I've been to and there's some days to go. Any of you readers attending Simbang Gabi? How are you preparing for Christmas? Did you get any gifts so far? Whatever happens, I'm sure many of us have different plans of celebrating the most wonderful time of the year. Lest we get lost in all the holiday buzz, let's all find ways to make the season merry, even in our own way and, especially for those who attend the Simbang Gabi, remember the reason why we celebrate Christmas. :)

With that, I'm done and thanks for reading! :)

Paskuhan 2014 - My Last Paskuhan (For Now at Least)

This year's celebrations were just awesome... The other day, UST held Paskuhan festivities. Probably the biggest Christmas party out there, this is an event that the Thomasian community highly anticipates and since it's so huge of an event, people from other schools come to be part of it. Definitely this is one of those events that marks the most wonderful time of the year; Christmas. If you're a Thomasian and/or if you've attended this event at least once, you know what I mean and know how it feels like to be there. :)

As always, people came in droves. All over the campus, there were fun activities such as games, food, merrymaking and of course, the concert where bands and DJs performed much to the delight of the community. Highlighting the events, other than the concert, were a High Mass before the festivities began and a grand fireworks display at 9 PM. In fact, seems like the fireworks display is the most anticipated part of the event (at least as far as I know :) ), and it's no wonder why. Adding color to the festivities were the Christmas lights all around (go here for more pics). With everything and the number of people that were there, no doubt it is one of the biggest events during 'tis season to be jolly :). For sure, everyone had a merry time, meeting others, taking part in the activities and going around the campus.

Here's some of my pics

That sign over the grandstand was a recent addition. Never seen it before until that moment.

 Panunuluyan

A Mass started the night's festivities.

Singing "We are All God's Children" (Theme song of the upcoming Papal Visit) after the mass.

One of the performers

Paskuhan concert

Now, here's the fireworks display (sorry, pics aren't good)

On my part, I was with my classmates, some friends from the Campus Ministry and later, met some friends from the Light of Jesus Community (they're the one's who run The Feast with Bo Sanchez every Sunday at the PICC. I recently attended one of them), both familiar and new. For the a good part, I was hanging out with others at the Campus Ministry office. Though it wasn't loud unlike it is outside, still the atmosphere of the place was comfortable and people there had a good time with all the food (mostly from Max's) and being with each other. All in all a great time enjoying the event.

Also, personally, this is my last Paskuhan in my four year stay at UST, since I'll be (hopefully) graduating next year (hence the title). With everything that happened that night, was it all worth it? Definitely. :) Meeting new friends, being with other people, having a good time, seeing those fireworks and many other things, it all made up for a good time. Even after I graduate, maybe I'll be able to attend this again next year, and the years to come while I can. You may not know, but I might study again in UST... Whatever happens, we'll see. 'Till then. :)

And with that, I finish off this post. Of course, since were still in this season, I'm sure there's more to come. Thanks for checking and Merry Christmas! :)

Check more pics here