What to say about 2017 Simbang Gabi at the neighborhood parish? That we may have had the biggest crowds ever? Yes. That we had nine days of thoughtful, soul-stirring homilies? Yes. That we had nine days of great food, traditional Filipino and otherwise coordinated by the gentle, always organized Rachel? Yes. That we sang a… Continue reading Simbang Gabi 2017: And So It Ends… and Begins
Category: Going 60 MPH
Simbang Gabi 2017: Redemption
We saw Zechariah in the Gospel earlier this week, all querulous about the news the angel Gabriel was bringing. How could Zechariah’s wife be pregnant after all these years? Why should he believe? Gabriel, not thrilled about this reaction, struck Zechariah speechless, saying the old man would be unable to talk until after all the… Continue reading Simbang Gabi 2017: Redemption
Simbang Gabi 2017: Of Generations… and Mercy
My friend Litong started today’s Simbang Gabi Mass with a look back. At the parish’s first Simbang Gabi Mass twenty-one years ago, he said, some women were pregnant. Today, those babies are in college, married, and in some cases like today, lectoring. I smiled; one of the day’s sponsors’ children weren’t even ten when I… Continue reading Simbang Gabi 2017: Of Generations… and Mercy
Remember to Breathe
An occasional series based on stuff that hangs in my room… or my heart. It was a game of sorts when I was a child. I liked to see how long I could hold my breath. I don’t think I ever got past 45 seconds or so but I loved the feeling of relief when… Continue reading Remember to Breathe