Simbang Gabi 2013, Day 2: The Genealogy We Choose

The genealogy of Jesus, as we learn in Matthew 1:1-17, is complicated–full of unsavory sinners, of wise and foolish kings, of virtuous and unvirtuous women. Yet it was the lineage that God chose to deliver His Son to the world. Our celebrant at today’s 5 a.m. Simbang Gabi Mass opened by asking us to turn… Continue reading Simbang Gabi 2013, Day 2: The Genealogy We Choose

Simbang Gabi 2013, Day 1: A Year of Healing

“It’s really been a year of healing,” my friend said at today’s first Simbang Gabi Mass. A year ago, her husband suffered a heart attack in the early days of our nine-day novena. Now, the doctors say you would never know it had happened. One of our celebrants, a longtime friend, focused on the big… Continue reading Simbang Gabi 2013, Day 1: A Year of Healing

When the Legend Becomes Fact…

Note: On Fridays, you can find me at Your Daily Tripod, owned by my friend TonyD. A longer version of the post below appears there. You know what today is: December 13. The feast day of St. Lucy of Syracuse. You remember her. I grew up in an area of the country where most people’s… Continue reading When the Legend Becomes Fact…