Call it Simbang Gabi, call it Misa de Gallo, call it crazy if you will. But the Filipino tradition of an insanely early Mass starts up again at my church in Arlington at 5 a.m.–yes, that’s 5 a.m.–this Thursday and runs through Christmas Eve. And I’m hoping to be there every morning.
I’m an early morning person these days, but getting up at 4:20 a.m. (ah, the joys of living just seven blocks from church) is a challenge even for me. It’s cold at that time of day. It’s dark. But it’s also magical. On a slow morning, we’ll get maybe 75 people at “the Mass of the Rooster”; on the weekends, the sanctuary will be close to full, around 500 people or so. They’ll be mainly awake, mainly smiling.
Jamie and Jandi, our musicians, will lead us in Tagalong and English songs. The priests, from a variety of backgrounds and locations, will preside and bless us. Filipinos and non-Filipinos will lector, EM, and serve as sacristan. Me, I write the prayers of the faithful for each day, and run around each morning to get additional people we need to pray for. By Christmas Eve, the list is long!
And then, once Mass is done, there’s the food and fellowship. The lines are long and people are patient, because there’s always more than enough to eat–because, as my friend Mimi says, “What else are you going to do at 6 in the morning?”–and good conversation wherever you end up eating.
There’s a novena at the end of each Mass. Novenas, according to the Catholic Encyclopedia, can be offered for mourning, yearning, or prayer. I’ll be offering mine this year for patience and trust in God. And I can’t think of a group of people I’d rather be offering with than this dedicated community.
Come join us!
