It has been over a year since COVID-19 hit. The pandemic’s impact has been very bad for businesses that were forced to downsize or worse, close down. Families feel the pinch on household budgets as family members’ earning capacity is affected.
I have a confession to make. I have never completed the Simbang Gabi (or Misa de Gallo) Masses in my entire life.
Our eldest daughter beat me to it. When she was still in university, she and some friends from our parish choir slept over at someone’s home to cook Arroz Caldo. They sang during the dawn Mass of Simbang Gabi and served the parishioners with sizzling hot Arroz Caldo afterward. It was something I always wished I could do but never got around to doing. The spirit was willing but the body just would not cooperate.
This COVID-19 pandemic, despite all its negative effects, has brought some good for me, personally. I have been able to spend more time with my children, something that I was hardly able to do since they began working. A bigger grace for me is actually being able to hear Mass more often, even on weekdays. This year, I made a decision to do all 9 novena days of Simbang Gabi.