This homily was delivered at the 2025 Simbang Gabi Commissioning Mass on the feast of Our Lady of Guadalaupe (Gospel Lk 1: 26-38)
Tonight, God gives us a beautiful grace: to begin our Simbang Gabi journey on the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. For our Mexican brothers and sisters, today is not just a feast day, it is a day when heaven touched earth on the hill of Tepeyac in Mexico. It is the day when Mary appeared to Juan Diego, a humble indigenous man, and spoke to him in tenderness and truth saying: “I am your Mother, and I am here with you.”
And tonight, Filipinos in this church and around the world join in this celebration because the Mother who appeared in Mexico also made her loving presence known in the Philippines with the same desire to bring her children closer to Jesus. The story of Our Lady of Guadalupe is a beautiful story and has connections to our own story of the Blessed Mother.
Simbang Gabi has a deep connection with New Spain, what we now call Mexico. For over 250 years, the Manila–Acapulco Galleon Trade linked these two countries. The ships that sailed between them carried more than spices and silver, they also carried Augustinians, Franciscans, Dominicans and Jesuit missionaries who brought with them their faith, their devotions and their love for the Blessed Mother. Through the movement of missionaries and the exchange of religious customs along the galleon route, this practice helped shape what we now know as Simbang Gabi.
When the devotion took root in the Philippines, Filipinos embraced it wholeheartedly, enriching it with our music, faith and communal spirit. Over time, Simbang Gabi flourished here more vibrantly than anywhere else in the world. Simbang Gabi became a uniquely Filipino expression of Advent. Just as our ancestors helped shape this devotion, so to do our Parish Priests, and the Parish Coordinators who carry parols with them tonight, shape how Christ will be revealed through Simbang Gabi in the various parishes in our archdiocese.
The Philippines celebrated the first Misa de Aguinaldo, later known as Misa de Gallo in 1565 in Cebu under Miguel López de Legazpi. It was celebrated at dawn, lit only by candles – a symbol of people waiting for the light of Christ. Our ancestors transformed these dawn rorate Masses born from the solemn European tradition, to a joyful celebration. Historical accounts show that Filipinos even petitioned the Vatican for permission to celebrate these Masses with more festivity and joy. And Rome granted the request, recognizing this devotion as something deeply woven into the Filipino heart.
We made Simbang Gabi ours by infusing distinctively Filipino traditions into the novena.
We added our music, and we also added our food. After Mass, families shared bibingka, puto bumbong, and salabat—reflecting the charitable meals friars offered after these dawn Masses.
And Simbang Gabi was made more meaningful by adding regional touches. In Bicol shepherd dancers came with gongs and guitars. In Bohol, families reenacted the Holy Family’s search for lodging. Across Luzon and the Visayas, lanterns and parols lit the streets. Every region added its soul to Simbang Gabi.
And then there is the Filipino belief that many of us grew up with:
kapag nakumpleto mo ang Simbang Gabi, may magandang mangyayari.
“If you complete the nine days, something beautiful will happen.”
And yes, there is truth in that—but we must understand it clearly, if not theologically.
Simbang Gabi is not magic. It is not superstition. Simbang Gabi is spiritual formation. Because when a Filipino completes the novena, something changes—not outside, but inside.
Nine days of waking up early…nine days of coming to Mass…nine days of listening to God’s Word and receiving the Eucharist…these nine days do something beautiful to us:
- It forms our heart.
- It increases our faith.
- It opens our soul to grace.
- It deepens our relationship with Christ.
Brothers and sisters, the novena does not change God. The novena changes us.
And when the heart changes, grace opens doors we never knew were there. What we experience comes through faith, not superstition. Many people will testify to this. Some will say, “Matutupad ang hiling — my prayer was heard.” Not because God becomes “obligated,” but because a heart aligned with God sees blessings more clearly and receives them with deeper trust.
Others speak of special graces and answered prayers — suddenly, decisions that felt heavy become clearer… worries that kept them up at night begin to lighten… and a gentle peace enters the soul. Many tell us that Simbang Gabi becomes a powerful time to pray for a miracle – not because the novena forces God’s hand, but because they learn to trust Him more deeply.
Families have received blessings: unity is restored, health is strengthened, the comfort of protection felt in moments of danger, and peace returning to the home.
Others share relationship blessings — healing where there was hurt,
forgiveness where there was division, marriages strengthened…and of course the Filipino joke:
“Pag nakumpleto mo, magkaka-boyfriend ka na!” Yes, we laugh—but beneath the humor is truth: grace heals the heart, and healed hearts love better. And for many, these nine days bring one more thing: guidance for major decisions and a sense of God’s direction for the coming year.
My friends, none of this happens because of magic, it happens because their prayer becomes consistent, bold, and trusting. And a trusting heart is a place where God loves to work.
It happens because when we pray with sincerity, God reshapes our hearts. Simbang Gabi does not change God — Simbang Gabi changes us. And once the heart is changed, grace can finally enter.
Our Simbang Gabi devotion was praised by Rome. The Vatican granted the Philippines a special indult – allowing us to use white vestments and sing the Gloria during Advent, like we are doing tonight. This is a unique honor recognizing our devotion.
And in 2019, Pope Francis celebrated Simbang Gabi at the Vatican, calling Filipinos “smugglers of the faith…” because we bring our devotion everywhere we go. Tonight, we commission you to be those “smugglers of faith” in your own parishes – bringing light, hope, and unity through Simbang Gabi. And this deep devotion Pope Francis sees in us is the same devotion that the Blessed Mother herself strengthened across our islands.
Take for example Our Lady of Peñafrancia, the beloved Mother of the Bicolanos.
Every year, millions gather for her fluvial procession, barges or boats carrying her image are honored by the people who cry out “Inâ!”—Mother. It is a title that tells a story: that Mary has stood with the Bicolano people through fire, through storms, through every kind of suffering. She is their Inâ who never abandons her children.
And then we think of Our Lady of Manaoag, the Mother who calls. Her story begins with a simple farmer walking at dawn, and a beloved tradition tells us that Mary appeared to him – calling him with gentleness and light. For centuries since that moment, people have run to her for protection. Even bullets fired during wartime embedded themselves in the Blessed Mother’s image but did not destroy it. It is as if Jesus Himself were saying through her: “My Mother listens. My Mother protects. My Mother responds.”
And in the Visayas, devotion to Our Lady of Mount Carmel flourishes right beside devotion to the Santo Niño de Cebu. Where the Child is honored, the Mother is always close. The Filipinos who enthrone the Santo Niño in their homes know this truth: that Mary—who once cared for Jesus in His infancy—continues to watch over every Filipino family with the same loving care.
My brothers and sisters, across the Philippines—from Bicol to Pangasinan, from Cebu to Manila – the Blessed Mother has shown herself again and again to be a mother who walks with her people, a mother who protects her children, and a mother whose only desire is to draw us closer to her Son, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. And this is why Filipinos everywhere feel at home with the Blessed Mother; because she meets every people, in every land, with the same love.
And so, we remember that Mary’s love is not confined to one place or one people. Whether you celebrate Our Lady of Guadalupe, Our Lady of Lourdes, Our Lady of Fatima, or Our Lady of La Vang…
Whether you call upon Our Lady of Peñafrancia, Our Lady of Manaoag, or Our Lady of Mount Carmel…
The Blessed Mother calls all of us by the same name— her children.
Because she is our Mother. Because she is everyone’s Mother.
So tonight, when we weave together Tepeyac and Guadalupe, Mexico and the Philippines, and the history of Simbang Gabi we discover a profound truth: the Blessed Mother has always been the one who brings the dawn; She has brought it everywhere; she will bring the dawn to each and every one of us here tonight, and through this commissioning mass, she will bring the dawn to our parish where our priests will help us celebrate with joy!
In today’s Gospel, Mary says her “yes”: “Let it be done to me according to your word.”
Her yes becomes the first light of salvation. Tonight, as we commission our Parish Coordinators and their parols which they will bring back to their parishes, God invites you to offer “your yes” as well. Your ministry is a dawn. Your service helps our community see the first light of Christ. Your sacrifice continues a story that began at Nazareth… was celebrated at Tepeyac…and has taken root in the heart of every Filipino Catholic.
The Mother who said yes at the Annunciation, the Mother who appeared in Mexico and the Philippines, the Mother who walks with our families and our parishes – walks with us tonight. She guides this Simbang Gabi Commissioning Mass. She guides our Filipino ministry who gives us reason to come together as one Filipino Community. Brother and sisters look at these rows of clergy who have committed their lives for the glory of God, who tonight help carry the light of Christ, symbolized in these parols, back to their parishes, reminding us of who we are and where our faith comes from.
Yes, go on pilgrimage in Rome and visit the Vatican and the beautiful cathedrals.
Yes, go on pilgrimage to the Holy Land and walk in the footsteps of Jesus, yes – do that.
But don’t forget to go home. To the land where the Blessed Mother appeared to our ancestors, to our Lola’s and Lolo’s.
And here, in our new homeland, let us celebrate Simbang Gabi the way our parents taught us. With joy, with music, with food, and with a nine-day devotion where our hearts are centered on Blessed Mother in anticipation for the birth of her Son, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. And let us celebrate Simbang Gabi together, as one Filipino family united…in Jesus’ name.
Deacon Fernandez is a Permanent Deacon at St. Augustine Catholic Church in South San Francisco.
