MANILA— An official of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines’ (CBCP) Public Affairs Committee urged the faithful to include the country in their prayers, as Catholics start the traditional nine-day Simbang Gabi on Saturday.
“We remind the faithful to continue adhering to this beautiful tradition. We pray not only for our personal intentions but also we pray for our country,” the committee’s executive secretary, Fr. Jerome Secillano, said in an interview Friday.
“We pray for peace, for unity, for reconciliation. Go to mass and pray not only for personal intentions but include social aspects to it,” he added.
Secillano noted that the call for prayers is very timely since the country faces many problems.
“We see that our society nowadays is somewhat chaotic. Killings are happening everywhere, political bickering, issues being hurled at each other. What we need right now is a semblance of peace,” he said. “We are at a crossroads. We just hope that everything will be for the good of our country, the people.”
Simbang Gabi is a Filipino Christmas tradition that consists of Masses held at 4 a.m. from Dec.16 to Dec. 24, Christmas Eve.