The Church Overflowed with Faithful on Christmas Midnight Mass - STP News - Santa Teresita Parish

Despite of the continuous rain in the morning, the Christmas midnight Mass at Sta. Teresita Parish this year was full of people from all walks of life.  There were families with babies, children, youth and senior citizens as well.  The bad weather prompted the cancellation of the “Panuluyan” or the re-enactment of the journey of Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem.  This is supposed to be a procession starting from San Nicolas Chapel to the main church where the mass will be celebrated.  Along the way, Mary’s time to give birth has come and so Joseph searched for an inn. This re-enactment was instead performed inside the church an hour before the mass.  The youth ministry was in charge of this activity which they did very well.

The light of the church were switched off before the mass began.  This was to create the ambience of darkness and to give emphasis to the birth of Light, the theme of the Christmas liturgy. The mass began at exactly 10:00 o’clock in the evening as the people began to flock around the church since it was already crowded inside.  A wide screen was installed so that the faithful from outside can have a glimpse of what is happening in the sanctuary.  During the singing of the Gloria, the lights were turned on and the bells were rung while the Youth Animators performed their dance of praise.  The crèche (Belen) was also incensed at this moment.

Before the homily, Fr. Richard called the children to sit on the floor in front since all the pews were occupied and for them to see what’s going on.  He told in his homily that while there are still children being born, God still shows his love and never give up on us. This is the reason to hope and to rejoice on Christmas when the birth of Jesus is celebrated.  Towards the end of the homily, Fr. Richard invited the whole congregation to sing the traditional Pilipino Christmas carols to express the joy of Christmas.  After the singing he asked everyone to greet each other “Merry Christmas.”

The communion was noticeably longer than usual because of the big number of people who participated in the celebration. Since it was not possible anymore to find a place inside the church, a lot of mass goers satisfied themselves standing outside and yet actively participated in the liturgy. What an awesome and touching sight!  This shows that the faith of the people is so strong and the birthday of Jesus has the power to bring unity and joy.  God’s grace was at work!   One can say that Christmas is truly “Emmanuel,” God who is with us.

- Fr. Richard Magararu, SMM

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