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December 16, 2025 | 12:14pm
Jose Cardinal Advincula during the first day of "Simbang Gabi" on Dec. 16, 2025 at the Manila Cathedral.
The Manila Cathedral via Facebook
MANILA, Philippines — The Church is not only for the perfect, but also for everyone who seeks the Lord, Manila Archbishop Cardinal Jose Advincula said during the first night of Simbang Gabi.
During the start of the "Simbang Gabi" at the Manila Cathedral on Tuesday, December 16, Advincula said that the Church is "not only for those who think they are worthy," but is instead "for all who seek the Lord."
“Ikaw ay malugod na tinatanggap kung matagal kang nawala sa simbahan at pinili mong bumalik ngayong araw na ito. Ikaw ay buong pusong tinatanggap at niyayakap,” Advincula said.
(You are warmly welcomed if you have been away from the church for a long time and choose to return today. You are wholeheartedly accepted and embraced.)
“Kung ikaw ay dumating na may dalang pag-aalinlangan, mga tanong o mga sugat sa puso handog namin ang isang mahigpit na yakap para sa iyo,” he added.
(If you have come carrying doubts, questions, or wounds in your heart, we offer you a tight embrace.)
He also said that although some people sought to limit God's mercy to only a select few, God rejected this narrow perspective and clarified that His house is open to everyone.
“Walang ibinubukod, walang nalilimutan, tinatanggap ng Diyos ang sinumang nagnanais lumakad sa kanyang mga daan. Ito rin ang mensaheng narinig natin sa ebanghelyo,” Advincula said.
(Excluding no one, forgetting no one, God willingly accepts anyone who desires to walk in His ways. This is also the message we heard in the Gospel.)
“May mga pagkakataong pinaliliit natin ang mga mundong ating ginagalawan. Pinoprotektahan natin ang ating espasyo at kaginhawaan. Ngunit ang puso ng Diyos ay hindi kailanman maliit. Nais ng Diyos na ang lahat ay makalapit sa kanya,” he added.
(There are times when we make the world we move in smaller. We protect our space and comfort. But the heart of God is never small. God desires that everyone may come close to Him.)
Simbang Gabi is a nine-day series of dawn Masses observed by Filipino Catholics from December 16 to 24 in anticipation of Christmas.
In a recent advisory by the Archdiocese of Manila, it said that the morning masses can start at 5:30 a.m., while the “aguinaldo mass” can start at 6 p.m.
