Filipinos will receive same blessing when attending online Simbang Gabi: bishop

MANILA - Filipino Catholics attending a virtual dawn mass or Simbang Gabi will receive the same blessing they get when taking part in the Eucharistic celebration in church, a bishop said Sunday.

Metro Manila, currently under general community quarantine, had shortened curfew hours to make way for Simbang Gabi. Many churches have also shifted to holding online masses as the COVID-19 pandemic persists.

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"Kung biyaya na matatanggap, ang grasya ng Diyos, ang kanilang debosyon ay pareho pa rin. Ang 'di lang matatanggap, yung banal na komunyon na mahalagang bahagi ng misa," Manila bishop Broderick Pabillo told ABS-CBN's TeleRadyo.

(If we're talking about the grace of God they will receive, their devotion, it's the same. They would not just receive holy communion, which is an important part of the mass.)

"Gumagawa sila ng Simbang Gabi bilang sakripisyo...Kaya 'yan, okay lang naman 'yan. Kung ang ating dahilan ay ang Panginoon, naiintindihan ng Panginoon ang ating sitwasyon. Naiintindihan ng Panginoon ang ating intensiyon na lumapit sa kanya, na mag-offer ng sacrifice sa kanya. Alam ng Panginoon 'yan."

(They attend dawn masses as sacrifice. If we do it for God, He understands our situation. He understands our intention to offer sacrifice to Him. He knows that.)

Churches in GCQ areas are allowed at 30 percent capacity, while those in looser modified GCQ (MGCQ) areas are allowed to fill half of its capacity, Pabillo said.

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The Philippines has recorded 448,331 COVID-19 cases, as of Saturday, of which, 30,168 are active.

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