I’M writing this on Dec. 16, the start of the Simbang Gabi or Misa de Gallo, a religious tradition in the Philippines, when we hold a nine-day novena to the Blessed Virgin Mary by celebrating dawn Masses. So, pardon me if I leave out any articles or misspell a few words due to lack of sleep. I don’t keep track, but what I can say is I could not recall the last time that I had not completed all nine mornings. And why do I do it? More than hoping I would be granted a wish, which was my main motivation when I was younger, now it’s really mostly to feed my spirituality, which effectively helps my mental health. I have always revered the Holy Mother; in the past even recited the Holy Rosary every single day, which reminds me to get back into that habit soon. I still now ensure to recite it every Sunday at least and carry a rosary with me every day. It’s mostly a Lasallian habit, I would say. This year, I hope, wouldn’t be any different. I’m looking forward to finishing the novena stronger than ever! By the way, we use the gerund form of the verb whenever we say the phrasal verb, “looking forward to” or “look forward to,” because “to,” in this case, functions as a preposition and not an infinitive. Therefore, we must convert verbs into their noun forms, which are called gerunds, simply by placing the suffix “ing.” So, we say, “looking forward to finishing” and not, “looking forward to finish.” With that said, it’s time to hit the sack!

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