Cardinal Tagle: Christmas prep is more than shopping — it’s a heart ready for God

December 19, 2025 – 12:51 PM

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Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle invited Filipino Catholics to rediscover Simbang Gabi as a journey of faith and companionship with Mary and Joseph, rather than a checklist of holiday preparations.

Speaking during a Simbang Gabi Mass at St. Joseph’s Church in Abu Dhabi, Tagle described the nine-day devotion as spiritually accompanying Mary as she carried Jesus.

“This is not just a ritual. It is a spirituality,” said Tagle, pro-prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization., in his homily. “We journey with our beloved Mother.”

Among the Mass concelebrants were Archbishop Christophe El-Kassis, apostolic nuncio to the United Arab Emirates; Bishop Paolo Martinelli of the Apostolic Vicariate of Southern Arabia; and retired Bishop Paul Hinder, his predecessor.

Earlier Tuesday, Tagle also presided over a Simbang Gabi Mass outside St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Dubai, attended by more than 30,000 Filipinos.

With gentle humor, he acknowledged common Christmas preparations such as shopping, travel plans and festive meals, noting that gathering around food builds community. Still, he urged worshippers to look deeper.

“How did Mary and Joseph prepare?” The cardinal asked. “It seems Mary and Joseph were not prepared.”

Tagle recalled how both Mary and Joseph faced fear and uncertainty at the beginning of Jesus’ story. Mary became pregnant unexpectedly, while Joseph struggled to understand the situation, bound by the law yet moved by compassion.

“Joseph was a just man,” Tagle said. “He trusted Mary enough that he did not want to subject her to shame.”

He described St. Joseph’s readiness not as careful planning, but as obedience born of faith. After the angel revealed God’s plan, the cardinal said, Joseph listened and acted immediately.

“After getting the visit of the angel and the truth, he woke up and took Mary as his wife,” Tagle said. “That was the preparation of Joseph — the preparation of a heart of faith.”

Addressing a huge congregation largely made up of overseas Filipino workers, the former Manila archbishop said the Christmas story mirrors many of their lives marked by uncertainty, sacrifice and unplanned journeys.

“There are many events in our lives that we are not prepared for,” he said. “You may be unprepared for a specific thing, but you are prepared to do God’s will.”

He urged worshippers to make Advent a time of reconciliation, compassion and mercy — healing broken relationships and reaching out to those who feel forgotten during the holidays.

“In the many uncertainties,” he recalled the inmate as saying, “there’s only one thing sure: Jesus loves me.”

“That,” Tagle said, “is what it means to be ready for Christmas.”