Presence of God

The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Tuesday, Memorial of St. Josephine Bakhita, Virgin, 08 February 2022
1 Kings 8:22-23, 27-30   ><]]]]'> + <'[[[[><   Mark 7:1-13

God our loving Father,
I praise and glorify you for
your might and majesty!
Like your servant King Solomon,
I wonder in great awe at how
you choose to dwell in our hearts,
in our homes, in our churches
when you cannot be contained 
in your vast universe!

You are so kind and merciful
that when you sent us your Son,
our Lord Jesus Christ, he chose to
be even smaller just to be closest to
us as close as our breath; it is a marvel
of faith at how he can be truly present 
with us in the words proclaimed and 
prayed everywhere, most specially in
those tiny tabernacles and little hosts
we receive at Holy Communion.

Solomon said, “Can it indeed be that God dwells on earth? If the heavens and the highest heavens cannot contain you, how much less this temple which I have built! Listen to the petitions of your servant and of your people Israel that they offer in this place. Listen from your heavenly dwelling and grant pardon.”

1 Kings 8:27, 30

Like my prayer yesterday,
let me be intense in seeking you,
in finding you, and having you,
Lord; while at the same time, 
teach me to learn to limit my 
imaginations and thoughts that
eventually limit your presence 
like the Pharisees and some scribes
who have questioned you, Jesus,
"Why do your disciples not follow 
the tradition of the elders but instead
eat a meal with unclean hands?"
(Mk.7:5).

Gift us with the same grace of
courage and perseverance amid
severe hardships and sufferings in
life like St. Josephine Bakhita who 
still found you and experience your
loving mercy and justice in the terrible
ordeals she had gone through since
childhood after being sold as a slave
in Sudan.

St. Josephine Bakhita had shown us
in her life and example that you, O God,
cannot be limited to any particular
place nor time, nor people nor anything;
you are more than this world and our
experiences, more than our thoughts
and ideas for you are totally free 
to fulfill your grand designs for each one
of us to find joy and peace, fulfillment and 
meaning in this life despite and in spite
of whatever circumstances we are into.
Amen.