The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Friday After the Epiphany, 10 January 2025
1 John 5:5-13 ><))))*> + ><))))*> + ><))))*> Luke 5:12-16
(Hello my dear friends and relatives, especially followers: still, a blessed Merry Christmas to you all! I have gone to an extended vacation for much needed rest and recreation; haven’t been writing at all to truly enjoy the rare cold weather and new sites I have been to. See you soon and God bless you always!)
How fast time flies,
Lord Jesus!
It is again the new year
and soon, January will be over;
as I look back to 2024,
You were always there with me,
for me,
as You never left me, Lord;
like in our gospel today,
many times You made ways
to meet me head on,
dear Jesus;
how lovely to remember
and to keep in mind
and heart how You,
dear Jesus,
would echo my prayers,
my silent wishes
and desires.
It happened there was a man full of leprosy in one of the towns where Jesus was; and when he saw Jesus, he fell prostrate, pleaded to him, and said, “Lord, if you wish, you can make me clean.” Jesus stretched out his hand, touched him, and said, “I do will it. Be made clean.” And the leprosy left him immediately (Luke 5:12-13).
Many times,
I meet You Jesus
when I am most dirty,
most embarrassing,
most shameful,
when I am like a leper -
sick and lost,
rejected by everyone,
dejected in myself;
still, You were there
with your outstretched arms,
touching me,
embracing me.
Most of all,
echoing my very words,
my silent wishes,
my cries.
When You echo my words,
my thoughts
and my feelings
that many times I am afraid to
speak out loudly,
I feel so free and liberated
from my own leprosy;
when You echo my words,
You assure me You always listen;
when You echo my words,
You answer my prayers,
dear Jesus.
And so,
I pray today Jesus
that in my very self
I may echo
Your loving presence
to those most in need,
to those forgotten
and taken for granted.
Amen.
lordmychef.com 