The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Tuesday, Memorial of Our Lady of Lourdes & World Day of Sick, 11 February 2025
Isaiah 66:10-14 <'000>< + ><000'> + <'000>< + ><000'> John 2:1-11
Thank you,
dearest God our loving Father
in sending us your Son Jesus Christ
who gave us his Mother
the Blessed Virgin Mary
to be our Mother too!
From the very beginning of
his ministry to our modern time,
Mary has always been close with
Jesus who showed us your great signs
of your loving presence,
generosity and mercy,
life and joy first anticipated
at the wedding at Cana,
his first miracle.
On the third day there was a wedding in Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus and his disciples were also invited to the wedding. when the wine ran short, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.” Jesus said to her, “Woman, how does your concern affect me? My hour has not yet come.” His mother said to the servers, “Do whatever he tells you” (John 2:1-5).
How lovely that Jesus Christ's
first sign (miracle) happened
"on the third day" -
a prefiguration of Easter -
the fullness of your coming to us,
the fullness of our healing and salvation,
the third day after his "hour";
how prominent that
at his "hour" on the Cross,
blood and water flowed out
from Jesus' side pierced by a lance
while there at the wedding at Cana,
Jesus transformed water into
an excellent wine.
Both at Cana and at Lourdes
there was water,
the sign of life;
most of all,
in both instances
like at the Cross,
Mary was present
bringing us healing
and joy.
At Cana,
water became an excellent wine
to prefigure the Lord’s Supper
we celebrate each day in the Holy Mass
as a foretaste of our promised glory in heaven
while at Lourdes,
water transformed
and healed the sick.
Thank you
most Blessed Virgin Mary
to your witness of faith in Christ;
your example enabled us
to encounter
the gift of God in Jesus,
to create the feast of joy
of communion,
of healing,
of fulfillment
that can only be made possible
by God’s presence
and his gift of self
in Christ;
in Cana and on to Lourdes
and wherever we may be,
every day is God’s coming,
the “hour” of Jesus
in every “here” and “now”
when we experience the sign
of God’s overflowing generosity
to us all who are so tired
and exhausted
most especially
so sickly;
you, O Blessed Virgin Mary,
are the fulfillment
of Isaiah's prophecy of God
sending us a mother who shall
comfort us in moments of
sickness and darkness;
continue to help us,
most Blessed Virgin Mary of Lourdes
to get through these times
of many diseases and sickness;
get us closer to Jesus your Son
who is our true peace and joy
by doing whatever he tells us
like the servants at Cana.
Amen.
lordmychef.com 