Lord My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Wednesday, Memorial of Our Lady of Lourdes & World Day of Sick,
11 February 2026
Isaiah 66:10-14 ><}}}}*> + ><}}}}*> + ><}}}}*> John 2:1-11
Praise and glory to you O God,
our loving and merciful Father
who has given us a wonderful
and most kind Mother in Mary
the Blessed Virgin through
Jesus Christ your Son.
From the beginning
since Jesus Christ began his ministry
to our present time,
the Blessed Virgin Mary
has always been with Jesus
showing us your great signs
of presence,
of generosity,
and of life
first anticipated
at the wedding feast at Cana.
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.” Jesus told them, “Fill the jars with water” (John 2:1-5, 7).
How wonderful
to recall and meditate
on this first miracle of Jesus
of turning water into wine
at the wedding feast at Cana
through the intercession
of his Mother,
the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Through Mary,
your abundant blessings,
O God, have continued
to overflow upon us
even after she is now
with you and Jesus
as Queen
of heaven and earth.
How true were your words
to the Prophet Isaiah
that you shall send Israel a mother
who shall comfort us,
a mother in whom you shall
spread prosperity and blessings
(Isaiah 66:10-14).
How lovely that
more than 1800 years after Cana,
another miracle happened anew
using the same element of water
through Mary in Lourdes, France;
how amazing in both Cana
and Lourdes, Jesus asserted
water as the primordial element
of life and symbol of humanity;
most amazing Lord Jesus
that since that miracle at Cana,
your life continues to overflow
upon us through Mary your
Mother and our Mother too
in Lourdes, France.
Like the servers at Cana,
Mary told the young St. Bernadette
at Lourdes to dig on earth
so water may burst forth as spring,
like life coming out of the womb of the earth;
until now, that spring has been
the source of many healings
and other miracles
among generations of peoples
from all walks of life and nations;
these waters of Lourdes
remain as symbols
of fruitfulness and of healing,
of maternity in Mary
who cares most to us
and the sick
in Jesus our Savior.
Give us the grace,
dear Jesus
the gifts of purity
and cleanliness
in our hearts
so that we may become
like Mary at Cana and Lourdes,
a vessel of your healing
and compassion
especially for the sick
of the world.
Grant us,
dear Jesus,
the gift of listening
and docility like the servers
in Cana and
St. Bernadette in Lourdes
to always "do whatever
you tell us."
Amen.
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