Romans 14:7-12 ><)))*> ><)))*> ><)))*> Luke 15:1-10
Betania Tagaytay, August 2017.
Dearest Lord Jesus:
It seems more rains are coming today as I watched the rains last night amid dark skies with only a few stars above to accompany the moon. What a sight to behold as darkness enveloped us with the trickling of rains calming my soul while listening to St. Paul:
Brothers and sisters: none of us lives for oneself, and no one dies for oneself. For if we live, we live for the Lord, and if we die, we die for the Lord; so then, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s.
Romans 14:7-8
Thank you very much Lord for your wonderful gift of self to us!
Indeed, you are the gift and the giver at the same time.
Thank you for making each of us a small universe, self-contained but not totally complete if separated from you and from others. May we always share this gift of self with others by keeping us one in you and with you.
You are our “deep space”, our “big bang”, always expanding, ever growing, bursting with life and meaning.
May we not be bothered like the Pharisees and scribes when people seek you more than us for we are mere stars leading them to you.
May we search and bring back to you the other dead stars and lost stars of this universe we call life. Amen.
Yaman rin lang naumpisahan ko nang balikan natutunan sa pagdidilig ng mga halaman, narito naman aking kinamumuhian sa nilalang na luntian.
Hindi ko malilimutan noon sa aking kabataan nang ako'y mapagalitan ni inay nang pagmuntikanan ko nang maluray alaga niyang halaman kailan ko lamang nagustuhan.
Tuwing aking dinidiligan aming mga halaman palagi kong iniiwasan maski mawiligan mga cactus dahil aming napag-aralan namumuhay mga ito sa disyerto kahit walang ulan.
Hindi ako nahiwagaan sa naturang katangian bagkus aking pinagtakhan bakit ang cactus inalagaan di naman pala kailangang diligan bukod sa di kakitaan ng kagandahan?
Doon nagsimula itong aking kalokohan o kademonyuhan, wika ng aking ina nang unti-unti kong hiwaan berdeng laman iniiwasan mga tinik na nakatirik gamit bago kong laseta na nabili sa bangketa pagkagaling sa eskuwela.
"Ano ngayon iyong laban?", pahibang kong binulungan itong cactus na aking sinaktan habang pinagmamasdan mga dagta tila baga luha ng halamang nasugatan.
Nang ako'y kinagalitan ng aking inang, iisa lamang kanyang tanong at wala akong naitugon: "Inaano ka nitong halaman, bakit mo ginawan ng ganyan?"
Pagkaraan ng mahabang panahon akala ko'y nakalimutan ko na 'yon ilang pagkakataon kalooban marahil ng Panginoon sa aking pagdarasal at pagninilay sumasagi sa aking atensiyon halamang wala akong pakialam noon.
Katulad ng kanyang mumunting tinik nakasalubsob na tumitirik, sumasagitsit ang sakit sa aki'y cactus nagtatanong, ibig makasumpong maliwanag kong tugon: "Hindi mo ba ako kayang tanggapin, kilalanin at mahalin sa ganang aking sarili?"
Sa cactus din nasasalamin karunungan at kabutihan ng Diyos natin lahat ng nilikha niya sadyang mabuti magkakaiba man ng uri at itsura lahat tumanggap ng kanyang hininga nakikibahagi sa buhay niyang nakabibighani.
Paalala ng cactus sa atin tanggapin bawat isa sa atin hindi sagwil pagkakaiba-iba natin bagkus marahil ito magpapabuti sa atin upang buksan kalooban natin sa maraming inihahaing pagkakataon itong buhay natin.
Romans 13:8-10 ><)))*> ><)))*> ><)))*> Luke 14:25-33
Photo by Mr. Jim Marpa, market in Carigara, Leyte, September 2019.
Glory and praise to you, O God, for this Wednesday!
Your words through St. Paul today are very encouraging and reassuring as well.
Brothers and sisters: owe nothing to anyone, except to love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.
Romans 13:8
How sad, O Lord, that these days, one of the cries and questions we either hear or ask is “where is the love?”.
Even in our personal relationships, we have forgotten love and kindness, mercy and forgiveness, always insisting on the letters of the laws disregarding the human face crying for help, crying in pain.
We have become so materialistic and legalistic, going into the details and other nitty-gritty in life forgetting the warmth of a human face, of a person.
It is love that defines who we are; without love, we are nothing!
Love speaks well of you, O Lord our God whom we believe in; without love, then, we have become monsters and Antichrists!
In the midst of our many transactions today, let us keep in mind to “owe nothing to anyone except to love one another”!
As I start this day, fill me with your Holy Spirit to cleanse and purify me with your breath, with your life, with your joy. Empty me of my pride, fears, insecurities and replace these with your humility, justice and love.
Help me renounce things that I am supposed to own yet possess me in reality so that only you, Jesus, always you, Jesus whom I shall only have and share. Amen.
Romans 12:5-16 ><)))*> ><)))*> ><)))*> Luke 14:15-24
Photo by Mr. Chester Ocampo, October 2019.
Lord Jesus Christ, I come to you in darkness, desolate and sad with so much pains and fears. And anger.
You are the only one I can turn to, Lord.
You alone are the one who can heal me and console me.
You alone can fill me with life and love.
Like the psalmist, it is only in you, O Lord, can I find peace.
Help me to respond to St. Paul’s call today:
Brothers and sisters: Let love be sincere; hate what is evil, hold on to what is good; love one another with mutual affection; anticipate one another in showing honor.
Romans 12:9-10
How can our love be sincere and not hate evil or even show honor to those who continue to do evil against us?
O sweet Jesus, give us the courage to come to your “banquet”; enable us to let go of our many excuses like those you have invited to your banquet.
It is only in communing in you, in being with you can our love be sincere, Lord, when we are able to disarm ourselves of our doubts and anxieties, fears and hatred to receive you and share you with others. Amen.
Lawiswis Ng Salita ni P. Nicanor F. Lalog II, Ika-04 ng Nobyembre 2019
Mga lumot sa Malagos Gardens, Davao City, Agosto 2017.
Mula pa sa aking pagkabata naroon na aking pagkabighani sa mga lumot na tila baga may naghahabi mumunting alpombra sa mga gilid at tabi-tabi.
Hindi gaanong naabot ng liwanag mga mumunting halaman ang lumot mahiwagang sumusulpot maski sa mga sulok madaling lumalaganap waring sila'y mga nalimot.
Kay lamig sa paningin itong mga lumot kung susuriin tila baga nagpapahiwatig himig ng lilim at dilim, tinig ng mahalumigmig.
Mga lumot sa St. Paul Spirituality Center, Alfonso, Cavite. Setyembre 25, 2019.
Kamakailan ko lamang napagtanto aral na ibig ipaabot marahil ng mga lumot sa atin na laging nalulungkot, nakasimangot lalo na't kung ating buhay ay masalimuot.
Paalala marahil sa atin ng mga lumot hindi man maabot at mabaanaagang lubos ng sikat ng araw, sa lilim ng kadiliman maaaninag pa rin busilak na luntian.
Katotohanan at ganda nitong ating buhay bumubukal saan man ilagay ng Maykapal pahalagahan, pangalagaan dahil walang kapantay paalala ng lumot huwag sanang malimot.
Patak-dugo at lumot, St. Paul Spiritality Center, Alfonso, Cavite. Setyembre 25, 2019.
Monday, Memorial of St. Charles Borromeo, 04 November 2019
Romans 11:29-36 ><)))*> ><)))*> ><)))*> Luke 14:12-14
Sculpture of a homeless man sleeping on a bench fronting the Franciscan Fathers’ Residence in Capernaum, the Holy Land. On closer examination of the sculpture, one realises it is in fact Jesus Christ living in our midst! Photo by the author, May 2019.
Praise and glory to you, our heavenly Father!
Thank you very much for never changing your mind regarding your gifts and call to us as St. Paul reminds us today in our first reading:
Brothers and sisters: The gifts and call of God are irrevocable.
Romans 11:29
It is always a struggle with us to come to grip with this truth and reality.
Very often, we tend to forget your gifts and call to us to be holy, to be like you in Christ Jesus, always kind and loving, forgiving and merciful, just and understanding.
There is always that inner temptation within us to think too much of ourselves, to have our rewards or share of the fruits of our labor.
Help us to keep in mind like St. Charles Borromeo, who despite his very colourful and illustrious background, he lived out his call and vocation to the priesthood exactly as your servant, Lord.
Help us to forget our selves so we may always see you, Lord, among the poor and needy, the ones who cannot pay us back, or invite us to dinner. Amen.
The Lord Is My Chef Sunday Music, 03 November 2019
My cousin Joyce Pollard-Lopez with Tony during their honeymoon 40 years ago in Greece, still together and very much in love with each other!
It’s the end of a long weekend of bonding and prayers for the All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day that ushered in the penultimate month of every year that is November.
Let us not forget that on these days dedicated for our departed loved ones, we are also reminded to remember more of God and those people he sends us to experience his immense love for us.
They are the people who have profoundly changed us into who we are today, that made us live like we never existed before…
So you ask me what do I see When I look in your eyes I see things that have never existed before Shall I tell you all that I find In those beautiful eyes I can try But it never existed before
The silvery moon… a walk in the park The tunnel of love… a kiss in the dark The light of the stars… the clouds in the sky The fireworks on the fourth of july And you ask me what do I hear When you whisper my name Music plays that has never existed before
Oh, and I don’t know why But it’s there just the same And it’s plain that it never existed before The song of the rain the flowers in spring The wind in the willow trees murmuring The laughter that falls the children at play Like church bells that call all the people to pray So you ask me why do I glow Well, I think you should know I’m in love and I never existed before
Minnie Riperton co-wrote this song released in May 9, 1979 as part of her fifth and final album called Minnie.
Two months later, Minnie died of cancer at the age of 31.
Never Existed Before speaks so well of how Minnie had experienced the great love of her husband Richard Rudolph especially in her long struggle against cancer.
The song leaves no trace of her great sufferings as Minnie herself was filled with joy by actively working for her advocacies in cancer prevention and research.
Beautiful voice, beautiful woman, and beautiful song.
Just like Zacchaeus.
He only had one desire – to see Jesus who surprised him by coming into his house as a guest!
It is a story of faith, no matter how little it may be for as long as there is that desire for God.
Jesus comes first in our hearts, to those who truly seek him in their hearts.
And the mark of being saved and loved by Jesus is to be filled with joy like Zacchaeus who promised to change his life and even repay those he had cheated.
Truly, any encounter with the Lord Jesus Christ can change us deeply to live differently, like we never existed before.
The Lord Is My Chef Sunday Recipe, Week XXXI-C, 03 November 2019
Wisdom 11:22-12:2 ><}}}*> 2 Thessalonians 1:11-2:2 ><}}}*> Luke 19:1-10
A giant sycamore tree at the center of Jericho, the world’s oldest city. Photo by author, May 2019.
Jesus is now on the final leg of his “resolute journey to Jerusalem” as he passed by the world’s oldest city of Jericho. Next week, he would be teaching at the Temple area in Jerusalem where his enemies would gang up against him, eventually sending him to death as we shall hear on the 24th of this month, the Solemnity of Christ the King.
Today we find a very interesting story that is in stark contrast with last Sunday’s parable of the Pharisee and tax collector praying at the Temple.
And this time, our story is not a fiction but an event found only in St. Luke’s gospel about a real tax collector named Zacchaeus, a very wealthy man indeed.
The fictional Pharisee Jesus narrated in his parable last week was a very proud one, of high stature literally and figuratively speaking that he would always stand and pray inside the Temple to be seen by everyone.
He was a self-righteous man who despised everyone else, especially tax collectors.
But, according to Jesus, the Pharisee’s prayer was not heard by God because he was not really seeking God but seeking adulation for himself!
Treetop of a sycamore tree in Jericho today.
Contrast that Pharisee with the chief tax collector in Jericho named Zacchaeus: he was of small stature, literally and figuratively speaking, that he had to climb a sycamore tree in order to see “who Jesus was” (Lk.19:3).
We can safely surmise that from St. Luke’s narration, nobody loved Zacchaeus in Jericho: he must be really so small in their eyes that he is hardly noticed maybe except when people paid taxes.
And that is why when he learned Jesus of Nazareth was passing by their city, he went to climb a sycamore tree to have a glimpse of the man he must have heard so often performing miracles and doing all good things for sinners like him.
Then, a strange thing happened…
When he reached the place, Jesus looked up and said, “Zacchaeus, come down quickly, for today I must stay at your house.” And he came down quickly and received him with joy. When they all saw this, they began to grumble, saying, “He has gone to stay at the house of a sinner.” But Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, “Behold, half of my possessions, Lord, I shall give to the poor, and if I have extorted anything from anyone I shall repay it four times over.” And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house because this man too is a descendant of Abraham. For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save what was lost.”
Luke 19:5-10
Was it serendipity or divine destiny?
Jesus was just passing through Jericho while Zacchaeus was merely interested in seeing the Lord. Never in his wildest dream, so to speak, did he intend to meet him personally.
From Google.
But, as we all believe and have realised, there are no coincidences or accidents in life.
Everything that happens in our lives has a purpose, a meaning that may either make us or unmake us.
It all depends on us whether we make the right decision in making the most out of whatever life offers us, of what comes to us. Either we become better or bitter – so choose wisely.
More so with salvation from God who never stops coming to us everywhere, anytime like with Zacchaeus when Jesus suddenly came to meet him.
The Catholic Parish Church in Jericho run by the Franciscans, May 2019.
Here we find again a story about faith that leads to conversion and salvation or justification.
It does not really matter how little faith we have like when the Apostles asked Jesus on the first Sunday of October, “Lord, increase our faith in God” (Lk. 17:5,Wk. 27). What matters is that we always have that option for God, a desire for God.
This is specially true as St. Paul assures us in the second reading that Christ will come again at the end of time. Nobody knows when or how he will come again but like Zacchaeus, we must have that desire for Jesus who first comes into our hearts before entering into our homes or churches, no matter how grandiose they may be.
Every desire for God in itself is an expression of faith in him. And God comes to those who truly seek him because that is how great God is: not in his power to do everything but to be small and forgiving!
Before the Lord, the whole universe is as a grain from a balance, or a drop of morning dew come down upon the earth. But you have mercy on all, because you can do all things; and you overlook people’s sins that they may repent. But you spare all things, because they are yours, O Lord and lover of souls.
Wisdom 11:22-23, 26
Inside the Catholic Parish of the Good Shepherd in Jericho, May 2019.
Like in the parable of the persevering widow and judge as well as that of the Pharisee and tax collector praying at the temple last Sunday, today’s story of Zacchaeus meeting Jesus shows us how God never abandons us his children, always ready to grant our desires and wishes even beyond what we are asking for — if we have faith in him.
Our salvation depends solely in our faith to God in Christ Jesus, like Abraham in the Old Testament that we can now rightly be called as his children like Zacchaeus.
No one is excluded from this tremendous grace of God brought to us through Jesus Christ who had come to seek those who are lost.
Like Zacchaeus upon receiving salvation from the Lord on that simple day, may we joyfully turn away from sins and most of all, cheerfully rid ourselves of so many other things that hamper us from following Jesus resolutely to Jerusalem. Amen.
Wisdom 3:1-9 ><}}}*> Romans 5:5-11 ><}}}*> John 6:37-40
Dominican Hills, Baguio City, January 2019.
Praise and glory to you, our heavenly Father, for the gift of salvation you have given s through your Son Jesus Christ!
Today you give us this special day of remembering not only our dearly departed loved ones awaiting entrance into heaven but most of all, a day to remember our own salvation in Jesus Christ.
Forgive us, Lord, for being so desensitized by the world to our need for to be saved by you, to be reconciled with you. Many of us now take salvation for granted as something due to us, so confident that we would be saved on our own merits.
But God proves his love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us. How much more then, since we are now justified by his blood, will we be saved through him from the wrath. Indeed, if while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through death of his Son, how much more, once reconciled, will we be saved by his life. Not only that, but we also boast of God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.
Romans 5:8-11
Let us re-member you, Lord, or make you a part, a member of our lives today inasmuch as we re-member too our departed loved ones.
Salvation and reconciliation always come together: no man is an island, even in death.
No one lives alone. No one sins alone. No one dies alone. No one is saved alone.
That is why on this second day of November, we pray together in Jesus Christ, our only boast in life whose love purifies us here and in the afterlife, so that our departed dear ones may finally be with you in eternity. Amen.
Friday, Solemnity of All the Saints, 01 November 2019
Revelation 7:2-4. 9-14 ><}}}*> 1 John 3:1-3 ><}}}*> Matthew 5:1-12
“Mary with the Child and the Angels and the Saints” by Duccio Di Buoninsegna (d. 1319).
Glory and praise to you, O Lord our almighty and loving Father in heaven!
Thank you very much for this celebration of the Solemnity of All Saints — of those all ahead of us and have died now enjoying your company in heaven.
Whenever we think of holiness, we always think of men and women not committing sins, of moral exemplars.
Remind us always that holiness is being filled with you, O God, and that saints are givers of life.
“Blessed are the clean of heart, for they will see God.”
Matthew 5:8
Fill us with your Holy Spirit, Lord, cleanse us of our sins and evil desires and inclinations as we strive to bear all pains and sufferings to lead holy lives.
It is in purifying our hearts, our very selves, when we are able to truly offer our lives for the loving service of the poor and needy so that while still here on earth, we may already see your face, Lord, among the people we meet until that day we are one in you in eternity. Amen.
