Lord My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul, 08 October 2025 Wednesday in the Twenty-Seventh Week of Ordinary Time, Year I Jonah 4:1-11 ><))))*> + ><))))*> + ><))))*> Luke 11:1-4
Photo by Mr. Nicko Timbol, Chapel of Angel of Peace, OLFU-Valenzuela, 03 October 2025.
Lord Jesus, teach me... not only to pray but most of all teach me to grow in you, to reorder my life in you by reshaping my will and desires with yours, to desire what you desire for me and for others, to open my heart than twist your arm to what I want, to know and seek what brings life, what builds community, what reflects your love and mercy.
Lord Jesus, teach me to be angry positively like you when you cleansed the temple, not like Jonah.
Jonah was greatly displeased and became angry that God did not carry out the evil he threatened against Nineveh…But the Lord asked, “Have you reason to be angry?” Then Jonah asked for death, saying, “I would be better off dead than alive.” But God said to Jonah, “Do you have reason to be angry over the plant?” “I have reason to be angry,” Jonah answered, “angry enough to die.” Then the Lord said, “You are concerned over the plant which cost you no labor and which you did not raise; it came up in one night and in one night it perished. And should I not be concerned over Nineveh, the great city, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand persons who cannot distinguish their right hand from their left, not to mention the many cattle?” (Jonah 4:1, 4, 8-11)
Lord Jesus, teach me to pray so that I may trust you more, so that I may be transformed into the beloved child of the Father like you. Amen.
Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II Our Lady of Fatima University Valenzuela City (lordmychef@gmail.com)
Photo by author, Carmel of the Holy Family Monastery, Guiguinto, Bulacan, 25 September 2025.
The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II Wednesday, Memorial of St. Vincent, Deacon & Martyr, 22 January 2025 Hebrews 7:1-3, 15-17 <*((((>< + ><))))*> Mark 3:1-6
Dearest Jesus:
Your words today are
so difficult;
I cannot imagine
you angry
as you looked
at the Pharisees
"with anger and grieved
at their hardness
of heart" (Mark 3:5);
but, as I imagined your face, Lord,
I experienced deep in me
what made you angry enough
to do something so drastic like healing
the withered hand of a man
on a sabbath:
it was purely love,
it was not anger due to
hate and bitterness
but magnanimity
or generosity despite
and in spite of everything
because you are indeed,
Jesus our High Priest forever
according to the order
of Melchizedek:
Melchizedek, king of Salem and priest of God Most High… His name first means righteous king, and he was also “king of Salem,” that is, king of peace. Without father, mother, or ancestry, without beginning of days or end of life, thus made to resemble the Son of God, he remains a priest forever (Hebrews 7:1, 2-3).
Let me examine myself what is it about you, Jesus that I am so afraid of you and made me many times like the Pharisees be so hardened against you; take away my stony heart, dear Jesus and give me a natural heart that beats with firm faith, fervent hope, and unceasing love and charity for others especially those in need and those lost.
Like your deacon and martyr St. Vincent, the first martyr of Spain, fill me Jesus with your peace and tranquility to bear all sufferings that his jailer repented and was converted; make me magnanimous, Jesus, like you especially in this time when losers refuse to accept defeat that they insist on their wrongful ways due to hardened hearts. Amen.
Photo by author, Sakura Park, Atok, Benguet, 27 December 2024.
The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II Wednesday in the Twenty-eighth Week of Ordinary Time Year II, 16 October 2024 Galatians 5:18-25 ><))))*> + ><))))*> + ><))))*> Luke 11:42-46
Photo by author, Fatima Ave., Valenzuela City, 25 July 2024.
Lead and guide us, O Most Holy Spirit; set us free from "the works of the flesh: immorality, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, hatreds, rivalry, jealousy, outbursts of fury, acts of selfishness, dissensions, factions" (Galatians 5:19-20); cleanse our nation now facing the realities of the truth of what we have long suspected of filth and evil that have shrouded the past administration's drug war; so many lives were lost and destroyed not only by the deaths but all the lies that were glorified; be the courage and strength, O Holy Spirit, of those finally given the chance to stand for what is true so that never again such reign of darkness and terror be repeated.
Woe to us and everyone who continue to overlook the good of others!
Let your Spirit, dear Jesus, bear fruit in us with "love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control" (Galatians 5:22-23); fills us with your Spirit today, Jesus, so we may be more loving, thinking always of the good of others above all. Amen.
Photo by author, Fatima Ave., Valenzuela City, 25 July 2024.
The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Monday in the Thirty-third Week of Ordinary Time, Year I, 20 November 2023
1 Maccabees 1:10-15, 41-43, 54-57, 62-63 <*(((>< + ><)))*> Luke 18:35-43
Photo by Dra. Mylene A. Santos, MD, at Tagalag, Valenzuela City, 18 November 2023.
God our loving Father
I feel so much like your psalmist today,
asking you to "Give me life,
O Lord, and I will do your commands."
I have been praying for this for
sometime with the abuses
and abominations among us priests,
of how like in the first readings
many of us have turned away from you,
worshipping money and self,
usurping your sacred altar as ours
with all of our grandstanding and inanities,
of how we have become
beholden to the rich and powerful
always present in all their functions
at the expense of the poor,
always seeking the ways of the world
as influencers than ministers
and pastors shamelessly splashed
all over social media.
Indignation seizes me because of the wicked who forsake your law. Though the snares of the wicked are twined about me your law I have not forgotten. Redeem me from the oppression of men, that I may keep your precepts. I beheld the apostates with loathing, because they kept not your promise.
Psalm 119:53, 61, 134, 158
I have no claims to holiness
nor cleanliness except I strive
to follow your Son Jesus;
and many times, amid my
indignation at the abuses and
abominations done to our sacred
duties even by those supposed to
lead us, I never fail to see myself
as the blind man at Jericho,
possibly blinded by my sins
and imperfections;
like him, dear Jesus,
I pray and beg you,
"Lord, please let me see"
(Luke 18:41).
Lord, please let me see
not only the things that make
me indignant;
let me also see you most
importantly:
your gentle mercy
amid your strong conviction
against sin and evil,
your wisdom in confronting
errors and misinterpretations,
your peace and serenity
in the middle of storms
and adversaries.
Let me go against the tide,
and be my guide.
Amen.
Photo by Dra. Mylene A. Santos, MD, at Tagalag, Valenzuela City, 18 November 2023.
The Lord Is My Chef daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Friday in the Twenty-Sixth Week of Ordinary Time, Year I, 06 October 2023
Baruch 1:15-22 <*((((>< +++ ><))))*> Luke 10:13-16
Photo by author in San Juan, La Union, 24 July 2023.
Of course,
dear God,
you never get angry
with us nor with any one
for you are love and
kindness yourself,
so rich in mercy
and forgiveness.
What truly happens,
O Father, is that when
we finally become aware
of our sinfulness,
of the evils we have done
repeatedly,
shamelessly despite
your goodness,
we become angry with
ourselves because
that is when we realize
all the bad things happening
to us are the results of our
turning away from you,
from your words,
from your precepts.
And the evils and the curse which the Lord enjoined upon Moses, his servant, at the time he led our ancestors forth from the land of Egypt to give us the land flowing with milk and honey, cling to us even today. For we did not heed the voice of the Lord, our God, in all the words of the prophets who he sent us, but each one of us went off after the devices of our own wicked hearts, served other gods, and did evil in the sight of the Lord, our God.
Baruch 1:20-22
Grant us, merciful Lord,
the grace of a sense of sinfulness
because the more we are aware
of our sinfulness,
the more we get closer to you;
when we acknowledge our sins,
that is when we admit
there is a gap between us
and among us we need to close
and make whole anew;
open our eyes,
our hearts,
our souls to your truth
and presence, Lord Jesus;
let us not be blind
to your coming
to free us from the
bondage of sins that
have made us more angry
than ever with ourselves
and with others;
let us not be complacent,
Jesus with all the blessings
you have poured upon us
so we may change and be
converted.
Indeed, the motto of the
Carthusians, an order founded
by St. Bruno whose memorial
we celebrate today is so true:
"while the world changes,
the cross stands firm."
Like St. Bruno and
the Carthusians,
may we strive
"to seek God assiduously,
to find God promptly,
and to possess God fully."
Amen.
The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Monday in the Twenty-fourth Week of Ordinary Time, Year I, 18 September 2023
1 Timothy 2:1-8 ><]]]]'> _ ><]]]]'> _ ><]]]]'> Luke 7:1-10
Photo by Ms. Rose Anne, Our Lady of Fatima University Campus Ministry, Valenzuela, 13 September 2023.
Blessed be you,
O God our loving Father
for always hearing our prayers!
As I get older and hopefully
mature in life,
I have realized
dear Lord
that the most beautiful
thing with prayer is how
you have mellowed us
as persons,
of how we have become
more personal
with each other,
caring for each other,
accepting one another
as unique and a gift.
Indeed,
prayer changes more
the person than the situation;
thus, prayer changes too
the way we relate with each
other, dissipating the anger
and mistrust among us,
bringing about more peace and
harmony among us.
Oh how difficult it is to
hate a person we are
continually praying!
Beloved: First of all, I ask that supplications, prayers, petitions, and thanksgiving be offered for everyone, for kings and for all in authority, that we may lead a quiet and tranquil life in all devotion and dignity.
1 Timothy 2:1-2
How lovely is the gospel
scene, dear Jesus, when your
fellow Jews sort of "prayed"
for the centurion that you may
come to heal his servant
for he "deserves to have you
do this to him" because
he "loves our nation and he built
a synagogue for us" (Lk.7:4-5);
despite his being a pagan,
your fellow Jews highly
regarded him
that was quite a rarity
at that time!
Dearest Lord Jesus,
may we learn to pray
specifically for some people
by naming them for those
we personally know
and at least mentioning
or identifying the kinds of
people we are praying for.
You know them all, Lord,
but when we name them,
when we identify them,
the more we know them
and find our relationships
with them as brothers and
sisters to love and respect
always.
Amen.
The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Tuesday, Memorial of St. Francis de Sales, Bishop & Doctor of the Church, 24 January 2023
Hebrews 10:1-10 ><]]]]'> + <'[[[[>< - ><]]]]'> + <'[[[[>< Mark 3:31-35
God our loving Father,
help us grow from being
your shadows into your
image and icon among peoples;
thank you for sending us
your Son Jesus Christ who came
to do your will of offering his
very self as a sacrifice for the
forgiveness of our sins
so that in the process,
we too may learn to
offer ourselves to you,
surrender ourselves wholly to
you like Jesus to become your mirror.
Brothers and sisters: Since the law has only a shadow of the good things to come, and not the very image of them, it can never make perfect those those who come to worship by the same sacrifices that they offer continually each year. Then he (Jesus) says, Behold, I come to do your will. He takes away the first to establish the second. By this “will,” we have been consecrated through the offering of the Body of Jesus Christ once for all.
Hebrews 10:1, 9-10
There are times, dear Jesus,
that I listen and speak of your words,
very much "inside" with you
in the church,
in our community,
among our family and friends;
but sadly, Lord, I am so far
from doing the will of the Father
after listening and preaching
your words.
Teach me to be like your Mother,
Mary: though she was "outside"
that house where you were staying
teaching the people gathered around you,
she was very much "inside",
in you in her total identification with you
and your mission until the end.
Enable me, Jesus,
like St. Francis de Sales
who used to have a fiery temper
and problem in handling his anger
to surrender myself to you,
to make the Father's will my own,
experience liberation from sin
and sanctification in your Spirit
to become united as one in
the Father, his mirror
and image.
Amen.
The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Wednesday, Week XXVII, Year I in Ordinary Time, 06 October 2021
Jonah 4:1-11 ><)))*> + ><)))'> + ><)))*> Luke 11:1-4
Photo by author, Benguet, 2019.
Jonah was greatly displeased and became angry that God did not carry out the evil he threatened against Nineveh. He prayed, “I beseech you, Lord, is not this what I said while I was still in my own country? This is why I fled at first to Tarshish. I knew that you are a gracious and merciful God, slow to anger, rich in clemency, loathe to punish. And now, Lord, please take my life from me; for it is better for me to die than to live.”
Jonah 4:1-3
O God, our loving Father!
How I love your prophet Jonah
for many times, I am so like him!
Do I really have a reason
to be angry with you,
when I knew very well
how your kindness and mercy
would always prevail over people
I think deserve your wrath and
punishment? How many times I felt
my judgment better than yours but,
like Jonah, I let your will prevail and then,
I complain. Have mercy on me, Lord!
“I have reason to be angry,” Jonah answered, “angry enough to die.” Then the Lord said, “You are concerned over the plant which cost you no labor and which you did not raise; it came up in one night and in one night it perished. And should I not be concerned over Nineveh, the great city, in which there are more than and hundred and twenty thousand persons who cannot distinguish their right hand from their left, not to mention the many cattle?”
Jonah 4:9-11
Now, you can no longer hide from me
your laughter, O God, to my folly of
being angry with you over simple things
I have no total control at all when I refuse
to do something on things I am capable
of affecting and changing for good
like caring for people and persons
more important above all.
Like Jonah, I can see my problem
with anger lies deep within me when
I cannot accept that I am wrong,
that should have listened and followed you.
Teach me to tame my anger,
teach me to pray through your Son
Jesus Christ who taught us to call you
"Father" so I may learn to entrust
myself to you fully and let go of the
many angers within that drive me to errors.
How lovely it is to contemplate the
sight of you, Lord Jesus at prayer: so
peaceful and gentle, stable and sure
in the Father that prompted your disciples
to ask you to teach them how to pray.
Teach me to pray, loving Jesus,
to cleanse myself of impurities that
drive me to anger and hate so I may be
filled with your Holy Spirit; like St. Bruno
who founded the strictest order of
contemplative men - the Carthusians -
may "I seek God assiduously,
to find God promptly,
and to possess God fully". Amen.
40 Shades of Lent by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II, 08 March 2021
Monday, Third Week of Lent, Memorial of St. John of God
2 Kings 5:1-15 ><}}}*> + <*{{{>< Luke 4:24-30
Photo by author, NLEX in Pampanga, January 2021.
Yesterday in the gospel you were angry, Lord Jesus, when people turned the temple into a marketplace that made you drove them away along with their animals and doves being sold, scattering the coins of money changers who have set up shops in your Father’s house.
Today we find in our readings some people getting angry and we hope to learn some lessons from you regarding this misunderstood emotion in this season of Lent.
First to get angry was King Joram of Israel when he received a letter of recommendation from the Aramean king seeking a cure for Gen. Naaman’s leprosy.
When he read the letter, the king of Israel tore his garments and exclaimed: “Am I a god with power over life and death, that this man would send someone to me to be cured of leprosy? Take note! You can see he is only looking for a quarrel with me!”
2 Kings 5:7
So many times, we burst into anger not really of a present situation before us but of things that happened in the past or worst, things that are mere imaginations or suppositions we have in our minds like King Joram of Israel. Teach us to be open with the present situation before us; make us understand what is being asked of us. Disarm us of our mistrusts and suspicions of others as if people are always seeking a fight with us (when in fact we are the ones who are quarrelsome like the king of Israel).
Then, there was also the famous Syrian general Naaman who got angry when Prophet Elisha did not come out to meet him, feeling being “snubbed” despite his stature:
Naaman came with his horses and chariots and stopped at the door of Elisha’s house. The prophet sent him the message: “Go and wash seven times in Jordan, and your flesh will heal, and you will be clean. But Naaman went away angry, saying, “I thought that he would surely come out and stand there to invoke the Lord his God, and would move his hand over the spot, and thus cure the leprosy.”
2 Kings 5:9-11
Much ado about nothing! So often we are like Naaman getting angry more because of pride, of expecting so much from others on how we should be treated with importance.
Forgive us for our fits of anger just because we felt not treated with honor, forgetting the more essential things we need in life like healing than massaging our ego. There are times, Lord, we get angry when we do not get what we expect or demand from others. Teach us openness and humility too. Make us learn to be discerning on the more essential things in life like you, O Lord, the one who truly heals and blesses us!
And lastly, in the gospel we find the people getting angry with you, dear Jesus because you spoke the truth.
When the people in the synagogue heard this, they were all filled with fury. They rose up, drove him out of the town, and led him to the brow of the hill on which their town had been built, to hurl him down headlong.
Luke 4:28-29
Photo from wikipediacommons.org.
Anger is an emotion that must be released positively like with what you did at the cleansing of the temple, Jesus.
Most of the time, the devil rides on our anger to lead us into sin, even to grave sins like murder or slander because we are “hurt” by truth like those people listening to you at the synagogue. They could not handle the hard truth about their pride and bloated egos that they wanted to kill you after telling them of their lack of faith in God.
Help us get to the roots of our anger, to accept who we are so we may not be overcome by anger and thereby not sin that much anymore.
Let us control our anger and not let anger control us. Amen.
The Lord Is My Chef Breakfast Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Monday, Memorial of St. Lawrence, Martyr and Deacon, 10 August 2020
2 Corinthians 9:6-10 >><}}}*> // + \\ <*{{{><< John 12:24-26
Photo by Mr. Jim Marpa, 2019.
Dearest Lord Jesus, teach me to be generous and cheerful too, because sometimes our generosity is filled with sadness or bitterness as it is comes from having excess of anything that we have. Worst, it is only when we are forced to become generous by others or due to circumstances.
True generosity is always borne out of joy when our only reason in giving and sharing is due to our faith in you — that no matter what happens to us, you will never abandon us, Lord, providing whatever we need in this life.
Moreover, God is able to make every grace abundant for you, so that in all things, always having all you need, you may have an abundance for every good work.
2 Corinthians 9:8
Most of all, generosity with cheerfulness is always a choice, a decision freely made in imitation of you, Jesus Christ like St. Lawrence your deacon. Those who give or share anything with a heavy heart, if given the choice, would rather keep whatever they have to remain like a grain of wheat without dying.
Like St. Lawrence, teach us generosity that is naturally human and divine, that like him while being roasted alive, he had the sense of humor to ask his persecutors to turn him so that his grilling may be perfect and even. Amen.
“Martyrdom of St. Lawrence, Deacon” by Hipolito de Rioja (16th c.); from commons.wikimedia.org
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