The Lord Is My Chef Sunday Music by Fr. Nick F. Lalog II, 12 July 2020
Van Gogh’s “The Sower” from Wikimedia Commons.
It is a very lovely Sunday with Jesus Christ continuing to shower us with his good seeds to make us fruitful despite the many setbacks we may have had lately due to the COVID-19 pandemic and sad turn of events.
His parable of the sower proclaimed today in all churches throughout the world reminds us that inasmuch as we have to be a good kind of soil, we need to examine the kind of seeds we have become.
Seeds are so small that we often take for granted, like our very lives and most especially God.
In a sense, Jesus is telling us today what Des’ree sang in 1994, “You Gotta Be”…..
Listen as your day unfolds Challenge what the future holds Try and keep your head up to the sky Lovers, they may cause you tears Go ahead release your fears
Stand up and be counted Don’t be ashamed to cry
You gotta be You gotta be bad, you gotta be bold You gotta be wiser, you gotta be hard You gotta be tough, you gotta be stronger
You gotta be cool, you gotta be calm You gotta stay together All I know, all I know, love will save the day
You Gotta Be was first released as a single in 1994 and instantly became a hit worldwide staying on top of almost every chart in the US, Europe and Australia. Music is warmly smooth, at the same time infectious with a sort of hypnotic effect from its sophisticated upbeat set in the cool and soothing voice of Des’ree who also wrote its lyrics.
I have used the song in my classes in our school for girls a decade ago and in many recollections and retreats to young people as it presents to us this great mystery of life packed in a seed that must fall and die to give way to new life and eventually bear fruit.
You gotta hear and feel it to appreciate this wonderful music that sounds like Jesus Christ’s parable of the sower.
I have uploaded the video with lyrics so you can follow and sing. And dance if you wish. Have a blessed day!
The Lord Is My Chef Sunday Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Week XV, Cycle A in Ordinary Time, 12 July 2020
Isaiah 55:10-11 >><}}}*> Romans 8:18-23 >><}}}*> Matthew 13:1-23
“The Sower” painting by Van Gogh, photo from Wikimedia Commons.
Parables constitute the heart of Jesus Christ’s preaching. From the French para bolein which means “along the path”, parables are simple stories with deep realities that must be cracked open through prayers and reflections to uncover its meaning.
In fact, every parable by Jesus is a word of God that is like a seed that must be received, planted, and nurtured so we may eventually see and experience what is within it who is God himself!
On that day, Jesus went out of the house and sat down by the sea. Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat down, and the whole crowd stood along the shore. And he spoke to them at length in parables, saying: “A sower went out to sow. As he sowed, some seed fell on the path, and birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky ground, where it had little soil. It sprang up at once because the soil was not deep, and when the sun rose it was scorched, and it withered for lack of roots. Some seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it. But some seed fell on rich soil, and produced fruit, a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold. Whoever has ears ought to hear.”
Beginning today until the last Sunday of this month of July we shall hear different parables by Jesus taken from this 13th chapter of the gospel according to St. Matthew.
It is very interesting that as Jesus now begins to preach in parables, we also notice his usual usage of this image of the seed, especially of the mustard seed to stress to us what we have mentioned earlier about the significance of parables as simple things with deeper realities. Every seed is so small, easy to overlook and taken for granted. Yet, we all know how every seed is also the presence of what is to come in the future, of something so big and huge that we can never imagine.
That is how Jesus would always portray the Kingdom of God, which is himself, his very person who is always taken for granted but full of mysteries that later in the fourth gospel he would reveal a deeper reality of this seed akin his Cross:
“Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.”
John 12:24
That is the mystery of the seed, the mystery of Christ: something so ordinary we take for granted with immense possibilities when given up, when it dies. In this parable of the sower, Jesus shows us a hint of this profound truth about himself as a mysterious seed, someone who must be broken to die in order to grow and bear fruit.
If we read the full text of today’s gospel, we find Jesus explaining the meaning of this parable and we discover that he himself is both the sower and the seed: he goes out everyday to bring us the good news of salvation, providing us with seeds we must plant so we can have food in the future.
Every seed Jesus sows in us is always good as the first reading assures us.
Thus says the Lord: Just as from the heavens the rain and snow come down and do not return there till they have watered the earth, making it fertile and fruitful… so shall my word; my word shall not return to me void.”
Isaiah 55:10-11
Most of the time, we reflect on this parable on the importance of the soil on which the seed is sown.
This Sunday, let us reflect on what kind of a seed are we, of how we waste or put into good the enormous potentials packed in each of us by God.
“A sower went out to sow. As he sowed, some seed fell on the path, and birds came and ate it up.“
Jesus the sower does not make distinctions on different kinds of soil; he just scatters the seeds freely. His words concern everyone.
Unfortunately, there are some of us who do not care at all, as hardened as the path or pavement.
These are the people who has no plans in life, no directions, spending their lives watching days pass without knowing that they are really the ones passing by.
Sometimes, they just go wherever the winds would lead them while once in a while, they step out of themselves a little to join friends or peers wherever they may be going. Eventually they leave when the journey gets farther.
They are literally wasting their lives.
“Some fell on rocky ground, where it had little soil. It sprang up at once because the soil was not deep, and when the sun rose it was scorched, and it withered for lack of roots.“
They are the “spur of the moment” type who eventually end up as what we call ningas-cogon (a kind of local grass when dried is highly combustible; quick to start fire but quick to extinguish too).
Beware of them who are at the beginning very enthusiastic in every project and endeavor but when the goings get tough and difficult, they are the first to leave.
No roots, no foundations in life. Easy to give up. Just as hard as those seeds on the pavement.
Photo by author at Petra, Jordan, May 2019.
“Some seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it.”
These are the people who thrived a little but eventually the “thorns of the world” choked them that they eventually dried and died.
They are the kind of people we lament and sometimes grieve, wondering what have happened within them that their hearts have suddenly turned away from God and others with their noble causes we used to share with them at the beginning.
Oh, they are well represented in Congress, especially the party-list representatives of various advocacies for the marginalized and less privileged who eventually come out with their true colors and ugly features. Some of them simply stopped thinking and feeling the other persons, blinded with power and wealth selling off their souls completely to any golden calf willing to pay them.
The modern Judas Iscariots.
“But some seed fell on rich soil, and produced fruit, a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold.“
Photo by Ms. Jo Villafuerte, flower farm at Atok, Benguet, 2019.
We now come to the better seeds (because all are good seeds, remember?).
They are the ones who fell on rich soil and produced fruit because they were the ones who willingly gave themselves up to the Sower. They are the ones who let go and let God, those who let themselves “die” and fell on the ground to give way to new life.
They are fruitful, not successful; the former relied on the powers of God, patiently bearing all pains and sufferings while the latter relied on their own powers, own intelligence and even connections that on the surface may seem to have the upper hand but totally empty inside.
The fruitful seeds are those willing to fall and be broken by God according to his divine plan. Many times, what is fruitful to God may be failures to us humans. Being fruitful is not about results and accumulations we have made but what have we become.
Fruitful people are focused on with the future glory to revealed by God through our pains and sufferings as St. Paul reminds us in the second reading today.
Let us not put into waste this good seed sown in us by Jesus Christ, allow it to be cracked open and broken to let the new life within us spring forth and lead us to becoming fruitful. Amen.
The Lord Is My Chef Breakfast Recipe for the Soul, Feast of San Isidro Labrador, 15 May 2020
Acts of the Apostles 15:22-31 ><)))*> ><)))*> ><)))*> John 15:18-21
Photo from catholicrurallife.com
You are indeed so wondrous, O Lord Jesus Christ in being so timely with us, always present among us with your saints like San Isidro Labrador, the patron of farmers and most of all, a saint for every man and woman especially at this time of the corona virus pandemic.
How great are the stories of his deep devotion to the Holy Eucharist that as a farm worker, he was more faithful to the Mass and prayers above all than to his work but, without being remiss with his responsibilities to his landlord — with a lot help from your angels!
Most of all, his spirit of charities was so renowned among people of his time that according to tradition, his wife, another saint named Sta. Maria Torribia always kept a pot of stew or whatever soup they may have for the beggars San Isidro would feed daily at their home after working in the field. The pot never ran dry despite their poverty!
Here we find that to be fruitful in life, we have first to be faithful to God.
San Isidro Labrador, pray for us, teach us to be faithful so we may be fruitful in this time of COVID-19 like you who found Christ in everyone and in one’s work.
May we live out his commandment to love like you who remained humble and faithful to Jesus that you were blessed with fruitfulness in life.
Jesus said to his disciples: “This is my commandment: love one another as I love you. It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you. This I command you: love one another.”
John15:12, 16-17
On this feast of San Isidro Labrador, teach us, O Lord Jesus, to be like the first Christians who resolved disagreements in prayers, seeking always your holy will in the spirit of love and charity.
May all of our labors and undertakings bear fruits of love and charity not only at this time but remain like those of the saints. Amen.
Photo of painting of St. Isidore with wife St. Mary Torribia with angels helping them in their farming. From MyCatholicLife.com.
Lawiswis ng Salita, Martes, Kuwaresma-IV, 24 Marso 2020
Ezekiel 47:1-9, 12 ><)))*> + <*(((>< Juan 5:1-16
Natuwa ako sa nakita kong post na ito ng isang kaibigang reporter. Na-interview pala ang lalakeng ito ng isa pang reporter na bumili ng tinda niyang saging; nagtaka yung bumibili na reporter bakit ang mura ng tinda niyang saging at iyan ang kanyang sagot.
Kay buti ng kanyang paliwanag, akmang-akma sa nakita ni Propeta Ezekiel sa kanyang pangitain nang ilibot siya ng anghel ng Panginoon sa kanyang templo na napapaligiran ng ilog kung saan lahat ng halaman at punong kahoy malapit sa pampang ay sagana ang mga bunga at luntian mga dahon.
Hindi malalanta ang mga dahon nito ni mawawalan ng bunga pagkat ang didilig dito ay ang tubig na umaagos sa buong taon. Ang bunga nito ay pagkain, at gamot naman ang mga dahon.
Ezekiel 47:12
Tubig, tanda ng buhay at ng Diyos
Tanda ng buhay ang tubig. Kaya naman maraming pagkakataon sa bibliya ito rin ang kumakatawan sa Diyos, lalo na sa ebanghelyo ayon kay San Juan sa Bagong Tipan.
Altar ng Parokya ni San Juan Apostol at Ebanghelista, Bagbaguin, Santa Maria, Kuwaresma 2020.
Pagmasdan mula pa noong kamakalawang Linggo, palaging mayroong tubig sa kuwento sa atin ni San Juan: ang babaeng Samaritana na kinausap ni Hesus sa may balon ni Jacob at noong Linggo, ang pagpapagaling niya sa lalaking ipinanganak na bulag na kanyang pinaghilamos sa deposito ng tubig sa Siloe.
Ngayon naman ay sa malaking deposito ng tubig sa Betesda (ibig sabihin sa Hudyo ay “habag ng Diyos”) ang tagpo ng pagpapagaling ng Panginoon.
Para kay San Juan, si Hesus na ang tubig na titighaw sa ating pagkauhaw, lilinis sa ating mga kasalanan, magpapagaling sa ating mga sakit at kapansanan dahil siya mismo ang buhay!
Sinasabi na upang makaiwas sa COVID-19, makabubuti ang pag-inom palagi ng tubig o kaya ang pagmumumog ng maligamgam na tubig na may asin.
Gayon kabisa at kahalaga ang tubig na kapag nawala, tayo’y manghihina, magkakasakit, durumi, at higit sa lahat, mamamatay. Alalaong baga sa ating mga pagbasa ngayong Martes, ang manatili sa Diyos na kinakatawan ng tubig ang ating siguradong kaligtasan.
At iyon naman ang katotohanan: tanging ang Diyos lamang ang makapagliligtas sa atin mula sa epidemiyang ito. Subalit hindi sapat ang basta manalangin lamang o magpost sa Facebook ng mga sari-saring sitas at panawagang magdasal.
Hamon ng ebanghelyo: maging pagkain at gamot sa kapwa
Sino man sa atin ang tunay na nabubuhay sa Diyos na siyang tubig na lumilinis at nagpapagaling sa atin ang dapat rin namang maging bunga na bumubusog at dahon na nagpapagaling sa kapwa!
Sa gitna ng ating krisis ngayon, ng umiiral na lockdown sanhi ng banta ng COVID-19, makabubuti na suriing muli ang ating pananampalataya: kung totoo nga na tanging sa Diyos lamang tayo nananalig bilang ating buhay at tubig, tayo ba ay nakakapamunga ng mabubuting gawa di lamang salita para sa iba?
Naalala ba natin yung kapwa nating nagugutom?
Nakapagbibigay lunas ba tayo sa agam-agam at takot ng marami sa COVID-19 at lockdown?
Baka naman tayo ay wala nang pakialam sa iba o kaya tayo pa ang problema ng marami sa ating pagwawalang-bahala gaya ng pagtambay sa lansangan o pag-iinuman at iba pang mga gawa na bumabale-wala sa “social distancing” na pangunahing sanhi ng paglaganap ng COVID-19?
Pagnilayan natin iyong tindero ng saging na hindi nagtaas ng presyo ng kanyang tinda para huwag magutom ang kapwa: marahil mas mainam ang katayuan mo sa buhay dahil nababasa mo ito sa Facebook kesa kanya…
Manalangin tayo:
Larawan kuha ng may-akda, Baliwag, 25 Pebrero 2020.
O Diyos Ama naming mapagmahal, salamat po sa buhay na inyong kaloob sa amin lalo na po sa araw na ito. Ipinapanalangin po namin ang mga may sakit at nag-aalaga sa kanila ngayon, pati na mga duktor at nars na aming frontliner sa COVID-19.
Dugtungan pa po ninyo ang buhay ng mga may-sakit at pangalagaan ang kalusugan ng mga nag-aalaga sa kanila lalo na rin ang aming mga health frontliners.
Bigyan po ninyo kami ng biyaya na maging mabunga itong aming buhay sa pagbabahagi ng aming kayamanan tulad ng pagkain at tulong pinansiyal sa mga nangangailangan katulad ng mga aba, mga nag-iisa sa buhay, mga matatanda.
Makapagdulot nawa kami ng kagaanan sa kalooban, kagalingan sa isipan ng mga naguguluhan, nalilito, at natatakot sa pandemiyang ito na COVID-19.
Higit sa lahat, huwag nawa kaming maging pabigat pa sa marami nang pagdurusa ng aming kapwa ngayong panahon ng krisis bagkus sa amin ay madama ang pagdaloy ng iyong buhay na ganap at kasiya-siya sa pamamagitan ni Hesu-Kristong Panginoon namin, sa kapangyarian ng Espiritu Santo, magpasawalang-hanggan. Amen.
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