Lord My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul, 29 September 2025 Monday, Memorial of Saints Michael, Gabriel & Raphael, Archangels Revelation 12:7-12 <*{{{{>< + ><}}}}*> John 1:47-51
Photo by author, Carmel of the Holy Family Monastery, Guiguinto, Bulacan 25 September 2025.
Thank you dearest God our loving Father for your gift of Archangels helping us fight our many spiritual battles in life; the wholesale corruption and looting in government in connivance with some contractors has unmasked the realities of the demons led by Satan working hard here in on earth right in our country; more than the billions of pesos they have looted from government, they have put so many lives in danger and misery.
Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: “Now have salvation and power come, and the kingdom of our God and the Authority of his Anointed… They conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; love for life did not deter them from death. Therefore, rejoice, you heavens, and you who dwell in them. But woe to you, earth and sea, for the Devil has come down to you in great fury, for he knows he has but a sort time” (Revelation 12:10, 11-12).
But the greatest spiritual battle against evil and sin, Lord happens not in government offices nor halls of Congress nor of the streets; they happen right here in our hearts.
All the evil happening now started in our selfish hearts, in our malicious minds, in our uncontrolled appetites for comfort and luxuries.
Help us fight the demons within us, Lord Jesus; pray for us, St. Michael that we may have the strength and courage to stand firm in what is true and just; pray for us St. Gabriel that we may speak the gospel and life of God in this world so misled by the words and images of evil masquerading as good and beautiful; pray for us St. Raphael that we may heal from our many afflictions in body, mind, heart and soul. Amen.
Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II Our Lady of Fatima University Valenzuela City (lordmychef@gmail.com)
Lord My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul, 22 September 2025 Monday in the Twenty-Fifth Week of Ordinary Time, Year I Ezra 1:1-6 <*((((>< + ><))))*> Luke 8:16-18
Photo by author, 08 August 2025.
We praise and thank you, God our loving Father for the peaceful rally yesterday though marred by some hooligans; we hope and pray that you will touch the hearts and souls of our leaders and government officials to imitate King Cyrus of Persia that they choose what is good for the people, that they choose your divine will, that they choose to be remembered well despite our many differences.
In the first year of Cyrus, King of Persia, in order to fulfill the word of the Lord spoken by Jeremiah, the Lord inspired King Cyrus of Persia to issue this proclamation throughout his kingdom, both by words of mouth and in writing: “Thus says Cyrus, King of Persia: ‘All the kingdoms of the earth the Lord, the God of heaven, has given to me, and he has charged me to build him a house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Therefore, whoever among you belongs to any part of his people, let him go up, and may his God be with him! Let everyone who has survived, in whatever place he may may have dwelt, be assisted by the people of that place with silver, gold, goods, and cattle, together with free-will offerings for the house of God in Jerusalem” (Ezra 1:1-4).
King Cyrus could have kept your people enslaved in Babylon, Lord, after he had conquered the Babylonians but King Cyrus chose to set them free to return to Jerusalem; moreover, he returned their gold to bring back to your temple in Jerusalem; we still believe, dear Lord in the goodness of people: touch them especially those involved in the flood control scams in our country; give us more men and women willing to stand for the truth so that the guilty ones are punished and the funds are returned to be put into good use for your people. Amen.
Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II Our Lady of Fatima University Valenzuela City (lordmychef@gmail.com)
Lawiswis ng Salita ni P. Nicanor F. Lalog II, Ika-24 ng Pebrero 2025
Mula sa Pinterest.
Kay ganda ng serye ng ating mga unang pagbasa sa Banal na Misa ngayong huling linggo bago magsimula ang Kuwaresma sa Miyerkules ng Abo ika-lima ng Marso 2025.
Napapanahon ang mga pagbasang ito mula sa Aklat ng Ecclesiastico ngayong binubura sa kamalayan natin ang mahalagang yugto ng ating kasaysayan, ang EDSA Revolution ng 1986.
Tamang-tama din ang mga naturang pagbasa sa gitna ng mga balita ng mga pagmamalabis ng maraming nasa kapangyarihan di lamang sa pamahalaan at lipunan kungdi pati na rin ng mga pari at obispo natin sa simbahan. Kung sa bagay, matagal nang usapin mga iyan sa simbahan na palaging hinahayaan nating mga Pilipino dahil na rin sa kawalan natin ng kamalayan sa pagkakaiba-iba ng marunong sa matalino at ng mabuti sa mabait na siyang paksang ibig kong talakayin ngayong bisperas ng EDSA People Power Revolution.
Tingnan muna natin ang karunungan at katalinuhan.
Larawan kuha ni Lauren DeCicca/Getty Images sa Laoag City, 08 Mayo 2022.
Ang karunungan (wisdom) ay tanda ng kabanalan dahil ito ay pagtulad sa Diyos na siyang Karunungan mismo. Ang maging marunong (to be wise) ay hindi lamang malaman ang maraming bagay-bagay sa mundo at buhay kungdi makita at mabatid pagkakaugnay-ugnay ng mga ito. Pag-ibig at pagmamahal ang hantungan palagi ng karunungan at kabutihan.
Ang maging marunong ay magkaroon ng mahusay at matalas na isipan na pinanday ng puso at kaloobang nakahilig sa Banal na Kalooban ng Diyos. Dinadalisay ng buhay pananalangin, nakikita ng karunungan ang kabuuan ng lahat ng mga bagay-bagay sa liwanag ni Kristo. Buo at ganap ang karunungan dahil mula ito sa Diyos, nagtitiwala sa Diyos at nakabatay sa Diyos ang lahat ng pagsusuri, pagtitimbang at pagpapasya sa lahat ng bagay.
Mula sa Panginoon ang lahat ng karunungan at iyon ay taglay niya magpakailanman. Sino ang makabibilang ng butil ng buhangin sa dagat, o ng patak ng ulan, o ng mga araw sa panahong walang pasimula at katapusan? Sino ang makasusukat sa taas ng langit o lawak ng lupa? Sino ang makaaarok sa kalaliman ng dagat at sino ang makasasaliksik sa Karunungan? (Sirac 1:1-3).
Sa kabilang dako naman, ang matalino ay pagkakaroon ng matalas na isipan. Magandang katangian ito ngunit hindi ito pinaka-mahalaga dahil sa ating sariling karananasan at kasaysayan, kay daming matatalinong Pilipino pero bakit ganito pa rin ang bayan natin?
Sa pamahalaan maging sa Simbahan, palaging ipinangangalandakan katalinuhan ng mga upisyal at nanunungkulan. Kaya nga sa sikat na sitcom na Bubble Gang, mayroong karakter doon na kung tawagi’y Tata Lino na puro katatawanan ang mapapakinggan.
At sa sawimpalad nating mga Pilipino, mas pinapaboran natin, mas hinahangaan palagi mga matatalino kesa marurunong. Bilib na bilib tayo sa mga tao na maraming tinapos na degree sa mga pamantasan dito sa bansa at ibayong dagat. Isa iyan sa malaking problema sa Simbahan: maraming pari at obispo ang matatalino ngunit walang puso ni Kristo, puso ng Mabuting Pastol. Sa dami ng matatalinong Pilipino, bakit ganito pa rin ang ating bayan maging Simbahan?
Bulok. Kung hindi man ay nabubulok.
Dangan kasi, mga matatalino matalas lang ang isipan ngunit walang puso o pitak man lamang doon para sa kapwa at sa Diyos kaya madalas, ginagamit kanilang katalinuhan sa kabuktutan at sariling mga interes at pangangailangan.
Kay ganda ng talinghagang gamit natin diyan – lumaki ang ulo. Yumabang at naging palalo sa sobrang katalinuhan, walang ibang pinakikinggan kungdi sarili lamang. Naku, lalo na iyan sa mga pari at obispo ng Simbahan!
Ang katawa-tawa sa malalaking ulo iyan ng maraming namumuno saan man, sa hindi maipaliwanag na kadahilanan, maraming matatalino puno ng kabag sa tiyan at hindi kataka-taka, walang ibang nagagawa sila kungdi umutot ng umutot. Kaya mabaho at mabantot sa maraming anomalya at kalabisan itong ating bayan maging Simbahan! Hindi ba?
Larawan ni Roger Buendia/Presidential Museum and Library via esquiremag.ph.
Noon pa man, sinasabi ko nang palagi magkaiba ang kabaitan at kabutihan. Madalas ang taong mabait nating tinuturing ay pleaser sa Inggles. Utu-uto, lahat puwede, lahat pinapayagan para walang kaguluhan pero ang katotohanan, lalo lamang gumugulo mga sitwasyon kapag kabaitan ang pinairal.
Alam na alam ito ng maraming mag-aaral na gusto nila mabait na guro na lahat ay puwede. Ganun din mga tao sa pari at obispong mabait. Lahat puwede para walang gulo. Akala nila…
Pero, mayroon bang natututunan sa mga maestra o maestro na mabait? Wala. Aminin natin mas marami tayong natutunan sa mga guro pati magulang at boss at pari na istrikto o mahigpit.
Ganoon ang mabuting tao (good person) – maliwanag sa kanya ang tama at mali. Hindi puwedeng payagan o pagbigyan ang mali. Mayroong diwa ng pananagutan palagi ang mga mabubuting tao na kadalasan ay istrikto rin naman. Sa mabuting tao, basta tama at kabutihan, hindi pagtatalunan o pag-aawayan samantalang mga mababait, lahat pinapayagan.
Ang mabuting tao, hindi niya iniisip ang sarili niyang kapakanan at kaluguran bagkus kabutihan ng karamahan at ng iba pang tao kesa kanyang sarili. Yung mababait, sarili lang nila iniisip. Kaya pinapayagan ang lahat ay upang magkaroon ng mga kaibigan at mga mangungutangan ng loob sa kanila. Popularity-oriented kadalasan mga matatalino at mababait.
Kaya naman, mapapansin natin na magkasama palagi ang karunungan at kabutihan at ang katalinuhan at kabaitan. Ang marunong ay tiyak na mabuti sapagkat higit sa kaalaman ang kanyang nilalayon ay kabutihan at kapakanan ng karamihan. Iyong mabait madalas ay matalino kasi sa Inggles makikita natin ito ay tumutukoy sa sanity o pagiging matinong pag-iisip o sane. Kapag sinabing “nasiraan ng bait”, ibig sabihin, nasira na ang ulo o nabaliw katulad ng maraming mga henyo na sa sobrang talino na walang iniisip kungdi sarili lamang.
Larawan mula sa en.wikipedia.org.
Noon sa EDSA, nadama ko at naranasan karunungan at kabutihan nina Cardinal Sin, Pangulong Aquino, Hen. Ramos at ng maraming mga tao na dumagsa doon hindi upang makipag-away at makipagtalo kungdi makipagkasundo at umunawa. Napaka saklap kay bilis nabaligtad ang lahat. Napalitan ng mga baliw mga marurunong at ng mga sakim ang mga mabubuti.
Sana sa mga panahong ito na ating ginugunita ang makasaysayang EDSA People Power ng 1986, muling pag-isipan at pagnilayan nating mabuti ang ating pinahahalagahan at pinaninindigan. Para sa Diyos, para sa Inang Bayan.
*Tunghayan mga dati nating nalathala sa paksang pagkakaiba ng kabutihan at kabaitan.
Quiet Storm by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II, 26 January 2025
Photo from vaticannews.va.
The Vatican recently invited several journalists from all over the world last January 24, 2025 to celebrate the Jubilee of Communicators in Rome.
Traditionally, the Pope issues on that date which is the Memorial of St. Francis de Sales, the Patron of Catholic journalists and writers, his message for the coming World Communication Sunday celebrated every Ascension or Pentecost Sunday. As far as I can remember, that tradition has been broken perhaps twice when Pope Francis was delayed in releasing on that date his messages for the World Communication Sunday.
But, that is another story… we write this in reaction to a very disturbing message of Rappler’s Ms. Maria Ressa in her interview after her speech at the Vatican gathering last Thursday (correction: this interview happened before her speech).
We do not question Ms. Ressa’s credentials as a journalist for 39 years, having worked with the CNN and before establishing Rappler, was for a long time the head of ABS-CBN News.
We wonder why of all Filipino journalists she was the one chosen by the Vatican is something only the Archangel Gabriel could explain. There are so many other competent Filipino journalists and writers who are good, practicing Catholics who could have shed more light in the celebration of the jubilee of communicators. We name some of whom we personally know like former Inquirer editor Lito Zulueta, Facts First host and Inquirer-ABS-CBN veteran Christian Esguerra, and Prof. Felipe Salvosa II who stood against his bosses at the Manila Times and resigned for the sake of truth and decency when he disagreed in the publication of photos of Sen. De Lima’s affair with her former driver. Two other strongly-grounded Catholics in the field of communications we wished were invited to the Vatican are EWTN’s head in the Asia-Pacific Edwin Lopez and Cambridge-trained lawyer and Business World columnist Atty. Jemy Gatdula who defends our Church stand against divorce in Congress and other halls of discussions.
Due to our aforementioned reasons, I never bothered to read nor listen to Ms. Ressa’s speech at the Vatican gathering; however, my conscience was bothered, even revolted after listening to Ms. Ressa’s interview by her Rappler reporter Peterno Esmaquel II before her speech at the Vatican. Click this link and wait for her final statement.
Photo by author, Cathedral of St. Catherine of Alexandria, Dumaguete City, November 2024.
When asked for any message for Filipino Catholics, Ms. Ressa minced no words that betrayed her unCatholic stance: “Stay away from dogmas and be good.”
We understand how most journalists are “positively ignorant” about the Catholic faith and her teachings. They do not even know what is the Holy Mass or what is a parish or the distinctions of basilica, cathedral and church.
Most likely, Ms. Ressa along with most journalists take dogmas as teachings of the Church like the ones in the Catechism of the Catholic Church as well as the various writings of the Holy Fathers we also refer to as doctrines.
All dogmas are doctrines but not all doctrines are dogmas. Dogmas are solemnly defined doctrines we have to believe in. There are only two solemnly defined doctrines as dogmas, the Immaculate Conception issued by Pope Pius IX in 1854 through Ineffabilis Deus, and the Bodily Assumption of Mary defined by Pope Pius XII in 1950 through Munificentissimus Deus. Related to these, there are four Marian dogmas we believe: the Motherhood of God (theotokos), her Immaculate Conception, her perpetual virginity and her bodily assumption.
Going back to Ms. Ressa’s message to Filipino Catholics last week from the Vatican that we “stay away from dogmas and be good” is very wrong no matter how you look at it in whatever angles.
Photo by author, Nuestra De Guia Church, Manila, November 2024.
One cannot be good without obeying the teachings of the Church that are based on Jesus Christ’s teachings and the Sacred Scriptures.
One cannot be a good Catholic and yet believe and practice divorce and same sex marriage or premarital sex. We are not judging anyone here. Only God will judge us but we are morally bound to reiterate these teachings that came from the Lord Himself, including the fact that there are only two genders, “male and female, he created them” (Gen.1:27).
In my 26 years as a priest, I have witnessed so many Catholics especially those approaching death so bothered in their conscience for so long a time as they disregarded our many Church teachings like those against contraceptives and abortion. As a hospital chaplain, one of the greatest worries of many family and relatives with their patients is about euthanasia, making sure they do not commit it in dealing with their terminally ill patients.
Jesus Himself clearly said that we have to obey the commandments, the teachings found in the scriptures:
“Do not think that I have come to abish the law or the prophets. I have come not to abolish but to fulfill… Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do so will be called least in the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:17, 19).
Recall how on the issues about divorce and even the paying of taxes, Jesus would always direct us to the Sacred Scriptures, the very word of God to find His Divine Will. That is why, despite the many changes in the world, the Church has remained standing by its teachings because they are God’s teachings, not ours. Priests did not invent them and we are duty bound to stand by them no matter what – though there are some among us who have joined the modern trend in the world in the name of inclusivity and other woke thoughts which is sad. And shameful.
Photo by author, Atok, Benguet, December 2024.
One last note for this piece from that video clip of Ms. Ressa’s interview: she never spoke the word GOD (even in her speech at the Vatican, she just mentioned God once, not even directly as a point reference).
We talk about good because of God; excluding Him from the discussion is totally a fake, a budol. Any good is not good without God.
What are your thoughts with Ms. Ressa’s message to us Filipino Catholics to “stay away from dogmas” and simply be good?
Quiet Storm by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II, 26 August 2024
Image from Pinterest.
There are two great documentaries now streaming at Netflix worth watching to cap your long weekend this Monday. I watch Netflix only on Sunday afternoon to evening after my Masses but with so much spare time these long weekend, we tried doing it earlier than usual.
Very often, choosing a movie has always been a struggle with me that always ends up with replays like last Friday of Steven Seagal’s 1988 Above the Law. Aside from old movies, I have always loved old actors that is why when I saw Ed Harris and John Malkovich in the cast of new offerings by Netflix, I immediately jumped on them.
Ed Harris photo from m.imdb.com.
Having spent my early childhood with the weekly series Wild Wild West in the late 60’s, I naturally went first with Ed Harris as narrator of that six-part Western documentary series “Wyatt Earp and the Cowboy War”. You can finish it in one sitting with each series less than 50 minutes each. Though he is not like the voice-over talents of History Channel, Harris breathed on life and contemporariness in one of America’s earliest version of today’s so media-hyped stories and personalities. Harris was so cool and suave as narrator yet authoritative even pedagogical in his manner in explaining history and social psychology in presenting the latest facts and insights on the celebrated life of Wyatt Earp complete with photos and reenactments.
From Netflix.com.
Earp and his two brothers served as marshals in the prosperous town of Tombstone in Arizona following the discovery of silver in the area after the American Civil War. Before the coming of gold, it was silver that was propelling the American economy at that time to new heights. However, following the shooting incident between the Earps and a group of bandits led by one Ike Clanton at the O.K. Corral, it eventually led to the so-called Cowboy War.
The series is very engaging with a lot of sprinklings of American politics and businesses, notably the stories behind the growth and influences behind notable banks Wells-Fargo and investment house JP Morgan along with the growing power of newspaper industry in the US that fed on the appetite of so many people eager for news and chismis!
In short, the series delved on the resolution and ending of the Cowboy War that eventually paved the way for the conquest of the American West through business and economics that have cemented it until now as a bastion of the mighty dollar.
John Malkovich from netflix.com.
After that quick marathon, we shifted to our next movie, Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile. Actually, I had to check again the details of the movie that sounded like a horror one; but, after finding out that one of our all-time favorite John Malkovich was indeed in the cast of the movie based on the first-person account book by Liz Kendall as long-time girlfriend of the “most sadistic sociopath” in crime history, Ted Bundy, we went for it straight!
You know very well the flamboyance of Malkovich in whatever role he had played in his long career. In this docu-film based on that book by Kendall, Malkovich superbly handled Bundy’s trial like the actual judge, Edward Cowart. At the end of the movie, they were splices of actual footages of the Bundy trial that was also the first nationally televised court trial in the US. At first I thought it was part of the “dramatic enhancement” by Malkovich of the hearing for dramatic impact but it turned out that it was exactly how Judge Cowart spoke and behaved in his courtroom. It was so close to the truth except Cowart was portly unlike Malkovich who was nonetheless able to mimic him perfectly in his antics and style.
Netflix displayed a great genius in this film made a few years after their docuseries The Ted Bundy Tapes. When we saw that series, we were so focused on the evil ways of Bundy; in this movie, we are offered with a more personal or human touch in the inhumanity of Bundy through his longtime girlfriend Kendall.
From Netflix.com
And here lies the point of convergence of this two new Netflix movies: both Wyatt Earp and the Cowboy War and Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile presented the veracity of that expression widely attributed to Edmund Burke that “The only thing necessary for evil to triumph if for good men to do nothing.”
It is always good to see the triumph of good over evil even if sometimes it takes a long while.
In Wyatt Earp and the Cowboy War, Harris narrated so well how Earp was so maligned by the vicious liar Clanton who got the whole town behind him for a time. In the movie we are reminded how we always have to sacrifice and endure sufferings to correct evils prevailing even in the society. Most of all, no one can live forever on sin and evil, on violence and war. There will come a time when we just have to cease all violence and retire in silence to let peace have a chance to be won and restored.
In Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile, we are cofnronted with the most difficult truth and reality of standing against evil and sin even if the ones perpetrating them is a loved one. Admittedly, I have forgotten how Bundy was finally arrested and linked to the numerous cases of kidnapping, rape and murders that experts believe may run to more than 100 women and young girls.
From Netflix.com.
So interesting in this movie is the fact that it was Kendall, his girlfriend who actually tipped the police about Bundy that eventually led to his arrest. You should see the opening and the closing scenes when Kendall and Bundy finally met anew in prison while he was awaiting execution. That was during those ten years of incarceration while awaiting his execution when Bundy who was superbly played by Zac Efron had maintained innocence to all the crimes until after that visit by Kendall. It was very chilling but praiseworthy of the great courage and strong moral compass of that woman Kendall who did not allow evil to perpetuate even inside her home.
See both movies and examine also your stand for what is true and good, fair and just. And human, most of all.
lordmychef.com 