Tenderness of God, sweetness of Mary

The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Friday, Feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, 31 May 2024
Romans 12:9-16 ><]]]]'> + >>]]]]'> + >>>]]]]'> Luke 1:39-56

*Photo by author, statues of Mary and Elizabeth at the Church of the Visitation in ein-Karem, the Holy Land, May 2017.*

What a lovely way to end the month with this feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary’s Visitation of her cousin Elizabeth after starting off May on its very first day with another feast, St. Joseph the Worker that remind us of God’s coming to us in Jesus Christ.

Visit and visitation may seem to be one and the same, sharing the common Latin root word of the verb vide, videre “to see” from which came the word video.

But, a visit is more casual and informal without intimacy at all. We say it so well in Filipino, napadaan lang or just passing by which is more concerned with the place or location and site, not the person there. Napadaan lang ako kaya dinalaw na rin kita (I was just passing by and decided to see you). There was really no intention in seeing the other person there.

*Photo by author, Church of the Visitation, Ein-Karem, Holy land, May 2017.*

Visitation is more intentional. Mr. Webster described it as a more formal visit commonly used in church language like when bishop and priests come to see their parishioners. This explains why we refer to a chapel as a visita which is actually a small church in remote places that missionaries used to visit for the sacraments. Likewise, visitas became venues too for catechism classes and other religious even social gatherings in places far from the town itself where the parish is usually situated too.

Thus, visitation connotes a deeper meaning because there is an expression or implication at least of care and concern among the people, a kind of love shared by the visitor like Mary to the one visited, Elizabeth.

Visitation is more of entering into someone’s life and personhood as reported by Luke in Mary’s visitation of Elizabeth when “Mary entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth” (Lk.1:40). There was a communion and sharing of their common experience of being blessed with the presence of God in their wombs.

Visitation is a sharing, a oneness in the joys and pains of those dear to us. The word becomes more meaningful when we examine its Filipino equivalent pagdalaw from the root word dala or something you bring like food or any gift when visiting relatives and friends. What you bring or dala is called pasalubong from the root salubong that literally means “meeting” or “encounter”. When the visitor and ones visited meet, they salubong.

Here it becomes more colorful and meaningful because more than the gifts we bring or dala in our visitations, we bring our very selves as a gift of presence. In every visitation, it is our very selves we gift, we share with those we visit, offering them our time and talent, joys and sadness and ears and heart to listen to their stories and absorb their woes and whatever they may have to unload upon us.

That was what Mary did exactly in her visitation of Elizabeth with an extra gift, the most precious pasalubong to share with everyone, Jesus Christ in her womb, right in her very self and body!

We too are invited every day to be like Mary, a bringer or taga-dala of Jesus Christ to everyone we meet, the best pasalubong we can share with everyone. If we can only be like Mary in our dealings with others, trying to make every encounter a visitation that is a willful bringing and sharing of Christ with others, then we also bring with us God’s tenderness and mercy for this dark world that admires toughness and roughness.

How sad are those news of daily road rages happening almost everywhere, many times resulting in the loss of lives like the recent fatal shooting of a family driver in Makati.

Through the Blessed Mother’s humility and obedience before God, Christ came into the world to make us experience the Father’s tenderness in the many healings and miracles He performed. This tenderness of God in Jesus we saw too in Mary His Mother in the Visitation: Mary visited Elizabeth because she knew and felt her many wounds who for a long time bore no child, living in “disgrace before others” as she had claimed (Lk.1:25). A tender person like Jesus and Mary is one who comes to comfort and heal the wounds of those hurt in life, trying to lullaby the restless and sleepless, never adding insult to injuries.

*Photo by author, Sacred Heart Novitiate, Novaliches, QC, 20 March 2024.*

One last thing about the Visitation of Mary to her cousin Elizabeth. One of the best things we can experience from visitations and visits of family and friends like during wakes and funerals is that quality of sweetness.

Sweetness always goes with tenderness. It is the essence of God who is love. Anyone who loves is always sweet that always comes naturally from within, bringing out good vibes. It is never artificial like Splenda, always flowing freely and naturally that leaves a good taste and feeling to anyone.

In the Hail Holy Queen, Mary is portrayed as “O clement, O sweet Virgin Mary” to show her sweetness as a Mother. Recently I have seen some posts making a meme (?) of the Hail Holy Queen’s part that says “to you do we cry poor banished children of Eve”. I have not really dealt it with much attention because too often, there are a lot of generation gaps in many posts in social media; I really cannot relate much to the young perhaps due to my age. I just hope that post on the Hail Holy Queen is not derogatory. Back to our reflection…

Tenderness and sweetness are the most God-like qualities we all have but have unconsciously buried deep in our innermost selves, refusing them to surface because of our refusal to love for fears of getting hurt and left behind or lost. When Mary heard Elizabeth’s pregnancy, she simply followed her human and motherly instincts that in fact so Godly that she went in haste to hill country of Judah. How lovely!

Tomorrow it is already June, reminding us all we are halfway through the year. And it would be surprisingly quick that soon, it is already Christmas again! This feast of the Visitation reminds us of Mary’s great role in making Christmas a reality when God almighty became human, little and vulnerable like us to experience His sweetness and tenderness in Jesus Christ. Through Mary.

Let us pray:

God our loving Father,
thank for coming to us,
for staying with us,
not just visiting us;
help us imitate Your Son
Jesus Christ's Mother,
the Blessed Virgin Mary
whose "love is so sincere",
loving one another like Elizabeth
with "mutual affection,
showing honor,
fervent in spirit,
serving the Lord;
help us imitate Mary
to always rejoice in hope,
endure afflictions and
most of all, persevere in prayer"
(cf. Romans 12:9-12)
so we may always bring 
Jesus Christ with everyone
we meet.
Amen.

*From cbcpnews.net, 13 May 2022, at the Parish of the National Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima, Valenzuela City.*

Becoming a Bartimaeus

The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Thursday in the Eighth Week of Ordinary Time, Year II, 30 May 2024
1 Peter 2:2-5, 9-12 <*((((>< + ><))))*> Mark 10:46-52

Teach us, Jesus,
to be like Bartimaeus;
let us admit our blindness
to what true and good and beautiful
that is YOU;
teach us to be like
Bartimaeus to cry out to
You, Jesus, 
to wait for You always, 
to believe in You as the Only One
who can heal us of our blindness;
most of all,
teach us, Lord,
to leave the side of the streets,
to come to You, Jesus
to the middle of the road
to follow You on the way to
the Cross!

He threw his cloak, sprang up, and came to Jesus.
Mark 10:50

Forgive us, dear Jesus
for being so afraid,
to confront head on
the many ongoing
debates and attacks
against Your teachings
we hold so dearly
like the value of every person,
the inviolability of human life,
the sanctity of marriage;
forgive us, Jesus
when we hide in being "open"
choosing to be silent
just to accommodate the few
noisy people advocating for
too much rights without any
responsibilities,
speaking about equality
without any regard at all for
God and religion,
spirituality and theology.

Let us be like Bartimaeus
shouting louder than ever
amid calls of some to be silent,
to not insist Your teachings on others
when it is indeed the only one
true and just;
let us be like Bartimaeus
by affirming who we are -
"a chosen race,
a royal priesthood,
a holy nation,
a people of his own,
so that we may announce
Your praises who called us out
of darkness into his wonderful
light"
(1 Peter 2:9).

Have pity on us,
Jesus,
we want to see You
and follow You.
Amen.

What we value most

The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Wednesday, Memorial of St. Paul VI, Pope, 29 May 2024
1 Peter 1:18-25 ><}}}}"> + ><}}}}"> + ><}}}}"> Mark 10:32-45

What a lovely Wednesday
we have, God our loving Father
right in the middle of so many 
issues that make us examine our
heart and soul,
what we truly value in this life
as Peter reminds us of how much
You value us so much as a people,
every individual person:

Beloved: Realize that you were ransomed from your futile conduct, handed on by your ancestors, not with perishable things like silver or gold but with the precious Blood of Christ as of a spotless unblemished lamb… You have been born anew, not from perishable but from imperishable seed, through the living and abiding word of God.
1 Peter 1:18-19, 23

Through Your Son
Jesus Christ our Lord,
help us realize dear Father 
these truths and realities 
of Your immense love 
for each one of us
while we waste
and take for granted
the value of human life
especially at its most vulnerable 
stages of infancy and old age
as well as the sanctity of marriage;
enlighten our minds and our hearts,
especially those of our lawmakers
and policy makers,
most of all, 
the masses who are misled by
so many into believing in the need
for contraceptives and abortions,
and divorce.

Forgive us, dear Jesus
for the "hardness of our hearts"
in insisting our own 
rules and laws,
blinded by glory of power
and wealth like the brothers
James and John;
let us heed your call that
"whoever wishes to be great
among you will be your servant"
(Mark 10:43).

In this great period in our history
as a Christian nation when some people
claiming to know more,
claiming to know better
totally disregard facts
and true wisdom from the Spirit
in advocating divorce and other
agenda promoting the "culture of death",
grant us O Lord Jesus Christ
the courage You gave St. Paul VI
to go against the tide by standing firm
on Your truth in upholding human life
by choosing the minority report
"Humane vitae":
St. Paul VI did not mind at all
being maligned and persecuted
even within the Church
for he believed firmly at how You,
O God value every person;
how beautiful that in the end,
You proved him right
when You allowed
St. Paul VI to intercede twice
in the miraculous birth of two babies
recommended by doctors for abortion
due to difficult pregnancy and disability
that eventually paved the way for his
beatification and canonization.

Like St. Paul VI,
let us be rooted in You, O God
as we "dialogue with the modern world"
by leading people to You
in order to find fulfillment
and meaning in life
in the name of Christ.
Amen.

St. Paul VI,
Pray for us!

*Pope Paul VI is seen in this portrait made in early 1969 (CNS photo) via wikipedia.org.*

The “Simon Peter” within us

The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Tuesday in the Eighth Week of Ordinary Time, Year II, 28 May 2024
1 Peter 1:10-16 ><]]]]'> + ><]]]]'> + ><]]]]'> Mark 10:28-31

*Photo by author, Simon Peter before Jesus after their bountiful catch in Galilee, May 2017.*

Forgive me Jesus
for being so like Simon Peter,
so irrepressible on many occasions,
saying things without much
thinking and reflection
like in today's gospel
when he bragged to You,
"We have given up everything
and followed you" (Mark 10:28);
let me be aware always that 
all that I have,
whatever good I can do
are all because of You, Jesus;
like Simon Peter,
let me grow and mature 
in my faith in You
when he wrote us today
"be holy yourselves in every
aspect of your conduct,
for it is written, Be holy
because I am holy"
(1 Peter 1:15-16).

Make me holy, Lord,
fill me with Your Spirit
by first emptying me 
of myself, 
of my pride, 
of my insecurities,
of my sins
in order to be filled
with Your Spirit 
so I may truly conform to You
and be Your presence
in the world today;
I know I have not 
given that much yet 
to You through others
for I still think of myself always;
take away whatever 
I still keep and hide to myself
that I am not aware of,
remind me to abandon
and offer everything to You.
Amen.

*12th century mosaic from Sicily of Peter drowning from orthodoxartsjournal.org.*

Of vows & commitment

The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Friday, Memorial of Our Lady of the Way (Madonna Della Strada), 24 May 2024
James 5:9-12 ><))))"> + ><))))"> + ><))))"> Mark 10:1-12

*Photo by author, Santa Maria Della Strada Chapel, Sacred Heart Novitiate, Novaliches, QC, 20 March 2024.*

Lord Jesus Christ,
on this 24th of May,
I join the Society of Jesus
in honoring Your Mother
they have affectionately called
Santa Maria Della Strada,
Our Lady of the Way;
thank You for introducing me
to her last year, a wonderful
title of Mary reminding me always
of You, Jesus, who declared Yourself
as "the Way, the Truth, and the Life"
(John 14:6).

Help me, O Lord,
along the way, 
to be faithful to You, 
keeping in mind the reminders
of St. James today to
"not complain about one another...
to persevere like the prophets...
and do not swear, either by heaven
or by earth or with any other oath,
but let your 'Yes' mean 'Yes' and
your 'No' mean 'No'" (James 5:9, 11, 12).

How timely are Your words,
O Lord, in this world where promises
and oaths are made only to be broken;
make us more sincere in our words,
to really mean what we say,
to be committed and persevering
always in standing by who we are
as children of the Father,
called to love and be merciful 
like Him.

We pray for all couples
as well as priests and religious
having crises in keeping
their vows to You, Jesus,
to lovingly serve You among
the people You have entrusted us;
through Mary Your Mother,
our Lady of the Way,
may we find You always Jesus
in every turn and stop we make,
to persevere especially when the
path is so narrow and difficult,
never to turn away when we find
the Cross looming in sight.

Forgive us, dear Jesus,
for the "hardness of our hearts",
especially in those moments
we refuse to listen and even stifle
Your tiny voice of truth and
compassion in our hearts,
when we insist on following our
own ways of pride and power 
than Your ways of
peace and justice,
kindness and care;
take away our stony hearts, Lord,
and give us natural hearts
that beat with firm faith,
fervent hope and
unceasing charity and love
in You like Mary,
our Mother.
Amen.

Priesthood is the Cross

The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Thursday, Feast of Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Eternal High Priest, 23 May 2024
Hebrews 10:11-18 <*{{{{>< + <*{{{{>< + ><}}}}*> + ><}}}}*> Mark 14:22-25

Praise and glory to You,
Lord Jesus Christ for reminding us
this Thursday after the Pentecost
of Your call for us to be like You, 
our Eternal High Priest,
in gentleness and mercy,
kindness and love;
and the good news is
all these are already in us
when we were baptized
to share in Your priesthood
the Father had promised
to Jeremiah fulfilled in You:

The holy Spirit also testifiesd to us, for after saying: “This is the covenant I will establish with them after those days, says the Lord: ‘I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them upon their minds,'” he also says: “Their sins and their evildoing I will remember no more.” Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer offering for sin.
Hebrews 10:15-18

Two Sundays ago,
we celebrated Your Ascension
that is more relational in nature
than spatial, the leveling up of
our relationships with You and
with one another that is affirmed
today by this feast of You,
Jesus our Eternal High Priest
and Mediator when You
established the New Covenant
on that Last Supper:

As they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and broke it, and gave it to them, and said, “Take; this is my body.” And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, and they all drank of it. And he said to them, “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many.”
Mark 14:22-24

*Photo by author, Chapel of St. Francis Xavier, Sacred Heart Novitiate, Novaliches, QC, 20 March 2024.*

These words, dear Jesus
You fulfilled on the Cross 
the following Good Friday; 
in Your self-offering on the Cross,
You fulfilled the temple worship
by putting an end to 
those bloody sacrifices,
rites and rituals of the Old that
were empty due to the sins 
and weaknesses of
the priests and people;
in Your dying on the Cross
as fulfillment of Your words at
the Last Supper as our 
Eternal High Priest and Mediator,
You have consecrated us as
Your holy people;
this perfect offering 
is what we celebrate,
what we remember,
what we make present daily 
in the Holy Eucharist;
help us, therefore, dear Jesus,
to be faithful and true to You
by being more loving with one
another as we face the Father 
in the Sacrifice of the Mass
in You, through You and with You
Jesus by sharing in Your Priesthood,
help us laity and priests alike
to be true in our witnessing,
in our loving sacrifices for each other.

Every priest stands daily at his ministry, offering frequently those same sacrifices that can never take away sins. But this one offered one sacrifice for sins, and took his seat forever at the right hand of God. For by one offering he has made perfect those who are being consecrated.
Hebrews 10:11-12, 14

Forgive us,
 Your priests and bishops,
dearest Jesus
whom You have called
to act in "persona Christi"
but have become more like
the priests of the Old Testament
so concerned with our
name and position,
power and wealth;
forgive us, Lord Jesus,
when we Your priests and bishops
look and move like matinee idols
or think and speak like managers
than pastors of souls;
forgive us, O Lord,
when we Your priests and bishops
have no more time to kneel daily
be with You in prayers
because we prefer
to socialize and party
with the rich and powerful
that we miserably fail
 in finding You
among the poor
 and the suffering.

Transform us
priests and bishops
to be more like You
Jesus Christ,
our Eternal Priest and Mediator
in thinking,
in speaking,
in doing,
in living,
most especially in loving.

Let us not forget
that You saved mankind
by suffering and dying on the Cross,
not with with programs
and activities
because Your glory
can only be found on the Cross
where death is conquered
and led to life and light.
Amen.

Pentecost, death & “re-membering”

Quiet Storm by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II, 22 May 2024

I have reflected last Sunday that Pentecost is not just an event in the past but a daily coming of the Holy Spirit upon us, enlightening us of so many things in life we used to take for granted. Like the value of every person, especially when there is a death of a loved one.

In fact, death is a Pentecost when the Holy Spirit comes to remind us that we never – and can never – replace our departed loved ones. Every person is irreplaceable, especially family members. The sooner we realize this, the better for us to avoid those guilty feelings later that we should have been more loving and kind, that we should have said “I love you” more often because we never know for how long we can be with our loved ones. One thing is for sure: we do not replace our deceased loved ones but simply re-member them.

Photo by author, *Bgy. Kaysuyo, Alfonso, Cavite, 27 April 2024.*

The word “remember” is very interesting.

It is from the root word “member” or “part”. When we put the prefix “re” which means “again”, “remember” means to make a part again of the present moment.

Every time we remember a person or an event, we make them part of our present moment. And they are most real, most present when our re-membering happens in the context of a family or a community. Re-membering someone by one’s self surely does happen a lot but very often, it is more of looking back to the past, recalling the days we used to be together. But when we remember somebody as a family or a community, the one we remember is indeed re-membered in our present, becomes real in everyone around celebrating his/her memory. Something concrete happens and the joy is more intense, leading to freedom from past, from pains and hurts of losing a loved one.

That is when death becomes a Pentecost. When the Holy Spirit came down upon the Apostles and the Blessed Virgin Mary in Jerusalem 50 days after Easter, the Third Person of the Blessed Trinity did not come to replace Jesus. The Holy Spirit is a distinct Person of the Trinity in whose power all the followers and believers of Christ have been empowered to make Him present until now in our collective re-membering of Him in the Church and the Sacraments. In the Holy Spirit who comes to us daily, we overcome and transcend every death we go through in life, enabling us to re-member our departed loved ones by being a member of those left behind.

*Photo by author, Sacred Heart Novitiate, Novaliches, QC, 18 March 2024.*

Since mommy’s death, I have gone home thrice already. How I loved to walk inside her room, trying so hard to get those feelings or vibes when she was still alive I miserably miss most as the days moved on.

One thing I have noticed, though, is that strange feeling of our home suddenly so empty as in “kakalog-kalog” as we say in Tagalog. Mommy ko lang nawala sa amin pero parang nawala ang lahat sa bahay?

Now I know better why the mother is the light of the family or “ilaw ng tahanan” because after she had died, her light in our home was turned off that seemed to have made our home so dark, so light and hollowed. However, when we gathered as siblings together with our nieces and nephew and relatives, the warmth of our home returns as if mommy is with us , still with us.

That is when the Holy Spirit comes amid the darkness of every death. A Pentecost when we are reminded of those still with us who must band closer together to make our departed more present in our collective re-membering. No wonder, it was also the final instruction of Jesus to His disciples at their Last Supper when He told them as He gave them the chalice to “Do this in memory of me” or “in remembrance of me”. In Greek, it is called anamnesis which is more than remembering or recalling but making present, making a reality.

And the reality is this – every person is valuable beyond measure.

So fragile too! Because we can easily lose them in a snap.

We realize and feel this most true in death when we experience deeply “someone like me” whom I love, whom I care for is gone because in every death of a beloved, a part of us dies too. Even if he/she is an enemy or somebody we are not in good terms with, we feel a loss within because for better or worst, the deceased made us feel our humanity.

It is said that “one life is too many.” Very true. Today God gives us the gift and power to re-member those not with us by connecting with those still living with us. Make that connection now and soon you too shall see the face we sorely miss together. Have a blessed remaining half-week!

Where?

The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Tuesday in the Seventh Week of Ordinary Time, Year II, 21 May 2024
James 4:1-10 ><))))*> + ><))))*> + ><))))*> Mark 9:30-37

"Beloved:
Where do the wars and
where do the conflicts 
among you come from?"
(James 4:1)

What a beautiful question
to ponder upon on this
second day of Ordinary Time,
Lord Jesus: the "where",
the origin,
the source,
the root
of our many desires
in life;
ultimately,
the question You have asked
Your disciples "What were
you arguing about on the
way?" (Mark 9:33)
leads also to the same
question of James of
"where".

Many times, 
O Lord, we presume
and insist we are on the 
right tracks,
on the right path
following the world
even if deep inside
we know we are lost,
we have gone astray,
that we are on the wrong
bearings in life
because we merely
follow the rest that like 
everybody, we end up
lost and more confused
than ever.

You covet but do not possess. You kill and envy but you cannot obtain; you fight and wage war. You do not possess because you do not ask. You ask but do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.
James 4:2-3

Teach us, Jesus,
to bravely ask ourselves
from "where" are we coming from
in everything we are doing,
saying, and pursuing;
help us to be sincere
and humble of our "where"
wherever it may be;
most of all, 
let us ask too
"where" we are going to
"where" do we want to be.

During these 33 to 34 weeks
in Ordinary Time,
let us find, 
our bearing in YOU, Jesus
so that our "where" from
and "where" to would only
be YOU.
Amen.

*Photo by Mr. Vigie Ongleo, Sagada, Mt. Province, 2014.*

Do you love me?

The Lord Is My Chef Easter Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Friday in the Seventh Week of Easter before the Pentecost, 17 May 2024
Acts 25:13-21 ><]]]]'> + ><]]]]'> + ><]]]]'> John 21:15-19

Today, O Lord Jesus,
You asked me the loveliest
yet most dreaded question
of all: "Do you love me?"

And You know very well
my answer, 
"Yes, Lord! I love You!" 
even if most often my yes
to You does not flow to my
works and actions:
You know so well, 
dear Jesus,
how my yes to You remains
only in my lips
and in my heart
because more often I turn away
from Your love to commit sins;
yet, despite these,
You still love me very much,
Jesus.

Yes, I love You, Jesus!
Please help me to pray always
to You, to center my life in You,
to be close and intimate with You,
to be one in You
because love first of all
means being one with 
the beloved,
making time, not finding time.

Yes, I love You, Jesus!
Help me to appreciate
myself more, to find You
in myself despite my sinfulness
and weaknesses like Peter
whom You have called in
his original name, Simon
because loving You and 
others begins in loving
myself, being grateful
to You that I am alive
and most of all, loved.

Yes, I love You, Jesus!
Let me love You 
with all my heart,
with all my soul,
with all my very self;
let me love You first
so that I may truly love
everyone, especially
the poor and the needy
You have entrusted to me;
let me love You first, Jesus,
so that I may love deeply
the Church;
O my Jesus,
let me love You first
so I can truly love
because without You as basis
and foundation of my love,
that love could be self-serving,
momentary and merely an altruism
without meaning 
and depth that truly liberates
the beloved.
Amen.

Araw-araw “Araw ng mga Ina”

Lawiswis ng Salita ni P. Nicanor F. Lalog II, Ika-16 ng Hunyo, 2024

*Larawan kuha ng may-akda, Our Lady of Fatima University-Sta. Rosa, Laguna, 2023.*

Mula pa man noong una
pinuna ko na pagdiriwang 
ng araw ng mga ina
at araw ng mga ama
dahil sa katawa-tawang
pagbati nila:
"Happy Mother's Day" sa lahat ng Ina!
"Happy Father's Day" sa lahat ng Ama!
Kanino pa nga ba
araw ng mga Ina kungdi
sa mga nanay at ang araw
ng mga Ama kungdi sa mga tatay?
Kaya hindi ko mapigilang matawa
sa tila dispalenghagang turing nila
na mother's day sa mga Ina 
at father's day sa mga Ama:
e para kanino pa nga ba mga
araw na iyon?

Nguni't sadyang mapagbiro
itong tadhana 
nang aming ihatid si ina 
sa kanyang himlayan noong 
Sabado, kinabukasa'y
ikatlong Linggo ng Mayo,
Araw ng mga Ina;
hindi na ako natawa
bagkus naiyak nang makita
sa social media napakaraming 
pagbati sa kani-kanilang ina
ng Happy Mother's Day;
noon ko higit nadama
sakit ng pagiging ulila sa ina,
kalungkutan ng pangungulila 
sa nanay na hindi na makikita,
mahahagkan at mayayakap
palaging tanong kung ako'y kumain na?

*Larawan kuha ng may-akda sa Benguet, 2023.*

Tinakda ang Araw ng mga Ina
tuwing ikatlong Linggo ng Mayo
upang parangalan
kadakilaan nila
ngunit kung tutuusin
araw-araw
 ay Araw ng mga Ina
dahil wala nang hihigit pa
sa pag-ibig nila sa atin
katulad ni Jesus
sarili'y sinaid at binuhos
matiyak ating kaligtasan,
kapayapaan
at katiwasayan;
hindi sasapat
 isang araw ng Linggo
taun-taon
 upang mga ina ay pagpugayan,
parangalan at pasalamatan
dahil sa bawat araw ng kanilang
buhay, sarili kanilang iniaalay;
batid ng mga nanay 
lilipas kanilang buhay
maigsi lamang kanilang panahon
kapos buong maghapon
walang sinasayang na pagkakataon
pipilitin pamilya ay makaahon
sa lahat ng  paghamon.

May kasabihan mga Hudyo 
nilikha daw ng Diyos ang mga ina 
upang makapanatili Siya sa lahat
ng lunan at pagkakataon;
hindi ba gayon nga kung saan
naroon ang nanay, mayroong buhay
at pagmamahal, kaayusan at kagandahan
kaya naman sa Matandang Tipan
matatagpuan paglalarawan 
sa Diyos katulad ng isang ina:
"malilimutan ba ng ina
ang anak na galing sa kanya,
sanngol sa kanyang sinapupunan
kailanma'y di niya pababayaan;
nguni't kahit na malimutan
ng ina ang anak niyang tangan,
hindi kita malilimutan"; iyan ang 
katotohanan ng Diyos at mga ina 
mapanghahawakan
hanggang kamatayan.