Free & faithful in Christ

The Lord Is My chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Wednesday, Memorial of St. Francis of Assisi, 04 October 2023
Nehemiah 2:1-8 <*{{{{>< + ><}}}}*> Luke 9:57-62

*Photo by author, “Homeless Jesus” at Capernaum in Galilee, Israel, May 2019.*

Praise and glory to you,
loving God our Father
on this most joyous day
of the Memorial of St. Francis
of Assisi, one of those who
truly followed your Son Jesus Christ
in complete freedom to be poor
and empty for him and others.

Grant us the same gift of freedom,
Father; teach us to be like St. Francis
who was totally free for Christ,
living in poverty and simplicity,
renouncing the lures of this
world so he can be solidly
faithful in Jesus and his gospel.

Many times in this life,
in this world with so many things
meant to lighten our lives
to be able to do and accomplish much,
the opposite happens; we save
so much time in doing our jobs and
other tasks easily but the more we
get tied even enslaved to our gadgets,
selves, and other preoccupations 
that separate us from one another,
especially our loved ones and you;
we save money and earn so much
by doing less but the more 
we desire to earn more, 
to have more wealth in all its
forms, becoming more selfish.

Free our selves,
purify our intentions
and cleanse our dispositions
to be free for Jesus,
free from persons
and things that hold us 
to truly follow Christ.

As Jesus and his disciples were proceeding on their journey someone said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” Jesus answered him, “Foxes have dens and birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to rest his head.”
Luke 9:57-58

Thank you, dear God
for the desire within for
Jerusalem; what we lack is
the willingness,
the drive,
and the enthusiasm
to search and follow you
in Christ to Jerusalem 
where the sick and the poor
are like what St. Francis did;
we lack the deeper longing and
resolve to rebuild our destroyed
Jerusalem of relationships and
intimacy with you like
Nehemiah in the first reading.

Like St. Francis,
may we be free
and faithful in Jesus
always, finding him not
only in others and nature
but most especially at the
Cross where you have redeemed 
us as your people.
Amen.

*Photo by Fr. Gerry Pascual, Sculpture of the young St. Francis in Assisi, Italy, 2019.*

Jerusalem, O Jerusalem!

The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Tuesday in the Twenty-Sixth Week of Ordinary Time, Year I, 03 October 2023
Zechariah 8:20-23 <*(((>< + ><)))*> Luke 9:51-56

*The old city of Jerusalem with the Golden Dome Mosque seen from the inside of the Church Dominus Flevit (the Lord Cried); photo by author, May 2017.*

Today O Dear God
our loving Father,
I pray for those going
through many difficulties
and sufferings in life;
those travelling the road
to Jerusalem,
even inside Jerusalem
already, one with Jesus
without them knowing 
carrying their Cross
to the Calvary.

When the days for Jesus being taken up were fulfilled, he resolutely determined to journey to Jerusalem.
Luke 9:51

Open our eyes,
open our hearts, 
dear Father to recognize
Jesus our companion 
to Jerusalem,
in Jerusalem;
help us to be "resolute"
like Christ in going to
Jerusalem to face 
Passion and Death
to eventually realize our
Resurrection in him
 too!

I pray, dear God,
for those giving up,
have given up to
continue the journey
to Jerusalem:  those
who have been living
all these years with
dialysis or chemotherapy,
those with never-ending
rehabilitation due to stroke
and other accidents,
those living daily with
medications and motivations
to fight depression,
to resist suicide;
those nursing so much pains
and hurts within not only 
due to physical trauma but
especially emotional and
spiritual traumas;
Lord, I pray also for their
caregivers, their family
and loved ones so 
often pushed to the limits
physically, emotionally,
and spiritually; console and
comfort them with the warmth
of the Holy Spirit, strengthen them
and assure them of your love;
tap their shoulders and whisper
to them they are doing well.

I pray dear Father
for those grieving,
those still grappling with
the loss of a loved one;
those suddenly thrown into 
emptiness within and without
with the death of a wife or
husband, a mother or a father,
a brother or a sister;
Jesus Christ knew so well the
deep hurt and emptiness every
death creates; accompany them
in the eerie silence and darkness
of suddenly not seeing
nor hearing, not embracing
nor serving a beloved departed.

God, 
life is a journey;
thank you in giving us Jesus
our companion; like
the two disciples going
back to Emmaus in
sadness and disappointments,
ignite our hearts anew with
Christ's loving presence,
to go to you, to seek you
right in our hearts,
our little Jerusalem
until we come to you in heaven,
the new Jerusalem.
Amen.

*Facade of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre where one finds inside another church enclosing the very site of the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ; photo by author, Jerusalem, May 2017.*

God in our aspirations

The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Tuesday in the Twenty-fourth Week of Ordinary Time, Year I, 19 September 2023
1 Timothy 3:1-13 ><))))*> _ ><))))*> _ ><))))*> Luke 7:11-17

*Photo by author, CLLEX-Tarlac, 19 July 2023.*

Your words today,
O God our loving Father,
are very encouraging
and assuring 
with our varied
aspirations in life:

Beloved: This saying is trustworthy: whoever aspires to the office of bishop desires a noble task.
1 Timothy 3:1

When is an aspiration
to any office or post,
not just in the Church,
is a desire for a noble task?

Help us, 
dear Jesus to make
our aspiration a desire
for a noble task
by first looking at the needs
of others and not for our
personal advantages;
looking at how
to console others,
alleviate their sufferings
and strengthen their
faith and hopes in life
like you did to the widow 
at Nain when you were moved
with pity upon seeing the grieving
mother who had been widowed 
with no one to turn to in life;
awaken and heighten
our sensitivities,
our sense of empathy
to the silent sufferings
of so many people these
days who sometimes hide
their grief because no one
seem to care at all for them.

Secondly,
make our aspirations a
noble task by sincerely
confronting our very selves
if we have the qualifications 
for any office; let us not aspire 
for positions for selfish, personal motives
nor to what would please us;
like the criteria set by St. Paul
for those seeking to become
bishop and deacon, may we
realize that you also give the
gifts necessary to respond 
to your call; let us not insist
on ourselves, Lord.

Lastly,
may we always leave 
your mark, dear Jesus
in our works
as the surest sign
that ours is an aspiration
for a noble task; may God
our Father be the only One
recognized and seen,
felt and experienced
in our tasks like when
you raised the dead 
young man in Nain 
with everyone exclaiming
"God has visited
his people" (Lk. 7:16).

Many times, 
O God, many are losing
that aspiration to serve
you in others lest they be
mistaken for many 
opportunists politicians
who shamelessly aspire
for posts with purely
personal motives;
send us, dear God,
with many people
who would aspire
for noble tasks
of serving you
through our poor and
marginalized brothers
and sisters totally forgotten
in our many social equations.
Amen.

True blessedness

The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Wednesday, Memorial of St. John Chrysostom, Bishop & Doctor of the Church, 13 September 2023
Colossians 3:1-11 <*{{{>< + ><}}}*> = <*{{{>< + ><}}}*> Luke 6:20-26

*Photo by author, St. Scholastica Convent, Baguio City, 23 August 2023.*

Direct our thoughts
this day to you O Lord,
our loving God and Father
in heaven!

Let us seek what is above
where Christ is seated 
at your right hand, O God; 
let us think of what is above,
not of what is on earth 
for we have already died 
in sin with our life now hidden
with Christ in you, dear God;
most of all, let us put to death,
then, the parts of us that are earthly:
immorality, impurity, passion,
evil desire and the greed that
is idolatry (Colossians 3:1-3, 5).

Many times we forget these,
dear God, spending too much time
and efforts that later amount to nothing
as we pursue things of the earth;
we not only destroy our selves
but also the people you have gifted us 
to be our companions in this life;
how easy for us to profess our love
for mankind without recognizing
those people we meet each day
as our beloved, missing the trees
for the forest!

How lovely when your Son
Jesus our Lord came,
he looked up to us so often,
as if telling us to look up too,
not down on ourselves and 
to one another; normally, we
look up to you, dear God 
because you are above us
but Jesus looked up to us
to show us how blessed we are:

Raising his eyes toward his disciples Jesus said: “Blessed are you who are poor, for the Kingdom of God is yours.”
Luke 6:20

Loving Father,
let me remember that
true blessedness is having
nothing except you;
true blessedness is
being looked up to
by Jesus,
remembered,
cared for, 
and
accompanied
in this life back to you
in Heaven.
Indeed, as St. John Chrysostom
had taught us,
you, O God, ask us
so little
but gives us
so much!
Amen.

*Photo by author, Mount St. Paul, La Trinidad, Benguet, 2017.*

What’s really “in”, truly “hip”, never goes out of style…

The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Tuesday in the Twenty-third Week of Ordinary Time, Year I, 12 September 2023
Colossians 2:6-15 <*((((>< + ><))))*> Luke 6:12-19

Father, 
our loving God,
I am getting old;
there is indeed a gap
not only in our age
but also in many other things.

Yet, it is so amazing
that even in this modern age
of great technological
advances me and my
generation could not keep up
much less even learn nor
understand, I am so grateful
to you loving Father
that people still these days
thirst for you,
yearn for you,
search for you.

In my dealings with
people these days, 
both young and old alike,
they still prefer meaning
in life than just mere
material pursuits;
more people still find
themselves in moral dilemmas,
a sign they still have moral fiber,
a conscience bothered 
by evil and sin.

Help us, dear Father,
to walk in Jesus Christ,
be rooted in him and be 
built upon him so as not 
to be captivated with empty,
seductive philosophy afflicting
even some churchmen
according to the tradition of men
and elemental powers of the world
not according to Christ
(Colossians 2:6-8).

May we remain
true to your teachings 
and to your very person, 
Lord Jesus 
so as not to mislead
others to modern fads and 
trends because we have
tried and tested,
you never go out of style;
you are always "in" because 
you dwell in each of us,
truly "hip" because you are
forever true.
Amen.

Every here & now always the right place & right time in God

The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Monday in the Twenty-third Week of Ordinary Time, Year I, 11 September 2023
Colossians 1:24-2:3 ><]]]]'> + ><]]]]'> + ><]]]]'> Luke 6:6-11

*Photo by author, Sacred Heart Novitiate, Novaliches, QC, 2017.*

Dearest Father in heaven:
Is there really being at the
wrong place at a wrong time?

It has been 22 years since 9/11
when so many lives were lost,
many families and relationships
were broken by those terrorist attacks;
recently, over 2000 people perished 
in a massive earthquake in Morocco;
everywhere, bad things happen to
many people because they were
at the wrong place at the wrong time,
Father?

I know, dear God,
life is not that simple
or simplistic, of being at the
wrong place at the wrong time;
if you are everywhere, Father,
how could there be 
a wrong place and
a wrong time?

Brothers and sisters: I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ on behalf of his Body, which is the Church…
Colossians 1:24

NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 11, 2001: (SEPTEMBER 11 RETROSPECTIVE) Smoke pours from the twin towers of the World Trade Center after they were hit by two hijacked airliners in a terrorist attack September 11, 2001 in New York City. (Photo by Robert Giroux/Getty Images)

But as I prayed with St. Paul,
I realize something more deep,
more profound, even mysterious,
than our common excuse of 
being at the wrong place at the
wrong time:  every here and now
is always a right place and 
right time in you, O God our
loving Father!

St. Paul was at the right place and 
right time on that day on his way
to Damascus to persecute
the Christians to meet Jesus Christ;
all throughout his life, as he 
completely surrendered to Jesus,
St. Paul found everything falling
into its right place in you, O God.

Many times, 
people and nature
may seem to put us 
at the wrong place 
and the wrong time, 
but you always ensure, O God,
in Christ Jesus that everything
will work out in our favor 
like that man with a withered hand
planted by the scribes and
Pharisees at the synagogue 
on a sabbath to see if Jesus
would heal him.

But he realized their intentions and said to the man with the withered hand, “Come up and stand before us.” And he rose and stood there. Then Jesus said to them, “I ask you, is it lawful to do good on the sabbath rather than do evil, to save life rather than destroy it?” Looking around at them all, he then said to him, “Stretch out your hand.” He did so and his hand was restored.
Luke 6:8-10

There are many ways of looking
at every situation in life,
either as a blessing
or a curse or a bad luck
as some would usually say;
but with you, dear Jesus
who had come to bring God
closest to us, 
every time,
every place 
is always the right one, 
a blessed one.

Open our hearts
to your loving presence,
Father, in Jesus Christ
who suffered and died
to rise again for us
to experience life 
amid death,
joy amid sufferings,
and light in darkness.
Amen.

*Photo by author, Katmon Nature Sanctuary & Beach Resort, Infant, Quezon, 04 March 2023.*

The joy and blessedness of birthdays

The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Friday, Feast of the Birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary, 08 September 2023
Romans 8:28-30 ><}}}}*> + ><}}}}*> + ><}}}}*> Matthew 1:18-23

*Photo by author, Sacred Heart Novitiate, Novaliches, QC, 20 March 2023.*

Praise and glory to God
our loving Father in 
choosing you, Most Blessed
Virgin Mary to be the Mother 
of his Son, our Lord
Jesus Christ!

You are most unique 
of us all not on your own
account but totally 
on the goodness of God;
but, there lies your greatness
in teaching us that important
lesson of being open to God,
to his plan and will,
to always saying yes to him,
trusting him,
remaining faithful to him.

We know that all things work for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.
Romans 8:28

You are the only exception,
dearest Mother Mary,
next to Jesus our Savior and
his forerunner St. John the Baptist
whose birthday we celebrate
to remind each of us
that we are born into this
world according to God's plan.

Let us keep that
ingrained in our hearts
and minds:
no matter what
 are the circumstances,
sometimes too painful
and even unbearable 
for some,
God our Father
has plans for us that
he gifted us with life
to be born,
to be alive
because he called us
according
to his purpose;
each of us
is a part of God's
grand design
and what an honor
and privileged
we are born!

Pray for us,
dear Mother Mary,
to be open to God,
to say yes
and act on his call
to us just like you
to fulfill his purpose;
pray for us,
dear Mother to have
that courage like you
to believe no matter what,
even amid the lack of
 any understanding
of the implications of God's
plans for us;
pray for us,
dearest Mother
to be close to Jesus
especially at the Cross
just like you.

Thank you,
Blessed Mother Mary
in saying yes to God
to be the Mother of his Son,
to be the first among us
in being conformed
to the image of Jesus Christ,
from his birth to his death
and on to his resurrection
that you now enjoy
his promised glory
in heaven.
Amen.

True authority is solidarity

The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Tuesday in the Twenty-Second Week of Ordinary Time, Year I, 05 September 2023
1 Thessalonians 5:1-6, 9-11 <*((((>< + ><))))*> Luke 4:31-37

*Photo by author, sunrise at Camp John Hay, Baguio City, 12 July 2023.*

Praise and glory to you,
God our loving Father
for this wonderful day!
Please, we pray, for lesser
rains today,
for a better weather 
today for everyone
to make up for the
many losses we have
incurred since the 
rains and floods came
two weeks ago.

In this time of calamities,
we pray for those in authority;
enough with excessive display
of authority by anyone vested
with any kind of authority
by the law who throw their
weight around even in
public; help us realize,
dear God that authority
is not about having powers
that set them apart from us,
of those in the higher up;
authority is about being 
one with us below like
Jesus Christ your Son.

Jesus went down to Capernaum, a town of Galilee. He taught them on the sabbath, and they were astonished at his teaching because he spoke with authority. They were all amazed and said to one another, “What is there about his word? For with authority and power he commands the unclean spirits, and they come out.”
Luke 4:31-32, 36

Help us realize, 
dear Jesus, 
that to have authority like you
is being nearer your subjects,
that true authority is not power
but solidarity with those subject
to one's authority.

Authority is not power but
mercy and compassion with
subjects deep in miseries
and sufferings.

Authority is walking
and feeling the joys and pains,
sharing the hopes and desires
of the subjects to be liberated
and freed.

Authority is empowering
others to discover their giftedness
"encouraging one another
and building one another up"
(1 Thess. 5:11).
Amen.

Coming & returning, staying & leaving

The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Monday in the Twenty-Second Week of Ordinary Time, Year I, 04 September 2023
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 ><]]]]'> + ><]]]]'> + ><]]]]'> Luke 4:16-30

*Photo by author, San Juan, La Union, 25 July 2023.*

Thank you dear God,
loving Father for coming to us
today,
for staying with us last night,
and remaining with us always.

Does it really matter 
whether you come or leave,
stay or return,
when you are 
perfect presence?

We do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, about those who have fallen asleep, so that you may not grieve like the rest, who have no hope.
1 Thessalonians 4:13

The early Christians
were so concerned 
who would come first
and next when Jesus returns;
many Christians today
do not care at all if
Christ comes like his
townsfolk!

Jesus came to Nazareth, where he had grown up, and went according to his custom into the synagogue on the sabbath day. He stood up to read … They also asked, “Is this not the son of Joseph?”
Luke 4:16, 22

Dear God,
forgive us for being
on the extremes
on your coming
or on your returning
for that does not matter
because you are with us
always; you are presence!
Make us realize 
we must be more concerned
not with your coming nor 
returning but more with 
our leaving!
Let us confront that
crucial question of
each day 
when you come
and return
and stay with us:
are we ready to go
to you?
with you?
Amen.