Lord My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Friday in the Twentieth Week of Ordinary Time, 25 August 2023
Ruth 1:1, 3-6, 14-16, 22 <*{{{{>< + ><}}}}*> Matthew 22:34-40
Photo by Mr. Jay Javier at Tayabas, Quezon, 13 August 2023.
O how often,
Lord Jesus Christ
that we ask you until now
the same question by
a scholar of the law:
"Teacher,
which commandment
of the law is the greatest?"
(Matthew 22:34).
And we have always known
your answer, which is, loving God
with one's total self
and loving others as we love our
very selves.
But why do we keep on asking
the same question until now?
Because, we have always believed
that loving is having,
that loving is fullness,
when in fact, it is the
exact opposite:
loving is not having,
loving is being poor,
loving is emptiness,
loving is letting go,
loving is surrendering
for the one you love.
Just like Ruth,
that Moabite woman,
a pagan who left everything
to join her widowed
mother-in-law Naomi to go
back to Bethlehem;
both of them were
widowed, both were
childless and empty,
so poor without anything
except each other
and God.
Let the words of Ruth
be our prayer today
to those we love
without if nor buts,
especially those empty
and poor, sick and dying:
"Do not ask me to abandon
or forsake you! for wherever
you go I will go, wherever
you lodge I will lodge,
your people shall by my people,
and your God my God"
(Ruth 1:16).
God our Father,
help us to remain faithful
and to keep loving when
in the midst of sufferings
and trials, of emptiness
and nothingness like Ruth
to Naomi; how lovely to recall
that Ruth's love for Naomi led
to her becoming the grandmother
of King David and one of the four women
in Matthew's genealogy of Jesus
for it is loving without nothing in return
that we gain, and it is in loving
even in losing ourselves
that we find ourselves in you.
Amen.
The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Thursday, Feast of St. Bartholomew, Apostle, 24 August 2023
Revelation 21:9-14 <*(((>< + ><)))*> + <*(((>< + ><)))*> John 1:45-51
Photo by author, Baguio City, 11 July 2023.
How should I really speak,
or talk, to you,
O God?
Even before words
are formed in my mouth
and spoken on my lips,
you knew already what
I am thinking,
how I am feeling.
And yet,
you are so kind,
so merciful
and loving
that you sent us Jesus
your Son so we can speak
and talk to you like humans,
even so damned honest
like St. Bartholomew!
Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one about whom Moses wrote in the law, and also the prophets, Jesus, son of Joseph, from Nazareth.” But Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “come and see.”
John 1:45-46
How funny that when Nathanael asked
if can anything good come from Nazareth,
you have proven, Lord Jesus, that something
good can always come from our sincerity
even if sometimes with a touch of
humor or even tactlessness;
teach us to talk straight to you,
Lord; even though you know what
we need, what we think, what we feel,
it is always good to bring these out
like Nathanael for us to be more truthful
with ourselves; it is in honesty when we
can truly learn because it is only when we
bare what is inside us that we truly
accept and own all our blessings and
misgivings.
Then we learn
discovering ourselves
until we find you.
Amen.
The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Monday, Memorial of St. Pope Pius X, 21 August 2023
Judges 2:11-19 ><]]]]'> + ><]]]]'> + ><]]]]'> Matthew 19:16-22
Photo by author, La Trinidad, Benguet, 11 July 2023.
It is nice to be back here in Baguio City, this time with my brother priests for our annual clergy retreat at the St. Scholastica Spirituality Center. As usual, we started our brief “vacare Deo” with the Holy Mass and the gospel brought me to the start of my vocation history in elementary school as I found myself in that young man asking Jesus almost the same question:
a young man approached Jesus and said, “Teacher, what good must I do to gain eternal life?” He answered him, “Why do you ask me about the good? There is only One who is good. If you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments… If you wish to be perfect, go sell, what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” When the young man heard this statement, he went away sad, for he had many possessions.
Matthew 19:16-17, 21-22
Photo by author, Sacristy of the Manila Cathedral, 07 July 2023.
Indeed, there is only One good, God himself. Him is what we all seek in life. St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross – St. Edith Stein – said anyone who seeks the truth seeks God, whether or not he realizes it.”
That is easier. In fact, it is God who seeks and finds us always. Not us. Our own seeking for him is a pure grace from him.
The problematique is seeking what is good.
Especially after finding God.
And that is priesthood, which is to constantly affirm and and say yes to God.
More than just obeying his commandments, doing what is good is saying yes to God every day, choosing him above all things and even person, even one’s self! Many times, I must admit, I have been like the Israelites in the first reading: after having God’s immense blessings in life, I turn away from him with my many other new gods.
What is really good who is God is contrary to what is good according to the world like wealth and power, pleasures and comforts, fame and honor, adulations and recognition, and so many other things that exaggerate our bloated ego especially in this age of instant fame and glory. They are not really good because they wane and dissipate like every wealth the world offers. Worst, when gone, we are left empty.
Photo by author, St. Scholastica Spirituality Center, Baguio City, 21 August 2023.
There is only One good, God himself whom we must only have as our only wealth, our only treasure, our only valuable. And to have him, we must divest ourselves of our worldly riches, of everything that massages and inflates our ego.
How lovely is that scene when Matthew noted “A young man approached Jesus”.
That is the beauty of every retreat, of every sabbath break. We become young again, we go back to our beginning when we were so simple in seeking what is good. How sad that after finding God in Jesus, we become old not in age but in our face, in our heart because we have become sad and saddled with our many possessions that possess us!
Lord Jesus Christ,
thank you for this retreat,
thank you for making me young again,
for making me go back
to those days of innocence,
of simplicity in seeking you,
in having you,
and being like you;
help me "divest" of myself,
empty me of my pride
and other "possessions"
to fill me with your humility,
justice and love.
Amen.
The Lord Is My Chef Sunday Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Sunday in the Twentieth Week of Ordinary Time, Cycle A, 20 August 2023
Isaiah 56:1, 6-7 ><}}}*> Romans 11:13-15, 29-32 ><}}}*> Matthew 15:21-28
Photo by author, 2018.
Weddings are special occasions for me as a priest because they remind me so much of God’s presence in our time. Weddings gladden my heart as a priest because I find faith, hope and love still so vibrant in our own time when people seem to have turned away from God and spiritual values in exchange of material things. Weddings remind me that faith in God is also faith in one another.
Last Sunday we have reflected that outside forces like storms can never determine God’s presence in our lives. He is always present; problem is with us always absent, running away from him. In fact, our gospel this Sunday tells us how Jesus even dares to go to foreign territory just to find us, to heal us, and bring us back home to the Father.
At that time, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. And behold, a Canaanite woman of that district came and called out, “Have pity on me, Lord, Son of David! My daughter is tormented by a demon.” But Jesus did not say a word in answer to her. Jesus’ disciples came and asked him, “Send her away, for she keeps calling out after us.” He said in reply, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”
Matthew 15:21-24
Photo by author, Caesarea in northern Israel near Tyre and Sidon in Syria, May 2019.
What a beautiful scene presenting to us God’s love for each of us, of Jesus going into foreign and pagan territory to save us, to share us his good news of salvation. But, are we there to meet Jesus when we are in unusual circumstances in our lives?
Like what we have reflected last Sunday, we need to have that sacred space within us where we could be one with God in Jesus in prayer where we grow deeper in faith, hope and love. There is no doubt with the presence of God in our lives but are we attuned with him?
That day when Jesus withdrew to Tyre and Sidon, there were also many other people who were also sick or with sick family members but, it was only the Canaanite woman who had faith that she recognized Jesus as the Christ by calling him not just “Lord” but also “Son of David.” Though a pagan, she recognized Jesus as the promised Savior of the world, not just of the Jews! Many times in life we are that Canaanite woman, feeling so alone in a foreign territory or unusual situations with nobody to come to for any kind of help or even companionship except God alone. Hence, the need to cultivate a prayer life so we can have that sacred space within us for God, where Jesus comes and dwells.
Photo by author, Camp John Hay, Baguio City, 12 July 2023.
But, there is something else interesting in this scene not just the faith of the Canaanite woman in Christ but also with others. Our faith in God is expressed in our faith with others too. The depth and strength of our faith can be measured with our faith in one another especially those dearest to us.
See the Canaanite woman’s POV or “point of view” and contrast it with the apostles who begged Jesus to entertain her so that she would get out of their way. The apostles wanted to get rid of her because she was making a great commotion. Maybe they felt so ashamed, so jahi to the madlang people!
How sad that we act like the Twelve many times in our lives, with that great disparity between what we believe and what we live. This is the tragedy especially of those serving in the Church with us priests included. Do we believe others as the presence of God? What a tragedy when we categorize people as ones to keep and others to dismiss for whatever reason. Like the apostles, we feel suspicious of those asking Jesus or, us for help. Do they really believe her daughter was sick? Did they believe the Canaanite woman at all?
For us to get a clearer snapshot of the Canaanite woman’s faith and POV, let us return for a while why Jesus ignored her by reminding his disciples that, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” Recall that was also his instruction to his apostles after naming them and sent them to their first mission not to go to pagan territories but look for the lost sheep of Israel.
But the woman came and did Jesus homage, saying, “Lord, help me.” He said in reply, “It is not right to take the food of the children and throw it away to the dogs.” She said, “Please, Lord, for even the dogs eat the scraps that fall from the table of their masters.” Then Jesus said to her in reply, “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.” And the woman’s daughter was healed from that hour.
Matthew 15:25-28
Photo by author, Katmon Nature Reserve & Beach Resort, Infanta, Quezon, 04 March 2023.
Their conversation about the bread and the dogs reminds us of the wedding feast at Cana when Mary approached Jesus to inform him that the newly-wed couples have ran out of wine. When Jesus told her, “Woman, how does your concern affect me? My hour has not yet come” (Jn. 2:4), we find it echoing here in Tyre and Sidon when he told the Twelve, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”
Here now is the most beautiful part, the POV of the Canaanite woman who was very much like the Blessed Virgin Mary when she came and did homage to Jesus, begging “Lord, help me.”
I love that part of the Canaanite woman begging Jesus in the name of her daughter. When she finally had the attention of Jesus, she said “Lord, help me”, – not “Lord, help my daughter tormented by a demon”! It was her daughter in need of healing but the woman identified with her just like Mary when she told the servers, “Do whatever he tells you” (Jn.2:5).
What a lovely and amazing scene of faith in God and faith in others! Both Mary believing in Jesus passing on her faith to the servers and the Canaanite woman assuming into her the faith of her sick daughter. It was indeed a tough and deep faith she had professed to Jesus like the servers at the wedding in Cana: it was just a matter of time before something great happens. She felt it coming when she said even the dogs eat the scraps falling from their master’s table.
In life, like that Canaanite woman and the Blessed Virgin Mary, we have to assert even insist our faith while at the same time claiming whatever we believe is ours even if we have to wait. That is why St. Paul tells us in today’s second reading of the need to cultivate and deepen our faith even if God’s gifts and call are permanent and irrevocable (Rom.11:29) because we might fall into the same mistake of his fellow Jews who felt so secured in their beliefs and failed to recognize Jesus as the Christ.
Every Sunday, Jesus calls us to gather for the Eucharist. Everybody is welcomed, especially those feeling lost and alienated, or considered as outsiders because Isaiah prophesied in the first reading today, “my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples” (Is.56:7). Jesus comes to us in his words, in his Body and Blood, in one another especially those nearest to us like our family, your spouse or wife, your children, our siblings, our parents.
It is a Sunday. Let us gather as one family in the house of Lord, to share in his table of the word and of the bread – believing, hoping, and loving. Amen.
The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Wednesday, Memorial of San Roque, Healer, 16 August 2023
Deuteronomy 34:1-12 ><)))*> + ><)))*> + ><)))*> Matthew 18:15-20
Photo by author, view of Israel from Mt. Nebo in Jordan, May 2019.
God our loving Father,
today we thank you for the gift
of another popular saint among us,
San Roque or St. Rock of France;
he was like Moses, Joshua,
and our Lord Jesus Christ
who primarily worked for the
"healing" of our community,
of your chosen people.
Invoked in time of pestilence
like in the recent pandemic,
San Roque cared and cured many
sick people infected during a plague
in Italy in the 14th century;
when he caught the disease himself,
he hid in the woods to die so that
others may not be infected through him;
but, in your divine providence, O Lord,
you sent him a dog that licked his wounds
and brought him bread until he was saved
by its owner until he could finally get home
to settle the disputes among his relatives
when an uncle usurped his position
and inheritance from his late father,
the former governor of Montpellier.
Today you remind us, O Lord,
to always care for the unity of
our community that includes our
family, our church, our school even our
office where you call us to gather as one;
like Moses who spent all his life
keeping your chosen people united in you,
may we also work for the common good
of our designated community.
What a beautiful sight to behold of Moses
seeing the Promised Land from Jordan!
More than our home here on earth,
give us a glimpse of your heavenly
dwelling, dear God, by continuing
your works of leading our community
close to you like Joshua who succeeded Moses.
Teach us to forgive and correct
those who sin and err with humility
and sole concern of being good
and holy like you, O God,
never to put others into shame
nor to look as better than others;
in the name of Jesus Christ your Son,
help us to work for our unity so that
"whenever two or three of us are
gathered in his name, he may truly be
in our midst" (Mt.18:20),
reflected and mirrored in our community
as we live in justice and mercy,
love and kindness
and holiness.
Amen.
Photo by author, view of Israel from Mt. Nebo, Jordan, May 2019.
The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Monday, Memorial of St. Maximilian Kolbe, Priest and Martyr, 14 August 2023
Deuteronomy 10:12-22 ><]]]]'> + ><]]]]'> + ><]]]]'> Matthew 17:22-27
Photo by author, Bolinao, Pangasinan, April 2022.
Glory and praise to you,
God our loving Father,
for speaking to us again today
through Moses in the first
reading; for the first time,
he finally gave us the important
question we never ask,
we always avoid,
and take for granted:
"And now, Israel,
what does the Lord,
your God, ask of you?"
(Deuteronomy 10:12).
Forgive us, dear Father,
for never asking this important
question of "What do you ask of us?"
because very often we are so
occupied with our selves, with all
of our pursuits for fame and power,
wealth and security;
we rarely ask this question because
we are afraid of commitments,
we are afraid of sharing,
we are afraid of serving,
we are afraid of being true
and just, fair and honest,
most of all, of finding you
in our neighbors!
Forgive us, Lord our God,
for playing god like you,
lording it over your whole creation
destroying earth as we exploit
its resources for more power
to dominate others and worst,
in deciding who must live,
who must die;
teach us to be like
St. Maximilian Kolbe,
the Patron Saint of Our Difficult Century
who gave his entire life serving
you through modern means of
communications to spread your truth
and good news that is why he was
imprisoned by the Nazis in Auschwitz
where he eventually gave up his life
for another man about to be executed.
Help us O Lord to always
keep in mind you alone is our God
whom we must serve in those in need,
for those neglected,
the poor and the sick;
like St. Maximilian Kolbe,
may we ask always
what you want from us
and strive by your grace,
to fulfill your will.
Amen.
The Lord Is My Chef Sunday Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Sunday in the Nineteenth Week of Ordinary Time, Cycle A, 13 August 2023
1 Kings 19:9, 11-13 ><}}}}*> Romans 9:1-5 ><}}}}*> Matthew 14:22-33
Our gospel this Sunday speaks of winds and storms, something we have experienced recently that brought so much rains and caused widespread floods even in Metro Manila.
Storms and typhoons are categorized by the winds they pack that induce the heavy rains which result in floods. At the center of every storm and typhoon is called the “eye” which is its most calm part without winds at all, even with clear skies; however, all the hazards and dangers of a storm come from the wall of that eye of the storm that is why we have the expression “lull in the storm” – that moment of calmness before suddenly everything breaks loose as the storm passes or pummels an area.
Our first reading and gospel today imply something about this “eye of the storm” where God is found, where Jesus comes. Both readings tell us that it is not really in the raging storm where we find God but right in that eye of the storm, the peace and stillness of our heart within.
Photo by author, Katmon Nature Sanctuary & Beach Resort, Infanta, Quezon, 04 March 2023.
In the first reading, God told Elijah to wait for him at the entrance of the cave as he fled from soldiers of Queen Jezebel out to kill him. First came a strong wind, followed by an earthquake, then, fire, but God was nowhere.
After these shattering events, Elijah found God in a “tiny whispering sound” that followed. What a beautiful imagery of the prophet deep in prayers! It was in his serenity, in his complete trust in the Lord – in the eye of a storm – that he found God and had to cover his face with a cloak as a sign of respect. Imagine the stormy condition of Elijah at that time, of being hunted.
Here we find again the importance of prayer life, the eye of the storm, our communion with God in Jesus Christ. It is in prayer where God first comes and reveals himself to us. More than the recitation of traditional prayers, prayer is being one with God, of wrestling with him in our inner selves that is always in turmoil, always with a storm that makes us choose whether to stay or to leave, to wait for God or go ahead with what we believe and think. Prayer is wrestling with God like Jacob because deep within us is always a storm and typhoon going on, with an eye as its center where God is, where Jesus walks on water to save us when like his apostles we are in the middle of a storm at the darkest hour of the night.
Photo by author, sunrise at the Lake of Galilee, Israel, May 2017.
When the disciples saw him walking on the sea they were terrified. “It is a ghost,” they said, and they cried out in fear. At once Jesus spoke to them, “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.” Peter said to him in reply, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” He said, “come.” Peter got out the boat and began to walk on the water toward Jesus. But when he saw how strong the wind was he became frightened; and, beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!” Immediately Jesus stretched out his hand and caught him, and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” After they got into the boat, the wind died down. Those who were in the boat did him homage, saying, “Truly, you are the Son of God.”
Matthew 14:26-33
These two instances of Elijah in the cave and Jesus walking on water show us that God is always present in our lives. Whatever is happening around us does not determine God’s presence.
What matters most is that we pay attention to him alone in Jesus, our Emmanuel or God-is-with-us. Every time we cry out “where is God?”, it is us who have left him, it is us who have doubted like Peter who even in the middle of a storm was thinking more of himself than Jesus. See how doubtful was Peter that even after Jesus had identified himself by saying “It is I” which is actually “I AM” as God had called himself to Moses and the Israelites, he dared to say “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on water.” How funny that when Jesus gave in to his request, Peter sank because he still doubted the Lord. Just like us when we would dare God but when he plays our games, we chicken out, still unbelieving, still unconvinced.
Is it really God whom we are seeking especially in moments of storms in life?
Photo by author, San Juan, La Union, 24 July 2023.
If all we seek is fame, comfort and pleasure even amid the storms in life, paying attention only to our selves, we would surely miss the Lord who is always beside us. People, things, events can distract us and lead us astray at critical moments in life.
Hence, the need for us to remain focused in Jesus by looking right into the very “eye of our storm”, into what is disrupting us, seeking Christ like the psalmist in our responsorial psalm today who begged, “Lord let us see your kindness, and grant us your salvation.”
In this age with so many storms of distractions outside us in a world on a 24/7 mode with almost everyone in his/her own world listening/watching to their playlists and podcasts with eyes stuck on their gadgets or stuck in their ears, do we make time to find our “eye of storm”, our center of peace and calmness where God is?
See how St. Paul in the second reading was tormented or tortured in himself because of his fellow Jews’ refusal to accept the good news that Jesus is their awaited Christ. It was a perfect storm within him that saddened him but never bothered him because he was focused with God and his mission. He had no qualms in bearing many sufferings and facing death because amid all the storms in his life, he had found Jesus. This focus on God is the reason why Jesus remained behind to pray that night when he told the Twelve to go ahead to the other side of the lake. This is the first time Matthew tells us Jesus was praying. Two things I wish to share with you regarding prayer life as the eye of our storms in life.
First, the most difficult prayer is always the most meritorious. Prayer is not about feelings nor of feeling good and light but in giving one’s self to God wholly that even if nothing seems to happen, we remain in God, with God. Desire only God in prayer, asking him for courage to find and follow Jesus. Like the apostles in the boat, true prayer happens when we feel abandoned and isolated, so far from God. It is in our many trials in life when we pray that we learn how strong and faithful are we in God’s grace!
Second, there are no distractions in prayer. I have realized that most often, the distractions we consider during prayer periods may actually be from God, not from the devil as we usually believed. Recall how Jesus forced the 12 to go ahead to the other side of the lake perhaps to test them and face their inner distractions and storms. The people, things, and events that distract us in our prayers are from God as reminders of the issues we have to face and resolve in life so we may see him clearly.
Why do you see your enemies in your prayers? Maybe it is time to forgive them.
Why all these malicious thoughts happening during prayers? Maybe it is about time you stop watching porn and start respecting women as persons.
Why do our embarrassing moments keep on appearing in prayers? Maybe God wants us to forgive ourselves and move on with life.
They are not distractions but blessings that if we open ourselves to confront our inner storms, no strong wind from outside can topple us because we have Jesus inside us. Today is a Sunday. Go celebrate Mass in your parish. Forget all the noise and distractions you experience, be focused only on God. Find your eye of the storm in yourself and there you shall find God, loving you, comforting you, blessing you! Amen. Have a blessed week ahead.
The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Friday, Memorial of St. Clare, Virgin, 11 August 2023
Deuteronomy 4:32-40 ><}}}*> + ><}}}*> + ><}}}*> Matthew 16:24-28
Photo by author, Camp John Hay, 12 July 2023.
"Did a people ever hear the voice of God
speaking from the midst of fire,
as you did, and live?
Or did any god venture to go and take
a nation for himself from the midst of another nation,
by testings, by signs and wonders, by war,
with his strong hand and outstretched arm,
and by great terrors, all of which the Lord, your God,
did for you in Egypt before your very eyes?"
(Deuteronomy 4:33-34)
I heard your questions,
God our Father,
like a whisper so near
yet so loud and clear from
deep within;
and you know my answer,
so well, Lord
and yet despite my deep yes,
here I am still wandering
in the desert,
looking somewhere else,
running away from you,
doubting you
when deep within me,
I know,
I am so sure,
I have experienced
"there is no other" God
but YOU.
Of course my life is not marked
with such dramatic events as you did
to your people in the desert
but still, I could feel them,
I have felt them
and merely reading the questions by Moses
put me into silence
for deep inside me,
you have never stopped in
creating wonders
in my life that make me realize
what a gift and a privilege
to be alive!
And indeed,
as your Son Jesus Christ
had taught us, to have you
is the only valuable,
the only worthy
response of gratitude
to you, O God;
like St. Clare,
let me come after Jesus
by denying myself,
taking my cross
and following him
in love and mercy,
kindness and fidelity,
service and intimacy.
Amen.
Photo by author, La Mesa Dam Watershed Park, Quezon City, January 2023.
Lawiswis ng Salita ni P. Nicanor F. Lalog II, Ika-09 ng Agosto 2023
Larawan kuha ng may-akda, mga puno ng balite sa Sacred Heart Novitiate, Novaliches, QC, 21 Marso 2023.
*Isang tula aking kinatha batay sa mga pagbasa at kapistahan
ngayong ika-siyam ng Agosto,
Aklat ng mga Bilang 13:31-14:1, 26-29, 34-35
at Mateo 15:21-28.
Itong ating wika
kay yaman ng mga salita
binibigkas pa lamang ng
dila naroon na sa puso
at isip ang kanyang diwa.
Halimbawa ang kasabihang
gumawa ka ng multo
na iyo ring kinatatakutan
na siya namang totoong-totoo!
Katulad nito isa pang kasabihan
para kang kumuha ng
bato na pinukpok sa ulo.
Madalas sa ating karanasan,
tayo may kagagawan
kaya tayo nahihirapan;
Diyos ay tinatanggihang
sundin at pagkatiwalaan
katulad ng karanasan
doon sa ilang nang gumawa
ng usapang mahirap sakupin
lupaing binibigay ni Yahweh
dahil anila mga higante naninirahan
doon, animo sila'y parang
mga tipaklong lamang.
Nagalit ang Diyos
sa kanyang bayan kaya
dinagdagan isang taon
kada araw ng kanilang paglalakbay
na puno ng pagrereklamo at
pagbubulungan upang umabot
ng apatnapung taon
sila doon sa ilang bago pumasok
sa kanilang lupang pangako,
ginawa nilang multo
naging totoo
sila mga naperwisyo!
Larawan kuha ng may-akda, mga puno ng balite sa Sacred Heart Novitiate, Novaliches, QC, 21 Marso 2023.
Anu-ano
mga gawa mong multo
at halimaw sa iyo nananakot
parang bangungot
maski ikaw ay gising?
Mga guni-guni
huwag linangin
bagkus manalig kay Kristo
lagi nating kapiling
lalo sa mga ilang na lupain
siya ay ating salubungin
at sambahin!
Pagmasdan
at pagnilayan pananalig
at tibay ng dibdib
ng babaeng Cananea,
pagano ngunit nagsumamo
kay Kristo upang palayasin
demonyong umaali
sa anak na babae;
sinubok ng Panginoon
kanyang pagpupursigi
hanggang makumbinsi at pinuri
matibay niyang pananampalataya!
Kay laking kabalintunaan
na sa ating panahong tinaguriang
makabago, lahat naiimbento
ngunit isip pa rin ng tao
ay litong-lito;
gumagawa pa rin ng
maraming multo
ilan ay nagkakatotoo,
lumalason sa isipan
mga kasamaan at kasalanan
takot mahirapan kaya Krus
tinatalikuran.
Ito ang pinabulaanan ni
Santa Teresa Benedicta dela Cruz;
isinilang na Hudyo sa pangalang Edith Stein
tumalikod sa Diyos sa sobrang dunong
di naglaon, bumalik sa Panginoon,
nagpabinyag sa Katoliko
at pumasok sa monasteryo;
namatay kasama mga kababayan
niyang Hudyo sa gas chamber ng
mga Nazi hanggang sa huli
pinanindigan Krus ni Kristo
kay inam nating huwaran
sa kasalukuyan na marami pa ring
kinatatakutan lalo na ang pag-gawa
ng kabutihan!
Sta. Teresa Benedicta dela Cruz,
Ipanalangin mo kami!
Larawan kuha ng may-akda, Bgy. Bahong, La Trinidad, Benguet, 12 Hulyo 2023
The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Wednesday, Memorial of St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, Virgin & Martyr, 09 August 2023
Numbers 13:1-2, 25-14:1, 26-29, 34-35 <*{{{{>< + ><}}}}*> Matthew 15:21-28
Photo by author, sunrise at Camp John Hay, Baguio City, 12 July 2023.
How timely are your words
these past three days,
God our loving Father;
like your people in the wilderness
after their Exodus from Egypt,
we continue to grumble and
complain against you and your
plans for us through the people
you have sent to lead us
like our parents, siblings,
even friends and superiors
in work or in community.
Worst than our stubbornness
in defying your instructions through
the modern Moses you send us,
we have even created our
own monsters and ghosts
within us,
exacerbating the fears
we have in trusting you,
believing you,
and following you!
So they spread discouraging reports among the children of Israel about the land they had scouted, saying, “The land that we explored is a country that consumes its inhabitants. And all the people we saw there are huge, veritable giants (the Anakim were a race of giants); we felt like mere grasshoppers, and so we must have seemed to them.”
Numbers 13:32-33
Forgive us Father
for our outrageous foolishness
that have infected so many others,
paralyzing us to move
on in life,
to dare and dream
great things in life
that could proclaim
your majesty and mercy,
your life and love;
forgive us Father
for choosing mediocrity
than striving for the best
for us,
for others,
and for you;
forgive us Father
for not daring to venture
into the unknown
where Jesus Christ
goes, the Tyre and Sidon
of our lives that we fail
to meet him.
Grant us, O Lord,
the courage,
tenacity and faith
of the Canaanite woman
who begged Jesus
to exorcise her daughter;
most of all,
grant us the clarity
of mind and perseverance
of St. Teresa Benedicta
to seek and follow you,
and stand for you
even before the real monsters
of our time
like the gas chambers of
indifference and
the prison camps
of power and pleasures
that all negate the Cross
of Jesus Christ..
Amen.
lordmychef.com 