The inner journey in Christ of St. James the Greater

Lord My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul, 25 July 2025
Friday, Feast of St. James the Greater, Apostle
2 Corinthians 4:7-15     <*{{{>< + ><}}}*>     Matthew 20:20-28

Something struck me while praying the gospel for today’s feast of St. James the Greater – of how his mother approached Jesus with a request for him and his brother James “that these two sons of mine sit, one at your right and the other at your left, in your Kingdom” (Mt. 20:21).

It must be a very interesting company that Jesus had organized during his ministry composed not only of the Twelve and other disciples but most likely with so many others too that included their families like the mother of James and John believed to be the beloved disciple of Jesus. Traditionally known as Salome, their mom could easily be the patroness of “stage mothers” that abound most especially in the Philippines!

But kidding aside, it must be wonderful to tag along with them in following Jesus where everyone is welcomed. It is a journey not meant to cover distances and places but actually an inner journey inside one’s self that we shall see in the life of James the Greater. It is a journey that begins right here in our heart when we too, like James leave everything to follow Jesus.

For astonishment at the catch of fish they had made seized him and all those with him, and likewise James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners of Simon. Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.” When they brought their boats to the shore, they left everything and followed him (Luke 5:9-11).

*Photo by author, San Juan, La Union, 26 July 2023.*

It must have been difficult for James to leave everything including their father Zebedee and follow Jesus. See that in the description by Luke of their call by Jesus, James and John as well as the brothers Simon and Andrew were all “rich kids” with their own fishing boats with hired men as workers at that time!

Clearly, money was not a problem with James and his buddies; however, one thing was missing in them – meaning and direction in life which they found in Jesus while listening to his preaching and finally in that miraculous catch of fish. I have always felt that perhaps, Zebedee allowed his two sons to leave him and their business for the same reasons so that they mature in life and be more responsible. We find this trace of attitudes or sense of entitlement in the brothers James and John when they asked Jesus to rain fire upon a Samaritan village that have refused them passage on their way to Jerusalem (Lk.9:54-56). Hence, Jesus named them as Boanerges for “sons of thunder” (Mk.3:17) due to their temperament.

In following Jesus, James had to learn the hard way the process of formation and transformation in Jesus that began in his heart. All along their journey from the shores of Galilee to Jerusalem, James remained by the side of Jesus Christ, probably unaware of that inner journey taking place right inside his heart to truly become a part of God’s Kingdom by sharing in the Lord’s Passion, Death and Resurrection. He had seen and experienced along with the other Apostles the great powers of Jesus not only in preaching but most especially in calming the storms, walking on sea, exorcising evil spirits, healing all kinds of sickness, and even raising to life some who have died.

Most of all, James was privileged to have witnessed along with his brother John and Peter the two important stops in Jesus Christ’s journey to the Calvary: first, on Mount Tabor for the Transfiguration and second, at Gethsemane for the agony in the garden. In both events in the life of our Lord, James was a privileged witness of his coming glory and then of his passion and death. Our gospel today on his Feast is sandwiched between these two major events of the Transfiguration and Agony in the Garden as this is set shortly before Palm Sunday when Jesus entered Jerusalem that led to his sacred pasch.

Jesus said in reply, “You do not know what you are asking. Can you drink the chalice that I am going to drink?” They said to him, “We can.” He replied, “My chalice you will indeed drink, but to sit at my right and at my left, this is not mine to give but if for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father.” When the ten heard this, they became indignant of the two brothers. But Jesus summoned them and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and the great ones make their authority over them felt. But it shall not be also among you. Rather, whoever wishes to be great among you shall be your servant; whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave. Just so, the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give is life as a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:22-28).

*Painting by El Greco, “Pentecostes” (1597) from commons.wikimedia.org.*

It would only be after Easter and the Pentecost when all these major stops in James’ personal journey with Christ would become clear to him and the other Apostles. Eventually, he became the first Apostle to be martyred as Bishop of Jerusalem during the persecution by King Herod of Agrippa in 40 AD (Acts 12:1-2), fulfilling Christ’s words to him that he would indeed “drink from his chalice” to be with him in his Kingdom.

A thousand years later, devotion to James the Greater would spread far and wide in Spain after relics of his body were discovered in Santiago de Compostela. It is one of the world’s oldest and most popular pilgrimage site known as the Camino de Santiago de Compostela (the way of St. James).

Every year, pilgrims from all over the world do the camino from various points of Europe to the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela where the Apostle’s body is buried as a spiritual hike or retreat and journey for spiritual growth.

Like James the Greater, the camino is more than the kilometers or miles covered but the journey within one’s self that leads to deeper faith in Christ by living out his gospel as portrayed in its marker and symbols of a staff and scroll of the gospel proclaimed by the Apostle .

*A marker along the camino de Santiago de Compostela.*

It is my fervent prayer that some day I will be able to do a camino de Santiago de Compostela but for the mean time, we strive to continue in following the steps of James the Greater in making that inner journey within one’s self, beginning in our heart by leaving our “boats” of security to remain always at the side of Christ even if he has to smoothen our rough edges as a person and cleanse us of our sins that prevent us in drinking his chalice to be one in his Kingdom. The key is to serve, not to be served as Jesus insisted.

Sometimes in life, we just have to make “sakay” as we used to say as in “sakay lang ng sakay” or “ride on, man, ride on” without really knowing where our trip would lead us.

James the Greater simply made “sakay” in Jesus without knowing Christ was already fulfilling his wish of “drinking from his chalice” which proved that, indeed, the longest journey in life is the distance between the mind and the heart (Dag Hammarskjold). Amen. Have a blessed weekend! Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II, Our Lady of Fatima University, Valenzuela City (lordmychef@gmail.com).

*All photos from Camino de Santiago de Compostela courtesy of Fr. Jigs Sta. Rita.

Accompany me, Lord

Lord My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul, 11 July 2025
Friday, Memorial of St. Benedict, Abbot, Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time
Genesis 46:1-7, 28-30 <*{{{>< + ><}}}*> Matthew 10:16-23

*Photo by Alex Dos Santos on Pexels.com*

For those still moving places,
changing careers, 
pursuing new love, hobbies
and interests;
for those in their senior years
embarking on new journeys
in life,
for those who have finally
decided to leave their
"comfort zones" to dare
live life authentically,
let us learn from
Jacob, aka, Israel:

Israel set out with all that was his. When he arrived at Beer-sheba, he offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac. There God, speaking to Israel in a vision by night, called, “Jacob! Jacob!” He answered, “Here I am.” Then he said: “I am God, the God of your father. Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for there I will make you a great nation. Not only will I go down with you; I will also bring you back here, after Joseph has closed your eyes.” (Genesis 46:1-4)

Thank you, dear God
our loving Father in calling us
and sending us still to missions
despite our age
and unworthiness;
just be patient with us.
Accompany us in this
new journey we take in life;
be our companion.

Thank you, dear God
our loving Father in believing
in us,
in trusting us
after all these years of
hiding and running away from you;
keep us faithful
to your call and direction.

Thank you, dear God
most of all for Jesus,
in sending him to us
who commissioned us to be
like "sheep in the midst of wolves";
enlighten our minds
and our hearts
with your Holy Spirit
so we may be "shrewd as serpents
and simple as doves"
(Matthew 10:16)
in this world that values
youth and technology,
forgetting persons to be loved
and cared
and cherished
like you.

Like St. Benedict who in his
old age continued to follow you
in new directions in his life
and ministry,
give us the courage
to do the same
for your greater glory.
Amen.

St. Benedict,
Pray for us.

Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Our Lady of Fatima University
Valenzuela City

VATICAN CITY, VATICAN – MAY 08: Faithful in St. Peter’s Square participate in the first blessing of Pope Leo XIV immediately after the white smoke on May 08, 2025 in Vatican City, Vatican. White smoke was seen over the Vatican early this evening as the Conclave of Cardinals took just two days to elect Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, who will be known as Pope Leo (Leone) XIV, as the 267th Supreme Pontiff after the death of Pope Francis on Easter Monday. (Photo by Ivan Romano/Getty Images)

Pahingalay

Lawiswis ng Salita ni P. Nicanor F. Lalog II, Ika-22 ng Agosto 2024

*Larawan kuha ng may-akda, Sacred heart Novitiate, Novaliches, QC, 20 Marso 2024.*

Halina't magpahingalay
hindi lamang upang mapawi
pagod at hirap
kungdi sarili ay mabawi
sa kawalang kabuluhan
at mga kaguluhan,
pagkawindang mapigilan
kaayusan ng buhay
ay mabalikan;
limang tanong
sana makatulong
upang landas ng 
makatuturang buhay
ating masundan:

*Larawan kuha ng may-akda sa Alfonso, Cavite, Abril 2024.*

"Nasaan ka?"

Kay gandang balikan
nang ang Diyos ay unang
mangusap sa tao,
ito ang kanyang tanong
sa lalaking nagkasala
at nagtago, "nasaan ka?"
Nang maganap unang krimen,
Diyos ay nagtanong din
kay Cain, "nasaan 
kapatid mong si Abel?"

"Nasaan" lagi nating tanong
lalo na't sarili ang nawawala
tumutukoy di lamang sa lunan
kungdi sa kalagayan
at katayuan ng sarili
madalas ay sablay
at mabuway; 
magpahingalay
upang tumatag at maging
matiwasay.

*Larawan kuha ng may-akda sa Camp John Hay, Baguio City, 12 Hulyo 2023.*

Susunod na dalawang tanong
ay magkadugtong:
"Saan ka pupunta?" at
"Paano ka makakarating doon?"

Walang mararating
at kahihinatnan
sino mang hindi alam
kanyang pupuntahan
maski na moon na tinitingala
hindi matingnan, magroadtrip 
broom broom man lamang!
Muling mangarap
libre at masarap
higit sa lahat 
magkaroon ng layon 
na inaasam-asam!

*Larawan kuha ni Bb. Ria De Vera sa Banff, Alberta, Canada, 07 Agosto 2024.*

Nasaan ka?
Saan ka pupunta?
Paano ka makakarating doon?
Ang mga unang tatlong tanong
sa ating pamamahingalay nitong
paglalakbay ng buhay;
ika-apat na tanong naman dapat
nating pagnilayan ay
"Ano aking dadalhin sa paglalakbay?"

Marahil pinakamahalagang
dalhin ang ating sarili
hindi mga gamit 
o kasangkapan
dahil kaalinsabay 
ng mga dalahin
ay ating mga iiwanan din;
huwag nang magkalat ng gamit
bagkus iwanan ay bakas
ng mabuting katauhan
pagmamalasakit sa iba pang
naglalakbay sa landas nitong buhay!

*Larawan kuha ng may-akda, St. Scholastica Spiritual Center, Tagaytay, 21 Agosto 2024.*

Ngayo'y dumako tayo
sa huling tanong nitong
pagpapahingalay upang
mabawi ating sarii
di lamang pagod ay mapawi:
"Sino iyong kasama sa paglalakbay
sa buhay?"

Ito marahil pinakamahirap
sagutin maski harapin
dahil problema natin
hindi naman mga nabigong
pangarap at adhikain
 kungdi nasira at nawasak
nating mga ugnayan
bilang pamilya
at magkakaibigan;
may kasabihan mga African,
kung ibig mong maglakbay
ng mabilis, lumakad kang mag-isa
ngunit kung ibig mong malayo marating,
magsama ka ng kasabay sa paglalakbay.

Dito ating makikita
diwa at buod ng tunay
na pagpapahingalay
o pagpapahinga:
mula sa salitang "hinga"
ang magpahinga
ay mahingahan ng iba,
mapuno ng iba;
mauubos tayo parang upos
sa dami ng ibig nating
maabot at marating,
huwag mag-atubiling
tumigil,
mamahinga,
magpahingalay
sa Panginoong Diyos
na Siya nating buhay
at kaganapan
na tiyak din nating
hahantungan
sa walang hanggang
pahingalay.
Hayaang Siya
sa ating umalalay
at pumuno ng hininga ng buhay!

Vacare Deo

Quiet Storm by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II, 21 August 2024
Photos and poem, annual clergy retreat, 19-23 August 2024 
St. Scholastica Spiritual Center in Tagaytay City

Vacare Deo:
A vacation with God
a most awaited Sabbath
when He is truly Lord and God,
and we are His children;
He the Creator,
we His creature
so beloved
coming home to Him,
back in Paradise.

Vacare Deo:
A vacation with God
to be with Him,
to experience Him,
to find and listen to Him,
not that He is lost
 but because
we have drifted
and turned away
 from Him.

Thank you for finding me,
O God,
in making me stop
 to find myself anew
to enjoy this beautiful journey
with your gift of company;
breathe in me your Holy Spirit
to fill and animate me
with love and passion
in finding and following
Jesus Christ in everything
especially within!

A tale of roads and ways

The Lord Is My Chef Easter Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Friday in the Third Week of Easter, 19 April 2024
Acts 9:1-20 ><]]]]'> + ><]]]]'> + ><]]]]'> John 6:52-59

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

Lord Jesus,
today You tell us
how often You write
in straight crooked ways
that always bring us
to the right path in life.

Saul, stil breathing murderous threats against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, that, if he should find any men or women who belonged to the Way, he might bring them back to Jerusalem in chains. On his journey, as he was nearing Damascus, a light from the sky suddenly flashed around him (Acts 9:1-4).

Of course,
we know by heart this story
of Saul's conversion
who became known as Paul;
but, what is so lovely in his story
is how he persecuted the early Christians
then known as followers of the "Way"
when on his way near Damascus,
You appeared to him, O Lord;
Paul eventually reached Damascus
not to arrest the followers of the Way
but found himself following You, Jesus
the only Way in this life!

Many times, Jesus,
we are blinded like Paul,
going on our own journey
and paths in life;
like the Jews in Capernaum
who were so blinded too 
that they quarreled 
among themselves
in their inability to grasp
what You meant by 
eating Your flesh.

Dearest Jesus,
take away our blindness,
send us our own Ananias
who would guide us to You
like Paul;
thank You, Jesus,
in allowing us to follow
our own path even if it is
the wrong way only to let us
see eventually how blinded
we have been
as You slowly lead us back
to Your path
of faith in You
 to enable us to hope
 in You until eventually,
we end up serving You lovingly
in others whom we have crossed
path with as You wondrously
write straight our crooked ways
to meet You
in each other.
Amen.

Walking with Jesus

The Lord Is My Chef Holy Thursday Recipe, 28 March 2024
Exodus 12:1-8, 11-14 > + < 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 > + < John 13:1-15

*Photo from wikipediacommons.org of Christ’s washing of feet of Apostles at Monreale Cathedral in Palermo, Italy*.

Tonight we start the Easter Triduum – the three holy days of the Passion, Death, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ with the Mass of the Lord’s Supper and Washing of the Feet.

In our Mass tonight, there will be no dismissal after Holy Communion that is immediately followed by a short procession inside the church of the Blessed Sacrament to its repository that will be the focus of “Visita Iglesia” (not Stations of the Cross) when people “visit” at least seven churches to pray to the Divine Presence of Jesus. Tomorrow in most parishes is the “via Crucis” or Way of the Cross then in the afternoon after the Veneration of the Holy Cross is the Procession of the Burial of the Lord.

See how on these most holy days of the year, much of our activities involve a lot of walking – and rightly so because Jesus Christ was always walking even to His Crucifixion and after Resurrection.

Hence, on the night He was betrayed after Supper, He washed the feet of His disciples including us today because He had also known how difficult and tiring it is to always walk in this life.

“…fully aware that the Father had put everything into his power and that he had come from God and was returning to God, he rose from supper and took off his outer garments. He took a towel and tied it around his waist. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and dry them with the towel around his waist.”
John 13:3-5

More than reenacting the washing of the feet, tonight we are reminded by Jesus of the journey ahead to his Crucifixion when – with apologies to Robert Frost – we still have to walk “miles to go before we sleep” by choosing the road less travelled “that made the difference.”

And here lies the problem of our time: with the advancement of technology, our modes of transportation like communication have greatly affected our relationships with others, for better and for worse. From being peripatetic persons, we have become more accustomed to riding, of getting fast and effortless to our destination that we no longer walk that much unlike before that has affected even our relationships with one another. How can we continue the work of Jesus when we no longer walk that much?

*Photo by Mr. Raffy Tima of GMA-7 News, 2020.*

Observe how it has become so difficult to ask for directions these days because nobody is walking anymore. Most of us are ensconced in our own vehicles that have become our own little world and tiny universe every time we travel even if it were just a “walking distance”. Aside from breaking apart from the rest of humanity, we have also become very impersonal in the sense that we now rely more with Google maps and other travel apps than with the ordinary “man on the street.” Worst, we rarely touch the ground with our bare feet that if ever we would walk, it has been relegated to mere physical fitness often done alone with earphones as companions. We have not only grown apart from others but have also lost touch with earth because we no longer walk that much like Jesus and His disciples.

Two weeks ago during my retreat, I walked around the vast grounds and mini-forests of the Sacred Heart Novitiate in Novaliches when I realized that priesthood is peripatetic in nature because it is a ministry that walks to reach out, search for the missing sheep as per instruction of the Lord. Jesus even added that in fulfilling our mission, we must carry nothing when we walk except a staff and sandals.

*Walking with our parishioners in the Via Crucis, 01 March 2024.*

Moreover, priesthood is a ministry of being companions as shepherds in the journey of the people. That is why Jesus is our Good Shepherd because He is the One who truly journeys with us in this life. He is the One who continues to walk with us in our many ups and downs, in the many dusty trails and harsh realities of life that no gadget or wealth or media platform could bring comfort and security to any weary traveler.

It is only in walking when we could truly journey with others in life to converse with them and listen to their doubts and frustrations like the two disciples walking back to Emmaus three days after Good Friday. It is only in walking can we truly meet the sick, the orphaned and the widowed, the blind and the lame, the sinners and the misfits the world had left behind or pushed onto the margins of the society, far from our superhighways.

Most of all, when we walk we touch ground, we feel the earth called “humus” in Latin, the origin of the words human and humility. Could it be that we have become less humble today partly because of our refusal to walk more often?

Forgive us your priests when we have refused to walk with you especially when you are troubled and lost. Forgive us your priests as we have ceased to be like Jesus who walked most of the time because we have been so obsessed riding and travelling most of the time in our cars and SUV’s as well as mountain bikes and big bikes that have insulated us from your cries and anguish. We have not only lost the art of walking but have totally forgotten about walking the extra mile to pray and commune with our Lord and Master Jesus Christ found among the poor and the sick, the marginalized peoples forgotten in our upwardly, mobile society.

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

We always hear the expression “life is a journey.” Our first reading tonight attested to this reality when God reminded the chosen people preparing for exodus from Egypt “to eat and dress like those who are in flight”(Ex.12:11).

The original concept of the restaurant is not just a place where people stop to eat during a long journey. Restaurants were truly “rest stops” where travelers could rest their feet by soaking them in warm water so that they could travel again to reach their destination.

The Holy Eucharist is a “sacred restaurant” where we eat and drink the Body and Blood of Christ who nourishes us in our life journey. Most of all, in the Eucharist and Sacrament of Reconciliation, Jesus continues to wash our feet to cleanse us from our sins and burdens to make this journey of life lighter and easier. When we receive Him in the Holy Communion, we make Him our “companion” in life filled with darkness and pains, uncertainties and lack of direction. The word companion literally means “someone you break bread with” – a beautiful picture of the Eucharist described to us by St. Paul in the second reading.

In washing the feet of His disciples, Jesus Christ showed us in His humble gesture that He is indeed our Savior who went down so low even unto death on the Cross to express His immense love and mercy for each of us. Everything that transpired on the night He was betrayed prefigured the events of Good Friday which we make present every time we celebrate the Eucharist that is summed up in loving service for one another.

Do we still walk? And if we walk, who is our companion, the one we break bread with? Likewise, do we walk our talk of our faith?

May we never leave behind Jesus among our family and friends as we walk through this life. A blessed Holy Thursday to everyone. Amen.

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.*

Face-to-Face with Christ’s glory

The Lord Is My Chef Sunday Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord, Cycle A, 06 August 2023
Daniel 7:9-10, 13-14 ><}}}*> 2 Peter 1:16-19 ><}}}*> Matthew 17:1-9

*Photo of the mosaic inside the Basilica of the Transfiguration on Mt. Tabor, Israel* (from *commons.wikimedia.org).*

Today we take a break from our gospel readings to celebrate the Feast of Transfiguration (August 06) that falls on a Sunday this year. The segue fits perfectly the series of parables we heard these past three Sundays that mentioned judgment day at the end of time.

Recall how Jesus interpreted his parables especially the separation of the weeds and wheat at harvest time as well as keeping the good fish caught in the net, throwing the bad ones that all evoke of judgement day in the end of time. For Matthew, the transfiguration of Jesus is exactly about the end of time when Christ’s glory is revealed at his Resurrection and ultimately in his Second Coming.

Jesus took Peter, James, and his brother, John, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them; his face shone like the sun and his clothes became white as light.
Matthew 17:1-2

*Mt. Tabor, believed to be the site of the Transfiguration of Jesus. Photo from iStockphoto.com.*

In the Gospel according to Matthew, major events in the life of Jesus Christ mostly happened on a mountain: his temptation (Mt. 4:8), his inaugural teaching, the sermon on the mount (Mt. 5:1) and the sending of his apostles on their mission throughout the world until the end of time (Mt. 28:16).

Here at his transfiguration on top of the “high mountain” of Tabor we find glimpses of Christ’s explanation of the parable of the weeds among the wheat when he said that “the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father” (Mt. 13:43). See how this transfiguration of the elect at the end of time that was shown to Daniel in the first reading is expressed exactly in the same way as that of the face of Jesus on Mount Tabor that had “shone like the sun” as witnessed by the three apostles. Peter strongly attested to it later as we have heard in the second reading.

Last week in the daily readings from Exodus we have heard how the face of Moses also shone like the sun after he had conversed with God on Mount Sinai and every time he would see God at his tent called the dwelling in their journey in the desert. That is the context why Peter volunteered to build three tents for Jesus, Moses and Elijah during the transfiguration. The Jews have a celebration called feast of booths or tents they called sukkoth. The tent is the dwelling place of God in the wilderness that eventually became the temple of Jerusalem. It was the closest thing they have with God and with heaven. At the transfiguration of Jesus, the three apostles were enthralled at the experience and sight they did not want to go down because it was literally heaven, being with God. The transfiguration event itself for them was the fulfillment of their faith and everything in the Old Testament.

They would realize later that to dwell with God means to continue the journey in Christ, with Christ marked with many ascents and descents happening not just in space or physically but more of the interior kind. That is how we are transfigured, always inside. Right in our heart and soul. That was the deeper meaning of Moses entering God’s dwelling in the desert – of him being one in God, with God – that his face would shone after, prompting him to cover it because people were scared.

*Photo from custodia.org, Basilica of the Transfiguration on Mt. Tabor, Israel.*

Whatever is found on the face is always a reflection of what is in the heart and soul. No amount of cosmetics and beauty procedures can ever bring out that glow and radiance of anyone’s face beaming with joy and fulfillment, peace and contentment.

The face is the reflection of the depths – or shallowness – of one’s heart and soul. There is an English word used to describe this inner dynamics of the face – countenance. Any change in our countenance indicates something is being transformed within us as a result of our communion with God. That is why we describe some people even we do not know them as malalim or deep, or magaling magdala ng problema because of their countenance. In the same manner, we easily notice something rotting inside a person when despite one’s having good features like flawless skin or aquiline nose, beautiful eyes and the like. This is what the young people would call as “uma-aura” when they pose for FB or IG. Aura is the spirit within evoked by one’s face that cannot be manipulated.

The face of Jesus shone like the sun at his transfiguration primarily because deep inside him is his complete and perfect union in the Father. Jesus would always insist on this reality within him, his perfect communion in the Father from which also flows his total obedience which will reach its highest point at his Passion and Death on the Cross, his own Pasch or exodus.

There at Mount Tabor in his transfiguration, we are shown that Christ’s glory cannot be separated from the Cross. His majesty and triumph shall come from his pasch. And so are we his disciples. That is why the voice heard by the apostles said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased; listen to him”. From now on, Christ would be speaking of his coming Passion, Death and Resurrection. All his lessons after Mount Tabor are about our participation in his paschal mysteries. Do we listen?

The apostles learned and embraced all these lessons in a process slowly with the guidance of the Holy Spirit after Pentecost. That is why Jesus told them to come down from Tabor to continue their journey to Jerusalem to fulfill his mission. Through them we have believed despite our not having seen Jesus that is how he would appear as “Lord” on the mountain that we the faithful are climbing to participate in the ultimate manifestation of his return at the end of time.

And there lies the good news of this Feast of Transfiguration happening in this dry month of August, often described as ghost month too. As we go through the last half of Ordinary Time’s remaining 17 weeks, may we continue to ascend in Christ, with Christ with his Cross in sharing his paschal mysteries in our daily lives. After the euphoria of Easter Season that had closed on Pentecost Sunday, we are reminded anew this sixth of August to never lose sigh of the Cross of Good Friday as our path to glorious transfiguration of Jesus Christ.

To journey with Christ, listening and obeying his voice is something of the inside and not just of space or place. Discipleship demands persistent practice of the Lord’s teachings and examples as we shall hear from the gospel these coming Sundays.

As COVID-19 virus wanes that we resume most of our activities minus the many protocols before while still being cautious and careful, may we face our inner issues in Christ and the Holy Spirit to be transfigured in him. Amen. Have a blessed week ahead. It is a Sunday, celebrate Mass with others in your Parish, pray for those still suffering from the effects of typhoon Egay and Falcon.

*Painting of the Transfiguration by Italian artist Duccio di Buoninsegna between 1308 and 1311 from commons.wikimedia.org.*

On the right path amid difficulties

The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Tuesday, Feast of St. James the Greater, Apostle, 25 July 2023
2 Corinthians 4:7-15 ><}}}}*> + ><}}}}*> + ><}}}}*> Matthew 20:20-28

*Photo by Fr. Gener Garcia, Santiago de Compostela, Spain, 2019.*

Praise and glory to you, O God,
on this wondrous feast of
St. James the Greater,
the first of the Apostles to
follow the Cross of Jesus Christ
during the persecution of Christians
in Jerusalem by King Herod Agrippa
(Acts 12:1-2).

Together with his brother St. John,
St. James the Greater's path in
loving and following Jesus Christ
up to the Cross was not an easy one;
from a very materialistic and selfish
perception of the kingdom of God as
we heard in today's gospel,
St. James eventually journeyed
inside himself to become the first
to drink the chalice of the Lord's passion
after being present both at the
Transfiguration and the Agony in the Garden.

St. James the Greater
eventually realized that 
even in difficulties,
we are on the right path 
in Jesus Christ,
with Jesus Christ.

Brothers and sisters: We hold this treasure in earthen vessels that the surpassing power may be of God and not from us. We are afflicted in every way, but not constrained; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our body.
2 Corinthians 4:7-10

St. James the Greater,
Pray for us!
Amen.

We journey in stages

The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Monday in the Thirteenth Week of Ordinary Time, 26 June 2023
Genesis 12:1-9 ><))))*> + ><))))*> + ><))))*> Matthew 7:1-5

*Photo by author, Sonnen Berg, Davao City, August 2018.*

Another month soon to close,
another month soon to open
at the end of this week;
thank you very much, God
our loving Father for the wonderful
journey in life.
Continue to call us,
continue to lead us
to new directions,
to new challenges
to new stages in life
to newer selves.

Like Abraham,
teach us to leave 
our comfort zones,
teach us to trust in you,
teach us to realize we are
never too old to move out
and grow; most of all, 
teach us to chill,
to slow down, to stop rushing
and worrying in life.
Make us move in "stages", Lord,
like Abraham for you are the
first to know who we are,
where we are,
and how we are.

The Lord said to Abram: “Go forth from the land of your kinsfolk and from your father’s house to a land that I will show you.” Then Abram journeyed on by stages to the Negeb.
Genesis 12:1,9

Let us follow Jesus,
"the way and the truth
and the life" in this journey
in life in whatever stages
we may be;
may we stop judging
so we may not be judged
and simply enjoy this
journey in life
in whatever stage
we may be.
Amen.

*Since last night after praying for today's readings, I was struck by that passage of Abram journeyed by "stages" that instantly reminded me of David Benoit's 1982 album and single, "Stages".  Blessed Monday!

From YouTube.com.