Breaking the chain of evil

Lord My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Monday in the Eleventh Week of Ordinary Time, Year II, 15 June 2026
1 Kings 21:17-29 <*((((>< + ><))))*> Matthew 5:43-48

*Photo by author, sunset at RISE Tower, Our Lady of Fatima University, Valenzuela City, 10 June 2026.*

Forgive us,
God our loving Father,
in continuing the story of 
Naboth's vineyard forcibly taken
by King Ahab through
his evil wife Queen Jezebel.

Most sad with this story
that continues to our days
is not only the greed and avarice
of people with wealth and power;
its tragedy that continues today is  
how there are people below them
in stature, mostly the ones they abuse
with a lot of help from supposed to be
educated and middle class are so willing
to support the modern King Ahabs
and Queen Jezebels in their evil schemes 
employing fake news,
willingly conniving,
taking part in their chain of evil.

His fellow citizens – the elders and nobles who dwelt in his city – did as Jezebel had ordered a fast and placed Naboth at the head of the people. Two scoundrels came in and confronted him with the accusation, “Naboth has cursed God and king.” And they led him out of the city and stoned him to death (1Kings 21:12-13).

How tragic that until now,
there are so many Naboths
among us who are victims
of a world governed by the rule
 of "an eye for an eye"
where the powerful and corrupt take
on what they want as they shamelessly
crush the poor and the weakest;
help us, Lord Jesus,
to have the courage and humility
to trust in you,
to rely in you
to have the strength in fighting
the abuses of those in power;
enlightening us of ways
and approaches in opening the minds
of the poor and supposed to be educated
among us who blindly even rabidly
support corrupt and evil men and
women in the society, in politics.

Grant us patience
to bear with the fools in our Senate
holding on to power,
who do not know what they are doing;
enlighten the minds and hearts
of those belonging to the majority
to start following what is truly good
and not their whims dictated
by their bloated egos.
Let your truth and charity
prevail over us these days,
Lord Jesus,
so we can break the chain of evil
in our country
and society.
Amen.

Shine in Jesus

Lord My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul, 02 September 2025
Tuesday in the Twenty-Second Week of Ordinary Time, Year I
1 Thessalonians 5:1-6, 9-11 <*((((>< + ><))))*> Luke 4:31-37

*Photo by author, sunrise at the Lake of Galilee, Israel, May 2017.*

Let your light shine on me,
Jesus, 
keep me "alert and sober
so that I may continue
to encourage one another
and build one another up"
(1 Thessalonians 5:6, 11);
let your light shine in me,
Jesus, 
fill me with your authority
and power to disclose truth
and expose evil as people 
nowadays are so used to sin
as very ordinary, tolerable
and acceptable;
let your light shine in me,
Jesus,
fill me with your Spirit
to always proclaim 
in words and in deeds
your gospel of salvation
from self-centeredness,
materialism,
and relativism
that have all tried 
deleting God 
and prayer 
in life; 
despite my sinfulness
and weaknesses,
help me bring you Jesus
to those burdened and lost,
sick and confused
after being so misled
by the world's many lies
and broken promises.
Amen.

Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Our Lady of Fatima University
Valenzuela City
(lordmychef@gmail.com)

Jesus, our truth, our strength

Lord My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul, 29 August 2025
Friday, Passion of St. John the Baptist, Martyr
Jeremiah 1:17-19     <*{{{{>< + ><}}}}*>     Mark 6:17-29

*Photo from Fatima Tribune during the Red Wednesday Mass at the Chapel of the Angel of Peace, Our Lady of Fatima University, Valenzuela City, 27 November 2024.*

Lord Jesus Christ,
today I pray in the most
special way to free us from
lies and falsehoods,
fake news and other news
in social media masquerading 
as lifestyle especially of the filthy rich;
we have turned away from you,
Jesus, 
"the Way and 
the Truth and 
the Life";
give us the courage you gave
St. John the Baptist
your forerunner 
to speak
to stand 
to die
for what is true.

The word of the Lord came to me thus: Gird your loins; stand up and tell them all that I command you. Be not crushed on their account, as though I would have you crushed before them… They will fight against you, but not prevail over you, for I am with you to deliver you, says the Lord (Jeremiah 1:17, 19).

Like John the Baptist
and Jeremiah
and all the others
who have stood 
their ground for the Truth,
let us find our strength
in you, Jesus
in fighting for what is true:
I pray for those
involved in the ghost
projects in our country
to finally speak
and tell the truth
so that this system
of sin and evil
may finally be stopped
or at least mitigated
in our forsaken country
of so many liars,
of children acting like 
Salomes flaunting their
wealth,
of adults especially couples
and mistresses living in lies
like Herodias harboring grudge
on the honest and truthful men,
and leaders specially in politics
who are so much like Herod
so happy to listen and attend
Mass but never had the courage
to defend and stand for what is 
true.

Have mercy on us,
Lord Jesus,
for continuing to crucify you,
and for beheading others
who announce your coming
like John the Baptist.
Amen.

St. John the Baptist,
Pray for us!

Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Our Lady of Fatima University
Valenzuela City
(lordmychef@gmail.com)

Led by the Holy Spirit

The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Wednesday in the Twenty-eighth Week of Ordinary Time Year II, 16 October 2024
Galatians 5:18-25 ><))))*> + ><))))*> + ><))))*> Luke 11:42-46

*Photo by author, Fatima Ave., Valenzuela City, 25 July 2024.*

Lead and guide us,
O Most Holy Spirit;
set us free from "the works
of the flesh: immorality,
impurity, licentiousness,
idolatry, sorcery, hatreds,
rivalry, jealousy, outbursts of fury,
acts of selfishness, dissensions,
factions" (Galatians 5:19-20);
cleanse our nation now facing
the realities of the truth of what we
have long suspected of filth and evil
that have shrouded the past 
administration's drug war;
so many lives were lost
and destroyed not only by
the deaths but all the lies
that were glorified;
be the courage and strength,
O Holy Spirit, of those finally
given the chance to stand for what is true
so that never again such reign of
darkness and terror be repeated.

Woe to us
and everyone who continue
to overlook the good of others!

Let your Spirit, dear Jesus,
bear fruit in us with "love, joy,
peace, patience, kindness, generosity,
faithfulness, gentleness, self-control"
(Galatians 5:22-23); fills us with your
Spirit today, Jesus, so we may be
more loving, thinking always of the
good of others above all.
Amen.

Family life is sacred

The Lord Is My Chef Easter Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Wednesday, Memorial of St. Joseph the Worker, 01 May 2024
Colossians 3:14-15, 17, 23-24 >>> + <<< Matthew 13:54-58

*“Childhood of Christ” painting by Gerard von Honthorst, franciscanmedia.org*.

Praise and glory to You,
God our Father in entrusting
Your Son Jesus Christ to the most
noble and holiest of men,
St. Joseph who came from the
lineage of King David.

Though he never spoke a word
in the Gospel, St. Joseph's obedience
in doing everything as You had
commanded him (Mt. 1:24) proved
his being a model disciple too 
of Jesus like his wife,
the Blessed Virgin Mary.

On this first day of May
when we celebrate his memorial as
St. Joseph the Worker,
our beloved Patron shows us how
family life is so sacred as part
of Your Divine plan, O gracious
Father in heaven.

St. Joseph worked as a carpenter,
a provider to the Holy Family who must
have also experienced every dad's problem
of never making enough for Mary and Jesus;
most likely, the Holy Family he headed
did not live a perfect idyllic life, 
living through scandals and gossips 
as our gospel today showed when 
the people of Nazareth rejected 
the adult Jesus Christ,
taking offense at him by asking,
"Is he not the carpenter's son?"
(Mt. 13:55, 57).

*Photo by author, site of St. Joseph’s carpentry shop beneath St. Joseph’s Church in Nazareth, Israel, May 2017.*

Dear God,
grant us the same grace
You gave St. Joseph who lived
through scandal and gossip in a 
righteous way, just like what St. Paul
had told us in the first reading,
"And over all these put on love, 
that is, the bond of perfection"; 
help us to be like St. Joseph 
who "let the peace of Christ 
controlled his heart" (Col.3:14-15)
in everything to show us that holiness
in life is not a poster card
but one lived in the ambiguity
and complexity of this world
rooted in Jesus our Lord.
Amen.

St. Joseph,
Protector of the Child Jesus
and Mary,
Pray for us!

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

Fighting the ghosts within us

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.

Blessing our goodbyes

The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Wednesday in the Seventh Week of Easter, 24 May 2023
Acts 20:28-38 ><]]]'> + ><]]]'> + ><]]]'> John 17:11-19

*Photo by author, sunset at Tagaytay Vista Hotel, 07 February 2023*.

Lord Jesus Christ,
help us to pray and say
our goodbyes
just like you
and St. Paul 
in today's readings.
How lovely to keep in mind
that the word "goodbye"
is from "God-be-with-you"!

Leaving and separation,
whether temporary or permanent
like death is the most painful part
of living and loving;
like you on that last supper
and St. Paul as he departed from Ephesus,
may we also pray for our loved ones
to be left behind; let us be realistic too
in our goodbyes so that they we leave
behind are not just warned of the
coming dangers but most of all,
be equipped in you.

“I know that after my departure savage wolves will come among you, and they will not spare the flock. And from your own group, men will come forward perverting the truth to draw the disciples away after them.”
Acts of the Apostles 20:29-30

Whenever we leave home,
whenever we leave a gathering,
may we leave the people with the
beautiful experience of your loving 
presence in our giving than receiving,
 in standing by your truth, rejecting 
 lies and dishonesty,
in relying more on you than in ourselves.
When we leave,
may they remember you more
than us.
Amen.

Believing, living like Mary

The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Monday, Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, 15 August 2022
Revelation 11:19, 12:1-6, 10 ><)))*> 1 Corinthians 15:20-27 ><)))*> Luke 1:39-56

*Photo by Mr. Jay Javier, Acacias at UP-Diliman, April 2022.*

Glory and praise to you,
Father, for this great solemnity
of Mary being assumed body and
soul into heaven to remind us
of our glorious future too
which she now enjoys ahead of
us all because of her fidelity and 
total submission to your will
in every stage of her life;
teach us like Mary to believe (Lk.1:45)
and live your Word who became flesh
for us in Jesus Christ.

May this faith in you prompt
us to go in sharing Jesus
with his love and mercy, 
kindness and compassion
to those doubting you, O God,
because of too much pains
and sufferings, poverty and sickness;
in this age when people believe more
in the lies peddled by social media
and advertisements, may our lives
mirror like Mary your truth and 
greatness, dear Father with our
loving service to the needy;
in this time of so many tribulations
like this pandemic with the ever growing
materialism of people that has given rise
and spawned so many social evils in the
name of wealth, power and fame,
lead us to the desert of prayers and
purification (Rev. 12:6) so we may receive 
and respond properly to the graces and 
blessings you pour upon us lavishly,
primarily Jesus whom we receive
Body and Blood in the Eucharist,
thus making us like Mary herself,
the bearer of Jesus!

Loving Father,
so many people are suffering
these days, many are about
to give up, many are so lost
that their only hope is heaven,
sometimes wishing death
as a way out, not as a way
through the Cross of Christ
who is our way, truth and life;
show us the way,
lead us like Mary
 by believing your words
and putting them into practice
so that even now,
in the midst of sufferings and
darkness, we may enable
the people to experience and
see our true destiny in eternity
while here.
Right now.
Amen.

*“The Assumption of the Virgin” by Italian Renaissance painter Titian completed in 1518 for the main altar of Frari church in Venice. Photo from en.wikipedia*.org.

Good news is when truth hurts

The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Monday, Memorial of St. Alphonsus Ligouri, Bishop & Doctor of the Church, 01 August 2022
Jeremiah 28:1-17 ><))))*> + ><))))*> + ><))))*> Matthew 14:13-21

*Photo by Mr. Jay Javier, Acacias in UP-Diliman, QC, April 2022.*

Praise and glory to you,
O God our loving Father 
for this gift of the month of
August, of another 31 days
for us to be better and stronger,
firmer in faith, vibrant in hope
and unceasing in charity and love.

On this first day of August when
we celebrate the memorial of 
St. Alphonsus Ligouri, patron
of moral theologians, we pray 
for the grace of accepting and 
embracing, owning the truth,
avoiding lies and falsehoods always.

I have heard and experienced the
veracity of the expression "truth hurts" -
so true and so painful indeed!
Let me not be like Hananiah who
prophesied in the name of the Lord
falsely in today's first reading,
sugarcoating the true situation of
the Israelites held bondage in Babylonia
for its wickedness; instead of telling them
the painful truth of their exile, Hananiah
lied and spoke of "good news", of deliverance
from Nebuchadnezzar and a return of 
the stolen vessels of the Lord's temple.

Give me the courage to tell the painful
truth, to stand by it always even if it is
unpopular like your prophet Jeremiah 
who spoke of your truth during the
Babylonian Captivity: of the need to
reform their lives and ways, to atone for
their sins and go back to you, O God;
let me keep in mind, dear Jesus, that
a good news is only good when it is 
difficult, uncomfortable, and disturbing
like the feeding of the vast crowd in the 
wilderness; a good news is not good at all
when there is no Cross.

Remove me, O Lord, 
from the way of falsehood
and favor me with your law;
take not the word of truth
from my mouth, for in your
ordinances is my hope (Ps.119:
29, 43).  Amen.

The sins of others we always see

The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Monday in the Twelfth Week of Ordinary Time, 20 June 2022
2 Kings 17:5-8, 13-15, 18 ><)))*> + ><)))*> + ><)))*> Matthew 7:1-5

Help up with your right hand, 
O Lord, and answer us.
(Responsorial Psalm today.)

Help us, dear Father,
to see more our many sins
than the tiny sins of others;
Help us, dear Father,
to control our lips in
being so quick to judge
and speak so much of others;
Help us, dear Father,
to change our ways and
leave our sins.

So many times in life
when bad things happen to
us, we look on others to
blame, including you,
O Lord, without looking 
first into our very selves
at how we have indulged
in evil and sins that started 
so small that we have dismissed
as simple and nothing at all.

Forgive us, Father,
in always blaming others
without ever looking into
our hearts and ways 
that have been so disordered
and strayed from your paths
of love and justice, mercy
and kindness, humility and 
sincerity.  Amen.