Category: love

Ituloy pagbati ng Maligayang Pasko!

Lawiswis ng Salita ni P. Nicanor F. Lalog II, Ika-27 ng Disyembre 2023
Larawan mula sa Facebook, 23 Disyembre 2023 ng pagtutulungan ng Red Letter Christians at ng artist na si Kelly Latimore ng  @kellylatimoreicons upang lumikha ng bagong larawang ito na pinamagatang “Christ in the Rubble” nagsasaad na kung sakaling ngayong panahon isinilang si Jesus, malamang siya ay ipinanganak sa gitna ng mga durog na bato sanhi ng digmaan doon sa Gaza.

Maligayang Pasko!

Tayo raw mga Pilipino ang mayroong pinaka-tumpak na pagbati sa panahong ito dahil sinasaad ng salitang “pasko” ang buong katotohanan ng hiwaga ng pagkakatawang-tao (Incarnation) ng Diyos Anak na si Jesu-Kristo.

Mula sa wikang Hebreo na pesar o pesach na kahulugan ay “pagtawid”, ito ay pascua sa wikang Kastila na atin ding ginagamit na ugat ng Pasko at pasch naman sa Inggles. 

Una natin itong natunghayan sa Matandang Tipan, sa Aklat ng Exodus nang itawid ng Diyos sa pamumuno ni Moises ang mga Israelita mula Egipto patungong lupang pangako. Iyon ang larawang paulit-ulit na tinutukoy sa ating kasaysayan ng pagliligtas, sumasagisag sa pagtawid mula sa kaalipinan patungo sa kalayaan, pagtawid mula kadiliman patungo sa liwanag, pagtawid mula kasalanan tungo sa kapatawaran, at higit sa lahat, pagtawid mula kaparusahan tungo sa kaligtasan. 

Iyon din ang batayan ng tinutukoy na misteryo paskuwa o ng ating pananampalataya kay Kristo-Jesus na ating ipinahahayag tuwina sa Banal na Misa, “si Kristo ay namatay, si Kristo ay muling nabuhay, si Kristo ay babalik sa wakas ng panahon!“

Larawan kuha ng may-akda, 2021.

Tumpak at ayon ang ating pagbati na Maligayang Pasko dahil nagsimula ang misteryo paskuwa ni Jesus nang Siya ay ipaglihi at isinilang ng Mahala na Birheng Maria sa Bethlehem mahigit 2000 tao na nakalilipas.

Sa pagkakatawang-tao ni Jesus, Siya ay tumawid mula sa kawalang-hanggan (eternity) tungo sa mayroong hanggan (temporal) dito sa lupa; mula sa kanyang ganap na pag-iral taglay ang lahat ng kapangyarihan tungo sa limitado niyang pagkatao tulad ng pagiging mahina at mahuna lalo na sa pagiging sanggol at bata. Kasama na doon ang kailangan Niyang mag-aral lumakad, magsulat, magbasa at magsalita na kung tutuusin ay alam Niya ang lahat.

Taong-tao talaga si Jesus bagamat hindi nawala ni nabawasan Kanyang pagka-Diyos sa Kanyang pagkakatawang-tao kaya lahat ng ating mga karanasan bilang tao ay Kanya ring naranasan maliban ang kasalanan at magkasala. Siya man ay nagutom, nauhaw, nahapis at tumangis nang mamatay ang kaibigan Niyang si Lazaro, nahabag sa mga tao mga may sakit at balo. Wika nga ni Papa Benedicto XVI na malapit na nating ipag-ibis luksa sa katapusan, ang Diyos na ganap na kung tutuusin ay hindi nahihirapan ni nasasaktan ay pinili na makiisa sa hirap at sakit nating mga tao pamamagitan ng pagkakatawang-tao ni Jesu-Kristo (Spe Salvi, #39).

Napaka-ganda at husay ng paglalahad ni San Pablo sa pagtawid o paskuwa na ito ni Jesus na kanyang tinaguriang kenosis, ang paghuhubad ni Jesus ng Kanyang pagka-Diyos bagamat para sa akin mas angkop ang salin na “pagsasaid” dahil sinimot ni Jesus ang lahat ng sa Kanya para sa atin doon sa Kanyang pagkakatawang-tao na ang rurok ay doon sa Krus.

Larawan kuha ng may-akda, Baguio City, Agosto 2023.

Magpakababa kayo tulad ni Cristo Jesus: Na bagamat siya’y Diyos, hindi nagpilit na manatiling kapantay ng Diyos, Bagkus hinubad niya ang lahat ng katangian ng pagka-Diyos, nagkatawang-tao at namuhay na isang alipin. Nang maging tao, siya’y nagpakababa at naging masunurin hanggang kamatayan, oo, hanggang kamatayan sa krus.

Filipos 2:5-8

Naalala ko isang araw ng Pasko noong bata ako nang kami ay papaalis patungo sa mga Nanay at kapatid ng aking ama sa Maynila, masungit ang panahon at maulan. Hindi ko matanggap na umuulan at masama ang panahon sa araw ng Pasko kaya tinanong ko aking ina, “Bakit po ganun, birthday ni Jesus may ulan, may bagyo? E hindi ba God Siya? Di ba Niya puwede ipahinto mga ulan sa birthday Niya?”

Di ko matandaan sagot ng mommy ko pero malamang hindi malayo sa luku-luko at gago!

Nang magka-isip na ako, natutuhan ko sa mga pagbabasa na sa maraming pagkakataon mayroong mga bagyo at kalamidad, digmaan at kung anu-ano pang mga sigalot at paghihirap na nangyari kasaysayan tuwing Pasko. 

Tayo man mismo, marahil sa ating personal na buhay, maraming pagkakataon na tayo ay lumuluha, nanlulumo, hapis na hapis sa buhay sa ilang mga masasakit na karanasan sa araw ng Pasko. Kaya marami sa ating habang tumatanda nasasabing para lamang sa mga bata ang Pasko na masaya.

Ngunit hindi po iyan totoo! Batid natin sa ating mga karanasan na sa padaraan ng panahon, lumalalim ding pag-unawa nating sa Paso.

Larawan kuha ng may-akda, Setyembre 2023.

Balikan natin mga panahon ng ating pagsubok sa buhay lalo na sa panahon ng kapaskuhan, higit tayong namamangha at tiyak sasang-ayon ng lubos na tumpak nga ang bati nating mga Pinoy ng “Maligayang Pasko!” dahil mas malalim at makabuluhan ang pagdiriwang ito o ano pa mang selebrasyon sa buhay kapag ating napagdaanan at nalampasan mga hirap at sakit.

Ito ang kagandahan at katotohanan ng buhay natin na isang paulit-ulit na pasko, ng pagtawid at paglampas sa mga hirap at hilahil, pagbubulaanan sa ano mang sakbibi at pag-aaalinlangan ating ikinakakaba.

Hindi inalis ng Diyos ating hirap at sakit maging kamatayan bagkus tayo ay Kanyang sinamahan sa pagbibigay Niya sa atin ng Kanyang bugtong na Anak, ang Panginoong Jesu-Kristo na tumawid mula langit patungo dito sa atin sa lupa upang tayo naman Kanya ring maitawid patungong langit. 

Kaya naman, pakiusap ko sa lahat na ipagpatuloy natin pagbati ng Maligayang Pasko hanggang ika-pito ng Enero 2024, ang Dakilang Kapistahan ng Pagpapakita o Epiphany ng Panginoon. Napakasama at malaking kahangalan na kay tagal inabangan ang Pasko na nagsisimula ng hapon ng ika-24 ng Disyembre at pagkatapos ng ika-25 ay biglang magbabatian ng Happy New Year!?

Kalokohan! At marahil, hindi naunawaan diwa ng Pasko. Mababaw at puro happy, happy gusto ng mga maraming tao, di batid ang diwa at lalim ng kahulugan ng Pasko na sa paglalagom ay iisang salita lamang: PAG-IBIG o PAGMAMAHAL. Ng Diyos sa atin.

Ano man ang mangyari sa buhay natin, sa ating mundo, hindi mapipigil ang Pasko, tuloy ang Pasko dahil kasama natin palagi si Kristo. At kung ikaw man ay mayroong pinagdaraanan, matuwa ka at magalak, ikaw ay nasa paskuwa – pasko – kasama, kaisa si Kristo! Amen.

Larawan kuha ng may-akda, 2021.

“Baby Says No” by Christopher Cross (1983)

The Lord Is My Chef Sunday Music by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II, 17 December 2023
Photo by author, Gaudete Sunday 2019.

Glad to be back with our Sunday music offering but unfortunately, our choice is neither a Christmas song nor carol. But, we find Christopher Cross’ Baby Says No from his 1983 second studio album so perfect this Sunday because our homily is something about saying “no” (https://lordmychef.com/2023/12/16/saying-no-leads-us-to-rejoicing/).

We have always loved Mr. Cross since 1979 with his great debut album that featured his first hits Sailing and Ride Like the Wind. Truly an artist gifted with superb musical talents, we were so worried in 2020 when news came out of his being stricken with COVID-19 that resulted in some complications that almost left him unable to walk for a time. 

Baby Says No is a touching story of a love lost despite one’s great efforts and how far can a man go despite the great setback.

Baby says no, she can’t let go this soon
Doesn’t feel right, not tonight
Even though I gave her the stars and the moon
I really think I’ve got it bad this time around
Baby says yes but I must confess
It really doesn’t seem to matter
‘Cause I’d follow that girl all around the world
Even if I never had her
I really think I’ve got it bad this time
Really think I’ve got it bad this time
Really think I’ve got it bad this time around

This is where we find Baby Says No very related with our gospel this Sunday also known as Gaudete Sunday or Rejoice Sunday. Many times in life, we are able to rejoice after experiencing losses and failures, after being down. It is in the nos and nots where great rejoicing burst forth like when we receive the negative answer to our offers like what the man is claiming here after being turned down with his love.

Gonna show ’em what love can do
Gonna tell ’em ’bout me and you
Gonna show ’em what love can do when it’s right
And this time, it’s right
Love is the light that can shine so bright
But sometimes it fades away
Then you find one that can shine like the sun
She comes up for you every day

Many times in life, love comes forth after we receive or make the “no” answers to sin and evil and selfishness. Here is Christopher Cross with his classic Baby Says No. Have a blessed Sunday!

From YouTube.com.

Saying “no” leads us to rejoicing

The Lord Is My Chef Sunday Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Third Sunday in Advent Week III-B, Gaudete Sunday, 17 December 2023
Isaiah 61:1-2, 10-11 ><}}}*> 1 Thessalonian 5:16-24 ><}}}*> John 1:6-8, 19-28
Photo by author, Gaudete Sunday 2018.

Our church is bursting with pink shades this Third Sunday of Advent known as Gaudete (Latin for rejoice) Sunday following calls from our antiphons and readings for us to rejoice in Jesus who had come more than 2000 years ago in Bethlehem.

We also rejoice on this date, the 17th of December, as we shift our focus to enter Advent’s second phase when we remember and reflect the events surrounding Christ’s birth on that first Christmas. Today is also the second day of our Simbang Gabi and without sounding a Scrooge, I wish to propose in my reflection this Sunday for us to examine those moments in the scriptures and in our lives when saying “NO” leads us too into great rejoicing.

It is normal most of the time that rejoicing comes after every big “YES” in life like when a woman finally says “YES” to her suitor or when a boss says “YES” to promote an employee. The reason mankind rejoices at Christmas is because of the Blessed Virgin Mary’s “YES” to be the Mother of Jesus Christ our Savior.

Photo by author, Gaudete Sunday 2019.

However, history and our own experiences have taught us also that the key to rejoicing is when we say “NO” or receive or do something in the negative like during the pandemic when we prayed for “negative results” whenever we would get COVID tests. A lot often in life, a negative can be positive like what we see in our gospel today:

A man named John was sent from God. He came for testimony, to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to testify to the light. And this is the testimony of John. When the Jews from jerusalem sent priests and Levites to him to ask him, “Who are you?” he admitted and did not deny it, but admitted, “I am not the Christ.”

John 1:6-8, 19-20

See the progression of the negatives in the fourth gospel’s Prologue: after establishing “In the beginning was the Word” who is Jesus Christ the “life” and “light” in verses 1-5, John the Baptist is introduced with the immediate declaration “He was not the light, but came to testify to the light” in verses 6 and 8. In the following questioning by the priests and Levites sent from Jerusalem, John twice told them “I am not the Christ… not Elijah”, insisting with a strong “No” if he were the Prophet in verses 21-22 before wrapping up the scene with a solemn statement that “there is one among you whom you do not recognize, the one who is coming after me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to untie” in verses 26-27.

Photo by author, Gaudete Sunday 2019.

What a lovely scene of negatives, of nots and nos!

Recall those moments in our past filled with painful rejections and humiliating failures that we now look back with rejoicing because of the valuable lessons we have learned and made us stronger today. We realize too that the past negative moments darkened by sin and evil were not totally bad at all as these have led us into the light of Jesus Christ that we now rejoice in being forgiven and loved. When we remember those trials and difficulties we have hurdled in life, we do not feel ashamed but actually feel so proud, being sources of rejoicing for all our victories and successes today.

As we have been saying, Jesus was born during the darkest night of the year, a big negative so we can see the great positive, Christ our Savior, our Light. He is the fulfillment of that great prophecy by Isaiah in the first reading which Jesus himself proclaimed at the start of his ministry in their synagogue in Nazareth on a sabbath. 

The spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me; he has sent me to bring glad tidings to the poor, to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and release to the prisoners, to announce a year of favor from the Lord and a day of vindication by our God.

Isaiah 61:1-2
Photo by author, Gaudete Sunday 2019.

Luke tells us in his account how “the eyes of all in the synagogue looked intently” at Jesus who then said, “Today this scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing” (Lk.4:20-21). 

When there is fulfillment, rejoicing follows because that is when we say no to the many negatives holding and preventing us from welcoming Jesus in our lives.

When we feel poor and inadequate and try to find Christ beyond what we do not have, that is when we rejoice to find everything in him who fulfills, enriches and enables us in this life and beyond.

Rejoicing happens when we finally say no to our toxic relationships with people who break our hearts with their infidelities and say yes to Jesus who remain faithful and true to us in our family and old friends who truly loved us ever since.

True joy and rejoicing happen when we finally say no to unforgiveness of self and others, when we say no to the past sins and mistakes, baseless guilt-feelings that have held us captives for so long to find mercy and forgiveness in Jesus.

Every day is a part of the year of favor from the Lord, calling us to say no to hopelessness and despair, to say no to cynicism and indifference because Jesus always vindicates though slowly all our efforts and sacrifices, strivings and perseverance in being good and honest in a world that honors thieves and criminals.

Many times in life, rejoicing bursts when we say no to sin, when we say no to disrespect, when we say no to injustice and inequality. More rejoicings will surely come our way the moment we start saying no to violence and war, no to discrimination, no to deaths and violence, no to selfishness and vanities.

Photo by author, Gaudete Sunday 2019.

The list of the no’s we can say and affirm in Jesus Christ is endless for us to truly rejoice. But of all the great rejoicing in Christ that we need is to everyday have a firm and big NO to all our fears in loving. 

One main reason our lives are miserable because we choose not to love for fears of being hurt, of losing, of separation, of death. St. Paul asks us in the second reading to rejoice always simply by choosing to love always too.

Brothers and sisters: Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing. In all circumstances give thanks, for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus. Do not quench the Spirit. Test everything; retain what is good. Refrain from every kind of evil.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-19, 21-22

Recall how the great apostle Paul described to us in 1 Corinthians 13 what is love and what is to love; what he told us today in his letter to the Thessalonians are basically the same: love, love, and love. And the first expression of love of God is praying. Just like in human love, we always talk with the one we love. If we truly love, then we must keep on praying which is beng one with God who is love.

To love is simply to be good, to avoid sin and evil. True rejoicing can happen only when we love, when we shun and say NO to sin which is a refusal to love. 

Photo by author, Gaudete Sunday 2021, Basic Education Department chapel, Our Lady of Fatima University, Valenzuela City.

That is why throughout his ministry, Jesus chose to dine and be with sinners, never afraid of what others would say about him because he truly loved. His enemies could not rejoice for they chose to reject Christ’s calls for them to say no to judging others, say no to legalisms, say no to their self-righteousness and conceit. In their refusal to say no to their pride that have closed their minds and their hearts to God and others, they have chosen not to love and thereby failed to meet Jesus the Christ.

Until now, life continues to be miserable to many people because they could not accept Jesus Christ and his Cross, the very sign of his immense love for us. An essential part of the joy of this Christmas is the Cross of Good Friday looming behind that manger in Bethlehem. Before Christ, the cross used to be a big negative but with Jesus, it literally became a plus sign – a positive when he chose to suffer and die in order to rise again on Easter because he loves us so much. Like him, let us say no to sin and evil so we can rejoice in him and in love. Amen. Have a blessed final week towards Christmas Day! 

The least yet, most blessed

The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Thursday, Memorial of St. John of the Cross, Priest & Doctor of Church, 14 December 2023
Isaiah 41:13-20   <*((((>< + ><))))*>   Matthew 11:11-15
Praise and glory to you,
God our loving Father,
for this wondrous day of 
Memorial of your great mystic
and servant, St. John of the Cross;
in his life and example attested by
his great writings exuding with
immense and intense love for you,
he had shown us how true were 
the words of Jesus your Son:

Jesus said to the crowds: “Amen, I say to you, among those born of women there has been none greater than John the Baptist; yet the least in the Kingdom of heaven is greater than he.”

Matthew 11:11
Yes, dear God, almighty
yet so gracious and merciful,
you have blessed us to be witnesses
of your love and power in Christ Jesus;
let us listen to your words always,
let them sink into our hearts
so we may feel
and nurture
and share your love
to one another;
like St. John of the Cross
who, after going through so much
trials and sufferings in life asked,
"Who has ever seen people persuaded
to love God by harshness?"
How great indeed is your power
of love that despite the losses
and pains we go through in life,
the more we love,
the more we feel stronger,
the more we feel blessed!
You alone, O Lord, is our help,
our life, our strength despite our
being "worm" and "maggot" 
 like Israel (Isaiah 41:14);
let us accept our littleness
before you so Christ may come
and dwell in us to fill us 
with your love so we may 
imitate St. John of the Cross
who taught us,
"Where there is no love,
put love - and you will find love"
because "A soul that walks in love
 is never tired and never gets tried."
Amen.

Make us presentable to you, O Lord

The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Tuesday, Memorial of the Presentation of Mary, 21 November 2023
Revelation 11:19a, 12:1-6a, 10ab   <*((((>< + ><))))*>   Luke 1:39-47
Photo from https://www.vaticannews.va/en/liturgical-holidays/presentation-of-the-blessed-virgin-mary-.html
On this Memorial of the
Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary
in the temple, we pray, O God,
you make us presentable too
before you like our Blessed Mother.
The words presentation
and presentable connote 
things of beauty on the outside:
a presentation can be a show
like a play or a dance 
while to be presentable means
to be pleasing to the eyes.

But deep its external connotations 
is its inner meaning with 
religious roots actually,
like to be dedicated as 
being good and beneficial
to you, O God.
Like the Blessed Mother Mary,
teach us to present ourselves wholly
to you, dear God, by believing
in you and your words,
to have that firm faith on what is
not seen and sure or certain,
not carried away by all those
fancy and make-believe
images and promises of the world
based on superficialities
of materialism and consumerism.

In this age when fame and wealth
are the measure of what is good,
may we always choose true blessedness
like Mary who believed your words
 would be fulfilled;
in this age when everyone prefers
to listen to outside noise and sounds
especially of media, may we always
choose to be silent like Mary,
listening to your voice O God within,
contemplating on its meaning;
in this age with so many false idols
being followed or with everyone
playing god, may we have the courage 
and humility of Mary 
to always be with Jesus,
never abandoning him even at the Cross,
standing by his side, 
choosing to love and sacrifice, 
to bear than complain,
to witness your mercy and majesty,
to be your presence and peace.
Amen.

“Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic” by the Police, 1981

The Lord Is My Chef Sunday Music, 19 November 2023
The Housewife 1871 Frederick Walker 1840-1875 Bequeathed by R.H. Prance 1920 http://www.tate.org.uk/art/work/N0352.

Hi everyone! So glad to be back this Sunday for our music related with our Mass celebration. We hope you have gone to your local church or wherever for the Sunday Mass where the first reading was taken from the Book of Proverbs that spoke of a “worthy wife”, a perfect wife.

When one finds a worthy wife, her value is far beyond pearls. Her husband, untrusting his heart to her, has an unfailing prize. She brings him good, and not evil, all the days of her life. She obtains wool and flax and works with loving hands. She puts her hands to the distaff, and her fingers ply the spindle. She reaches out her hands to the poor, and extends her arms to the needy.

Proverbs 31:10-13, 19-20

You must be wondering if there is a perfect wife – or a perfect husband – who really exist.

Of course, none. Nobody is perfect. You have to understand human words are so limited to express God’s thoughts and words. What the author of Proverbs mean today is an “ideal wife” – someone who keeps all the little things at home we (especially men and children) often take for granted that are actually the most important things that keep our homes nice and clean, cozy and orderly (https://lordmychef.com/2023/11/18/little-things-are-the-big-things/).

The reading from the Book of Proverbs this Sunday invites us to imitate the attitudes of the “worthy wife” like her diligence and fidelity to her tasks at home in actively waiting for the Second Coming of Christ at the end of the world. It supports the teaching of Jesus in today’s parable of the talents that God is not asking us great things in life but simply to be faithful to the tasks and responsibilities he entrusted to us. Exactly like the perfect wife who got everything covered not only at home but even outside! When we die, the only thing Jesus will ask us is how we have cared for those persons and things he entrusted us in this life – not what we have done nor achieved nor amassed like wealth.

And that is why as I prayed while preparing this Sunday’s homily, I kept hearing at the back of my head Sting and the Police singing their 1981 hit Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic.

Though I’ve tried before to tell her
Of the feelings I have for her in my heart
Every time that I come near her
I just lose my nerve as I’ve done from the start
Every little thing she does is magic
Everything she do just turns me on
Even though my life before was tragic
Now I know my love for her goes on
Do I have to tell the story
Of a thousand rainy days since we first met?
It’s a big enough umbrella
But it’s always me that ends up getting wet
Every little thing she does is magic
Everything she do just turns me on
Even though my life before was tragic
Now I know my love for her goes on

Written by Sting, the song is about a man who could not express his love for a woman he finds so beautiful and amazing. The song is actually about unrequited love and she never became his wife!

I resolved to call her up
A thousand times a day
And ask her if she’ll marry me
Some old-fashioned way
But my silent fears have gripped me
Long before I reach the phone
Long before my tongue has tripped me
Must I always be alone

And so you ask how do I find this song related with that reading from the Book of Proverbs about a perfect wife? We find that in the repetitive chorus line “Every little thing she does is magic” as well as in the superb instrumentation, especially its opening tune. This piece of music in itself is magic.

Let’s face it, man… women are so good in this life that without them, our world would stop, including the Church. For me, that “battle of sexes” had long been won by women because they are better than us in many accounts. That is why God gave them to us as our part-ners in life. Women, especially mothers and wives, have that attention to details we could not see (ask any husband how his wife could still see even even nothing can be seen?). Most of all, they have that flair and elan so built in within them that everything they do is magic – effortless, easy, so natural and personal.

Jesus is not asking us to do something so great or monumental in life. He simply wants us to be faithful and consistent with our calling as his disciples, as Christians who lovingly serve God through one another. Something that women, especially wives and mothers, could teach us a lot with in this life. Here’s the Police to all the great women out there with their loving and faithful men.

From Youtube.com.

Semper fidelis

The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Tuesday in the Thirty-Second Week of Ordinary Time, Year I, 14 November 2023
Wisdom 2:23-3:9   ><]]]]'> + ><]]]]'> + ><]]]]'>   Luke 17:7-10
Photo by author, Ubihan Island, Obando, Bulacan, 31 December 2021.
Your words today, O God,
remind me of your fidelity,
of your being always faithful
even beyond death.

How reassuring are your words
in the first reading of your great love
for us, "forming us to be imperishable;
the image of your own nature.  
But by the envy of the Devil,
death entered the world,
but the souls of the just are 
in the hand of God,
no torment shall touch them"
(Wisdom 2:23-24, 3:1).
From the very beginning,
you have assured us of 
grace and mercy;
keep us faithful to you always,
seeing everything we have 
is a blessing by living a life in faith
in Jesus Christ which is 
a life of love
too!  

What an honor to serve you,
dear Father, in love and fidelity;
like those servants in the parable,
may we seek only Jesus,
always Jesus so that
in the end of our lives,
we may truly know you
by being with you 
in Heaven in all eternity.
Amen.

On crying & giving permission to die

Quiet Storm by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II, 10 November 2023
Lady of Sorrows from a triptych by the Master of the Stauffenberg Altarpiece, Alsace c. 1455; photo from fraangelicoinstitute.com.

There’s a beautiful interplay between crying and living. And dying.

When we were growing up as kids, siesta was obligatory at home. It was a moral ought that my mom would tell us stories in bed to fall asleep, always holding a copy of the Reader’s Digest with its beautiful pictures and illustrations.

One siesta time, the image of a newborn baby being delivered caught my eyes from the copy of the Reader’s Digest my mom was holding. Then the next illustration struck me – I was about four or five years old – as it showed the doctor held the baby upside down, crying so hard after being spanked by the doctor! My mom explained to me that’s the way it is with babies when they are born: if they cry, that means they are alive but if they do not cry, the doctor had to spank the baby in order to cry and be alive.

That was my first lesson about life strongly etched in my mind. As I grew up and matured, especially after being ordained as priest, I realized deeper meanings from that simple explanation of my mom: crying is part of our lives. If we get hurt, if we suffer, if we cry, that means we are still alive.

Photo by Daniel Reche on Pexels.com

Many times in life for us to live, we have to kick hard and cry so hard enough like newborn babies to breathe and be alive. It is in crying we realize so many things in life, about real friendships and relationships, about joy and sadness. There are times we cry not only when in pain and agony but even when we experience joy. In fact, our most profound experiences in life are best expressed with tears when we cry, best when in silence and alone.

Crying is life’s most wonderful and effective response to any experience in life so burdened by many things (see our previous blog, https://lordmychef.com/2021/11/23/on-shedding-tears-and-crying/).

But, death had also taught me something so amazing and lovely about crying. I consider it as the other side of crying. And of life.

Photo by author, Baguio City, August 2023.

It happened when my best friend, Gil died in 2015. He asked me in February that year to pray for his long-delayed medical checkup; that same night, he called me again that his doctor had him confined for suspected cancer. After a series of tests, he had radiation then surgery after which followed his series of chemotherapy.

Gil cried a lot when diagnosed with cancer. He was angry and bitter with his sickness. And for a good reason because among us from high school seminary, he was the healthiest and most health conscious! I knew it because when news of that mad cow disease from Europe broke in early 2000, he stopped eating beef even burgers!

In mid September, her Ate Lily called me that doctors had told them Gil’s cancer cells were very aggressive and would have a short time to live. It was a Sunday and we his friends rushed to Makati Med that afternoon. I came to visit him for another three days before he died early Sunday morning, September 22, 2015.

It was during his final week in the hospital when he asked me for a “permission to die” (see our blog, https://lordmychef.com/2023/11/08/giving-permission-to-die/). Gil simply told me he was ready to go. His face was radiant and light, he was so at peace on his hospital bed as he gave me other final instructions for his kids and ex-wife.

I could not say anything except cried. And I cried so hard, especially as I anointed him with holy oil and prayed the commendation to the dying. It was from Gil that I realized the dying receive that special grace of knowing the end, possibly even of seeing heaven that is why they are always so composed like Jesus Christ on the Cross on Good Friday. I told him how I wish I could have that same courage in facing death when my time comes. He assured me God would give me that grace too.

From that experience, I realized when people get sick, they cry because that’s when death faced them. Who would not cry and be terrified? We their friends and family in turn, console them. The inverse happens when they approach death: they are so composed, we their family and friends are the ones crying. And the one dying are the ones consoling us! When they die, we cry. Why? Because we do not know what happens next, of what lies ahead when our loved ones are gone. Paano na tayong naiwan? That’s the saddest and scariest part of life when someone dear to us dies.

In 1999, St. John Paul II wrote a letter to his fellow elderly where he said that the grace of getting old is to be able to look back to the past with gratitude and to look forward to the future with joyful anticipation of eternity. That holy Pope must have been seeing heaven while still here on earth!

Photo by author, National Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima, 06 November 2023.

It is in death when we see its strange contrast with life, of how when we were born, we cried and kicked hard to be alive while those around us rejoiced with the gift of life; when we die, we do not cry because we are already joyful with the coming bliss while those around us are filled with grief and sadness, crying not only with our demise but because they do not know what lies ahead.

In both instances, we find the grace of God so pronounced, so present that indeed, St. Paul was absolutely right:

None of us lives for oneself, and no one dies for oneself. For if we live, we live for the Lord, and if we die, we die for the Lord; so then, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s.

Romans 14:7-8

When we were growing up, there was a baby shampoo that advertised itself so mild that would not hurt your eyes, marketing itself with the words “No more tears”. It also played a commercial of a young boy going to shampoo his hair declaring, “a man should not cry” to bolster that old belief that crying is weakness.

At the sermon on the mount, Jesus taught us one of the beatitudes as “Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted” (Mt. 5:4). I love using this gospel in funeral Masses. Where is the blessedness of mourning the death of a loved one? What is good with mourning, with crying?

Answer: love.

Blessed are those who mourn because they have love in their hearts. We cry at the death of a beloved because we love them. But, the greatest blessing we have when we mourn is from the love we have experienced from the one who had died. It is said that “if you have love in your heart, you have been blessed by God; if you have been loved, you have been touched by God.”

We are blessed when we mourn, when we cry at the death of a beloved because they loved us, they gave us a glimpse of God, they made us experience God’s love in their love! Is it not a tremendous blessing indeed?

We are so blessed these days that crying is no longer considered as a sign of weakness but actually of strength – the strength to live and the strength to forge on in life after the death of a beloved. Cheers to our tears that keep us alive! Have a wonderful weekend!

Photo by author, National Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima, Valenzuela City, 2021.

“I-love-you” means “I-O-U”

The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Wednesday in the Thirty-first Week of Ordinary Time, Year I, 08 November 2023
Romans 13:8-10   ><}}}}*> + ><}}}}*> + ><}}}}*>   Luke 14:25-33
Photo by author, Sacred Heart Novitiate, Novaliches, QC, 20 March 2023.
How can I not resist
by simply being silent,
O God our Father,
with your beautiful words 
spoken today by the great
St. Paul?

Brothers and sisters: Owe nothing to anyone, except to love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. Love does no evil to the neighbors; hence, love is the fulfillment of the law.

Romans 13:8, 10
But, what is really love,
according to St. Paul?
Since yesterday, 
he has been telling us
to love sincerely which is
to love like Jesus Christ 
who offered himself for us
on the Cross;
to love like Jesus as the 
fulfillment of the law is
to love without measure
because it is rooted in you,
dear God who is love yourself,
God who is both transcendent
and immanent!
In telling us to love one another,
Jesus clarified with his love that
you neither order nor command us to
love you, God, in the strict sense;
you ask us to love
because you love us,
because you are love, O God;
when we love, 
we fulfill your commandments,
enabling us to live in peace 
and harmony with one another
like in heaven;
"I-love-you" is the only "I-O-U",
the only debt never paid off
because the more we love,
the more we become like you
in Jesus Christ,
eternal and without end.
Amen.

Love sincerely

The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Tuesday in the Thirty-first Week of Ordinary Time, Year I, 07 November 2023
Romans 12:5-16   ><]]]]'> + ><]]]]'> + ><]]]]'>   Luke 14:15-24
Photo by Mr. Jim Marpa, 2019.
God our merciful Father:
let us love sincerely
like your Son Jesus Christ
as St. Paul beautifully tells us
in today's first reading:

Let love be sincere; hate what is evil, hold on to what is good; love one another with mutual affection; anticipate one another in showing honor. Do not grow slack in zeal, be fervent in spirit, and serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, endure in affliction, and persevere in prayer.

Romans 12:9-12
Our loving Father,
let us love sincerely by loving in Jesus,
with Jesus and through Jesus,
not according to one's self nor 
with what the world knows that is
superficial, emotional, and temporary;
let us love sincerely without
pretensions but solely because
we find you in one another;
make us love sincerely
without thinking of our own
good and benefit but more of
the needs of others, especially
the poor and the needy;
let us love sincerely by making you
visible to others, making them
experience your love by bringing out
the giftedness of everyone around us, 
making them realize they are blessed, 
they are good in themselves,
that we need them in as much as we need
one another to grow and mature as persons;
let us love sincerely by avoiding instances
for hatred and envy and jealousy
to take shape within us and in our
relationships;
let us love sincerely by holding on
to what is good and true, 
never to what is false and evil
even if they may seem to be convenient
especially when one is untrue, unfaithful;
let us love sincerely by serving others
without expecting anything in return;
let us love sincerely by remaining
enthusiastic in life despite the sufferings
we go through, rejoicing in hope in you,
enduring afflictions and trials as we
handle life in prayer, together.

O Father, like Jesus Christ,
may we love sincerely by always
finding our place in your banquet table
(Luke 14:15-24)
among our brothers and sisters as
our equal, saying yes to your
every call to serve
in every here and now.
Amen.
Photo by author, National Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima, 06 November 2023.