“Knocking On Heaven’s Door”

Lord My Chef Daily Recipe for Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Friday in the Fifteenth Week of Ordinary Time, Year II, 17 July 2026
Isaiah 38:1-6, 21-22, 7-8; 38:10-12, 16 <*((((>< + ><))))*> Matthew 12:1-8

*Photo by author, sunrise at Camp John Hay, Baguio City, 19 November 2018.*

God our loving Father,
I thank you for this wonderful
Friday and most of all, 
for your moving words
from King Hezekiah,
the very same words
in our hearts especially 
for those like me who have
reached senior year,
or may be going through 
many difficulties in life
that make us all realize 
our mortality
and finiteness.

Father,
we are all afraid of death,
of dying,
of the pain of getting sick,
of the process so hurtful
in all aspects; but, like
King Hezekiah in the first reading,
what really makes us worry 
with death is the unfinished work
you have given us,
the sadness of what shall
happen to those we shall leave behind
not because we believe so much
in ourselves but more because
we know we have not finished
your work; forgive us for those
moments we have procrastinated 
your work, for those times we 
balked and dilly dallied to your
commands, or to those times
we refused to follow you; 
hear our pleas like your
faithful King Hezekiah
knocking at heaven’s door:

Once I said: “In the noontime of life I must depart! To the gates of the nether world I shall be consigned for the rest of my years… Like a swallow I utter shrill cries; I moan like a dove. My eyes grow weak, gazing heavenward: O Lord, I am in straits; be my surety” (Isaiah 38:10, 14).

*Photo by Mr. Howie Severino, Taal Lake, Batangas, 13 November 2018.*

O Lord our God
most loving,
our life and meaning
who desires most mercy
than sacrifice for
you are the Lord of sabbath
(Matthew 12:7-8),
like King Hezekiah and 
Bob Dylan in this modern time
we "knock at heaven's 
door" for those in great need
at these very moment
like the disciples of Jesus
so hungry while crossing a field 
of grain on a sabbath 
and picked the heads of grain
and ate them; heal those so sick
 not only in body but also in mind,
heart and soul;
ease their pains and sorrows;
and should we reach the final end,
welcome us into your heavenly
kingdom; but still, as we
hope against hope,
heal us by turning back
the clock of time
for us to fulfill your 
assigned task and 
mission.
Amen.

*While praying last night, we remembered Bob Dylan’s iconic “Knocking At Heaven’s Door” that he wrote as soundtrack of the 1973 film “Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid”. It became a worldwide hit after its release and had been covered by other artists like Eric Clapton, Randy Crawford and Guns N’ Roses.

“Knocking At Heaven’s Door” is praying hard to God when at the point of death. Like Hezekiah in the first reading, it is the baring of one’s soul to God, begging for his mercy that if possible be allowed to live a little longer. In this song, we find the lyrics and music elegantly and nobly simple, so characteristic of Dylan’s songs that earned him awards outside the music circle like journalism’s Pulitzer Prize special citation in 2008 and the recent Nobel Prize in Literature in 2016 “for having created new poetic expressions within the great American music tradition” (wikipedia).

In our prayer last night, we realized as we age that we fear death and its other daily manifestations like separation and other lifestyle shifts because of being sorry for not having done much in life that if given another chance, we might after all finish our mission like King Hezekiah in the first reading today. Knocking at heaven’s door is one of life’s most powerful prayer as it always “moves” God in the sense he grants our prayers not because he changes his mind but because we have finally surrendered to him and his Divine Will. Likewise, it reminds us to be faithful to our calling always so that when God calls us to death, we can let go easily.

Bob Dylan captured this so well citing the final scene of the movie for which he composed “Knocking At Heaven’s Door” when the frontier lawman was about to die, he gave or “surrendered” to his wife – Mama – his badge and gun because he had finished his job.

[Intro]
Ooh, ooh
Ooh, ooh

[Verse 1]
Mama, take this badge off of me
I can’t use it anymore
It’s getting dark, too dark to see
I feel I’m knockin' on heaven’s door

[Chorus]
Knock, knock, knockin' on heaven’s door
Knock, knock, knockin' on heaven’s door
Knock, knock, knockin' on heaven’s door
Knock, knock, knockin' on heaven's door

[Verse 2]
Mama, put my guns in the ground
I can’t shoot them anymore
That long black cloud is coming down
I feel I’m knockin' on heaven’s door

[Chorus]
Knock, knock, knockin' on heaven’s door
Knock, knock, knockin' on heaven’s door
Knock, knock, knockin' on heaven’s door
Knock, knock, knockin' on heaven's door

A blessed weekend everyone. Handle life with prayer always.

From YouTube.com

Father & son, Master & disciple

Lord My Chef Daily Recipe for Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Thursday in the Fourteenth Week of Ordinary Time, Year II, 09 July 2026
Hosea 11:1-4, 8-9 <*((((>< + ><))))*> Matthew 10:7-15

*Photo by Mr. Vigie Ongleo in Colorado, 03 June 2026.*

I have not really known you,
Lord my God;
grant me the grace of intimacy,
like that of a son and a Father
as my life and my mission;
You have nurtured me, O God
as your own son
but I did not recognize you
that later in life,
I followed my doubts,
my false securities
and negatives thoughts
than you.

Thus says the Lord: When Israel was a child I loved him, out of Egypt I called my son. The more I called them, the farther they went from me, sacrificing to the Baals and burning incense to idols. Yet it was I who taught Ephraim to walk, who took them in my arms; I drew them with human cords, with bands of love; I fostered them like one who raises an infant to his cheeks, yet, though I stooped to feed my child, they did not know that I was their healer (Hosea 11:1-4).

Forgive me,
merciful Father;
though I pray always
while striving to be holy,
the more I stray from you
because my love for you is
superficial as seen too in my
skin-deep interpersonal relationships
because your love experiences
are forgotten as I give more 
emphasis on my shortcomings,
expectations,
and "returns".

Let me get closer to you,
Father in the love of your Son
Jesus Christ so that my
brokenness may be healed;
set me free from my many
imprisonment with sin
so that I can go
make the proclamation
that "the Kingdom 
of heaven is at hand"
by letting me 
"cure the sick,
raise the dead,
cleanse lepers,
and drive out demons"
(Matthew 10:7-8);
remind me always of your immense
love for me poured by 
Christ on the Cross 
so that I may "give 
without cost"
(Matthew 10:8)
except that I am doing
your most Holy Will;
and lastly, let me
trust you completely
so that I am not bothered
with so many things for
the journey
except Jesus,
only Jesus,
always Jesus.
Amen.

We are John the Baptist, a Suffering Servant of God too.

Lord My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Wednesday in the Twelfth Week of Ordinary Time,
Solemnity of the Birth of John the Baptist, 24 June 2026
Isaiah 49:1-6 ><}}}}*> Acts 13:22-26 ><}}}}*> Luke 1:57-66, 80

*View of a decorated Christmas tree and tower of the Franciscan Monastery of St Saviour locally also known as San Salvador monastery in the Christian Quarter Old city East Jerusalem*

Six months from now we celebrate Christmas because today is the birthday of the Lord’s cousin and precursor, St. John the Baptist; but, before we rejoice at the fast approaching Christmas, let us reflect first on the joy of John’s parents, relatives and local folks following his birth.

When the time arrive for Elizabeth to have her child she gave birth to a son. Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown his great mercy toward her, and they rejoiced with her (Luke 1:57-58)

It was indeed a great celebration for everyone in the hill country of Judah when John was born: his parents were both old and his mother Elizabeth was already barren when she conceived John.

Both parents were from the priestly family, very prominent with a great lineage. Most likely, they were the envy of their relatives and neighbors in practically having every good thing in life except a child to inherit and propagate their good name and wealth; when John was born, God gave them more than a child – here was the precursor of the Messiah, the promised Elijah who returned to prepare the way of the Lord Jesus Christ!

*Photo by author, May 2019, Church of St. John the Baptist, Ein Karem, Israel.*

It was a joy that did not come easily, with much pains and sufferings and self-doubts along the way that took a long time of waiting too.

This birth of John teaches us that behind every joy is always a great deal of sufferings, doubts, and darkness in life.

Imagine the inner turmoil within Zechariah when the angel appeared to him announcing the birth of John while incensing the Holy of Holies on the most important Jewish feast: he doubted the angel’s good news not because he had lost faith in God but simply got “tired” with God.

Zechariah was having a sort of tampo as we call it in Filipino because God did not seem to listen to his prayers for a son.

It happens with us when we have turned indifferent in our faith even with God when he seems not to care at all to our prayers and requests that we keep on failing the board exam or gets denied repeatedly in our job or visa applications. We still pray with our lips not with our heart just for the sake of praying without really believing in its efficacy, if God listens to us at all.

Or like Elizabeth who went into a self-imposed silence, withdrawing from public view during her pregnancy with John because she felt herself so unworthy of God’s blessing.

Today, the birth of John the Baptist teaches us that every disciple as a precursor of Christ is an image of God’s Suffering Servant prophesied by Isaiah:

Though I thought I had toiled in vain, and for nothing, uselessly, spent my strength, yet my reward is with the lord, my recompense is with my God (Isaiah 49:4).

*Photo by author of the site believed to be the birthplace of St. John the Baptist at the side of the Church of St. John the Baptist in Ein Karem, Israel, May 2019.*

There are actually three songs of the Suffering Servant in the Book of Isaiah that prefigure Jesus Christ who suffered and died and rose again on the third day. However, it is widely believed and interpreted that in the second song of the Suffering Servant we heard today, the Servant referred to is John the Baptist.

Although John recognized Jesus as the promised Christ during his baptism at Jordan, he was the first to suffer and die a martyr when thrown into prison for speaking the truth against Herod’s taking of his brother’s wife Herodias. There we find that image of God’s Suffering Servant in John’s mission and ministry, reminding us of the great difficulties and dangers in preparing the way of the Lord.

We are all a John the Baptist and a Zechariah and Elizabeth rolled into one like the Suffering Servant for we are all a forerunner of Jesus Christ.

*Photo by author, St. Michael Retreat House, Antipolo City, 16 June 2026.*

Many times we too have felt like them in doubting our efforts in witnessing Christ and his gospel, when these seemed to have gone in vain especially today when the world is trying hard to delete God from every aspect of life.

Witnessing the gospel of Christ, speaking and fighting for what is true and good, for what is just and fair, even in simply being human and decent can already be strenuous, exhausting and often discouraging.

There are times we feel ineffective, even at the losing end only to realize later how our little efforts have actually contributed in making God’s kingdom to truly come with our life of mission and witnessing Christ because like the Suffering Servant, we have felt deep within us the certainty of God working in us, most especially of him being the Almighty One.

We have proven many times God prevails, how good always triumphs for it is when we are weak that we are strongest in Christ as St. Paul declared in one of his writings.

The next time you feel so down in life, in your mission whether in your personal life or family, in your work or in your apostolate and ministry, have a heart: like Zechariah and Elizabeth keep focused on the Lord for Christ surely comes. Rejoice in all your efforts, though little even insignificant for you and for others, they are God working in us.

Keep in mind too the meaning of the names of our main personalities today: Elizabeth in Hebrew is “God promised” while Zechariah is “God remembered” while John means “God is gracious”. Indeed, God is gracious all the time because he always remembers his promise to us. Amen. May God bless you abundantly today like Zechariah and Elizabeth!

*Painting of Zechariah giving name to his son John by Italian painter Riccardo Cessi (1892) from commons.wikimedia.org.*

We are the Lord’s “harvest”. And “laborers” too.

Lord My Chef Sunday Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle A, 14 June 2023
Exodus 19:2-6 ><}}}}*> Romans 5:6-11 ><}}}}*> Matthew 9:36-10:8

A very good friend in the States texted me the other night, requesting for prayers as she was about to go through an MRI; the following day, she texted me anew asking for more prayers because it seemed her cancer had recurred, this time attacking her liver.

I felt her fears and worries. And pain.

She told me how she wanted to call her parents that evening but had to wait until this weekend so that her younger brother would be home to be present especially by her mom’s side when she breaks to them that her cancer had metastasized. Despite her condition, she was thinking of her parents in their “empty nest”, thinking how they might react in receiving the bad news.

*Photo by author, Sacred Heart Novitiate, Novlaiches, QC, March 2026.*

This crucial factor is what is most missing in the agony of Ms. Rovelyn Baterbonia when her son Rene died Monday after drowning in the treacherous beach of Aurora during their varsity training.

We all felt her pain not only of losing a son but most of all the agony of being alone, perhaps even left out in the dark so far from her dead son with no one from the university nor basketball team immediately informing her of the circumstances of the accident.

It was so heartwrenching – nakakadurog ng puso – watching her grieved upon arrival at the airport, lamenting at how somebody texted her that Monday if they can call her: “Hindi naman siya tumawag. Ako na lang nag-tawag… tapos, nang tumawag na ako sabi niya, mam naaksidente po si Rene. Nalunod po…”. After that, she said she heard nothing from the people supposed to be with Rene. “Wala maski pictures sila send sa akin”, she complained.

This is the most crucial part of every misery and tragedy: is there someone present with those grieving, with those suffering?

At the sight of the crowds, Jesus’ heart was moved with pity for them because they were troubled and abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send our laborers for his harvest” (Matthew 9:36-38).

*Our Lady of Fatima University, February 2025.*

We are the Lord’s “harvest” and his “laborers” too. Jesus reminds us today that the answer to all our problems and pains in the world is never found in material things, in money and gadgets, nor well-crafted statements and other publicities. We are the harvest and the harvesters too!

What we need are more people who care, who journey, who are present with majority of the population so lost like sheep without a shepherd. And that is where I felt the pain most when Ms. Baterbonia repeatedly said that “kahit mahirap kami, hindi ko papayagan anak ko mag-training ng ganun.”

*Photo by Oscar Millu00e1n on Pexels.com*

She said it all – the harsh reality in our country, the most Christian nation in this part of Asia, where the poor remain neglected, forgotten, and taken for granted especially by those in the Church.

See how the poor have shied away from the church primarily due to so many collections in every Mass every Sunday while in the parish office, almost everything comes with a fee. They could not even get a free smile from some staff members often masusungit.

If Matthew were with us today, he would surely repeat with intensity his report that day of how “At the sight of the crowds, Jesus’ heart was moved with pity for them because they were troubled and abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd” because that is how our Church is today – sheep without a shepherd.

And where are the shepherds? Check their social media accounts and you find them most frequently in malls and hotels, traveling abroad via business class, unwinding on a yacht, communing with nature riding big bikes or their expensive mountain bikes. Go to any buffet and ribbon-cutting ceremonies of the newest Jollibee store or even gas station and you find more than two priests and a bishop present while the poor could not even have a decent funeral rite nor blessing for the burial of their dead because the priest is out, could not come to the slum area.

But of course, there are still more blessed and dedicated priests and bishops like Bishop Pabillo of Palawan who brave the seas and mountains just to celebrate the Mass and other Sacraments to the great number of their harvests in far-flung areas.

For Jesus, it is always the person who matters that is why his proposal has always been to send us another person, another companion, a fellow to accompany us in our brokenness and darkness. There is his move of gathering us, calling us, and sending us forth to a mission.

Jesus never taught us to ask for more money nor food nor gadgets to solve the problems of the world. Recall his temptation in the desert when he rejected the devil’s challenge to change stones into bread because man does not live by bread alone but with every word from God.

For the world, everything is a problem to be solved, including mysteries of God and of the human person. As we have reflected the past two Sundays, mysteries are not problems to be solved but non-logical realities we must embrace or even allow ourselves to be wrapped to discover the richness and meaning of this life like God and persons.

When people are down and lost in life, feeling troubled and abandoned, where do we focus more, to their woes and problems or their very persons?

Try thinking of the people you consider as “heaven sent” and helped you in your darkest moments. Are they not the ones who brought out our giftedness as a person, as a beloved child of God with Christ’s gospel?

A few months after his election as Pope in 2005, Benedict XVI heard of a bishop in Austria dying of cancer. He reportedly wrote that bishop, assuring him of his prayers as a brother priest, reminding him that “Jesus saved the world by suffering and dying on the cross, not with activities.” I remembered that news so well because what is mostly happening in our parishes and dioceses are activities. We have become program oriented than people oriented.

Worst is when some of us priests and bishops see the “abundant harvest” as business ventures of all sorts including churches and fiestas as tourist attractions. When economics become our major consideration in the church, how can “we also boast of God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation” as St. Paul reflected in the second reading?

Let us return to our “desert of Sinai” spoken of in the first reading, a reminder of our turning point in life and history when God called and sent us to be a “kingdom of priests, a holy nation” – his abundant harvest at the same time his laborers too. We are the new apostles called and sent by Jesus to others like us who are weak and tired, confused and lost, hurting and crying but also blessed and joyful! As God’s abundant harvest, each one of us is a gift to be cherished and valued always; but, at the same time, a brother and a sister entrusted to each one for God’s greater glory, not ours. Amen. Have a blessed week ahead.

We are called to be a Barnabas

Lord My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Thursday, Memorial of St. Barnabas, Apostle, 11 June 2026
Acts 11:21-26;13:1-3 <*{{{{>< + ><}}}}*> Matthew 10:7-13

*Photo by Mr. Jim Marpa, Carigara Market, Leyte, June 2019.*

Thank you,
Lord Jesus for gift 
of being called and sent 
as your apostle like the Twelve
in today's gospel;
your call and sending
continued after your Ascension 
up to these days as we celebrate
the memorial of your St. Barnabas
whose name means "son of encouragement";
teach us to be like him
filled with the Holy Spirit
and faith in God,
searching for those in the worst
situations in life like Saul at that
time who was so ashamed
to join the disciples because of
his sinful past;
like Barnabas,
may we encourage others
to hope and look forward
to better days in you,
Christ Jesus,
to trust in your mercy and
forgiveness,
to take every moment a chance
to be converted;
how sad that in this world
of a global village interconnected
by the internet, 
more and more are getting discouraged
than encouraged in life 
as the social media tend to present
more of the dark, dismal side of life
than its brighter and colorful 
and joyful realities found in you, 
Lord who is the kingdom of God
right in our midst.

… and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. When he arrived and saw the grace of God, he rejoiced and encouraged them all to remain faithful to the Lord in firmness of heart, for he was a good man, filled with the Holy Spirit and faith… Then he went to Tarsus to look for Saul, and when he had found him he brought him to Antioch (Acts 11:22-24, 25-26).

We pray, 
dear Jesus
that you send us 
more "Barnabas"
or make us a "Barnabas"
who rejoiced upon seeing 
your followers in Antioch
whom you sent to Antioch
where they were first called
Christians; give us the courage
like what Barnabas and Paul
have when you have them
set apart for a special mission;
may we grow
and move in your Spirit, 
Lord Jesus Christ,
moving with you
and moving to you,
to follow your movement away
from others we have been
comfortable with
in order to move where
we may experience discomfort
and be dislocated for the sake
of your kingdom.
Amen.

*Photo by author, Ephesus in Turkiye, November 2025.*

When Jesus is “stressed”

Lord My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul, 23 October 2025
Thursday in Twenty-Ninth Week of Ordinary Time, Year I
Romans 16:19-23     <'[[[[><  +  ><]]]]'>     Luke 12:49-53

*Photo by Dra. Mai B. Dela Peña, Japan, 2016.*

I may be struggling with
stress daily like most
people these days,
Lord Jesus,
but today's gospel made me
realize how you too experienced
"stress" like us because, 
after all , you are 
truly human
like us.

Jesus said to his disciples: “I have come to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already blazing! There is a baptism with which I must be baptized, and how great is my anguish until it is accomplished! Do you think that I have come to establish peace on the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division (Luke 12:49-51).

How good it is to realize
that you, Lord Jesus,
was also stressed -
"I have come to set the earth
on fire...
There is a baptism with which
I must be baptized...";
like you, we could feel
the weight of things to be done,
of mission to be accomplished;
like you, we too could feel
 the great responsibilities
on our shoulders.

Thank you,
Jesus,
thank you
for being one with us
in our stress.

Teach us Lord your
way of handling stress
so we can put these
challenges into good use,
into more evangelical in nature
by first accepting and embracing
 like you our mission and
 responsibilities when you said,
"how I wish it were already blazing"
and "how great is my anguish
until it is accomplished";
many times what we do
is as much as possible avoid
our mission and responsibilities
or, if not, delay acting on them
that eventually stress us further;
give us also the courage like you,
Jesus,
to face and deal with our
many divisions in life
that stress us,
of learning to bridge the many
gaps between the ideal
and the sad realities
we are into
as well as the many
limitations and handicaps
we have.

*Photo by Dra. Mai B. Dela Peña, Mt. Carmel, Israel, 2015.*

Make us whole,
Lord Jesus
in your love and 
kindness and peace
by claiming our 
blessedness in your
gift of salvation
and sanctification
as we pursue
holiness
according to
St. Paul's advice
in the first reading.
Amen.

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

Anamnesis

Quiet Storm by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II, 21 August 2025

*Photo by author, St. Joseph Chapel, St. Paul Center for Renewal, Alfonso, Cavite, 20 August 2025.*

As we ended our annual clergy retreat today when we remembered in the Mass a saint, Pope Pius X and a hero, Benigno “Ninoy” S. Aquino Jr. , I wish to reflect on the word “remember”, a very lovely word worth remembering always.

From the prefix “RE” that connotes repetition as in again and the root “MEMBER” that means a part, to remember literally is to make someone or something a part again. What and who we remember are those gone and away from us, a history in the past. More than mere recalling of a person, event or thing, remembering is making those absent present.

Though the philosopher Martin Heidegger rightly claimed that we humans are “beings of forgetfulness,” God actually programmed us for remembering: from infancy to childhood, our parents drilled into us to remember our name and address, the names of people around us, of things, and everything as we grew. That is why the expression “kalimutan mo na yun” is the most useless piece of advice anyone can give. It is impossible to forget, whether it is so good or so bad. What we need is to harness the power of remembering, to continue learning from the past whether good or bad because whatever is remembered for all its worth is always the best teacher anyone can have.

Remembering is a power because it is a grace, a gift from God himself. When we remember, we not only time travel to the past but make it present in order to perfect us. The past cannot be changed anymore as insisted by Japanese writer Toshikazu Kawaguchi in his series of novels Before the Coffee Gets Cold.

Remembering changes the person, not the past. It is in remembering the bitter lessons of the past we learn most in life because that is when we experience healing and fulfillment. Hence, remembering is at the very core of George Santayana’s warning that whoever does not learn from history is condemned to repeat it. Remembering enables us to move on in life by finding our ways and ultimately our very selves anew especially when lost and confused.

Of God’s many gifts to us, remembering is the most unique because it is never lost at all. People who refuse to remember are the most difficult to deal with like politicians, crooks and low-lifers. And the more corrupt and evil people are, the more they are forgetful, remembering or knowing nothing at all!

God meant us to keep this gift of remembering to be always reasonable and just, or simply good and sane because it keeps us in touch with reality, making us grow and mature in his love. Actually, it is remembering that continues to operate among us despite our faltering memory or even with those afflicted with Alzheimer’s and dementia because remembering is more than keeping information and details like names of people but most of all of God’s interventions through persons and events in our lives individually and collectively that significantly made us experience joy and gladness so crucial for our growth and maturity, eventually in the achievement of our goals.

On the bulletin board of our sacristy at the National Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima in Valenzuela City is a laminated piece of bond paper with the Greek word “anamnesis” written in Greek.

It was personally printed and posted on Holy Thursday 2010 by the former rector and parish priest of the Fatima Shrine Msgr. Bart Santos now the Bishop of Iba, Zambales. I remember that so well because that was the first time I was assigned as an attached priest at the Fatima Shrine in June 2010 to June 2011 under Bishop Bart.

According to Bishop Bart who used to teach Sacred Scriptures in the seminary, he wanted to instill in all their servers of the Mass the value and meaning of the Eucharist as an anamnesis or remembering. I was so glad upon my return in February 2021 at the Fatima Shrine again as an attached priest while working full-time as chaplain at the Our Lady of Fatima University and the Fatima University Medical Center that the sign of Bishop Bart was still there – until now! I just hope the people here realize and still remember that word anamnesis as Bishop Bart had explained to them during the Holy Thursday Mass ten years ago.

When everything seems dark in life with family and friends betraying us, when people we have helped turn against us, denying having known us, try remembering Jesus went through all these first at his Last Supper.

When you feel lost for directions in life, when you are into a burnout, when nothing seems to be working in your favor that you can’t find sparks of inspiration and zeal anymore, remember that first day when you embarked on this journey in life. Remember the people, the places and the things that bring you gladness and joy in pursuing your passion or fulfilling your mission. Most of all, remember when God called you to whatever mission he sent you.

Remembering is a form of stepping back to stop, to create a space and let God work in us as we have reflected last Monday (https://lordmychef.com/2025/08/18/steps-to-god/). This is what we need most in our selves and in our country as a people: the virtue of remembering, of making present the movements of God in our history. Ninoy Aquino did the supreme sacrifice of coming home in August 21, 1983 because he remembered the country he most loved; he remembered his call and mission to serve; he remembered the ideals and mission fought for by our heroes like Jose Rizal and Andres Bonifacio.

It is in remembering we remain anchored to our call and mission in life, both individually and communally. Without remembering, we cannot progress because we lack reference points of what we have covered, of where we are. That is why even the angels at Easter had to remind Mary Magdalene and companions, “He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you while he was still with you in Galilee…” (Lk.24:6). Most of all, let us remember always the words of Jesus at his Ascension so we may keep on pursuing our mission in him, “And remember that I am with you always until the end of time” (Matt. 28:20). May God bless you always!

The trouble with us.

Lord My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul, 21 August 2025
Thursday, Memorial of St. Pius X, Pope
Judges 11:29-39     <*((((><  +  ><))))*>     Matthew 22:1-14

*Photo by Mr. Vigie Ongleo, Virginia, August 2021.*

Oh how true are your words,
dear God our Father
these past days
of how clearly we make
life more difficult;
Monday you showed us
in the Book of Judges how
problem is with us always
when we repeatedly turn away
from you in sin and despite your
mercy and forgiveness,
we still refuse to rectify our
mistakes to lead an orderly life;
today, the Lord Jesus Christ's
parable speaks again of our folly,
of the trouble with us
when we take you
and your calls for granted,
refusing to come to you,
to celebrate life 
in you
with you:

“The Kingdom of heaven may be likened to aking who gave a wedding feast for his son. He dispatched his servants to summon the invited guests to the feast, but they refused to come. A second time time he sent other servants, saying, ‘Tell those invited: “Behold, I have prepared a banquet, my caleves and fattened cattle are killed, and everything is ready; come to the feast.”” Some ignored the invitation and went away , one to his farm, another to his business. The rest laid hold of his servants, mistreated them, and killed them. The king was enraged and sent his troops, destroyed those murderers, and burned their city” (Matthew 22:2-6).

On the other hand,
we waste and destroy
every opportunity
you give us to be with you,
to make a difference in life
with many of us
making it close to you
in answering your calls
but unfortunately
could not keep up with the mission:

“The servants went out into the streets and gathered all they found, bad and good alike, and the hall was filled with guests. But when the king came in to meet the guests he saw a man there not dressed in a wedding garment. He said to him, ‘My friend, how is it that you came in here without a wedding garment?’ But he was reduced to silence. Then the king said to his attendants, ‘Bind his hands and feet, and cast him into the darkness outside, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.’ Many are invited, but few are chosen” (Matthew 22:10-14).

Teach us to be aware
of your presence, Lord;
teach us to be conscious
of your precious gift of call;
teach us to remember always
the gladness and joy of
being invited to the wedding feast
to be one with you,
to work for you,
to do your will, 
to be chosen
and choose 
to remain in you
to renew all things
in Christ
like St. Pius X.
Amen.

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

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)

Right perspective, clear vision, then mission.

Quiet Storm by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II, 20 March 2025

*Photo by author, Canyon Woods Resort Club, Laurel, Batangas, 15 March 2025.*

“And, when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.” – Paulo Coelho, “The Alchemist”

It is exactly what I am experiencing these days since we had our university management team-building seminar in Batangas last weekend when my realizations there were reinforced in my ongoing annual personal retreat here in Novaliches that started Monday evening.

It is a moment of consolation when suddenly, the whole universe conspires not only to get whatever you want but simply to affirm you being on the right track, giving you the proverbial pat on the shoulder that everything is going fine, everything falling into its right places.

*Photo by author with flash, Canyon Woods Resort Club, Laurel, Batangas, 15 March 2025.*

Pardon me for writing for the third time about perspectives and point-of-view (POV) as I could not contain the joy of the fruits of my prayers.

Another thing is the fact that when I took these photos randomly, there was no plan at all in writing about the subject of perspective. Never thought how these photos would turn out to be pieces of a jigsaw puzzle on perspective and POV.

We have reflected the other day how our perspectives of things and people as well as events contribute to the understanding or breakdown in communication as they reveal our inner thoughts and dispositions. It is not only important at how we narrate a story from whatever POV but most of all, at how open are we in refining our perspectives so that we achieve unity.

(More photos from our team-building in Batangas.)

Lights at the lobby of Canyon Woods taken from below.
Sunset from my room…
sunrise from same room.
Delighful scene of window and moon at night.

During our Holy Hour Tuesday night to cap our first day of prayers, I realized something very close to our subject of perspective while praying over the following gospel passage regarding the Mystery of God:

Jesus told his disciples, “The lamp of the body is the eye. If your eye is sound, your whole body will be filled with light; but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be in darkness. And if the light in you is darkness, how great will the darkness be” (Matthew 6:22-23).

*Photo by author, Sacred Heart Novitiate, Novaliches, QC, 17 March 2025.*

When we have the right perspective in life, we get a clear vision of life too.

That is why in our previous blog we have said we need to refine our perspective like an artist who has to spend and invest time not only in his/her studies but most especially in his/her dealing and interactions with people to come up with an obra maestra.

Living, after all, is an art, of our participation in the grace of God to bring out the best in each of us. St. Paul was very clear about this perspective regarding leadership and community life that both aim to show the giftedness of every member.

Our perspectives are put to the test in moments of darkness like when we are in trials and tribulations, difficulties and crises. It is during darkness in life when people are distinguished from merely having sight or with a vision. According to the American writer Helen Keller, the worst thing that can happen in life is for anyone with sight not to have any vision at all.

Of course, we all know Helen was blind who wrote some of the loveliest poetry of her time.

Many people just have sight that can be easily blurred that eventually affect their perspective. It is more than looking from the inside or from the outside (POV) but of how we see or look at everything and everyone from within us.

A person of vision always sees beyond and therefore achieves more, always more fulfilled and fruitful than those who merely sees things, people and events as they are.

People with the right perspective will always have vision in seeing everything despite many obstacles in life. They remain focused on what they “see” that others could not see at all. With a right perspective and proper vision, that person still sees when “darkness is his only light and hopelessness is his only hope” (T. S. Eliot in Four Quartets).

My spiritual director since 2016, Jesuit Father Danny Gozar asked me during outside prayer periods that I “deliberately appreciate” God’s creation like feeling the gentle breeze, walking barefooted to be caressed by the green grass soaked in morning dew, feel the burning heat of the sun and if it rains – which it did briefly – try to get wet to feel the raindrops.

What struck me most were the many sounds of nature here in Sacred Heart Novitiate due to its mini-forest.

Crows caw the whole day along with the crickets while the ugly gecko fills the whole place with its cries of tu…ko! tu…ko!

Their sounds were so musical to my ears, sounds I have last heard decades ago while growing up in the province but almost totally gone in the city.

What is amusing is how with merely the sounds they make, we can form images of how these creatures look like!

The same thing with God himself.

When we are formed in Jesus Christ’s perspectives in life, everything around us becomes a reminder of God’s presence, of himself with us. We cannot see him but with his gift of vision, we see him. And follow him.

That is why, with proper perspective comes vision. Then, mission!