A kingdom or a home?

Lord My Chef Sunday Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary & Joseph, Cycle A, 28 December 2025
Sirach 3:2-6, 12-14 ><}}}}*> Colossians 3:12-21 ><}}}}*> Matthew 2:13-15, 19-23

Last November we were blessed to have visited Romania’s three famed castles at Transylvania region: the Bran Castle considered as the home of Count Dracula in Bram Stoker’s stories; the Cantacuzino Castle owned by one of Romania’s wealthiest family which is the setting of Netflix’s Wednesday series; and the Pelisor Castle which is the smallest but loveliest for me due to its romantic story behind.

I remembered these Romanian castles because of our gospel today about two kings: one is a ruthless, old king named Herod so “greatly troubled” upon hearing the news of the “newborn king of the Jews”, our Lord Jesus Christ (Mt.2:2, 3).

Very often when we hear of kings and royalties living in castles, so many images of affluence and power come into our minds. And indeed they are so true when we went inside those castles with its wonderful interiors and amazing artworks; however, as we learned more of its history especially of the lives of its occupants, our wonder and excitement dissipated. It was really more like a fairy-tale, or a horror story in the case of Bran Castle.

*Photo by author, Cantacuzino Castle, Romania, 06 November 2025.*

It must have been so lonely and sad living in those palaces; however, let us admit how often the presence and reality of Jesus whom we take for granted like when he was born in Bethlehem more than 2000 years ago invite us into those parts of our lives where we like to rule like kings or queens.

I find this important and even essential before reflecting about the Feast of the Holy Family because it is right in our homes – ironically or tragically – where we are first exposed to evil and sins. It is inside our homes when the father or mother or siblings take on their “power trips”, insisting on their rules, even flexing their powers over each other that in the process we hurt each other. Sometimes, the trauma that comes after may last a lifetime.

Would we rather choose a kingdom or a home? Be a Herod or a Baby Jesus?

Of course, our answers are so obvious as we would generally choose a home than a kingdom and be a Baby Jesus than a Herod. This we can do by imitating St. Joseph.

When the magi had departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I tell yo. Herod is going to search for the child and destory him.” Joseph rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt… When Herod had died, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the child’s life are dead.” He rose, took the child and his mother, and went to the land of Israel. But when he heard that Archelaus was ruling over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go back there… He went and dwelt in a town called Nazareth, so that what had been spoken through the prophets might be fulfilled, He shall be called a Nazorean (Matthew 2:1314, 19-22, 23).

*Photo by author, site of the Nazareth home of the Holy Family underneath the Church of St. Joseph in Nazareth, Israel, 2017.*

Remember how Matthew described St. Joseph as a righteous man? Here after the birth of Jesus Christ, we find Joseph’s holiness most shining. See how before this scene, Matthew described to us the attitudes of Herod and the experts in Jerusalem vis-a-vis the Magis from the East: Herod and company were all disturbed while the Magis were all sincere and so open in their search for the Christ.

That’s what we were saying earlier: of how we play so much on our turf and power, on how we want to make our “rule” as sovereignty felt always right in our home, in Jerusalem that was then the seat of power and of worship. Very clear at that time, the temple was already so untidy that needed Christ’s cleansing thirty years later.

When sin especially pride fills us, it is difficult to recognize Jesus. Moreover, even the smallest and harmless or weakest person like a child or a woman would always disturb anyone filled with one’s self, feel threatened like Herod that one’s rule is being taken away. How sad when a father or a husband, a mother or a wife including the eldest children would dare challenge everyone at home, asking who is the father or who is the one supposed to be in command? Sino ba and tatay (o nanay) dito na dapat masunod? It is the most scariest tactic of all not because of what the power trippers can do but actually it was a proof enough they are immatured and lacking of proper understanding about power and authority.

Joseph was clearly not of the same kind. He readily left his home and moved the Infant Jesus and Mary to Egypt. Remember that Bethlehem as the town of David is Joseph’s turf so to speak being from royal Davidic lineage himself. It must have been so difficult for him to leave Bethlehem and be a refugee in Egypt!

But Joseph had none of those airs of rule and superiority. For him, the only rule was God and that meant always the good of Jesus and Mary. That is why Joseph twice “rose” to obey the angel’s instructions to him to take the Infant Jesus and Mother Mary to Egypt and then back to Israel after some time.

Joseph’s rising was actually an act of bowing low to the power and authority of God, most of all to the Son of God he had named as “Jesus”.

Can we imitate Joseph’s “rising” from our selfishness and ordinariness of petty quarrels and assertions of power or “rule” especially in our homes? To imitate the Holy Family, we need to be like Joseph who rose not just literally from his sleep and comfort but rose above his very self. Jesus is inviting us this Sunday to rise too above our pride and self-centeredness to give way to his love and mercy, kindness and understanding for each other so that everyone remains safe and unharmed like the Infant Jesus and Mary following Joseph’s selflessness.

*Photo by author, St. Joseph Parish Church, Pacdal, Baguio City, 28 December 2024.*

Home is where the heart is. This is most true when we get into the origin of the Filipino equivalent of home which is tahanan which is from the root word tahan that means to stop crying. When children cry, we tell them to tahan na, tahan na… or stop crying.

Home is where we stop crying because that is where we are most safe, that is where we find the people who love us, believe in us, the one who would still accept us and forgive us when we have sinned. Home is our safest place because that is where there are people willing rise above their selfishness, to rise above their painful memories, and rise to let go of their comforts for others in distress and more difficult plight and situation in life.

Jesus, Mary and Joseph all rose from their very selves for each other to be safe. Most of all, they rose above themselves because they love so much for each other, a reflection of their great love for God the Father. Amen. May your family be blessed!

Be gentle to be in the banquet

Lord My Chef Sunday Recipe for the Soul, 28 September 2025
Twenty-Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle C
Amos 6:1, 4-7 ><}}}}*> 1 Timothy 6:11-16 ><}}}}*> Luke 16:19-31

*Photo by author, Carmel of the Holy Family Monastery, Guiguinto, Bulacan, 25 September 2025.*

But you, man of God, pursue righteousness, devotion, faith, love, patience, and gentleness (1Timothy 6:11).

How lovely and so apt these days are the qualities Paul required through Timothy every man and woman of God must have. Of the six qualities Paul had cited, I like most “gentleness” which Jesus also asked us to have, “learn from me, for I am meek and gentle ( or humble) of heart” (Mt. 11:29).

From the Greek word prauteis, gentleness implies consideration, meekness, humility, calmness and strength amid adversities and difficulties. True power is expressed kindly and gently, not with harshness. Parents and teachers know this so well as children learn discipline better when authority and power are expressed gently than harshly.

Lately we have been sliding towards this kind of arrogance in our anger and frustrations following the wholesale corruption in Congress. Everybody feels the weight and pains of the ghost flood control projects but cursing and wishing death upon the corrupt officials are off bounds because that make us just like Duterte and his followers whose mouths spew expletives and death to their detractors.

Our readings are so timely this Sunday again, calling us to be gentle with one another because eternal life begins in the here and now of our earthly existence. How we live today determines our entrance or not into the eternal banquet of the Lord.

Jesus said to the Pharisees: “There was a rich man who dressed in purple garments and fine linen and dined sumptuosly each day. And lying at his door was a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who would gladly have eaten his fill of the scraps that fell from the rich man’s table. dogs even used to come and lick his sores. When the poor man died, he was carried away by angels to the bosom of Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried, and from the netherworld, where he was in torment, he raised his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side” (Luke 16:19-23).

Our readings continue to pursue that thorny issue of money, of how we use and manage it for God’s greater glory in the service of others not for our shameful selfish interests.

That is why we find Paul’s admonition to Timothy and to us today as men and women of God to be gentle in the midst of too much materialism. In the preceding verses Paul warned Timothy of the dangers of false teachings and the love of riches which he concluded with an exhortation to rely more on God than in wealth in verse 17. It is a timely reminder from over 2000 years ago against this growing trend among us spawned by social media of people flaunting their wealth as if finding their own value as a person in possessions than in their very selves.

Gentleness like Jesus is first of all finding our being’s sacredness. It is an expression of our being loving and charitable because we are children of one loving God we relate with as a Father.

How tragic we no longer see each other’s worth as a person, as an image and likeness of God as we seek more the face of money than the face of God in every person. Pera pera na lang lahat – even in the church, sad to say. Every consideration boils down to money like leadership in church activities or hermanidad in fiestas being reserved for the rich and famous who are always the politicians to whom many priests and bishops have become beholden, consciously or unconsciously. We have too much collections and envelopes that further drive away the poor from celebrating our Sunday Eucharist which is essentially a foretaste of the Lord’s banquet in heaven.

Amos continues his tirades against the priests of the temple of his time with their hypocrisies of hiding selfish motives in religious celebrations and practices that sadly continue to this day among us in the church.

Thus says the Lord the God of hosts: “Woe to the complacent of Zion! Lying upon beds of ivory, stretched comfortably on their couches, they eat lambs taken from the flock, and calves from the stall! They drink wine from bowls and anoint themselves with the best oils; yet they are not made ill by the collapse of Joseph!” (Amos 6:1, 4, 6).

That “eating lambs from the flock” and “calves from the stall” are the animals reserved for offering in the temple their priests have taken for themselves while “drinking from bowls” and “anointing with the best oils” harp on our rituals we have taken as our own like commercialization of Masses and sacraments. It is the color of money perfectly described by the purple clothing of the rich man in the parable that pervades us in the church that people no longer see and experience God as they have become so cautious asking about the price or the fees that come with every service we give.

Gentleness like Christ is using our power and authority at the service of the poor and disadvantaged, ensuring our Eucharistic banquet is a reflection of the eternal banquet in heaven where everyone is welcomed.

How sad this parable is repeated daily in the church that is why Jesus directed it to the Pharisees, one of the ruling class in the Jewish society at that time associated with temple worship and religion. Though Jesus did not say at all if the rich man is a good person or not, it is very clear that he lacked gentleness in his flamboyance, wearing purple clothes as if screaming to be noticed by everyone as a somebody while everybody is a nobody.

Maybe we should add “nepo Fathers” to the list of nepo babies and nepo wives who flaunt their wealth, looking more like showbiz kids than priests, feeling superstars who are more like entertainers than preachers who relish the tag “influencer” than remain hidden doing the work of Christ. They refuse wearing the proper liturgical vestments due to our tropical climate but would not mind at all wearing signature clothes with their perfumes leaving traces in their favorite stomping grounds like malls and cafes during offs.

Where is our gentleness or concern and consideration for the majority of our people who are poor further pushed out of our churches literally and figuratively speaking simply because we do not smell and look like them our flock of sheep as Pope Francis reminded us early in his pontificate?

Gentleness of Jesus is solidarity with the people, especially the poor and suffering who experience being uplifted or empowered in his mere presence so filled with warmth and love.

People understand us priests for being strict even stern-looking but what they find so difficult is when pastors are detached from them, always out of the parish for so many reasons, when priests are selective in their company even having cliques. How sad when priests are unapproachable and indifferent like the rich man who was oblivious to the presence of Lazarus at his door, who never gave him any attention at all while still on earth when in fact, they knew each other as mentioned in the parable after they have both died. Kakilala naman pala niya si Lazaro pero doon na lang sa kabilang buhay siya kinausap at pinansin kung kailan huli na ang lahat.

Pope Francis used to describe the church as a hospital where the sick in body and soul come to find solace and comfort in the presence of God. But, instead of hospitality, many times it is hostility that people experience in our parish when they are held hostage by our many rules and regulations that they never feel welcomed at all. Some get scolded that instead of their burdens being eased, they are traumatized by the priests or the office staff and volunteers.

If we could be a little more gentle with every Lazarus, perhaps we could be truly rich as we find God in everyone in our doors that lead to our banquet table, whether here on earth or in the afterlife.

Let me end with this parable within me these past five years as a chaplain in the hospital.

Have you ever noticed how the rich with all their wealth and resources are often afflicted with rare diseases without any cure and medication at all while so many poor people without money at all could not avail of the many procedures and medications available for their illness?

It is a parable in this life that begs us to be gentle, even extra gentle many times to ease each other’s sufferings with the rich sharing their material wealth and the poor sharing their gift of self in the face of death. Amen. Have a gentle week ahead everyone. Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II, Our Lady of Fatima University, Valenzuela City (lordmychef@gmail.com).

Walking in Jesus

Lord My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul, 09 September 2025
Tuesday, Memorial of St. Peter Claver, Priest
Colossians 2:6-15     ><))))*> + ><))))*> + ><))))*>     Luke 6:12-19

*Photo by Ms. Marissa L. Flores in Switzerland, September 2024.*

Lord Jesus,
thank you for calling me today;
like your Apostles,
I felt you called me by name too!
So lovely,
so reassuring,
but also challenging
to me: what if I can't 
keep with your pace
because I get tired,
or simply feel so afraid
of being hurt,
of being laughed at,
of being misunderstood,
of being rejected?

Brothers and sisters: As you received Christ Jesus the Lord, walk in him, rooted in him and built upon him and established in the faith as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving (Colossians 2:6-7).

To walk in you, Jesus
is to forget myself,
to be always on the main road
 not at the sides
where it is safe and comfortable;
to walk in you, Jesus
is to forget myself
and think of those others
on the streets who could not
walk in you for so many reasons
with some of them already down
 and dying on the road;
to walk in you, Jesus
is to carry my Cross
and that is to love until
it hurts like you.

*Photo by Mr. Jay Javier, Quiapo, 09 January 2020.*

It is in walking in you,
Jesus that I can be rooted
in you; help me to remain near
and close to you not only 
for me to imitate you
and be rooted in you
but most especially for you
to remind me when I am not
in sync with you;
keep me rooted in you
so that I can be built
upon you by sharing your
power (Lk.6:19) of loving service
to the poor
and forgotten,
your light for those confused
and lost,
restoring those dead
to sin in your mercy
and forgiveness.
Amen.

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

Paninindigan, hindi upuan

Lawiswis ng Salita ni P. Nicanor F. Lalog II, Ika-02 ng Setyembre 2025

Tayong mga Pinoy ay mayroong nakakatawang kaugalian ng pagkahumaling masyado sa ating upuan. O silya. O kung ibig ninyo ay salumpuwit sa malalim na salin sa ating wika.

Mula sa ating mga tahanan hanggang sa simbahan at silid-aralan, sa mga sasakyan, mayroon tayong mga paboritong upuan na atin nang inangkin na sariling puwesto, hindi puwedeng upuan ng iba. Sa jeep at bus, lahat gusto sa may estribo. Ganun din sa LRT/MRT. At maski sa eroplano kaya nakakahiya sa mga paliparan sa abroad ang mga kababayan natin na nag-uunahan kapag boarding time na gayong mayroon namang ticket ang bawat isa! Sa sinehan man ay ganoon din. Hindi mo malaman kung likas na tanga o maarte lang na ayaw sundin kinuhang number ng upuan kasi gusto pala ibang puwesto.

Likas marahil ito sa lahat ng tao bunsod ng sinasaad na kapangyarihanng bawat upuan na tinagurian ding luklukan o trono. Hindi man natin aminin, kapangyarihan ang dahilan bakit lahat sa atin ay ibig maupo malapit sa pintuan ng silid at ng sasakyan: hindi lamang para mabilis na makaalis kungdi upang wala ring makapigil na maliwanag na simpleng pagsasaad ng ating ambisyong maging boss na palaging nasusunod maski saan.

At siyempre, ang malalim at mabigat na dahilan ng ating pagkahumaling sa puwesto ng upuan ay ang kapangyarihan at katanyagang dala nito. Kung hindi ka man nasa kabisera na tinuturing siyang puno ng pagdiriwang, hangga’t maari ibig natin ay makadikit sa nakaluklok sa puwesto ng kapangyarihan. Kaya chairman ang pinuno ng ano mang samahan o komite, taglay ay pawang kapangyarihan. Pagmasdan gaano tiisin kanilang almoranas ng mga pulitiko at sabik sa puwesto basta manatiling naka-upo sa puwesto hindi sa paglilingkod kungdi para sa kapangyarihan at kayamanang kaakibat ng bawat posisyon. Suma total, sa upuan nararamdaman natin pagiging hari at reyna, pagiging panginoon at makapangyarihan. Wika nga sa Inggles ay “driver’s seat” – kung sino may hawak ng manibela siya masusunod kung saan pupunta.

Naalala ko lang… noong mga bata pa kami kapag sumasakay ng taxi, palaging sinasabi ng aming ama sa pagbibigay ng direksiyon sa drayber ay silya at mano. Silya kung liliko sa kaliwa dahil ang silya o upuan ng kutsero ay nasa kaliwang bahagi ng kalesa; liliko naman sa kanan kapag sinabing mano na Kastila sa “kamay” dahil hawak ng kanang kamay ng kutsero ang latigo o pamalo sa kabayo para lumakad o tumakbo at huminto. Kaya noon pa man maski sa kalesa, ang silya ay nagpapahiwatig na ng kapangyarihan!

*Larawan kuha ni Sarah-Claude Lu00e9vesque St-Louis sa Pexels.com*

Hindi masama ang kapangyarihan kung ito ay ginagamit sa kabutihan. Alalahanin tayo bilang tao ay binahaginan ng Diyos ng kanyang kapangyarihan upang malinang ang daigdig at matulungan ating kapwa.

Kaya nang pumarito si Jesus, palagi niyang nililiwanag ang aspektong ito ng ating buhay, ang wastong pag-gamit sa ating kapangyarihan na pakikibahagi lamang sa otoridad ng Diyos.

Doon sa kanyang Huling Hapunan ipinakita ni Jesus ang tunay na kahulugan ng ating “seating position” nang siya ay tumindig at hinubad ang kanyang panlabas na damit upang hugasan mga paa ng kanyang mga alagad. Ang gawaing iyon ay para lamang sa mga alipin ngunit ginampanan ni Jesus upang makintal sa ating mga isipan at kamalayan na ang buhay ay wala sa ating upuan kungdi nasa paninindigan.

*Larawan mula sa commons.wikipedia.org, painting ng paghuhugas ng mga paa ng alagad ni Jesus doon sa Monreale Cathed, Isla ng Sicily.*

Para kay Jesus, hindi mahalaga kung saan ka nakaupo, kung ano ang iyong posisyon at kapangyarihan. Ang pinakamahalaga sa Panginoon ay kung saan tayo nakatindig o nakatayo, kung tayo ba ay maninindigan katulad niya para sa kabutihan, katotohanan at katarungan.

Bisperas ng Paskuwa. Alam ni Jesus na dumating na ang panahon ng kanyang paglisan sa sanlibutang ito upang bumalik sa Ama. Kaya’t nang sila’y naghahapunan, tumindig si Jesus, naghubad ng kanyang panlabas na kasuutan, at nagbigkis ng tuwalya. Pagkatapos, nagbuhos siya ng tubig sa palanggana, at sinimulang hugasan ang paa ng mga alagad at punasan ng tuwalyang nakabigkis sa kanya.

Nang mahugasan na ni Jesus ang kanilang mga paa, siya’y nagsuot ng damit at nagbalik sa hapag. “Nauunawaan ba ninyo ang ginawa ko sa inyo?” tanong niya sa kanila. “Tinatawag nin yo akong Guro at Panginoon, at tama kayo, sapagkat ako nga. Kung akong Panginoon ninyo at Guro ay naghugas ng inyong mga paa, dapat din kayong maghugasan ng paa. Binigyan ko kayo ng halimbawa at ito’y dapat ninyong tularan” (Juan 13:1, 4-5, 12-15).

Para kay Jesus, ano mang posisyon o katungkalan ay para sa mapagmahal na paglilingkod sa kapwa (loving service to others). Kaya naman tinagurian ding “Maundy Thrusday” ang Huwebes Santo – mula sa salitang Latin na kautusan o mandatum – dahil noong gabing iyon nang ibigay ni Jesus ang kanyang utos ng pagmamahalan sa kanyang mga alagad. Ang sino mang tunay na nagmamahal tulad ni Jesus ay palaging nakatindig at naninindigan para sa minamahal. Walang tunay na nagmamahal nang naka-upo lamang, pa sitting pretty wika nga.

Larawan ng mga upuan sa loob ng Senado, marahil malambot at komportable habang karamihan ng mga kababayan natin nagtitiis sa matigas at marahil lumang upuan nila sa bahay. Kuha ni Avito Dalan ng Philippine News Agency, Mayo 2025.

Ito ang trahedya natin sa Pilipinas. Napakaraming nakaluklok sa iba’t-ibang upuan ng kapangyarihan ngunit hanggang ngayon ay kulelat pa rin tayo bilang bansa dahil wala namang tunay na naninindigan at nagmamahal sa bayan.

Pagmamahal sa sarili ang namamayani sa halos lahat. Kaya naman ang puwesto ay hindi sa paglilingkod kungdi sa pangsariling kapakanan ng mga nakaupo na palaging panig sa mga mayayaman at makapangyarihan. Pawang pakitang-tao lamang mga pagtulong sa maliliit at mahihirap ng maraming nakaupo saan mang puwesto maging mga dating nasa media na nang matikman tamis ng pulitika, lumabas kanilang tunay na kulay.

Palaging katabi ng upuan ay pera kaya naman sa halos lahat ng mga sala ng mga hukom mula Korte Suprema hanggang sa mga munisipyo, maraming kaso inuupuan na tanging katarungang mithi ng mga inapi hindi pa makamtan. Gayon din sa mga ahensiya ng pamahalaan. Puro pasarap sa puwesto mga bossing, naghihintay lamang ng lagay at pabuya kaya kulang at kulang pa rin mga buwis na pinapataw sa mga ordinaryong mamamayan.

At siyempre, hindi magpapahuli ang mga nasa rurok ng luklukan ng kapangyarihan – ang Malacanang at ang Kongreso na alam naman ng lahat ang matagal nang siste ng talamak na korapsiyon.

Ano pa ang ating aasahan kung nakapasok na sa sistema ng pamamahala ang mga mandarambong at sinungaling na pulitiko sa palasyo, kongreso at senado, kapitolyo at munisipyo pati na rin mga munting barangay hall? Sa gara at lambot marahil ng kanilang mga upuan, wala nang upisyal ang ibig tumindig at maninindigan liban sa iilan para sa katotohanan, kaayusan, katarungan at higit sa lahat, para sa bawat mamamayan.

Kailan kaya darating ang panahon na matupad ang sinabi ng Panginoong Jesus na ang “nagpapakataas ay ibaba, at ang nagpapakababa ay itataas” (Lk. 14:11)?

Marahil kapag tumugon na rin tayong lahat sa kanyang panawagang manindigan sa pagtayo mula sa ating komportableng upuan ng kawalan ng pakialam sa lipunan, hindi nasusuhulan lalo na kung halalan. Marahil kapag tumugon na rin ang sambayanan sa panawagan ni Jesus na gumising at tumindig sa paanan ng kanyang Krus upang kasama niya tayong masaktan, masugatan, at mawalan ng lahat para sa tunay na pagpapanibago.

Hangga’t pinipili natin ang masarap na upuan ng kawalang-pakialam sa mga kasamaang umiiral, darating ang panahon hindi na rin tayo makatatayo upang manindigan dahil sa pagkabaon at hindi na tayo makaahon pa sa gulo at pagkawasak sa ating lipunan. Huwag natin iyang payagang mangyari kaya’t makiisa sa mga talakayan at higit sa lahat manalangin para sa paninindigan at kabutihan. Amen.

The problem with us…

Lord My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul, 18 August 2025
Monday, Twentieth Week in Ordinary Time, Year I
Judges 2:11-19     <*((((><  +  ><))))*>     Matthew 19:16-22

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

Your words today,
O God our Father
are so disheartening
not only because after 
a week of joyful stories of
Moses and Joshua and the
Israelites finally nearing the
Promised Land,
we begin work and classes
this Monday with the distaff
side of Israel's history,
of their low point of being
repeatedly attacked and 
defeated by their enemies.

But more sad
and disheartening is the fact
that low point in their history
was also their low point in their
faith in you -
it was all due to their repeated
falling into sin of idolatry,
of worshipping false gods
instead of you alone.

Whenever the Lord raised up judges for them, he would be with the judge and save them from the power of their enemies as long as the judge lived; it was thus the Lord took pity on their distressful cries of affliction under their oppressors. But when the judge died, they would relapse and do worse than their ancestors, following other gods in service and worship, relinquishing none of their evil practices or stubborn conduct (Judges 2:18-19).

And that is the painful
truth of the story,
of the fact still true
among us today:
the problem,
the trouble
are all with us.

Yes, Lord,
many times we are like
your people during that
time of the judges:
you keep on saving us
from troubles of our own making
but once we are able to rebound
in life, we go back to our old ways
of sins and self-centeredness,
forgetting you and your love;
we do not have the false gods
of old like Baal 
but we keep on turning
away from you, Lord,
worshipping
fame and wealth,
power and control,
comfort and safety;
though through all these 
you keep on coming to save us,
giving us all the chances
to be better in Jesus Christ your Son,
we are like the young man
in the gospel who can't let go
of our many possessions,
choosing to leave sad
than follow Jesus empty
but filled with love and 
and meaning in life.
Help us fix this
trouble in us, Lord.
Amen.

Omnia Omnibus

The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Friday, Memorial of St. John Chrysostom, Bishop & Doctor of Church, 13 September 2024
1 Corinthians 9:16-19, 22-27 <*((((>< + ><))))*> Luke 6:39-42

Lord Jesus Christ,
help me be like St. Paul,
a man truly free:
free from slavery of sin,
free from selfishness,
free from what others may say
so that I may be truly 
free to love,
free to serve,
free to be my true self.

Although I am free in regard to all, I have made myself a slave to all so as to win over as many as possible. I have become all things to all (omnia omnibus), to save at least some. All this I do for the sake of the Gospel, so that I too may have a share in it (1 Corinthians 9:19, 22-23).

In a world when most people
insist on their rights,
you teach us Lord through St. Paul
that inasmuch as the Church is the
your Body, then being a slave to others
is actually the path to true freedom,
making no room for anyone to insist
on his or her rights superseding 
the common good;
most of all, in becoming 
all things to all men like St. Paul,
then we acknowledge that
the strong and powerful
 must take into consideration
the needs of the weak and powerless;
forgive us, Jesus,
for blindly leading others
to doom and more darkness; 
forgive us, Jesus,
for always seeing defects of others 
without recognizing our own;
cleanse us with your words
like St. John Chrysostom
who wrote us in one of his letters
on the way to his exile,
"Distance separates us,
but love unites us,
and death itself cannot divide us.
For though my body die, 
my soul will live and 
be mindful of my people."
Amen.

God has the whole world in His hands

The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Wednesday in the Fifteenth Week of Ordinary Time, Year II, 17 July 2024
Isaiah 10:5-7, 13-16 ><))))*> + ><))))*> + ><))))*> Matthew11:25-27

*Photo by Dra. Mylene A. Santos, MD in Infanta, Quezon 2020.*

Praise and glory to You,
God our loving Father
who has the whole world
in your hands;
nothing happens by chance,
all good things come from You
and if ever something bad happens,
You know it for sure;
You never punish us
for our sins and whatever bad
happens to us is a result of our
transgressions, of turning away
from You; therefore,
let us always hope and trust in You
for You never abandon us your children
especially in our times of trials
and tribulations;
in the same manner,
let us not be so proud when
we are in the height of our success
believing we are the best because
You have the final say in history;
let us not be proud like Assyria
of old:

“My hand has seized like a nest the riches of nations; as one takes eggs left alone, so I took in all the earth; no one fluttered a wing, or opened a mouth, or chirped!”

Will the axe boast against him who hews with it? Will the saw exalt itself above him who wields it? As if a rod could sway him who lifts it, or a staff him who is not wool! Therefore the Lord, the Lord of hosts, will send among his fat leanness, and instead of his glory there will be kindling like the kindling of fire (Isaiah 10:14-16).

Teach me, dear Jesus,
to be small like a child,
simple and trusting in You;
feeling more than thinking more,
kind and loving than
analyzing and sizing up others,
most of all,
lowly and humble because
You alone has the whole world
in your hands.
Amen.

Two gifts to pray for always

The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Friday, Memorial of St. Aloysius Gonzaga, Religious, 21 June 2024
2 Kings 11:1-4, 9-18, 20 ><]]]]'> + <'[[[[>< Matthew 6:19-23

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

On this Friday,
Lord Jesus Christ,
there are two things I pray:
give me a pure heart 
and eyes like a lamp.

Jesus said to his disciples: “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and decay destroy, and thieves break in and steal. But store up treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor decay destroys, nor thieves break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be (Mt. 6:19-21).”

Help me realize, Jesus,
that to "store up treasures 
in heaven" is not just to pile up
a lot of good works in heaven
that will be to our credit in the 
next life for they too can be lost
when we slide down into sin and evil;
rather, like in your beatitudes,
give me a clean or pure heart
that is like yours, that is inclined
to You always; a clean heart, O Lord,
is not of "doing" but of "being" and
"becoming" that truly becomes a 
treasure, something we value most.

How sad in this world so materialistic
that many believe there is 
nothing money cannot buy, 
nothing money cannot solve
even though this belief is proven
false all the time!

Cleanse our hearts of
pride and sins,
fill it with your humility,
justice and love, Lord Jesus!
Dwell in our hearts,
reign over us!

“The lamp of the body is the eye. 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” (Mt.6:22-23).

Give us that light
and vision, Jesus
to see the most essential,
the most valuable in life
that are beyond
wealth, fame, and power;
free us from the darkness
and blindness
of not seeing beyond material things
so we may discern
the real treasures,
what is most valuable
in this life
like You and others,
love and peace
and joy.
Amen.

Sigh, and be kind!

The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Monday in the Sixth Week of Ordinary Time, Year II, 12 February 2023
James 1:1-11 ><))))*> + ><))))*> + ><))))*> Mark 8:11-13

*Photo by author, Lake of Galilee in Israel, May 2019.*

Dear Jesus:
I love that word "kind" 
from the responsorial psalm
"Be kind to me, Lord,
and I shall live" 
and that scene from the
Gospel when you "sighed":
the word "kind" 
is from the root "kin" 
or "kindred", that is,
someone like us,
from the same family,
or the same tribe;
being kind is treating others
as one's family or kin
and that is how you are to us -
kind!

And you were most like one of us,
and kind, dear Jesus
 when you "sighed from the depth
 of your spirit" (Mk. 8:12)
after the Pharisees
asked you for sign from heaven
 to prove you were the Christ;
of course, that meant nothing
for the Pharisees but for us
who believe in you, it was something;
like you, dear Jesus,
many times we sigh out of
exasperation and exhaustion,
acceptance and surrender,
hope and inspiration
to persevere,
to keep on,
to forge on in life.

You became like us,
dear Jesus,
in everything except sin
but, when you sighed
we felt you being so kind too,
truly a brother to us
like when St. James
addressed us 15 times
as "brothers and sisters"
in his short letter
while teaching us the important
lesson of bearing all trials
in life as you did at your
Crucifixion, Lord.

Whenever we sigh,
may we remember your kindness,
your being one with us, Jesus
because you too sighed
during those amazing moments
of difficulties and trials,
powerlessness and poverty
when we most gain character
and depth as person,
not when we are strong
and powerful
or successful.
Amen.

Real power empowers

The Lord Is My Chef Sunday Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle B, 04 February 2024
Job 7:1-4, 6-7 ><}}}}*> 1 Corinthians 9:16-19, 22-23 ><}}}}*> Mark 1:29-39

*Photo by The Good Brigade/Digital Vision/Getty Images via cnn.com.*

There’s another “war” happening that had actually started a long time ago but only now recognized by the powerful US Senate in Washington DC when they summoned last week the owners of big tech companies to a hearing on the harmful effects of social media.

It is a war that at first seemed to have been neglected or even unrecognized when parents and experts have long been complaining about the ill effects of social media. Finally, authorities are doing something about it.

*“Great power comes with great responsibilities.”- Spiderman.* *Photo from peakpx.com.*

Though the issues at hand are very contentious because of the many benefits too of social media, the US Senate hearings are a big step in demanding more social responsibilities from tech owners who have become so powerful with their products’ wide reach and influence.

Of course, much responsibilities are also in the hands of parents and users of social media but one thing has always been clear these past 20 years when experts and ordinary folks have been raising the red flag on social media being so impersonal in nature where persons are often considered as objects than subjects to be loved and respected.

Our ability to communicate is a sharing in the power of God, a sharing in his authority meant to foster union among peoples as persons. Despite the efficiency of social media, it cannot and must not replace the human person in every communication. This we have seen last Sunday when people were “astonished” and “amazed” one sabbath as Jesus spoke with authority in their synagogue in Capernaum. From there, Jesus moved into the home of Simon Peter, staying for a while in Capernaum before moving on to other locations to continue his ministry of teaching and healing.

On leaving the synagogue Jesus entered the house of Simon and Andrew with James and John. Simon’s mother-in-law lay sick with a fever. They immediately told him about her. He approached, grasped her hand, and helped her up. Then the fever left her and she waited on them.
Mark 1:29-31

Photo by author, ruins of the neighborhood around the synagogue of Capernaum where Jesus used to preach; underneath the Church are believed to be the ruins of the home of Simon Peter where Jesus healed his mother-in-law.

It was still the day of sabbath and we could feel the great joy and pride of the four disciples with Jesus that they “immediately told him” about Simon’s mother-in-law who “lay sick with a fever.”

Notice Mark’s detailed report on the healing of Simon’s mother-in-law by Jesus: He approached, grasped her hand, and helped her up. Then the fever left her and she waited on them. In this continuation of a slice in the life of Jesus last Sunday, Mark is presenting us again another important aspect of Christ’s authority and power that is personal which empowers others.

To empower means to raise up a person from one’s lowliness in order to restore his/her well-being. To empower means to make a person whole again as he/she discovers and experiences anew his/her giftedness in God and as a person.

Now, imagine this in the light of the powers of social media made possible by the internet through various devices: Jesus could have healed anybody who was sick within a 100 or 200 meter radius from the synagogue of Capernaum with his great powers being the Son of God. He could have just sent off signals like a router to heal more sick people instead of making them flock to the home of Simon Peter. Even today, perhaps, we could just come to the church, stay in a specific spot like the confessional to get connected to Jesus and voila – get healed!

But, Jesus never did that kind of healing and would never do it. Recall how Jesus would always approach and touch, speak and meet the sick before healing them. When a woman was healed of her hemorrhages after touching his clothes while they were in a crowd, Jesus stopped and searched for her to have a personal relationship. Unlike the internet, Jesus came in order to personally connect with us and connect us with the Father in the most personal manner.

In every healing by Jesus, there is always something deeper than restoration of one’s health which is salvation, a personal encounter with the Christ who leads us to fulfillment as persons. In every healing of body, there is the forgiveness of sins in one’s soul and being. Healing is more wholistic in nature than being being relieved of headache or any discomfort. Many times, our sickness can leave us deformed, disabled and even invalid without any cure at all yet deep inside us we still experience freedom and joy. That is healing because we are assured of being loved and cared for by another person and most of all by Jesus, personally.

So unlike the powers of any human or professional nor even by the social media so much around us that may be indeed so strong and efficient with its great speed but could never uplift us or restore our well-being. For sometime, they can offer us with relief but the deep longings and emptiness within us lingers on. Why? St. Augustine expressed it perfectly when he wrote in his Confessions, “You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you.”

This Sunday, Mark is telling us that Jesus comes to us daily right in our hearts where our home is, always “approaching us, grasping our hands, helping us up” from all our burdens and pains, sufferings and miseries. Are we present to meet Jesus? Do we “immediately” tell him our problems like Simon Peter when his mother-in-law had fever?

The only essential and vital connection we must keep and maintain in this life is our personal connection with God in Jesus Christ who exemplified this well at the end of this Sunday’s gospel when “Rising very early before dawn, he left and went off to a deserted place, where he prayed” (Mk. 1:35).

Last Friday we celebrated the Feast of the Presentation where Simeon and Anna showed us too how they remained personally connected with God in their daily prayers and fasting at the temple so that when Joseph and Mary came with the Child Jesus, both were led by the Holy Spirit to meet them. Imagine the crowd at the temple at that time plus Simeon and Anna being both old with the usual woes but were both never distracted in their focus on God and his promise of salvation in Christ before dying.

*Photo by Vigie Ongleo in Virginia, USA, 02 February 2024.*

There will always be suffering in life as the first reading reminds us. Like Job, we go through many setbacks in life, making us wonder all the more at the mystery – and scandal – of human sufferings, of how it could befall us if we have a powerful and loving God. St. Paul meanwhile tells us in the second reading how imperfect our world is when we sometimes have to make sacrifices to keep the unity of our family and community.

Both Job and St. Paul in their sufferings and sacrifices remained connected with God, bore everything in silence to become “all things to all men” (omnia omnibus) by sharing God’s power and authority in their weaknesses even in death that have empowered countless men and women through the ages including us in our own time.

Let us pray:

Lord Jesus Christ,
our true healer of all sickness
in body, heart, mind and soul:
keep us connected in you
especially in moments of trials
and difficulties so that we may
be filled with your personal powers
as we too empower others
when they are weakest.
Amen.

A blessed weekend to everyone!