Praying for discipline

The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Friday in the Twenty-Third Week in Ordinary Time, Year II, 09 September 2022
1 Corinthians 9:16-19, 22-27 ><]]]]'> + <'[[[[>< Luke 6:39-42

Your words today from St. Paul
are so timely, dearest Lord Jesus; 
in a time when so many of us have
become so complacent and even
lazy in this life characterized by
comfort and ease, please reset our 
perspectives and points of view,
Jesus, when all we think is ourselves,
of being famous and popular;
worst of all, like in your stern warning
in the gospel, we have become self-
righteous, blinded by our ego that
we see ourselves better than everyone
when all we see are others' faults
without noticing our bigger faults.

Brothers and sisters: If I preach the Gospel, this is no reason for me to boast, for an obligation has been imposed on me, and woe to me if I do not preach it! No, i drive my body and train it, for fear that, after having preached to others, I myself should be disqualified.
1 Corinthians 9:16, 27

Grant me the grace,
O Lord, to be truly your follower,
your disciple, a person of
discipline who treads the path of
truth and mercy, light and understanding,
justice and mercy, honesty and sincerity; 
give me the courage to persevere in 
following you amid all pains and
difficulties.  Amen.

Maligayang kaarawan, mahal na Birheng Maria, aming Ina!

Lawiswis Ng Salita ni P. Nicanor F. Lalog II, Ika-8 ng Setyembre 2022
Kapistahan ng Pagsilang ng Mahal na Birheng Maria, Ina ng Diyos

O Diyos Amang mapagmahal sa amin, 
kay sarap isipin at namnamin pagdiriwang 
ng pagsilang ng Mahal na Birheng Maria
na Ina ni Hesus at Ina din namin.
Sa unang tingin marahil tatanungin
bakit ang kuwento sa ebanghelyo ay pagsilang ng Kristo?
Ngunit sa dakilang karunungan po Ninyo, O Diyos Ama
dito Mo ibinalot kagandahan at kabutihan
hindi lamang ng kapistahan 
kungdi ng katotohanang hatid nito:
Dumating si Hesus na Anak Mo sa pamamagitan 
ng dalawang mabubuting tao ayon sa plano at kalooban Mo: 
si Jose na mula sa angkan ni David 
na lahi ni Abraham
naging kabiyak ng puso ni Maria
na siyang Ina ng tinatawag naming Kristo.

Alam nating sa lahat ng bagay, ang Diyos ay gumagawang kasama ang mga nagmamahal sa kanya, ang mga tinawag ayon sa kanyang panukala, sa kanilang ikabubuti. Sapagkat sa mula’t mula pa’y alam na ng Diyos kung sino ang sa kanya; At ang mga itinalaga niya noong una pa ay kanyang tinawag. Ang mga tinawag niya ay kanya ring pinawalang-sala, at ang kanyang mga pinawalang-sala ay kanya namang binigyan ng karangalan.
Roma 8:28-29, 30

Walang pa-chamba-chamba
sa Iyo, O Diyos naming Ama
katulad ng sulat ni San Pablo sa mga taga-Roma:
bahagi ng iyong dakilang plano ang aming
pagsilang at pagparito upang tawagin at piliin
kay Kristo na pumarito din ayon sa iyong plano;
kaya naman aming dalangin, 
matularan namin Mahal na Birheng Maria
sa pagiging masunurin si Kristo ay dalhin
at maibahagi sa mga namimighati at sawi;
higit sa lahat, nawa mahubog din kami
tulad ni Maria sa katauhan ni Kristo na anak niya
upang sa aming kapanatilihan
hatid niyang kaligtasan at kagalakan,
kagalingan at kaliwanagan
laging maranasan!

Maligayang kapistahan ng iyong pagsilang,
Mahal na Birheng Maria!
Salamat sa iyong pakikiisa sa plano ng Diyos
pati kami ngayon ay nalapit sa Kanya kay Kristo
na iyong isinilang at hindi ipinagkait kanino man;
Ipanalangin mo kami, Birheng Maria na aming Ina,
huwag mawalay bagkus patuloy na lumapit at kumapit
kay Jesus na aming kapatid;
katulad mo ay amin ding mahalin
at pahalagahan bawat buhay na kaloob ng Diyos Ama,
lalo na mga nasa pinakamahinang kalagayan
sa sinapupunan ng kanilang ina 
at sa mga nasa katandaan at banig ng karamdaman.
Ngayong panahon pa rin ng pandemya
aming hiling pa rin ang iyong mga panalangin
Mahal naming Ina, kami ay laging pagpalain!
Amen.

The world is passing away

The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Wednesday in the Twenty-third Week in Ordinary Time, Year II, 07 September 2022
1 Corinthians 7:25-31 ><]]]]'> + ><]]]]'> + ><]]]]'> Luke 6:20-26

*Photo by author, Makati skyline from Antipolo, 12 August 2022.*

Thank you, 
God our loving Father,
for this brand-new day;
in a few days, the week will
be over again as we move 
closer to another week,
to another month,
and on to another year!
There is no denying that the world
indeed is passing away as St. Paul
reminds us today in the first reading:

I tell you, brothers, the time is running out. From now on, let those having wives act as not having them, those weeping as not weeping, those rejoicing as not rejoicing, those buying as not owning, those using the world as not using it. For the world in its present form is passing away.
1 Corinthians 7:29-31

Like what the psalmist
says today, let me listen to you,
dear God, let me see and bend 
my ear to experience and realize
that far more better than this life is
heaven awaiting us where we shall
enjoy your presence eternally!
Let us be on guard against that
great temptation that there is still time,
that we have plenty of time to spare,
not realizing that it is not really time that
passes by but us who are passing by
when we live in lavish wealth and luxury,
when we eat and drink without satiety,
when we laugh unmindful of the miseries 
around us, and when we relish and enjoy
the accolades and praises of others.

Grant us the grace and courage 
to choose you always in Jesus Christ 
who had come to us as poor and hungry, 
weeping and hated by everyone,
insulted and denounced for standing for 
what is true and good.

Lord, let us see in every
beginning the end of our lives
in you. Amen.

When courts “court” troubles

The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Tuesday in the Twenty-third Week in Ordinary Time, Year II, 06 September 2022
1 Corinthians 6:1-11 ><]]]]'> + ><]]]]'> + ><]]]]'> Luke 6:12-19

Dearest Lord Jesus,
you have always told us
in many occasions in your
teachings that we try to settle
our cases with one another
instead of waiting for the courts to
decide on them that we might 
end up in jail (Mt. 5:25);
Paul reiterates this wise teaching
to the Corinthians and to us today.
Open our minds and our hearts,
Lord, to the many implications of
our search for justice in our court
and judicial system that often leave
us with too much bitterness and
hurts not only when justice is not 
rightly served but the painful process
it entails, draining us of energies as
well as of goodwill for one another.

In this age of social media 
when even legal tussles in the 
courtrooms are televised for all
to see and make fun of, 
the more it becomes clear 
why we must avoid it at as much
as possible because Paul was 
absolutely right that as brothers 
and sisters in Christ, we must not 
resort to the courts of law at all!

I say this to shame you. Can it be that there is not one among you wise enough to be able to settle a case between brothers? But rather brother goes to court against brother, and that before unbelievers? Now indeed then it is, in any case, a failure on your part that you have lawsuits against one another. Instead, you inflict injustice and cheat, and this to brothers.
1 Corinthians 6:5-7, 8

Lord Jesus Christ,
teach us to live harmoniously
with each other despite our many 
differences; teach us to always
find our similarities as beloved
and forgiven children of the Father;
teach us to always be one in the
Father like you; may we find the
great honor and value of being 
called by you to be your apostle,
to be specially close to you and 
to each other; most of all, let us
reach out to you like the sick who
find hope and healing only in you
in their afflictions and troubles,
not in man-made remedies that
often hurt us in the process.

Dear Jesus,
we pray in the most special
way today for those awaiting
court decisions in their cases,
especially those who have been
waiting for so long, for the
disadvantaged like the poor
and innocent.  Amen.

Of “old yeast” & “withered hand”

The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Monday in the Twenty-third Week of Ordinary Time, 05 September 2022
1 Corinthians 5:1-8 ><]]]]'> + ><]]]]'> + ><]]]]'> Luke 6:6-11

Your words today, O Lord
our God are so amazing:
in the first reading your speak
of "clearing out the old yeast so
that we may become a fresh batch
of dough" (1 Cor.5:7) while in the 
gospel there was Jesus healing a
man with a "withered hand" on a 
sabbath (Lk.6:6, 10).

Two beautiful images of death,
of decay so prevalent among us
even these days because we simply
would not heed St. Paul's calls for us
to discard our old ways of life in sins
and evil, of praising decadence as
progressive and liberal while at the
same time our refusal to break free
from our strict adherence to laws and 
traditions without seeing its whole
meaning of finding God in the face of 
every person we meet and those in need.

Let us be aware, dear Jesus,
of the need for us to keep in mind
that holiness, being good and loving
with others is not just a personal effort;
let us realize that we as a community
of believers have to witness to what is
true and proper especially at this time
when many with various agendas in life
are getting organized to push for their
wayward beliefs on abortions,
divorce, same-sex marriage, including 
specific rights separated from human rights
being pushed by some feminists and LGBTQ's.

Father, it has been a crazy world lately
and sadly, those who are supposed to 
stand and voice out what is true and good,
what is reasonable and proper are the ones
now so silent and even timid like the Church,
the academic and education sector as well as
the media as vanguards of truth; stir the flame in
us, grant us courage to celebrate and live life 
"not with the old yeast of malice and wickedness 
but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth"
(1 Cor. 5:8), always "stretching out our hands" to
reach out to others in loving service like Jesus
Christ in healing the sick (Lk.6:10).  Amen.

Praying for our critics

The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Friday in the Twenty-second Week of Ordinary Time, Year II, 02 September 2022
1 Corinthians 4:1-5 ><]]]]'> +++ <'[[[[>< Luke 5:33-39

*Photo by author, Pater Noster Church outside Jerusalem, May 2019.*

Dearest Lord Jesus Christ:
today I pray for my critics,
the well-meaning among them
who truly think of my growth
and maturity in you as your servant
and steward; likewise, I pray for 
all the other critics who have
nothing else to do but criticize
me.

Praise and glory to you, Lord Jesus
that in the end, it is you who shall judge
me and everybody else, not our critics;
like Paul in today's first reading, I admit
my many shortcomings to you and your
people as your servant and steward; 
grant me the grace to be more trustworthy
by being more loving and understanding,
kind and caring, merciful and forgiving
but at the same time firm with what is
true and good in you.

People will always have something to say
about me and everyone, some may be
true, some may be false and even fake
but like the admonition of Paul, let no one
among us pass judgment on anyone;
keep us open, Jesus, to the leading of
the Holy Spirit; make us always like 
the new wine skins always flexible,
adjusting to new situations, to every
possibilities of your presence and coming.
Amen.

Avoiding factions

The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Thursday in the Twenty-second Week in Ordinary Time, 01 September 2022
1 Corinthians 3:18-23 ><]]]]'> + ><]]]]'> + ><]]]]'> Luke 5:1-11

"To the Lord belongs the earth and all that fills it."
-Responsorial Psalm for today

How often do we forget
or disregard this truth,
God our loving Father
that prevents us from
maturing in our spirituality
and relationship with you 
and one another as we follow
the wisdom of the world
that puts premiums on wealth
and power, fame and success
that create factions 
and divisions among us.

Forgive us when what we pursue
is often the ways of the world 
which is dominance over others, 
of having and possessing, 
of being served than of serving:

For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in the eyes of God, for it is written: God catches the wise in their own ruses, and again: The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain. So let no one boast about human beings, for everything belongs to you.
1 Corinthians 3:19-21

Teach us to be fools for you, 
Jesus Christ, in whom everything
was created, things visible and
invisible (Col. 1:16) yet,
had to borrow a boat from Simon;
teach us to be fools like Simon and
company who listened and obeyed
Jesus, a carpenter, to cast their
nets into the deep;
many times, O Lord, we are
so divided within ourselves,
there are many factions inside
and outside of us that we get
separated from you our unity
and whole.  Amen.

Spirituality & religiosity

The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Wednesday in the Twenty-second Week of Ordinary Time, Year II, 31 August 2022
1 Corinthians 3:1-9 ><]]]]'> + ><]]]]'> + ><]]]]'> Luke 4:38-44

*Photo by Irina Anastasiu on Pexels.com*

Praise and glory to you,
God our loving Father for this
last day of August; in a few
hours at midnight we shall
move into the -ber months with
September first;
but most of all, praise and glory
to you, dear God, for the gift of
your Spirit in us that we often
fail to recognize and nurture
as your most wondrous gift to us.
Too often, we mistake our being 
religious with being spiritual when
we measure our relationship with
you in terms of what we do for you
which is religiosity, forgetting that what
matters most is our response to 
the things you have done for us,
inviting us into a communion,
a relationship which is what spirituality
is all about;
like the people of Corinth in the time
of St. Paul, what we see more are your
ministers and practices, forgetting all
about you, our Lord and God!

What is Apollos, after all, and what is Paul? Ministers through whom you became believers, just as the Lord assigned each one. I planted, Apollos watered, but God caused the growth. Therefore, neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who causes the growth. He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive wages in proportion to his labor. For we are God’s co-worker; you are God’s field, God’s building.
1 Corinthians 3:5-9

Dearest Jesus Christ,
you have come to bring us closer
to God our Father; you became
like us in everything except sin,
experiencing even death so that we
may rise in you into new life, new
relationships with God and others;
let us realize like the apostles who 
interceded for your healing of 
Simon's mother-in-law that there alone
is one God above us all with whom is all
our being as origin and end; help us
realize too that like you, we have to 
move to other places, to go and see
others to experience and know God
our Father, for he alone matters most
in this life.  Amen.

The Spirit of God

The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Tuesday in the Twenty-second Week of Ordinary Time, 30 August 2022
1 Corinthians 2:10-16 ><]]]]'> + ><]]]]'> + ><]]]]'> Luke 4:31-37

Brothers and sisters: The Spirit scrutinizes everything, even the depths of God. Among men, who knows what pertains to the man except his spirit that is within? Similarly, no one knows what pertains to God except the Spirit of God.
1 Corinthians 2:10-11

Your words are so comforting,
so consoling and so soothing today,
God our loving Father that I praise
and thank you for this most wonderful
gift we never acknowledge or
even recognize because to be spiritual
these days is laughed upon.
Or worst, to be spiritual these days
is something of different kind,
products of the human mind that
pretend to be esoteric and exclusive
only to a few; many times, we believe
these days in dark spirits and other
kinds of spirits instead of knowing 
and nurturing your Spirit, O God,
in Christ Jesus.

Help us to be truly "spiritual people"
who share and understand 
"the mind of Christ" (v.16) we all have
that enables us to see people and 
things the way Jesus sees
and values them, sharing in his
vision of the meaning and goal of
our lives which is communion 
in you, God our Father through the
scandal and mystery of the Cross.

Many times in life, 
you know how we always
feel at a loss for your will,
for your plans and for your
love for us because we never
allow your Spirit to grow and
reign in us as we are so busy
and delighted listening and
watching and reading all those
horror and crazy stuffs of the
bad spirits; we would rather go
to witch doctors than to priests
and nuns or any spiritual people
in the real sense, believing more in
the power of evil subjecting us
to all forms of malady and sufferings.

May we nurture your Spirit in us,
O God, so we may live authentically
and with authority in our words 
and deeds like Jesus in today's
gospel when he cast out a demon
from a possessed man just with
his words; let us grow in your Spirit,
God, so we may finally find and 
experience peace and harmony in
our lives and relationships.  Amen.

Becoming like John the Baptist

The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Monday, Memorial of the Passion of John the Baptist, 29 August 2022
1 Corinthians 2:1-5 ><]]]]'> + <'[[[[>< Mark 6:17-29

*Photo from catholicworldreport.com, “The Beheading of St. John the Baptist” (1869) by Pierre Puvis de Chevannes.*

Grant me the grace,
O dear Jesus Christ,
to be like John the Baptist,
truly your precursor in being
the first to receive you
and proclaim your coming
in words and in deeds by
being the first to suffer a 
similar passion and death like yours
by standing for what is true and good,
just and fair; let me be the first, O Lord, 
to disturb the many Herods of our time
with your gospel's power and wonders.

Herod was the one who had John the Baptist arrested and bound in prison on account of Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip, whom he had married. John had said to Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.” Herodias harbored a grudge against him and wanted to kill him but unable to do so. Herod feared John, knowing him to be a righteous and holy man, and kept him in custody. When he heard him speak he was very much perplexed, yet he liked to listen to him.
Mark 6:17-20

Let me first be a reminder, dear Jesus, 
that there is a prophet in our midst 
who speaks your words for
the sake of the poor and marginalized;
let me be the first to have courage in
proclaiming the mystery of your
Cross, confronting evil in all its forms,
never toning down your message 
to please the rich and powerful 
Herods of today with their systematic
control of lives in its many aspects;
forgive me Jesus for failing to be a
voice in the wilderness like John
preparing your way, straightening
the paths of our lives by turning away
from evil and sin, embracing your
gospel of life and holiness.
Amen.