The Joy of Lent

40 Shades of Lent
Saturday after Ash Wednesday, 08 March 2019
Isaiah 58:9-14///Luke 5:27-32

Our loving Father, we are now about to enter the first Sunday of Lent. We have been trying to be serious with this season with our prayers and fasting. But, let us not lose sight of the fact that Lent is a joyous season too as we wait for Easter!

There are times O Lord some of us feel like Levi, sitting alone at the customs post, surrounded with all the wealth and trappings of the world, longing for some meaning in life. Maybe like Levi in that little customs post, some of us feel trapped in our sinfulness with no help in sight.

But, then you came, O Lord Jesus, like a shaft of light amid the darkness, just passing by, saying “follow me” (Lk. 5:27) without even asking our sins or work or world. You asked us nothing but you know everything about us. And that is the mystery that caught us!

What a joy being called to follow you, despite our sinfulness. Remind us always of that joy of Lent that in the midst of our sinfulness and darkness, you still come to call us to follow you.

Help us, O Lord to “remove oppression from our midst, false accusation, and malicious speech… bestow bread to the hungry and satisfy the afflicted” (Is.58:9-10). Help us to sustain our efforts in following you in every direction by being good and just with one another. Amen.

The Calling of St. Matthew (Levi), a painting by Caravaggio which is one of the favorite masterpieces frequently visited by Pope Francis in Rome while still a student and Archbishop of Buenos Aires. Let us keep in mind that Lent, despite it penitential character, is a joyful season of Christ’s coming. Images from Google.

Becoming a presence of God

40 Shades of Lent 
Friday after Ash Wednesday, 08 March 2019
Isaiah 58:1-9///Matthew 9:14-15

God our loving Father, in this 40-day journey of Lent in and with your Son Jesus Christ, help us to imbibe anew the value of “fasting”. How unfortunate that in this age when we have made everything so fast and quick, we have forgotten or totally disregarded the other meaning of that word “fasting” that seemed to have been stuck with the past.

We have ceased to fast not only during Ash Wednesday and Good Friday but even before receiving the Holy Communion in the Sunday Mass, making all kinds of excuses with bold claims of having sacrificed so much in doing good deeds that we need not fast from food anymore.

And if ever we fast these days, we repeat the very same mistakes of the people in the Old Testament of having themselves as the focus of their fasting rather than you, O God, through others.

“Why do we fast, and you do not see it? Afflict ourselves, and you take no note of it?” Lo, on your fast day you carry out your own pursuits, and drive all your laborers. Yes, your fast ends in quarreling and fighting, striking with wicked claw. Would that today you might fast so as to make your voice heard on high!”
Isaiah 58:3-4

In this age of superabundance of almost everything in the world like food, clothes, money, gadgets and other things except YOU, teach us to let go of some comforts and pleasures to be one with those in suffering.

Most of all, let us fast to be empty of our very selves so we can create a space for you and for others. Fill us with your Self to become your very presence here on earth:

“Then your light shall break forth like the dawn, and your wound shall quickly be healed; your vindication shall go before you, and the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard. Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer, you shall cry for help, and he will say, Here I am!”
Isaiah 58:9

What a joy it would be if more people experience you, O Father, through us. Amen.

Life is Lent.

40 Shades Of Lent 
Thursday after Ash Wednesday, 07 March 2019
Deuteronomy 30:15-20///Luke 9:22-25

Dearest God:

Life is a mystery, life is Lent. Of course, we always choose life over death but in reality, you know it is not so: though our lips, our minds agree in the words of Moses, our hearts are so far from you.

“Today I have set before you life and prosperity, death and doom. If you obey the commandments of the Lord, your God, which I enjoin on you today, loving him, and walking in his ways, and keeping his commandments, statutes and decrees, you will live and grow numerous, and the Lord, your God, will bless you in the land you are entering to occupy.”
(Deut.30:15-16)

Teach us, O God, through your Son Jesus Christ our Lord to rightly choose life by being responsible with this gift of life, of taking care of others by forgetting our very self; of bearing with all the pains of life by carrying our cross daily; and most of all, by following his direction, being present and one in him and with him in every persecution.

Life is a daily Lent when we lose ourselves in you to be renewed into a better person more like you, our true image and likeness. Amen.

We always have something to give

The Lord Is My Chef Breakfast Recipe for the Soul
Tuesday, 05 March 2019, Week VIII, Year I
Sirach 35:1-12///Mark 10:28-31

*Sunrise at Lake of Galilee, the Holy Land. Photo by the author, April 2017.*

Lord Jesus Christ, you know very well our favorite expression in Filipino “walang wala ako” whenever we do not feel like helping somebody in need especially if it is money.

We always say it to show how poor we are, that we literally have nothing at all. And you know as we also know very well that it is not true at all.

Forgive us in professing that absolute lie for if ever we possess no wealth at all when our hands are totally empty of anything, we still have those hands to share and reach out to anyone in need.

Help us heed Ben Sirach’s admonition,

“Appear not before the Lord empty handed, for all that you offer is a fulfillment the precepts… Give to the Most High as he has given you, generously, according to your means. For the Lord is one who always repays and he will give back to you sevenfold.”
(Sir. 35:4, 9-10)

Let us not be like Simon Peter who sometimes feel bragging about our sacrifices and offerings for everything we have is not ours but all yours.

Amen.

Face of God, Face of Man

The Lord Is My Chef Breakfast Recipe for the Soul

Monday, 04 March 2019, Week VIII, Year I

Sirach 17:19-24///Mark 10:17-27

Good morning Lord Jesus Christ. It’s the Monday rush again, as well as the Monday blues. So often on Mondays, we feel like that young man in the gospel coming to you, praying and pleading to you with our life’s many concerns and baggages.

And you are always there present with us and for us, never failing to look at us full of love and compassion.

What a lovely scene we fail to recognize because our faces fell as we hurriedly went away sad from you. We never bothered to even look at you because we are so occupied with our very selves!

Allow us to pause a little, to glance at your loving face, especially those going through many difficulties like medical procedures of surgery, chemotheraphy, dialysis, or physical theraphy. We pray also for those burdened with so many problems with their very self or family members, with work and career, with finances and everything.

You know very well, O Lord whats eating us up inside, what’s bothering us as you could always see our sad faces so focused on the darkness within us and around us. Give us the grace to just turn a little and look at your face, see your glow, and feel the warmth of your presence. In that way, we can slowly return to you and completely trust in you again. Amen.

Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II, Parokya ng San Juan Apostol at Ebanghelista, Gov. F. Halili Ave., Bagbaguin, Sta. Maria, Bulacan.

Testing Friends, Testing God

The Lord Is My Chef Breakfast Recipe for the Soul

Friday, 01 March 2019, Week VII, Year I

Sirach 6:5-17///Mark 10:1-12

Thank you very much, O God, in giving us this weekend to examine and test our hearts about our relationships and friendships.

How nice of you to speak about “tests” in our Mass readings today:

In the first reading, you ask us to “first test a friend and be not too ready to trust him” (Sir. 6:7).

It is sad, O Lord, that in this age of Facebook and social media, friends have become numbers and status symbol for our popularity than persons to be loved and cherished as gifts from you. To test a friend means to see to it that in our relationships, we do not regard each other as objects to be possessed like things.

Too often, this happens when we disguise as testing you like the Pharisees in the gospel who asked you, “Is it lawful for a husband to divorce his wife?” (Mk.10:2)

How funny, O Lord, that in testing you, we end up being tested about the friendships and relationships we keep!

And so many times, we fail because we have removed you from the many ties that bind us.

Teach us, O Lord, today to always see you in every person we meet, in every relationship we keep. Guide us in the way of your commands that we live together in love and unity as brothers and sisters, never allowing our selfish interests to separate us from one another. Amen.

Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II, Parokya ng San Juan Apostol at Ebanghelista, Gov. F. Halili Ave., Bagbaguin, Sta. Maria, Bulacan.

Blessed Are the Children

MarpaKids — *Photo by Jim Marpa. Used with permission.*

The Lord Is My Chef Breakfast Recipe for the Sou

Thursday, 28 February 2019, Week VII, Year I

Sirach 5:1-10///Mark 9:41-50

Dearest Lord Jesus:

Your Mass readings today complement the disturbing and shocking news headlines of sex abuse in the Church festering for the last 30 years or so.

What is so shameful and disgusting with this news is the fact you have never failed in warning us against hurting the little children including women and the poor who have nothing in life except you.

Those sins are so grave that moved you to harshly declare that “Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were put around his neck and he were thrown into the sea” (Mk.9:42).

We make no excuses O Lord for these grave sins against children. No words, no programs and no compensation could ever bring back their lost innocence and dignity from the hands of your priests and servants. It is a betrayal of the highest degree like what Judas Iscariot did to you.

We are angered by their sins, Lord; but, worst of all, we are deeply angered by our inaction that allowed them to continue with their evil deeds in the guise of mercy and compassion.

But, Lord, there is also something sickening than this news when our brother priests are falsely accused of sexual misconduct. We pray you keep and protect them. We pray for faithful priests to be spared of these false accusations.

You know very well O Lord you have more faithful and celibate priests working in silence and hiddenness than the unfaithful ones. Yet, we still pray that you continue to help us heed your words of wisdom through Ben Sirach (Sir. 5:1-10):

“Let us stop relying on our wealth, power, and strength in following the desires of our hearts.

Let us stop being so sure that no one could prevail against us or subdue us for God will surely exact punishment against us.

Most of all, let us not delay our conversion and stop being overconfident with your forgiveness, adding sin upon sin, for your wrath alights with the wicked.”

Have mercy on us all your priests, dear Jesus, keep us faithful to you our Lord and our God. Amen.

Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II, Parokya ng San Juan Apostol at Ebanghelista, Gov. F. Halili Ave., Bagbaguin, Sta. Maria, Bulacan.

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Wisdom Is About Communion, Not Affiliation

The Lord Is My Chef Breakfast Recipe for the Soul

Wednesday, 27 February 2019, Week VII, Year I

Sirach 4:11-19///Mark 9:38-40

“Wisdom breathes life into her children and admonishes those who seek her. He who loves her loves life; those who seek her will be embraced by the Lord” (Sir.4:11-12).

Forgive us, Lord Jesus, when there are times we think more about our various affiliations like religion that we forget the need for communion of minds and hearts in you.

Like John in the gospel, there are times we feel so entitled in life simply because we are with you, believing that we have the monopoly of doing what is right and what is good.

Instead of building bridges so we could be linked together as one, we put up walls that confine us with our own group but apart from others.

Enlighten us O Lord with your wisdom, finding the great truth that God dwells within each one of us despite our many differences in color and creed.

Give us your grace of wisdom and truth, fill us with your life so we may share your life freely with one another.

May God our Father embrace us with His great love and wisdom to drive away the demons and evil within us that keep us apart. Amen. Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II, Parokya ng San Juan Apostol at Ebanghelista, Gov. F. Halili Ave., Bagbaguin, Sta. Maria, Bulacan.

walls-instead-of-bridges — *Quote and photo from Google.*

Suffer Like Children

grayscale photography of child in spaghetti strap top — Photo by Kevin Fai on Pexels.com

The Lord Is My Chef Breakfast Recipe for the Soul

Tuesday, 26 February 2019, Week VII, Year I

Sirach 2:1-11///Mark 9:30-37

Dearest Lord Jesus Christ:

Last Wednesday evening I visited to anoint with oil one of your beloved poor patients in the government hospital. She died eventually two days after.

But what remained etched in my memory was the sight of some children crying in pain at the emergency room.

I have always wondered how difficult it must be for children to be sick when they cannot speak of what they feel that they simply cry and hold on to their mother and maybe trust her and the doctors attending.

“Whoever receives one child such as this in my name, receives me; and whoever receives me, receives not me but the One who sent me” (Mk.9:37).

Give me O Lord that same grace of children to suffer and bear all pains.

Teach me O Lord “to trust God and wait for His mercy, hope in Him and love in Him so my heart may be enlightened” (Sir.2:6-9). Amen.

Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II, Parokya ng San Juan Apostol at Ebanghelista, Gov. F. Halili Ave., Bagbaguin, Sta. Maria, Bulacan.

Lead Us Back to You, O Lord, Like in EDSA 1986

edsaMary — *God was the true spirit of EDSA 1986; may we find our way back to Him again in our modern EDSA. Photo from Google.*

The Lord Is My Chef Breakfast Recipe for the Soul

Monday, 25 February 2019, Week VII, Year I

Sirach 1:1-8///Mark 9:14-29

O God our Father, today I praise and thank you for the 33^rd anniversary of the People Power Revolution that happened at EDSA.

I am proud O Lord of that historic moment in our history because I was there with my sister.

But I also feel so sad today, O Lord, because we have wasted your gift at EDSA. I feel betrayed by many of our leaders there who have left us. I feel betrayed by many of the other veterans of that bloodless coup who have left our cause.

EDSA 86 was our moment of Exodus from our own Egypt but due to our many idolatrous ways, here we are as a nation still wandering in the wilderness when EDSA has become the symbol of everything wrong in us.

Help us to return to you again as our Lord and only Master.

Let us turn back to you for more wisdom to finally set our course right on track as a nation, giving priority to the value of every person and of human life.

God our Father, sometimes I really can’t figure out anymore what went wrong with EDSA because I know I also have a part in its failure.

I still do believe in the ideals of EDSA and most especially in you, the God of history.

Yes, like that father of an epileptic, “I do believe, help me in my unbelief!” (Mk.9:24)

Amen. Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II, Parokya ng San Juan Apostol at Ebanghelista, Gov. F. Halili Ave., Bagbaguin, Sta. Maria, Bulacan.

edsa1 — *EDSA today, the image of everything wrong with us. Photo from Inquirer.net via Google.*