Category: Presence of God

Hallowed ground

The Lord Is My Chef Breakfast Recipe for the Soul
Wednesday, Wk. XVI, Yr. I, 24 July 2019
Exodus 16:1-5, 9-15 >< }}}*> <*{{{ >< Matthew 13:1-9
Clouds over the Egyptian desert, May 2019.

The Lord spoke to Moses and said, “I have heard the grumbling of the children of Israel. Tell them: in the evening twilight you shall eat flesh and in the morning you shall have your fill of bread, so that you may know that I, the Lord , am your God.” In the evening, quail came up and covered the camp. In the morning, a dew lay all about the camp, and when the dew evaporated, there on the surface of the desert were fine flakes like hoarfrost on the ground.

Exodus 16:11-14

Like the psalmist, so often I wonder O God when I see the heavens the work of your hands, I ask what are we humans that you are mindful of us, mere mortals that you care for us (Ps. 8:4-5)?

You could have remained there in the heavens, O Lord, and yet you choose to stoop down upon us, listening to our voices, even to our cries and senseless grumblings.

Most wonderful of all, you have blessed us and our land when you decided to be one with us on the ground with the coming of our Savior Jesus Christ, the Word who became flesh and dwelt among us.

You have never stopped like the sower in the parable patiently sowing your seeds of love and mercy among us.

Open us, O Lord, and make us like the fertile ground so your word may grow and bear fruit abundantly in us with good works.

Make us fertile ground for your seed that we may become your presence and bring your healing and justice on your people who until now grumble, refusing to pause in silence to experience your presence on these hallowed grounds we have desecrated with wars and hate. Amen.

We shall “pass over” in the Lord

The Lord Is My Chef Breakfast Recipe for the Soul
Friday, Wk. XV, Yr. I, 19 July 2019
Exodus 11:10-12:14 >< }}}*> <*{{{ >< Matthew 12:1-8
Sunset from Bgy. Dapdap, Tagaytay City, 03 July 2019.

Another Friday, another week passing, another new week coming. Thank you so much, O Lord and we are able to move on, to pass over so many challenges and trials.

Every day indeed, O Lord, is an Exodus – a passing over with you leading us, saving us, delivering us from darkness into light, from ignorance into knowledge and wisdom, from sinfulness into grace.

“It is the Passover of the Lord. For on this same night I will go through Egypt, striking down every firstborn of the land, both man and beast, executing judgment on all the gods of Egypt – I, the Lord!”

Exodus 12:11-12

Keep us always ready to go with you, to follow you in every passing over from our Egypt of slavery into freedom of your Promised Land.

We pray, O God, for those among us who are like the Pharisees in the gospel today who see only your laws and rituals but not YOU.

Open our eyes that we may see the main distinction of your every pass over in us is mercy and love.

Come to us Jesus, the Lord of sabbath, and show us the true meaning of your sacrifice which is to find you more among our brothers and sisters.

Let us rediscover anew the beauty and value of life that comes only from you, especially the people around us regardless of their status, color, and creed.

We pray also for those who are struggling in life, those who find it so difficult to make ends meet, those who have to pass over great distances in life just to survive because we have refused to find you among them. Amen.


Flowers at our altar, 19 July 2019.

When you feel like giving up…

The Lord Is My Chef Breakfast Recipe for the Soul
Thursday, Wk. XV, Yr. I, 18 July 2019
Exodus 3:13-20 >< )))*> <*((( >< Matthew 11:28-30
Taal Lake and Volcano from Tagaytay City. Photo by author, 03 July 2019.

Praise and glory to you, our loving Father for always remembering us, for always loving us. So many times, people doubt you. They feel you do not care at all, that you do not listen to their prayers, that you do not visit them anymore.

We pray today most especially for those losing hope and meaning in life amid their many pains and sufferings, those about to give up on their dreams due to many failures and disappointments, and those who refuse to believe and trust others anymore due to betrayals by family and friends.

Let us be your Moses today to announce to them that you are concerned with us, that you care for us.

“I am concerned about you and about the way you are being treated in Egypt; so I have decided to lead you up out of the misery of Egypt into a land flowing with milk and honey.”

Exodus 3:16-17

Open our hearts and our minds to realize this great truth of your concern for us that you have given us your Son Jesus Christ to help us in our burdens, calling us to receive him in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass every day, especially on Sundays.

Our altar, 18 July 2019.

“Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

Matthew 11:28-30

Send us a new Moses, Lord, to lead us out of our modern Egypt today that enslave us, making life so difficult for your people especially those in the margins.

We have become a nation without any sense of sin anymore that we do not care at all with the many deaths going on around us. Our mouths have become so filthy with languages too vile as if you do not exist anymore. Nobody seem to care anymore, no one is concerned.

We pray for our leaders in government as well as in the Church who are like the Pharaoh who make it so hard for the people to go and come to you. Do wondrous deeds among us again, Lord, so we may remember anew that you keep your covenant forever. Amen.

Detaching from self, attaching to God

The Lord Is My Chef Breakfast Recipe for the Soul
Wednesday, Wk. XV, Yr. I, 17 July 2019
Exodus 3:1-6, 9-12 >< )))*> >< )))*> Matthew 11:25-27
Mt. Sinai range from St. Katherine Monastery in Egypt. Photo by author, 07 May 2019.

But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and lead the children of Israel out of Egypt?”

Exodus 3:11

It has always been our answer to your every command and mission given to us, O God our loving Father: “who am I to do this thing?” or “who am I to go there?”

Forgive us for our pride, God, when we ask you such questions with some tinge of sarcasm, or worst, when we seem to dare to make you look so dumb as if you have never thought well of every thing you entrust us with.

Yes, there are times when we ask you that way like Moses when we play god better than you, almighty and living, true, God.

We could not believe and accept that you have planned everything well, that all we need to do is trust you like a child.

Like Moses, O God, tell us to remove our sandals to always remember and be reminded that the whole earth where we stand on is a sacred ground, your very presence among us.

Teach us take off things that detach us from you and prevent us from completely trusting you.

Most of all, take away our pride and fill us with your humility so we may be open to your revelations to fully know your will and how to make it happen. Amen.

Inside of this structure is kept remnants of the burning bush Moses saw at Sinai. 07 May 2019.

When life gets harder…

The Lord Is My Chef Breakfast Recipe for the Soul
Monday, Wk. XV, Yr. I, 15 July 2019, Feast of St. Bonaventure
Exodus 1:8-14, 22 >< )))*> <*((( >< Matthew 10:34-11:1
The Sphinx and Pyramids of Egypt. Photo by author, 09 May 2019.

It is that time of the year again, Lord, when life gets harder with the rains, with all the expenses piling up along with a hosts of so many other problems besetting us.

Others call these months of July until August as the “ghost months” when so many difficulties come along our way. But of course, we believe more in you.

Like in our Responsorial Psalm today, we sing “Our help is in the name of the Lord.”

Most of all, like the people of Israel living in Egypt long after Joseph had gone who were subjected to cruel slavery by the Pharaoh and his men, “the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and spread” (Ex.1:12).

Our almighty Father, keep us close to you through your Son Jesus Christ.

Let us rely more to you in him through the Holy Spirit when life gets harder for us.

May we learn more from him so we may follow him closer than ever especially during times of trials and difficulties.

Keep us faithful in Christ for “whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it” (Mt.10:39).

Amen.

Our awesome God

The Lord Is My Chef Breakfast Recipe for the Soul
Monday, Wk. XIV, Yr. I, 08 July 2019
Genesis 28:10-22 >< )))*> >< )))*> Matthew 9:18-26
Tourists taking a peek into the awesome ancient city of Petra in Jordan. Photo by author 30 April 2019.

Surprise us always, O Lord!

Surprise us with your simple presence in the most ordinary events and things of daily life.

Envelop us in your surprising presence like Jacob in today’s first reading.

When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he exclaimed, “Truly, the Lord is in this spot, although I did not know it!” In solemn wonder he cried out: “How awesome is this shrine! This is nothing else but an abode of God, and that is the gateway to heaven!”

Genesis 28:16-17

The whole earth, O Lord God, is your abode but we do not know it. Or, we refuse to recognize it most of the time.

Grant us that “solemn wonder” of Jacob beyond ordinary things your presence O God.

Grant us that deep faith on Jesus by the official who begged he could bring back to life his dead daughter.

Grant us that fervent hope of the hemorrhagic woman who reached to touch the tassel of the cloak of Jesus so she can be healed of her sickness.

Like these three people, let us not be limited or constricted by simple and complex things and situations alike because we have an awesome God in you, O Lord!

Thank you in surprising us again with this morning, Lord. Amen.

Sunrise at Lake Tiberias, the Holy Land. Photo by author, 02 May 2019.

Problem when presence is not enough…

The Lord Is My Chef Breakfast Recipe for the Soul
Tuesday, Week XIII, Year I, 02 July 2019
Genesis 19:15-29 >< }}}*> <*{{{ >< Matthew 8:23-27
Chapel of the Fr. Al Schwartz Retreat Center at Girlstown, Cavite. Photo by author, 22 May 2009.

Our dearest loving Father: Until now I am still dwelling in our reflection yesterday of prayer as you entering into a dialogue with us.

Prayer is your very presence, O God. And the problem is not only we have refused to pray to be in your presence but worst of all, when those of us who pray so often, those of us so religious always “present” with you doubt and refuse to believe that you are present.

We are always guilty of this feeling when the presence of another person is still not enough for us. We keep on looking for proofs and others things to believe of their love and care, of everything despite their being present with us.

How unfortunate when your very presence – or anyone’s – be never enough for us!

When we fail or refuse to see and experience your presence, Lord, nothing would be enough to convince us about you being present.

In the first reading, Lot at the start was very hesitant with your presence Lord despite the angels coming to rescue him and his family. He could not follow your instructions, seeming to disbelieve your very saving presence through your angels. Good thing that he eventually obeyed your angels unlike his wife who looked back to Sodom and Gomorrah perhaps more convinced with their presence than with you. And she turned into a pillar of salt.

In the gospel, the presence of your Son Jesus among the Apostles in their boat being tossed by giant waves due to a storm was not enough for them to trust in him that they have to awaken him.

Garden at the back of the chapel of the Fr. Al Schwartz Retreat Center in Girlstown, Cavite. Photo by author, 22 May 2009.

Teach us, O loving Father, to accept your good news, your grace, your very presence in our lives. Your very presence with us is more than enough, Lord.

Like Abraham when he conversed with you in Mamre until he bargained with you to spare Lot of your wrath over Sodom and Gomorrah, let us be silent and contented with your very presence.

Most of all, like Abraham, after your burning of Sodom and Gomorrah, let us see you even in the ruins of our lives, that you never failed to warn us with your presence of your abiding justice, and of your coming judgment. Amen.

Trusting God

The Lord Is My Chef Breakfast Recipe for the Soul
Wednesday, Week XII, Year I, 26 June 2019
Genesis 13:2, 5-18 >< )))*> >< )))*> Matthew 7:15-20
Petra in Jordan, 30 April 2019. Photo by author.

Almighty God, did you really appear to Abraham when you promised him to be the father of a great nation and made that covenant with him in the desert? What did he see in the desert that he put his faith in you so much, Lord?

The word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision…

Abram put his faith in the Lord, who credited it to him as an act of righteousness.

Genesis 15:1, 6

To have faith in you, O God, like Abraham is to see more what our eyes can perceive. To have faith in you, O God, like Abraham is to see and experience the fruits of believing in you. To have faith in you, O God, like Abraham is to see nothing at all except you.

When I think of your Holy Land, O Lord, there is really nothing much to see around but its vast wilderness. Most likely during the time of Abraham, it must have been more barren than today. It was in that nothingness that he saw your greatness, O God, that he put his faith in you.

How ironic that it is only when there is nothing left with us that we can truly see your great gifts for us, Lord: our being special, our being loved and cherished by you, our being simply ourselves that we are alive that truly make us have more faith in you than all the things you can shower upon us.

It is in our nothingness, in our simplicity that we become fully aware of your abundance blessings that we start to have faith in you.

Open our eyes of faith to always look for your fruits of love and kindness, mercy and forgiveness, life and fulfillment in us. Amen.

The Name of God is His Presence

The lord Is My Chef Breakfast Recipe for the Soul, Thursday, Easter VII, 06 June 2019
Acts 22:30;23:6-11 >< )))*> >< )))*> >< )))*> John 17:20-26
Part of the Mt. Sinai mountain range in Egypt. Photo by author, 07 May 2019.

More than 1500 years before your coming Lord Jesus Christ, God called Moses in a burning bush, introducing himself as “I Am Who Am”. That “name” was more than a word. It was his very presence among the chosen people.

With a name, you enabled us to invoke you, to call you O God for you are always present in us and among us.

But now, your name, your presence gets a deeper meaning in Jesus when he said:

“Righteous Father, the world also does not know you, but I know you, and they know that you sent me. I made known to them your name and I will make it known, that the love with which you loved me may be in them and I in them.”

John 17:25-26

So wonderful, O Lord, the in you, God is more than a mere presence but has become a loving presence among us and in us! In your great sacrifice for us, you did not introduce to us a new word for God’s name but a new mode of presence that anyone who encounters you Jesus encounters the Father too.

And it is always more than that, O God, for you are semper major, always greater.

In Christ Jesus, we encounter you Father as you approach us in him; then, you lead us out beyond our very selves into your infinite greatness and love for you are always more than a presence!

Exactly what you did to St. Paul during his trial in Jerusalem when the Pharisees and the Sadducees joined forces to pin him down eventually quarrelled when he spoke of Christ’s resurrection.

So many times in life when we feel like giving up, when we feel it is over, you suddenly surprise us with sudden turn of events that are so amazing, bringing joy into our hearts and most of all, reassuring us with your love and protection.

We pray for those hoping for miracles, whether big or small, that they may feel your loving presence to realize you are the “emmanu elohim” or Emmanuel for God-is-with-us. Amen.

Sacred Heart Novitiate, Novaliches. Photo by author, July 2018.
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Presence is always a gift

The Lord Is My Chef Breakfast Recipe for the Soul, Tuesday, Easter Wk. VI, 28 May 2019
Acts 16:22-34 >< }}}*> John 16:5-11 >< }}}*>
Church of St. Peter Gallicantu (Rooster), Jerusalem, 05 May 2019.

Praise and glory to you, O God our loving Father! Thank you for the night, whether we were able to sleep soundly or not; thank you for the rains, for the sunrise, for the brand new day! Thank you for the internet, thank for the grace of prayer, thank you for the gift of life.

Thank you for your gift of presence in Jesus Christ!

Your readings for today remind us that every presence is always a gift. It is always best to have even a little of anything than nothing at all.

Some of us while reading this still have same problems that persist like a sickness not getting worse, bills to be paid, debts piling up, problems getting bigger. Sometimes for many of us, life is so dark that we cannot even feel you, Lord.

In moments we feel like giving up in life, giving up on you, Jesus, please send us a St. Paul who would shout in a loud voice to us like in the first reading, “Do no harm to yourself; we are all here” (Acts 16:28).

Give us the grace and courage to be present to anyone like St. Paul so we can uplift their sagging spirits and continue to find meaning in life in our simple presence.

Fill us with the Holy Spirit to bring joy and conviction to those who doubt you. May they believe in you and find your presence, find fulfillment to be reassured of the beauty of life. Amen.

Sunset in the desert of Jordan on our way to Amman, 01 May 2019.
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