security

Lord My Chef Sunday Recipe for Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle A, 09 August 2026
1Kings 19:9, 11-13 ><}}}}*> Romans 9:1-5 ><}}}}*> Matthew 14:22-33

*Photo by author, Lake of Galilee, the Holy Land, May 2017.*

Way back in 2017 on my second pilgrimage in the Holy Land with friends from GMA News, our early morning boat ride was postponed to midmorning due to strong winds in the Lake of Galilee that locals said could be so dangerous.

And that’s how life could really be a lot often in the most poetic sense.

In this journey in life, we not only walk the earth and climb hills and mountains but also have to cross rivers and lakes and seas many times. This is exactly what we do every Sunday when we journey in faith in Jesus, with Jesus just like the disciples at that time.

This year Matthew leads us in this journey. He tells us a totally different scene and setting in giving us a glimpse of the very person of Jesus Christ this Sunday.

*Photo by author, Lake of Galilee, the Holy Land, May 2019.*

After the miraculous feeding of more than five-thousand people from five loaves of bread and two pieces of fish last week, Jesus ordered his disciples to go ahead of him on a boat to the other side of the lake as he dismissed the crowds; by evening, Jesus was left alone atop the mountain praying while his disciples encountered rough seas a few miles offshore. During the fourth watch of the night, that is, about 3AM, Jesus came to his disciples walking on water.

When the disciples saw him walking on the sea they were terrified. “It is a ghost,” they said, and they cried out of fear. At once Jesus spoke to them, “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.” Peter said to him in reply, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” He said, “Come.” Peter got out of the boat and began to walk on the water toward Jesus. But when he saw how strong the wind was he became frightened, and, beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!” Immediately Jesus stretched out his hand and caught Peter, and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” After they got into the boat, the wind died down. Those who were in the boat did him homage, saying, “Turly, you are the Son of God” (Matthew 14:26-33).

*Photo by author, San Juan, La Union, 08 January 2026.*

How was our journey of faith this past year? Have our trust in God grown or changed?

It is really difficult to measure our faith, of how deep it has become because most often, we still feel fragile and uncertain, afraid and so unsure.

Growing in faith is often not straightforward; many times we feel shaken, almost at a total loss when suddenly Jesus comes at the nick of time. This is most true when we experience death of a loved one or simply someone close to us.

Actually I have been going to many funerals lately: the death of a best friend last week that was followed by the demise of his mother-in-law a few hours after we have laid him to his final resting place. Last week, several friends and relatives have also died in my hometown but I had to beg off in offering Masses to most of them.

Our faith and trust in God are most tested in deaths. Many things run through our minds when we hear someone close had died: most common reaction is how quick was the shift when we have just saw each other or texted each other then suddenly, we hear death had come while we silently whisper within kailan lang magkausap/magkasama pa tayo…

Like the disciples at that time when their boat was being tossed by waves due to strong winds in the middle of the lake at night: they could not believe how a little while they left Jesus at the shore to cross the lake then suddenly, Jesus was coming toward them on water. It must be terrifying indeed!

*“Christ Walking On Water” painting by Julius Servus von Klever (1880) from commons.wikipedia.org*

Many times too we find ourselves in great difficulty believing – much more accepting – bad news like when we or somebody close to us is diagnosed with a serious illness, had separated from husband or wife, going through a depression or any mental issues, had an accident or lost everything in a fire.

The list is endless of similar situations when we feel like in a boat tossed by giant waves in the middle of the sea at midnight. Like the disciples in the boat, uncertainties and darkness blind us and drive us into fears that sometimes we fail to recognize Jesus already with us.

Just hold on to God amid all the dangers you face with all your worries and doubts, fears and uncertainties. Most of all, “take courage” as Jesus told the disciples in the boat as he approached them on water because he always comes quietly, often unexpectedly.

By the fact we are able to pray, we are able to celebrate Mass on a Sunday, we are able to cry to God, that is enough proof of his very presence in us giving us courage and strength to endure and move forward with whatever we have just like last week when Jesus asked us to give him whatever little we have. What is most important is we call to God, we believe in him no matter how imperfect it may be like Peter who said, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you.”

Ano ba talaga? “Lord, if it is you” – we recognize Jesus our Lord but we can’t remove the “IF” because we are imperfect, divided between doubt and belief.

That’s normal.

There is always that gap in us, like the shore and the sea, doubt and belief that nonetheless keep us in the journey with Christ who asks us to step out in faith even in the high seas.

God does not rush or pressure us to complete faith in him but patiently invites us to grow in trust at our own pace. Even the great Prophet Elijah in the first reading had to wait patiently for God’s coming after fleeing to Mount Horeb to escape the murderous plots of Queen Jezebel against him.

Elijah surely was not aware of everything about God’s plan for him but he had the courage to follow him, to obey him to go to Horeb which is also Mount Sinai where God appeared to Moses. Of course, Elijah knew the scriptures very well, of how God spoke and appeared to Moses and the Israelites in “strong heavy winds and crushing rocks, in earthquake and fire” but found God nowhere. Elijah remained at the mouth of the cave in Horeb until “there was a tiny whispering sound. When he heard this, Elijah hid his face in his cloak and went and stood at the entrance of the cave” (1Kgs.19:12-13).

How lovely is this scene that shows us convincingly that God comes and speaks always in silence. Incidentally, it takes a lot of courage to be silent too.

Faith, like love, comes after an encounter with Jesus. The more we follow Jesus, the more we grow in faith in him as we meet him and most of all, listen to him despite our many imperfections. Just remain in him for he alone is our certainty and security. Let us pray:

Lord Jesus,
draw me deeply into
a trusting relationship with you
by following you more closely
as I struggle with my many 
hesitations and doubts 
of your presence.
Amen.

*Photo by author, Anvaya Cove, Morong, Bataan, 21 July 2026.*

Lord My Chef Sunday Recipe for the Soul, 03 August 2025
Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle C
Ecclesiastes 1:2; 2:21-23 ><}}}*> Colossians 3:1-5, 9-11 ><}}}*> Luke 12:13-21

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

Our gospel this Sunday is very interesting as it is similar with what we have heard last July 20, the sixteenth Sunday when Jesus visited the home of Martha who asked him, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving? Tell her to help me” (Lk.10:40).

Compare that with our gospel today:

Someone in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, tell my brother to share the inheritance with me.” He replied to him, “Friend, who appointed me as your judge and arbitrator?” Then he said to the crowd, “Take care to guard against all greed, for though one may be rich, one’s life does not consist of possessions” (Luke 12:13-15).

*Photo by author, PDDM Chapel, Araneta Ave., QC, August 2024.*

“Tell my sister…tell my brother.”

How funny we waste energy complaining to Jesus about others when he is not interested at all because he is actually most interested with us! In Martha’s home and in this scene, the Lord shows us that he came here for each of us personally, as if telling us to stop all those pointing to others because each one of us will definitely be dealt with individually, personally by him in the end. But, are we ready like that rich man in the parable?

That is why Luke tells us this amusing anecdote in the journey of Jesus to Jerusalem to remind us anew that in the spirit of Christ’s teaching last week on prayer, he is most concerned with our relationship with God our Father – not with our petty quarrels on money and inheritance or politics. We have to stop that “holier-than-thou” attitude, of being sanctimonious pointing at others without looking deep into ourselves, “Why do you notice the splinter in your brother’s eye, but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own eye?” (Mt.7:1,3).

This Sunday, we hear one of Jesus Christ’s many warnings against relying on wealth, possession and even status for our well-being and security. He invites us to look deep into ourselves than look at others.

“Take care to guard against all greed, for though one may be rich, one’s life does not consist of possessions.”

A very tough warning from Jesus that sends chills down our spine. It is always easier to point at others than look into ourselves in responding to him, on what is to be “rich in the sight of God” we are all struggling with, though, admittedly many of us truly aspire to be.

There are so many anxieties and other feelings within each of us that push us against the words of Jesus not only here. And Jesus knows very well how we turn to many things other than God for our security and well-being like the rich man in the parable he told the crowd.

We call that “security blanket” which we use to cover ourselves that often temporarily relieves us of our fears and anxieties but ultimately gives us away in the end like that rich man in the parable. He thought he would be safe and secured by building a bigger barn for his “bountiful harvest” that year that would sustain all his needs. But, that night he was taken by the Lord and died, leaving everything behind him.

We can easily identify with that rich man in the parable who portrays what each of us harbors in the depth of our hearts of never having enough. Palaging kulang, palaging bitin at kapos ano man mayroon tayo. We are always afraid that what we have may not be enough that we want to increase, to have more of whatever we think gives us security and well-being in the face of life’s many exigencies and unpredictability.

But, when is enough really enough? In this age of affluence, we have totally forgotten about the value of contentment, of relying more to God than to ourselves. It is not really a question of what we have but of our attitude in what we have, no matter how much or how less that may be.

Of course, we need to be prudent and wise in responsibly planning for our future but Jesus tells us in this parable that what really matters in life is our relationship with God expressed in the Our Father last week. What we need to store in our “barn” is not material things but more of spiritual values like love, kindness, compassion, fidelity, mercy and compassion.

Jesus is inviting us today to examine and clean out of our “barn” to make room for God who alone matters in the end. Let God be the only possession we have who possesses us in the end – not our cellphones and gadgets nor our popularity nor negatives feelings like bitterness we have kept so long in our hearts.

Qoheleth in the first reading is neither promoting cynicism nor any negative thoughts about life but simply warned us of the great “sorrow and grief” of too much focus on things of the world that vanish like vapor. The reason we work so hard, fulfilling many tasks and obligations is not merely to earn a living and have nice homes, wonderful vacations here and abroad, education of children and better retirement; we work because we want to have fullness of life. That is why I prefer the Pilipino word for “work” – hanap buhay that literally means “to search life” because we work to find the meaning of life. But, what happens if we become enslaved by our jobs and professions while our possessions eventually possess us that in the process, we lost our very selves and those dearest to us in our relationships?

Fullness of life can only be found in God through Jesus who gave us himself totally on the Cross we receive every Mass in the Eucharist. That is why beginning this Sunday and in the next three weeks, we find Luke presenting to us various teachings of Jesus on the way to Jerusalem with a stress on the need to always consider the End, that is, God himself who alone gives us fullness of life. St. Paul speaks of this in the second reading that amid our many concerns in life, let us be focused into things of heaven that are eternal, not of earth that are passing.

Last Friday I read a beautiful story of a man taking care of his critically sick mother that he fell asleep by her side. When he woke up, she was gone forever. He checked their CCTV and saw how in her final moments, the mother saw her son not properly covered that she used all her remaining strength to pull the blanket over him. Then she closed her eyes and died peacefully. It was her final act of love: she tucked her son in bed the day he was born, she tucked him the day she died.

We reflected last Sunday that prayer changes us not the situations. This Sunday, let us pray to Jesus to help us clean and clear our “barn” of worldly things to make more room for God in ourselves to become better persons. And – beginning today – for us to stop pointing at others, asking Jesus to check on them; instead. let us focus on our personal transformation into Christ as better disciples and witnesses. Amen. Have a blessed week ahead! Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II, Our Lady of Fatima University, Valenzuela City (lordmychef@gmail.com).

Category: security

Jesus our certainty & security

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