Nasa puso, hindi sa mga kamay ang pagiging bukas-palad

Lord My Chef Daily Recipe for Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II 
Sacred Heart Novena Day 1, 18 June 2025

*Detalye ng painting ng Sacred Heart of Jesus sa Visitation Monastery, Marclaz, France mula sa godongphoto / Shutterstock*.

Tamang-tama ang ating mga pagbasa sa araw na ito ng Miyerkules ng ika-labing isang linggo sa Karaniwang Panahon na nagtutuon ng ating pansin sa ating puso sa unang araw ng nobena sa Kamahal-Mahalang Puso ni Jesus.

Ang mga aral ng Panginoong Jesus sa ebanghelyo na huwag maging pakitang-tao lamang ang ating mga gawa ng kabutihan kungdi magbukal mula sa kaibuturan ng ating mga puso ang siya ring nilalagom ni San Pablo sa kanyang sulat sa mga taga-Corinto at maging sa ating lahat ngayon:

Tandaan ninyo ito: ang naghahasik ng kakaunti ay mag-aani ng kakaunti, at ang naghahasik naman ng marami ay mag-aani ng marami. Ang bawat isa’y dapat magbigay ayon sa sariling pasiya, maluwag sa loob at di napipilitan lamang, sapagkat ang ibig ng Diyos ay kusang pagkakaloob. Magagawa ng Diyos na pasaganain kayo sa lahat ng bagay – higit pa sa inyong pangangailangan – upang may magamit sa pagkakawanggawa (2 Corinto 9:6-8).

*Larawan kuha ng may-akda, Sacred Heart Novitiate, Novaliches, Marso 2023.*

Mas mainam ang salin sa Inggles ng ika-pitong talata, “God loves a cheerful giver.” Kailan ba tayo nagiging “cheerful giver” o galak na kusang loob sa pagbibigay?

Maraming pagkakataon sa buhay natin na madali tayong magbigay at magbahagi ng ano man mayroon tayo tulad ng salapi, pagkain, damit at iba pang gamit kapag tayo ay sagana sa mga bagay na materyal. Gayon din kung tayo ay panatag ang katayuan kapag walang problema at suliraning mabigat, kapag tayo ika nga ng mga kabataan ay chill-chill lamang.

Subalit, nangyayari din naman na maramot tayo maski tayo ay sagana sa buhay at panatag ang lahat. Para bang bad trip tayong tumulong maski alam naman nating mayroon tayong sapat para sa atin o walang gaanong alalahanin.

Sa kabilang dako naman, may mga pagkakataon na kahit tayo ay hindi naman saganang-sagana sa mga bagay at iba pang uri ng kayamanan ay mapagbigay pa rin naman tayo ng tulong maging ng ngiti at pakikisama. May mga panahon na napakagaan natin sa pagtulong at pagdamay kahit naman tayo mismo ay gipit ang kalagayan. At siyempre naman, hindi rin nating maikakaila na pinakamaramot at masungit tayo kapag tayo ay kapos at salat sa ano mang magaganda sa buhay.

Pagmasdang mabuti. Meron man o wala, maari tayong maging mapagbigay o madamot. Ibig sabihin, wala sa ating mga kamay o laman ng bulsa ang pagiging mapagbigay. Ito ay naroon sa ating puso!

Ang ating puso ang pinagmumulan, hindi ang ating mga kamay ang siyang dahilan at kakayanan ng ating pagiging bukas-palad bagaman ang palad ay bahagi ng kamay; sa lahat ng bahagi ng ating katawan, itong puso ang sentro ng lahat ng ating kilos at galaw maging ng pagpapasya kung kayat nasa puso ang ating buhay at sentro ng katauhan. Kapag namatay ang puso, tayo ay mamamatay. Kaya doon din sa puso nananahan ang Diyos sa atin kung saan bumubukal ating pananampalataya at pagtitiwala sa Kanya.

Magiging cheerful giver lamang tayo at generous o bukas-palad kapag buo tiwala natin sa Diyos na hindi Niya tayo pababayaan magbigay man tayo ng magbigay. At ito ay madarama lamang doon sa puso kung saan nananahan ang Diyos sa atin. Kapag buo ang ating pagtitiwala sa Diyos doon sa puso natin, wala tayong takot magbahagi at maging mabuti, magmahal sa kapwa maski tayo ay sakbibi ng mga sakit dahil panatag ating puso at kalooban sa Diyos na pinagmumulan ng lahat ng kabutihan.

Higit sa lahat, nagiging bukas-palad tayo at cheerful giver dahil malinaw sa atin na ano mang mayroon tayo sa buhay, ito ay sa Diyos pa rin. Ano mang pera o gamit o kabutihan ibigay natin sa iba, hindi ito mauubos ni masasaid dahil sa Diyos na walang hanggan naman ang lahat ng ito. Hindi magmumula sa kaisipan kungdi sa kaibuturan ng puso ang kaalaman at katiyakang ito.

Wika nga ni Papa Leo XIII sa kanyang sulat noong 1899 sa pagtatalaga ng sangkatauhan sa Kamahal-Mahalang Puso ni Jesus, doon aniya sa Sacred Heart natatagpuan ang tanda at larawan ng walang hanggang pagmamahal sa atin ni Jesu-Kristo kaya tayo man ay nakapagmamahal. Sino mang nagmamahal na tunay, siguradong siya ay mapagbigay ng kusa. Higit sa lahat, nagagalak palagi tulad ni Jesus.

Nawa sa unang araw na ito ng ating pagsisiyam sa Dakilang Kapistahan ng Sacred Heart sa isang linggo, suriin nating mabuti ang ating mga puso kung naroon ang pagtitiwala kay Jesus. Ating pagmasdang mabuti ating mga kamay kung ang mga ito ay naka-ugnay doon sa ating puso na siyang sentro at hantungan ng pagkakadugtong-dugtong di lamang ng ating mga kamay at braso kungdi ng lahat ng bahagi ng ating katawan. Hindi tayo makapagmamahal nang tunay, pati ating mga kamay ay tiyak titiklop at sasaradong parang galit na kamao kapag ang puso natin ay tumigas at namatay. Kaya ating idalangin:

O Jesus na mayroong
maamo at mapagkumbabang Puso,
Gawin Mong ang puso nami'y
matulad sa Puso Mo!
Amen.

Generosity & trust

Lord My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Wednesday in the Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time, Year I, 18 June 2025
2 Corinthians 9:6-11 ><}}}*> + ><}}}*> + ><}}}*> Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18

*Photo by the author, La Mesa Dam Eco-Park, QC, February 2023.*

What will it take 
for me to be a cheerful giver,
Lord?
Maybe, first I must have that
complete trust in you,
Jesus Christ;
no one can be generous 
unless one trusts completely
God the source and giver
of all good things in life.

Brothers and sisters: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingl, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each must do as already determined, without sadness or compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. Moreover, God is able to make very grace abndant for you, so that in all things, always having all you need, you may have an abundance for every good work (2 Corinthians 9:6-8).

St. Paul's words in 
today's first reading echoed
your teachings, Jesus
in today's gospel,
of the need to do everything
from the heart, 
not to please others,
but God alone;
to do anything from the heart
calls
demands
trust!

I have been through 
moments of abundance
when sometimes I was generous
and sometimes not generous at all,
when giving was "costly" despite 
still having a lot for myself.

Why?

It was not really of the abundance 
that I have in my hands that make
me generous, Jesus
but the abundance of faith and
trust I have in you in my heart;
teach me, Jesus
to be more trusting 
in you
in order to be more loving
so that I may be generous,
whatever I may have in my hands,
whether I have less or more.
Amen.

*Detail of a painting of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in the Visitation Monastery in Marclaz, France. (photo: godongphoto / Shutterstock)*

(Mis)understanding Jesus

Lord My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Monday in the Seventh Week of Easter, 02 June 2025
Acts 19:1-8     <*[[[[><  +  ><]]]]'>     John 16:29-33

*Photo by author, mountains of San Antonio, Zambales from the side of Anawangin Cove, 2024.*

Lord Jesus,
teach me
and help me
understand you.

I really wonder if
the disciples truly understood you
on that Last Supper:

The disciples said to Jesus, “Now you are talking plainly, and not in any figure of speech. Now we realize that you know everything and that you do not need to have anyone question you. Because of this we believe that you came from God.” Jesus answered them, “Do you now believe” (John 16:29-31)?

Oh how easy it is
to claim I have understood you
Lord Jesus
when in fact
more often
I misunderstand you
when difficulties and sufferings
 come my way
that I complain a lot;
when pains and disappointments
happen I lose interest
in following you;
when frustrations come
 because I cannot know fully
what is to come
after following you.

There are times
mediocrity seeps in me
that I become lackluster
making no effort to learn more,
to be more daring,
and to be a better
person and disciple
in following
and imitating you, Lord.

To understand you, Jesus
means to experience peace
always in you,
to keep on choosing you still
no matter what
because that is when
we truly enter in your presence
with nothing else important
but do your will.

Understanding you Jesus
is being open and ready
not to understand
everything about you
and still believe you
and trust you.
Amen.

Lent is silence in the Lord like St. Joseph

40 Shades of Lent by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II, 19 March 2025
Solemnity of St. Joseph, Husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary
2 Samuel 7:4-5, 12-14, 16 + Romans 4:13, 16-18, 22 + Matthew 1:16, 18-21, 24

*Photo by author, Sacred Heart Novitiate, Novaliches, QC, 17 March 2025.*

God our most loving Father,
thank you for this Solemnity of St. Joseph,
the most chaste husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary
who witnessed to us with his life of faith 
the important aspects of Lent
that have become a rarity these days -
silence and stillness in you.

In this world of 24-7
when everything is "instant",
we have lost the sense and beauty
of silence and stillness in you,
O Lord, making us to drift farther
away from you,
not believing you,
not obeying you
relying more in our powers
and control of everything.

But life is not about doing
and things as your Son Jesus
have shown us:
life is about being and loving,
of persons in whom we find you
and meaning of our lives.

Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man, yet unwilling to expose her to shame, decided to divorce her quietly. Such was his intention when, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home…She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” When Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took his wife into his home (Matthew 1:19-20, 21, 24).

Teach us, Jesus
to be like St. Joseph
your foster father
to be holy and righteous:
obedient to your laws
but most of all,
faithful and loving to God
through one another.

Teach us, Jesus
to be like St. Joseph
your foster father
to be silent because
silence is the domain of trust:
let us trust you more 
than our selves,
than our gadgets,
than our modern thoughts
and beliefs;
teach us Jesus
to be like St. Joseph
to be still in this time
when everyone is easily
agitated foolishly
by the cacophony of
various shouts and cries
in social media that are mostly
not true.

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

Teach us, Jesus,
that life is a daily Lent,
of being silent and still
in your presence,
in your voice,
in your plans
so that like St. Joseph
your foster father
we may take care of you
found in each one of us
especially the weak
and the poor.
Amen.

The gift of EDSA 1986

The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Souyl by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Tuesday, Seventh Week in Ordinary Time, Year I, 25 February 2025
Sirach 2:1-11 ><))))*> + ><))))*> + ><))))*> Mark 9:30-37

*Photo by Pete Reyes, Sr. Porfiria “Pingping” Ocariza (+) and Sr. Teresita Burias praying the rosary to protect mutineers during the EDSA People Power Revolt in February 1986..*

Praise and glory to you,
God our Father
for the gift of EDSA People Power
Revolution that peacefully
ended this day 39 years ago;
your words in today's first reading
are so true:

Compassionate and merciful is the Lord; he forgives sins, he saves in time of trouble and he is a protector to all who seek him in truth (Sirach 2:11).

But what happened after 1986
at EDSA?
We have forgotten, Father
everything!
We have turned away from you,
refusing to stand for justice,
evading trials and difficulties;
we have become impatient in times
of "crushing misfortune";
worst of all,
we have stopped trusting you
unlike those five days of EDSA.

How sad in the years
that followed after 1986,
we "argued" along the way
like your disciples on "who is
the greatest among us" until
the unexpected happened
when a monster came to power
calling you "stupid" as he spewed
indecencies and murder from his mouth
until suddenly, 
the ones we kicked out
are back,
now denigrating the significance
of EDSA 1986.

*Photo by Linglong Ortiz, 23 February 1986.*

Help us learn anew
the lessons of EDSA 1986;
let us return to you
and continue the revolution
in our hearts;
like the psalmist
in today's responsorial psalm,
may we "commit our lives
to you, Lord"
 for you will surely
help us
like in EDSA 1986.
Amen.

Our quest for signs & occasions of sin

The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Monday, Sixth Week in Ordinary Time, Year I, 17 February 2025
Genesis 4:1-15, 25 <*((((>< + ><))))*> Mark 8:11-13

*Photo by author, DRT, Bulacan, November 2024.*

How interesting are your words
today, O God our loving Father,
of how Cain like the Pharisees
came to Abel to "discuss" about 
something as a pretext before
killing him; the Pharisees went to
Jesus to argue with him 
and asked him for a sign
from heaven to test him.

How funny and insane,
dear Father,
how much time we spend
just to discuss
and argue things
about you
and your ways,
asking for many signs
just for us to believe
you; how unfortunate,
our quest for signs
has often led us to sin,
to more divisions
and separations,
more lies
and more hate
because
we have too much self.

Forgive us, Father.
Teach us to offer
you a sacrifice of praise
as the psalmist
sings today
by "doing well,
holding up our heads"
(Genesis 4:7)
giving our best to
listen to you,
to seek you,
and follow you.
Amen.

Keeping our confidence

The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Friday, Memorial of St. John Bosco, Priest, 31 January 2025
Hebrews 10:32-39 <*((((>< <*(((>< + ><)))*> ><))))*> Mark 4:26-34

Remember the days past when, after you had been enlightened, you endured a great contest of suffering… Therefore, do not throw away your confidence; it will have great recompense (Hebrews 10:32, 35).

Thank you,
O God our loving Father
for another month past
this new year;
there is indeed no other path
to take but forward
in you and with you
through Jesus.

How amazing,
dear Lord as I look back
to my many setbacks and problems
hurdled in the past,
the more I look forward
into the future!
The more I am excited
of the coming days ahead
because if I made it through
in the past,
through the long, dark nights
of trials and sufferings,
you are always with me
in Jesus.

*Photo by author, St. Scholastica Spirituality Center, Tagaytay, August 2024.*

Keep me faithful, Jesus;
let me not lose that confidence
in you, Lord, like the farmer
in your parable:
let me keep on sowing your
gospel in words and in deeds
especially among the young and 
the underprivileged like
St. John Bosco whose memorial
we celebrate today;
let me do whatever good 
I can do today;
most of all, 
like St. John Bosco,
let me love without measure
without claiming anything at all
except as your work, Lord Jesus
in sowing seeds until they
sprout to life and grow
until harvest time.
Amen.

*Photo by author, Northern Blossoms, Atok, Benguet, 27 December 2024.*

Finding Jesus hidden within us

The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Thursday, Third Week in Ordinary Time, Year I, 30 January 2025
Hebrews 10:19-23 ><}}}}*> + ><}}}}*> + ><}}}}*> Mark 4:21-25

*Photo by author, sunset in Atok, Benguet, 27 December 2024.*

Many times, O Lord Jesus,
I feel you "hide" from me
not because you are avoiding me
but simply because you want me to
find you.
And be surprised 
because that is how it is
really with you and the Father
and the Holy Spirit: 
you want us
to experience that sense 
of awe and wonder 
of Jacob in Bethel 
when he dreamt of your stairway
to heaven that upon waking up,
he cried out in joy, "Truly, 
the Lord is in this spot, 
although I did not know it!"
(Genesis 28:16)

*Photo by author, Mt. Olis Park, Atok, Benguet, 27 December 2024.*

Many times in the gospel
you have asked those you have
healed not to say anything
about you to anyone but
the more they talk about you,
dear Jesus;
and this is what you are
telling us today,
that we cannot hide a shining light
or lamp;
any good will always shine
will always be known
and be seen.
And that is YOU,
Jesus.

When I examine my life,
I have experienced many instances
when you, Jesus, had broken
through the surface after being "hidden"
for a long time deep within me;
and what a joy until now 
especially when I am confused,
when I feel alone,
when I see nothing
but darkness,
that is actually when you are "hidden",
 waiting to reveal yourself
 in the simplest occasions,
giving me with "more"
even though I already have
received so much from you
just in finding you!

Grant me the grace, Jesus,
"to approach and seek you
with a sincere heart and in
absolute trust... let me hold
unwaveringly to our confession
that gives us hope for you are
trustworthy as I rouse one another
to love and good works"
(Hebrews 10:22, 23, 24).
Amen.

*Photo by author, sunrise at St. Paul Spirituality Center, Pico, La Trinidad, Benguet, 06 January 2025.*

“Come”

The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Monday in the First Week of Advent, 02 December 2024
Isaiah 2:1-5     <*((((><  +  ><))))*>     Matthew 8:5-11

*Photo by author, Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Malolos City, Advent 2019.*

Thank you, O God our Father,
for sending us your Son Jesus Christ
who had come,
who shall come again,
and continues to come daily to us;
how lovely is this season of Advent
characterized by "coming":
the coming of the Son 
so that we can come to the Father!

How powerful
and evocative is that word
"come" resounding in this 
season of Advent,
so representative of Advent:
make this Season of Advent
truly a blessed one for us to
come one by one to You, God
our Father in Christ Jesus
who still comes to us.

Even the most famous hymn
of Advent and Christmas 
uses this verb "come",
calling us to gather around You,
dear Jesus, to listen more
intently to you in order to meet You
like the shepherds who first came
upon learning about the birth of Christ
so magnificently proclaimed by the
age old sacred piece, 
"O Come, all ye 
faithful..."

many peoples shall come and say, “Come, let us climb the Lord’s mountain, to the house of the God of Jacob. That he may instruct us in his ways, and we may walk in his paths” (Isaiah 2:3)

Jesus said to him, “I will come and cure him.” The centurion said in reply, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof… For I too am a man subject to authority, with soldiers subject to me. And I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come here,’ and he comes…” (Matthew 8:7-8, 9)

Lord Jesus,
You have come,
You shall come again,
and You still come to us
each day while we refuse
to come to You;
let us come to You, Jesus,
by thinking more of others
than of myself;
let us come to You, Jesus,
in our poverty than come to You
in all our wealth and knowledge;
let us come to You,
Jesus, trusting You more,
believing your every wordl
for surely like before,
You shall come.
Amen.

*Dome of the chapel at the Shepherd’s Field near Bethlehem; photo by author, Easter 2019.*

From fear of the Lord to love of God and neighbors

The Lord Is My Chef Sunday Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Thirty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle B, 03 November 2024
Deuteronomy 6:2-6 ><}}}}*> Hebrews 7:23-28 ><}}}}*> Mark 12:28-34

*Photo by author, river at the back of Nagsasa Cove, San Antonio, Zambales, 19 October 2024.*

Jesus finally entered Jerusalem to fulfill His mission as we also enter the last four Sundays of our liturgical year before entering the season of Advent in preparation for Christmas.

Two Sundays ago we reflected the atmosphere of fear among the Apostles and the crowd following Jesus to Jerusalem after He had made known to them for the third time His coming Passion, Death, and Resurrection. This Sunday our readings invite us to look into that feeling of fear we often experience.

Fear can be negative in nature when we experience a threat to our safety whether there is a clear and present danger from a person or animal hurting us, or when our imagination runs wild with ghosts or a snake underneath the bed at night.

Positive fear is actually the reverence we experience due to a sense of awe often associated with our relationships like with our parents and relatives, teachers and superiors, or any person who seem to amaze us. We fear them not because they threatened us but actually inspired us with their presence, dignity and grace, intelligence and kindness among other things. This kind of fear we experienced in childhood then slowly matured and blended with trust, translated into adoration of the persons so unforgettable to us, influencing us in many ways that we have come to love them eventually, especially God. This is what the Bible and catechism books refer to as “fear of the Lord”.

*Photo by author, Mount Sinai, Egypt, May 2019.*

Moses spoke to the people, saying: “Fear the Lord, your God, and keep, throughout the days of your lives, all his statutes and commandments which I enjoin on you, and thus have long life. Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone! Therefore, you shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength. Take to heart these words which I enjoin on you today” (Deuteronomy 6:2, 4-6).

This “fear of the Lord” that Moses and later the prophets instilled among the Israelites was expressed in faithfulness and obedience to the Laws so that for them, being holy or upright was obedience to the Laws.

This “fear of the Lord” is not about God overpowering man to keep him in bondage. In giving the Ten Commandments, God first entered into a relationship or covenant with the chosen people based on friendship, trust, and love. See here that positive aspect of fear, of reverence like our fear of parents and elders as well as those seemed larger than us including our crushes and first love when we revered them by showing them love and respect.

This “fear of the Lord” then becomes a passing from fear to love that leads us to maturity as persons. And believers. Then lovers and followers not only of those significant people in our lives but most especially of God!

One of the scribes came to Jesus and asked him, “Which is the first of all the commandments?” Jesus replied, “The first is this: Hear, O Israel! The Lord your God is Lord alone! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. The second is this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these” (Mark 12:28-31).

*Photo of author, Mount Sinai, Egypt, May 2019.*

Unlike the tricky questions posed by His enemies, this one from a scribe was so unique with his calm attitude that invites everyone including us to join in the discussion. One can feel his sincerity in seeking out the truth he felt (rightly so!) only Jesus can answer.

Many times, we feel the same way like that scribe so convinced in asking Jesus, ready to follow Him only if we are clarified which is the first to follow in life in order to mature from fear to love.

"Which is the first of all the commandments?"

Like that scribe, many times we feel confused in our lives, in our faith with the many laws and traditions we were told since childhood to follow; hence, we ask “which is the first of the commandments” that really matter most in life.

Such moments in our life is a grace from the Holy Spirit because in asking “the first of the commandments” is not to determine a hierarchy nor a list of which ones to be prioritized and dismissed; the “first” commandment means the absolutely capital that is always binding on all. The “first” commandment is the one to which all others are subjected without being cancelled or considered least nor optional. The “first” commandment is the very essence of all commandments present in each commandment. It is actually a search for the First Principle who is God Himself!

That is why Jesus quoted verbatim Deuteronomy 6:4-5, the opening words of their best known prayer Shema every pious Jew knows by heart, “Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone! Therefore, you shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength.”

Similar to His manner of answering the question about divorce last month, Jesus did not answer the scribe’s question by making reference to a code of laws but instead recited the Shema that encapsulates maturity and deepening of faith in God who is One, with no other except Him. The Shema also shows how our personal God relates with us His people, bonding in a covenant like husband and wife that is reciprocal, exclusive, and total love “with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, with all your strength.”

This “first” commandment is also a relationship that flows to our relationships with one another we rightly call as neighbors. See how Jesus added a “second” commandment not as in a hierarchy making it less important but as an expression of the essential “first” commandment of all the scribe understood well when he affirmed, “Well said teacher… and to love your neighbor as yourself is worth more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices” (Mk.12:32, 33).

For the Jews, their neighbors were their fellow Jews and those aliens residing in their land as found in the Book of Leviticus; but, in this scene, we find Jesus bringing that whole notion of neighbors for everyone, regardless of color and status in life, or of gender, or beliefs.

Jesus makes known to us this Sunday His mission of salvation is for all, for everyone. Most of all, Jesus tells us this Sunday that He is the fulfillment of the Law that many during His time and sadly until now have misread as mere letters to be followed, failing to find the face of God in every law inscribed on every person.

*Photo by author, view from Jerusalem Temple, May 2019.*

How interesting that each face has two cheeks, both essential, both as the first commandment: love of God is love of neighbor. To profess and practice this faith in God that started in fear and matured into love finding Him in everyone as our neighbor is to be “not far from the kingdom of God” (Mk.12:34).

Friends, let us not fear asking Jesus which is the “first” of the commandments like that scribe.

Keep asking Him until we find Jesus “first” in our trials and tribulations, darkness and confusions, failures and emptiness.

Keep asking Him until we find Jesus “first” on those people who burden us, those who hurt us, those who judge us, those who refuse to listen to us, those who dictate on us.

Keep asking Him until we find Jesus even in programs and plans we could not understand or that are downright crazy.

That is what to truly love God and to love everyone. It is difficult but we have Jesus as our high-priest “who has passed through the heavens” leading us closer to the kingdom of God. Amen. Have a lovely November!