The Lord Is My Chef Breakfast Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Thursday, Week XXVII, Year II in Ordinary Time, 08 October 2020
Galatians 3:1-5     >><)))*>   +   >><)))*>   +   >><)))*>     Luke 11:5-13

Today I pray, O Lord, for the gift of being realistic aside from being faithful. Your words have jolted me to some realities I have taken for granted when I thought faith could take care of everything in this journey with you.

St. Paul has every reason to call the Galatians “stupid” — and so are we!

O stupid Galatians! Who has bewitched you, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified. I want to learn only this from you: did you receive the Spirit from works of the law, or from faith in what you heard? Are you stupid? After beginning with the Spirit, are now ending with the flesh?

Galatians 3:1-3

Like the Galatians, despite our claims of having strong faith, we are easily misled into other beliefs, doubting our very faith in you, Jesus because we lack the conviction of standing by what we believe due to our failure to nurture and deepen your gift of faith in us.

Teach us, Jesus, to cultivate our faith in you by continuing to know you by studying further the teachings of the Church, the catechism and most specially those found in the Sacred Scriptures.

Above all, may learn to deepen our faith in you by persevering in our prayers not only to obtain what we ask for but most of all to deepen our relationship with you.

So many times, we forget that faith and prayer are not for obtaining things we need but to relate personally and meaningfully to you and with others!

No wonder, we also forget because of our misdirected faith that we are your disciples and you are the Lord, that we can only “ask” and never demand nor even command you for anything.

Jesus said to his disciples: “Suppose one of you has a friend to whom he goes at midnight and says, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread, for a friend of mine has arrived at my house from a journey and I have nothing to offer him,’ and he says in reply from within, ‘Do not bother me; the door has already been locked and my children and I are already in bed. I cannot get up to give you anything.’ I tell you, if he does not get up to give him the loaves because of their friendship, he will get up to give him whatever he needs because of his persistence.”

Luke 11:5-8

Remind us Jesus that it is YOU whom we must ask and will surely receive; it is also YOU whom we must seek and will surely find; and finally, YOU are the door we must knock to be opened to welcome us.

O dear Jesus, make my faith lively and realistic in you, like a door leading me to more openings, more realizations, and more of YOU! Amen.

The Lord Is My Chef Breakfast Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Tuesday, Week XXV, Year II in Ordinary Time, 22 September 2020
Proverbs 21:1-6, 10-13   >><)))*>  ||+||   <*(((><<   Luke 8:19-21

I have learned, Lord, from many sources that the surest way to survive in the forest or any where else during a critical situation is to search and follow the source of water like a stream or a river, or even a drainage.

Experts tell us that wherever there is water, there is life, there is a community where one can always find help and support, healing and nourishment, encouragement and mission.

Like a stream is the king’s heart in the hand of the Lord; wherever it pleases him, he directs it.

Proverbs 21:1

Open our eyes and our hearts, Lord Jesus, to always search and follow you, the only true living water who can quench our thirst and cleanse us from all dirt in this life.

This pandemic demands that we go back to you by finding new ways, new routes of living the gospel we have always taken for granted. Gone are the days of simple rites and rituals that are empty, very selfish and individualistic forgetting we are a family with God our Father.

Let us find our family in you, Jesus, where we can be truly “a mother and brothers and sisters” who listen to your words and “act on it” (Lk.8:21). Amen.

The Lord Is My Chef Breakfast Recipe for the Soul, Tuesday, Week IX, Year II, 02 June 2020

2 Peter 3:12-15, 17-18 <*(((>< ooo 0 ooo ><)))*> Mark 12:13-17

Sometimes, Lord, I refuse to use the word “amazing” for it is not totally something about good and beautiful. Though, the word is truly amazing, most often what amazes us can often vary depending on our focus and orientation.

Some Pharisees and Herodians were sent to Jesus to ensnare him in his speech. They came and said to him, “Teacher…Is it lawful to pay the census tax to Caesar or not?” Knowing their hypocrisy he said to them, “Why are you testing me? Bring me a denarius to look at.” They brought one to him and he said to them, “Whose image and inscription is this?” They replied to him, “Caesar’s.” So Jesus said to them, “Repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God.” They were utterly amazed at him.

Mark 12:13-17

What and why were they amazed at you, Lord Jesus?

Was it because of your brilliant answer to their question they have thought so tricky enough to catch you? If that were so, it was not really so amazing because your answer did not stop them from seeking other ways of ensnaring you.

Different things amaze people. And most often, what amazes us are not necessarily good and could even be sinister of something deeper and darker than what it seems to be on the surface.

What was more amazing for me, Lord – this time in a negative sense – was for them to even ask you that question.

Did they not realize the answer before, which they already knew and have already been practicing before: paying the census taxes as subjects of the Caesar and giving contributions to the temple as faithful children of God?

If that were so, Lord, I am more amazed today that it is still happening in our own time when our government officials have refused anew our request to partially open churches and other houses of worship for the spiritual nourishment of the people.

How amazing that until now, there are people who prefer to look after the material well-being of others than their spiritual needs especially at this time of the pandemic.

How amazing, Lord, that they would rather open stores and shops to stimulate economic growth, forgetting that more important is the spiritual nourishment people are so hungry and thirsty these days.

Is it more amazing, Lord, when we continue to take you for granted even at critical moments like this as if we have never learned in history?

Help us, Jesus, to “grow in grace and knowledge of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ. to him be glory now and to the day of eternity.” (2 Peter 3:18).

Teach us, O Lord, that what is truly amazing is to always find you as the most important even in the most minute details of our lives. Amen.

40 Shades of Lent, Sunday Week III-A, 15 March 2020

Exodus 17:3-7 +++ Romans 5:1-2, 5-8 +++ John 4:5-42

Lent 2020 will be a very unforgettable liturgical season in modern time due to pandemic COVID-19. And for a lot of good, spiritual reasons which we have taken for granted even disregarded for so long. Consider these:

First, due to COVID-19 more people are now praying and celebrating the Holy Mass, imploring for Divine intervention to end this pandemic that has claimed so many lives since December 2019. In disrupting our way of life, COVID-19 made us realize to treasure every opportunity to celebrate the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass now being cancelled in many parts of the world, especially in our predominantly Catholic nation.

Second – most of all – in disrupting our flow and way of life, COVID-19 forces us today to reexamine our lives and values, our being Christians, of learning the true meaning of worshiping God “in Spirit and truth”.

Jesus said to her, “Believe me, woman, the hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You people worship what you do not understand; we worship what we understand, because salvation is from the Jews. But the hour is coming, and is now here, when true worshipers will worship the Father in Spirit and truth; and indeed the Father seeks such people to worship him. God is Spirit, and those who worship him must worship in Spirit and truth.” The woman said to him, “I know that the Messiah is coming, the one called the Christ; when he comes, he will tell us everything.” Jesus said to her, “I am he, the one who is speaking with you.”

John 4:21-26

Water, Spirit, and truth in Jesus Christ

So typical of St. John’s rich symbolisms, our gospel today conveys many lessons for us about life and its meaning in this time of COVID-19.

Like the Samaritan woman, many of us are soul-searching, thirsting for God. How ironic that a virus – microscopic organisms – have laid bare everything that has been going wrong with us, from our faith and religious practices as well as in our exercise of choosing our leaders in government who have only worsened the tough situations we are into in these first three months of 2020.

Many of us have rightly turned back to God for answers in the wrong manner: we are merely praying, asking God’s help but we refuse to change. We are asking him for strength but we are not willing to ask for redirection. Most of all, we keep on asking God for encouragement but we do not want to be converted.

In the story of the Samaritan woman and Jesus, we find the need to set aside our own agendas in life in order to draw water from God himself.

Water evokes life and the Well, especially in the Old Testament, symbolizes God. The Well is where one meets God to have more life. This is the context of the Samaritan woman going to Jacob’s well even at noon time when it is hottest. Why? Because the Samaritan is in deep trouble. She’s a sinner and ostracized by the people in her town because as Jesus pointed out to her, though she did not have any husband, the man she was living with at that time was her sixth partner!

Here lies the beauty of the gospel: despite her state of life, of the darkness in her, she comes to the Well, that is, to God. And this time, “this hour” as Jesus told her, she met the Lord and her life was changed.

She was so surprised at how could Jesus knew that truth about her that she totally forgot all about fetching water, leaving her jar and Jesus behind proclaiming the good news back in her town.

Jesus is not only the water who quenches our thirst for life and meaning but also the Spirit who animates us, moves us to be filled with life. He is the fullness of the living water spoken so often in the Old Testament that can be drawn from the Well.

Here we find the clear linkages of water, Spirit, and truth in Christ Jesus who comes, right in our midst in every celebration of the Eucharist and even in the midst of our many crises and sufferings.

Most of all, Jesus is also the new Jacob who opens for us the heavens by inaugurating for us a new kind of worship in Spirit and truth when he dies on the Cross on Good Friday. Remember how Jacob also called Israel saw in his dream a stairway to heaven with angels going up and down (Gen. 28). This time in Sychar, the evangelist is showing us how Jesus is the new Jacob or new Israel, leading us all into heaven he had opened for us with his sacrifice on the Cross.

In this time of the COVID-19 pandemic, Jesus is coming right in our midst, reminding us to worship the Father in Spirit and truth through him by being more charitable with others like staying home when feeling sick, covering our mouth with mask or handkerchief when sneezing and coughing. Simply be considerate of others, be kind and be patient.

Check that beautiful account on Facebook by Ms. Lane Blackwater last Friday of some good Samaritans at a Landmark Supermarket.

According to Ms. Blackwater, it was a busy Wednesday evening with a lot of shoppers along with some hoarders probably when she overheard a pretty lady asking a Manong to get some more stuff for himself after seeing he just had a handful of groceries in his basket.

The lady assured Manong she would pay for everything. Manong was hesitant at first and eventually, took some more items, feeling so shy. But the nice lady insisted Manong to get more until eventually, some shoppers gave him canned goods while at the counter – all paid for by the many good Samaritans!

What a beautiful story about love in time of COVID-19!

Never test your God, for he cannot be outdone in generosity

I was teary eyed as I read that account by Ms. Blackwater, of how some people gave Manong additional groceries. It is the opposite of what the Israelites did while at Meribah and Massah of our first reading when they tested God in not having water to drink in the desert, asking “Is the Lord in our midst or not?” (Ex.17:7)

When you look at Manong, he appears to be a good person. I believe so. He must have felt God that evening. And most likely because he truly deserved it because, hopefully, he trusted in the Lord.

St. Paul rightly tells us in the second reading:

Indeed, only with difficulty does one die for a just person, though perhaps for a good person one might even find courage to die. But God proves his love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us.

Romans 5:7-8

Jesus is surely with us in the midst of this COVID-19 pandemic, resting just like that hot noon in Sychar, waiting for anyone thirsting like the Samaritan woman. Let us learn the lessons of this crisis, let us worship in Spirit and truth to be amazed like the Samaritan woman. Or Manong at Landmark Supermarket.

A blessed Sunday and virus free week to you!

The Lord Is My Chef Sunday Recipe, Week XXVII-C, 06 October 2019

Habakkuk 1:2-3; 2:2-4 ><)))*> 2 Timothy 1:6-8 ><)))*> Luke 17:5-10

This “screen grab” is the accompanying photo to a post of a very good friend expressing his doubts and frustrations about his efforts in deepening the faith of their students at Dr. Yanga’s Colleges in Bocaue, Bulacan.

Oh, yes! That is one of the most innovative schools in the country you must have heard winning top honors for the country in almost every international robotics competition these past ten years or more.

And the very good news is how its president, Sir Michael Yanga, credits all the fruits and successes of their school to their strong emphasis on faith and values formation of students and faculty despite their being non-sectarian. Every year they celebrate a “God-centered Week” while every Monday, Sir Michael holds deepening sessions of the gospel with their students. Below is his post that struck me so much after he felt low last week when God uplifted his spirit with that photo he received.

Of course, I “loved” the post and commented, “this is God writing on your student’s palm, Mike, using you as his pen and ink.”

The following Thursday, I used his post for my homily and blog.

And I am using it again today because it is more than a homily but a gospel– a “good news” so good that must be shared with everyone especially those feeling weak and tired, even doubtful in their faith in Jesus Christ like the Twelve.

The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith.” The Lord replied, “If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you would say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.

Luke 15:5-6

After narrating the parable of the rich man and Lazarus last Sunday, Jesus continues teaching his apostles about the demands of discipleship, foremost of which is the need for a firm faith at the start of St. Luke’s 17th chapter.

In four verses, the Lord warned the Twelve of the many temptations to sin they would face as they followed him. Without mincing any words, Jesus harshly told them how it would be better for any one of them to be tied with a millstone around his neck and be thrown into the sea than to cause others to sin. He also admonished them to rebuke those who sin but asked them to be forgiving to those who repent even if they repeatedly commit sin.

This is the context of our gospel today which is also directed to us that surely like the apostles, we would would have reacted to Jesus with the same request, “increase our faith, Lord” for it is so difficult to be good with all the tensions and complexities of life these days. We might even complain to him like the Prophet Habakkuk in the first reading in exasperation with all the evils going on as we strive to remain firm in our faith in God!

How long, O Lord? I cry for help but you do not listen! I cry out to you, “Violence!” but you do not intervene. Why do you let me see ruin; why must I look at misery? Destruction and violence are before me; there is strife, and clamorous discord.

Habakkuk 1:2-3

God never takes it as sin on our part when we complain to him like Habakkuk or when we ask him why bad things happen to us despite our efforts to faithfully follow his commandments. God knows very well and understands our cries within as prayers and expressions of our deep faith in him!

Sometimes, God allows us to hit rock bottom to make us stronger in our faith so we would love him more and trust him more. See how when we are so down and feeling weak when God would suddenly come to our rescue at the “nick of time”, sending us someone or something to remind us of his presence and fidelity like the Facebook post my friend received to assure him his talks are bearing fruit, that in fact, he likes them very much!

This is the reason why in explaining his teaching about the powers of faith, Jesus narrated this parable about “unprofitable servants”. In some older translations, the word used was “useless” that sounds so harsh and insulting. But, when seen with the eyes of faith, it is something so beautiful because our faithfulness as servants of God is a grace in itself he gives us so that we can do everything for him!

Whenever we are able to continue with our mission against all odds, with much difficulties even with pains, it is pure grace from God as our hearts are purified and made clean that enable us to see him in love as we reflected last Sunday in the attitude of Lazarus. And whenever there is grace and gift from God, there is always joy like the servants who have done what they are obliged to do.

“Who among you would say to your servant who has just come in from plowing or tending sheep in the field, ‘Come here immediately and take your place at table’? Would he not rather say to him, ‘Prepare something for me to eat…’? Is he grateful to that servant because he did what was commanded? So should it be with you. When you have done all you have been commanded, say, ‘We are unprofitable servants; we have done what we were obliged to do.’ ”

Luke 17:7-8, 9-10

Desolation is always a prelude to consolation.

Whenever we cry to God with our doubts and complaints at how things are going as we fulfill our mission to him, we actually express our faith and love in him. Rejoice because that is all due to him who is within us, reassuring us of his reliability and help in everything. Let us heed St. Paul’s call through Timothy to “stir into flame the gift of God” we have within us (2 Tim. 1:6) through prayers and constant struggle with our faith.

When things get difficult for us, when trials threaten to overwhelm us, look into Christ crucified who cried to the Father with “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me” (Mt.26:47) before he died. Jesus was there first to suffer and die for us before our sufferings came. May we have that faith in him to rise to new life again. Amen.

40 Shades of Lent, Tuesday, Week III, 27 March 2019

Deuteronomy 4:1, 5-9///Matthew 5:17-19

Our almighty and loving Father, we thank you for remaining with us, for staying with us despite the many occasions we have left you. There are so many occasions we have not only forgotten but totally disregarded many of your laws in the belief that they no longer apply in our modern time, in our modern situations.

But we are very wrong, loving Father because your ways never go out of date. Always timely and relevant because your teachings set us free to be more loving and more faithful with you and one another.

So many times we have tried to run away from you when we felt held captive or burdened by your laws and teachings. The more we cry for freedom based on our understanding or whims, the more we are imprisoned.

Teach us to have more fresher perspective and view on your teachings and laws in Christ Jesus who had come to make us experience them in a more personal manner. Let us see the fulfillment of your laws and teachings by rededicating our selves to you, renewing our commitment in this spiritual journey so we may be fulfilled in you. Amen.