The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Tuesday, Memorial of the Presentation of Mary, 21 November 2023
Revelation 11:19a, 12:1-6a, 10ab <*((((>< + ><))))*> Luke 1:39-47
On this Memorial of the
Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary
in the temple, we pray, O God,
you make us presentable too
before you like our Blessed Mother.
The words presentation
and presentable connote
things of beauty on the outside:
a presentation can be a show
like a play or a dance
while to be presentable means
to be pleasing to the eyes.
But deep its external connotations
is its inner meaning with
religious roots actually,
like to be dedicated as
being good and beneficial
to you, O God.
Like the Blessed Mother Mary,
teach us to present ourselves wholly
to you, dear God, by believing
in you and your words,
to have that firm faith on what is
not seen and sure or certain,
not carried away by all those
fancy and make-believe
images and promises of the world
based on superficialities
of materialism and consumerism.
In this age when fame and wealth
are the measure of what is good,
may we always choose true blessedness
like Mary who believed your words
would be fulfilled;
in this age when everyone prefers
to listen to outside noise and sounds
especially of media, may we always
choose to be silent like Mary,
listening to your voice O God within,
contemplating on its meaning;
in this age with so many false idols
being followed or with everyone
playing god, may we have the courage
and humility of Mary
to always be with Jesus,
never abandoning him even at the Cross,
standing by his side,
choosing to love and sacrifice,
to bear than complain,
to witness your mercy and majesty,
to be your presence and peace.
Amen.
The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Friday, 106th Anniversary of Last Apparition in Fatima, 13 October 2023
Joel 4:12-21 ><]]]]'> + ><]]]]'> + ><]]]]'> Luke 11:15-20
From cbcpnews.net, 13 May 2022, at the Parish of the National Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima, Valenzuela City.
Praise and glory to you,
God our loving Father
in sending us your Son
Jesus Christ who gave us
his Mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary
to be our Mother too!
As we remember today
the 106th year
of her last appearance at
Fatima in Portugal,
we pray most especially anew
for her intercession
for peace in the world,
peace in our Church,
peace in our hearts.
Her apparitions at Fatima
were the most amazing
proofs of your love and mercy
to us in recent history,
reminding us of the need
to reform our lives,
to be converted,
and be reconciled with you,
Father,
through Jesus Christ.
Sadly, until now,
we have refused to heed
her calls of true conversion
so there would be true
reconciliation among us
in Jesus with a new and
stronger commitment
to live our Christian life.
Every year at the start
of Lent on Ash Wednesday
we hear the same words of
your prophet Joel calling
on us today in the first reading
"to gird ourselves and weep and
fast for the day of the Lord is near"
(Joel 1:13-15) but we never heed
them; 106 years ago, the Blessed
Virgin Mary called on the same
things from us and yet,
we have remained stubborn.
Forgive us, Father.
We have strayed so far
from you; our eyes feast on
the many wondrous deeds
you continue to do in our lives
but our hearts are so far from you
like those people who tested Jesus
after he had driven out a demon
(Lk. 11:15-26);
how unfortunate and sad
when many of us today
believe more in the power of
the devil under so many
disguises in technologies
and modern thoughts
and lifestyles by
continuing to refuse
to surrender
ourselves to your
healing power
in Jesus Christ.
Through our Lady of Fatima,
teach us humility and simplicity
like her visionaries in 1917,
the siblings St. Francisco
and St. Jacinta Marto
and their cousin now declared
Venerable Sr. Lucia;
like them, help us put into our
hearts not just in our minds
your calls of repentance
and conversion so there
will truly be reconciliation
among us and be committed
in working for lasting peace.
Amen.
The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Homily for the 106th Anniversary of Last Apparition in Fatima, 13 October 2023
Isaiah 61:9-11 ><}}}}*> Galatians 4:4-7 ><}}}}*> Luke 11:27-28
Today – October 13, 2023 – is the 106th anniversary of the last apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary at Fatima, Portugal when the “Miracle of the Sun” happened, witnessed by about 70,000 people. It was her sixth apparition to the three young children at Cova da Iria that started in May 13, 1917.
Except for the month of August when authorities jailed the three children on August 13 on their way to Cova da Iria to force them to recant their earlier statements of the apparition, the Blessed Mother appeared to them on August 19 at the nearby Valinhos where she repeated her calls for prayers and sacrifices as well as the request for them to come every 13th day until the coming October when she reveals herself after a great miracle.
What is significant with the 13th day of each month that Mary appeared in Fatima from May to October 1917 that we have continued with this 13th Day Devotion?
From Pinterest.com.
The Blessed Mother never explained to the three children, now St. Francisco and his sister St. Jacinta Marto and their cousin Sr. Lucia dos Santos why she appeared to them every 13th day of each month.
According to later interviews with Sr. Lucia who became a Carmelite sister and the last to die of the three children in 2005, she believed as the fruit of her prayers that the number 13 signified the Blessed Trinity. Sr. Lucia explained that number “13” illustrates to us that there is one (“1”) God in three (“3”) Persons (she was recently declared Venerable by Pope Francis to pave the way for her sainthood).
Here we find anew in the Fatima apparitions the consistency of truths found in our Church teachings and doctrines, specifically, the Blessed Trinity, that there is One God in Three Persons. Saints have also tried to explain the Blessed Trinity in simple analogies like the number 13 reflection of the Venerable Sr. Lucia.
In a 2022 article by Catholic author Joseph Pronechen that appeared in Soul magazine (see, https://www.bluearmy.com/the-significance-of-fatimas-13th-day/), he presented how the number “13” has many biblical foundations to be chosen by the Blessed Mother in Fatima as date of her apparitions. Foremost of this is found in the Old Testament Book of Esther.
Esther was among the Jewish exiles living in Persia after the Babylonian captivity. She was said to be so lovely and beautiful that the Persian king, Ahasuerus chose her to be his Queen among his many wives. Her uncle named Mordecai was the King’s most trusted adviser too that earned the jealousy among Persians in the royal court. Both Mordecai and Queen Esther remained faithful to God despite their royal positions. Esther then discovered a plot by some of the King’s men to exterminate all the Jews in Persia, especially her uncle Mordecai. It was at this instance that she prayed so hard to God for her to be able to warn her King of his men’s evil plot against the Jews even it could have cost her own life.
By the grace of God, Esther was able to muster all the strength and courage to speak to King Ahasuerus to foil the evil plot of his men set on “the 13th day of the twelfth month of Adar” (Esther 3:7).
The Persian king truly loved Queen Esther and ordered the arrest and execution of his aide (Haman) to prevent the murder of so many Jews. Queen Esther thus saved her fellow Jews on the 13th day of the Jewish month of Adar! And because of her intervention, King Ahasuerus ordered Jews in his kingdom to freely worship their God with assurance of protection from enemies.
Like Queen Esther, the Blessed Virgin Mary is also our Queen being the Mother of the King of kings, Jesus Christ. Every August 22 we celebrate her Queenship and in the Glorious Mysteries, we meditate her being Queen of heaven and earth.
Most of all, like Queen Esther, the Blessed Virgin Mary in Fatima intervened on October 13, 1917 to save the world from the ongoing WWI that began in 1914 and ended the following year in 1918. Sad to say, the world was plunged anew into the darkness of WWII that was more deadlier in 1939-1945 as predicted by our Lady at Fatima if the world would not heed calls for repentance and conversion of sinners. In recent history we have witnessed how our Queen Mother Mary saved St. John Paul II on May 13, 1981 – her feast day as our Lady of Fatima – from a deadly assassination attempt at St. Peter Square in the Vatican. Again, the world is in the darkness of deadly wars right in the Holy Land and in Ukraine by Russia whom the Virgin Mary had specifically mentioned in her October 13, 1917 apparition at Fatima.
When are we going to follow her maternal instructions of repentance and conversion, something which she merely repeated from similar calls by Prophets in the Old Testament and by her Son Jesus Christ in the gospels?
If we truly consider Mary is our Queen, why can’t we obey her and follow her instructions more than 100 years ago?
See how in today’s gospel Jesus underscored the importance of listening and following his words as main component of being part of his family. Mary was the first to listen and act on his word at the Annunciation and until now, she does the same thing so we may be saved from the wraths of evil caused by man’s inhumanity to one another.
Page from Ilustração Portuguesa, 29 October 1917, showing the people looking at the Sun during the Fátima apparitions attributed to the Virgin Mary. From en.wikipedia.org.
Going back to the Sacred Scriptures, we find more bases of the significance of number “13” used by the Blessed Mother at Fatima in 1917. In the Book of Acts, we find that when the Holy Spirit came on Pentecost, the 12 Apostles (Matthias replaced Judas Iscariot) were with “Mary the mother of Jesus” (Acts 1:14). Here we find 12 (Apostles) + 1 (Mary) = 13!
In the gospel accounts, we know Jesus Christ’s choice of 12 apostles was from the “12 tribes of Israel” or 12 sons of Jacob who was also called by God as “Israel”. Again, 12 + 1 = 13.
According to an interview by Pronechen of a Jewish rabbi, the meaning of number 13 in Hebrew is “bonding of many into one”. Every time we pray the Apostle’s Creed, we profess our faith not only in God in Three Persons but also to the Catholic Church that bonds us into Christ’s body who was born of the Virgin Mary. In Fatima on October 13, 1917, our Lady called on us to be one in God through Jesus in prayers, fasting and sacrifices, and commitment to live as true Christians.
Most of all, Pronechen explained that according to the Jewish rabbi he had interviewed, every letter in the Hebrew language has a numeric value. The word “love” which is ahava in Hebrew is connected with God with a numeric value of 13. Now, consider that when the Virgin Mary first appeared at Fatima on May 13, 1917, it was the original feast of Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament. Here we find another intimate link in our Lady of Fatima’s insistence in celebrating Mass and receiving Jesus in the Holy Communion often because the Holy Eucharist is the Sacrament of Love.
How wonderful to meditate that our Blessed Mother Mary appeared in Fatima 106 years ago today with that singular message and expression of God’s love for us all!
When are we going to listen to her call for us to truly live in the love of God expressed by Jesus Christ on the Cross? Amen. Have a blessed weekend everyone!
From cbcpnews.net, 13 May 2022, at the Parish of the National Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima, Valenzuela City.
Quiet Storm by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II, 15 September 2023
“Mater Dolorosa” also known as “Blue Madonna” (1616) by Carlo Dolci. Photo from Wikimedia Commons.
I started praying about this blog last month after the Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. It just occurred to me on that day to greet some of my “girlfriends” – yes, God has blessed me with so many of them who are mostly women and ladies who have taught me and shared with me so many lessons and thoughts about life only women can see.
One of them is my former colleague at GMA-7 News, Kelly, widowed for six years since the passing of her husband Larry whom I have visited and anointed many times during his long battle with cancer. When I asked her how she has been doing since our last meeting before the pandemic, she was her usual self – candid yet a bit sardonic in her reply, “I’m good. I have health issues but I’m handling them, living a simple but contented life… alam mo naman ako, I’m so Alannis Morissette.”
I thought she was again speaking “gay” as in chorva when she described herself as Alannis Morisette. And before I could ask her the meaning of “Alanis Morissette”, she turned out to be speaking English – referring to the singer Alanis Morissette as she sent me lyrics of her 1995 song Handin My Pocket. Immediately I checked it on Youtube and found it perfect too for today’s celebration of the Memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows or Mater Dolorosa as it speaks of every woman’s sacrifice and sufferings in this world that is sadly still dominated by male chauvinists.
Mary as Our Lady of Sorrows reminds us of every woman’s fidelity to God through her husband and children, family and loved ones as well as vocation. Her remaining at the foot of the Cross was her lowest and painful point in life to be with her crucified Son, Jesus Christ. She was so absorbed with his pain and sufferings that at Easter, she was in turn absorbed by the glory of our Risen Lord which culminated at her Assumption into heaven.
How was Mary able to keep her composure? Oneness in Christ her Son from whom all good things come even in the most trying times. When I look at her face as portrayed in the arts, it is not pity that I feel but her dignity, nobility and simplicity. Notice her praying hands, totally surrendering herself to God which began at the Annunciation when she told the angel, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word” (Lk.1:38). There at the foot of the Cross of Jesus, her hands remained in praying position, entrusting everything to God, filled with faith, hope and love.
Alanis Morissette express almost the same faith, hope and love in the modern sense today with her 1995 Hand in My Pocket. A Canadian-American, Morissette grew up in a devout Roman Catholic family. Although she is now a practicing Buddhist, Morissette claimed repeatedly in some interviews that she owes her singing career to her Catholic faith. Her personal life is marked with so many pains and sufferings too, going through depressions and eating disorders as well as having been raped while 15 years old. It was from these experiences that she got all her inspirations in her many songs that strike chords in the hearts of many modern people, not just women, who strive to find meaning by hoping to brighter tomorrows amid the many hardships modern life has brought us.
I’m broke, but I’m happy I’m poor, but I’m kind I’m short, but I’m healthy, yeah I’m high, but I’m grounded I’m sane, but I’m overwhelmed I’m lost, but I’m hopeful, baby
And what it all comes down to Is that everything’s gonna be fine, fine, fine ‘Cause I’ve got one hand in my pocket And the other one is giving a high five
We just have to remember our own mothers to realize and appreciate how our Lady of Sorrows and Alanis Morissette were able to bear all of life’s sufferings. It is in their hands. The praying hands. The hand in the pocket holding on to the present realities and the other hand up in the air hoping everything will be fine.
How ironic – pun intended as it is the title too of my favorite Morissette song – that despite all the great love women have offered and given us through our own mothers and sisters, aunts and grandmothers, teachers and nurses, not to forget the multitude of women who make our economy grow by laboring here and abroad plus the nuns who pray and run so many orphanages, women are still neglected and forgotten, even unloved, maltreated, and abused. Sadly, their fellow women are the ones who inflict those pains in this cruel and ungrateful world.
Starting today, be kind to women, especially those closest to you, those who have remained loving and kind despite your excesses and other idiosyncrasies.
Here is Ms. Alanis Morissette. Her music video is very interesting too, showing the many contrasts every disciple of Christ like Mary our Lady of Sorrows goes through in this life. Set in black and white, it evokes rawness yet at the same time brings out that eternal spring of hope within each one of us. Have a blessed rest day ahead!
The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Friday, Memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows, 15 September 2023
1 Timothy 1:1-2, 12-14 ><}}}*> + ><}}}*> + ><}}}*> John 19:25-27
Lady of Sorrows from a triptych by the Master of the Stauffenberg Altarpiece, Alsace c. 1455; photo from fraangelicoinstitute.com.
What a joy for us,
sinful children of the Father
to be your children too,
O Blessed Virgin Mary
through your Son
our Lord Jesus Christ!
Standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary of Magdala. When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple there whom he loved, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son.” Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother.” And from that hour the disciple took her into his home.
John 19:25-27
More than the tears and sorrow
on your face portrayed in arts,
O Sorrowful Mother,
all I see and experience
in you is a disciple
so absorbed in prayer,
so united and close
with our Lord Jesus;
yours is a different kind
of sadness
that I feel when I look
at your images
as our Lady of Sorrows:
no pity but dignity,
no dramatics nor theatrics
but purely
noble simplicity.
How sad,
dear Mother and Lady of Sorrows
that many of us disciples
of your Son Jesus
have forgotten this very
important aspect of discipleship
you have shown us,
a life centered on prayer
that is more than reciting prayers
but residing in Christ,
of being absorbed in his
Passion and Death
so that like you,
we may be absorbed by
his glorious Resurrection!
Indeed,
dear Lady of Sorrows,
as St. Paul tells us today,
"the grace of our Lord has been
abundant, along with the faith
and love that are
in Christ" (1 Tim.1:14);
pray for us your children
and fellow disciples
to be first absorbed in prayers
because before everything
else came,
there was Jesus
who first came
calling us
to be one in him,
with him,
and through him
like you
absorbed by his glory
in heaven.
Amen.
The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Friday, Feast of the Birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary, 08 September 2023
Romans 8:28-30 ><}}}}*> + ><}}}}*> + ><}}}}*> Matthew 1:18-23
Photo by author, Sacred Heart Novitiate, Novaliches, QC, 20 March 2023.
Praise and glory to God
our loving Father in
choosing you, Most Blessed
Virgin Mary to be the Mother
of his Son, our Lord
Jesus Christ!
You are most unique
of us all not on your own
account but totally
on the goodness of God;
but, there lies your greatness
in teaching us that important
lesson of being open to God,
to his plan and will,
to always saying yes to him,
trusting him,
remaining faithful to him.
We know that all things work for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.
Romans 8:28
Photo by author, St. Scholastica Convent, Baguio City, 23 August 2023.
You are the only exception,
dearest Mother Mary,
next to Jesus our Savior and
his forerunner St. John the Baptist
whose birthday we celebrate
to remind each of us
that we are born into this
world according to God's plan.
Let us keep that
ingrained in our hearts
and minds:
no matter what
are the circumstances,
sometimes too painful
and even unbearable
for some,
God our Father
has plans for us that
he gifted us with life
to be born,
to be alive
because he called us
according
to his purpose;
each of us
is a part of God's
grand design
and what an honor
and privileged
we are born!
Pray for us,
dear Mother Mary,
to be open to God,
to say yes
and act on his call
to us just like you
to fulfill his purpose;
pray for us,
dear Mother to have
that courage like you
to believe no matter what,
even amid the lack of
any understanding
of the implications of God's
plans for us;
pray for us,
dearest Mother
to be close to Jesus
especially at the Cross
just like you.
Thank you,
Blessed Mother Mary
in saying yes to God
to be the Mother of his Son,
to be the first among us
in being conformed
to the image of Jesus Christ,
from his birth to his death
and on to his resurrection
that you now enjoy
his promised glory
in heaven.
Amen.
Photo by author, St. Scholastica Convent, Baguio City, 23 August 2023.
The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Tuesday, Memorial of the Queenship of Mary, 22 August 2023
Isaiah 9:1-6 ><}}}}*> + ><}}}}*> + ><}}}}*> Luke 1:26-30
Photo by author, St. Scholastica Spirituality Center, Baguio City, 22 August 2023.
YES. Perhaps the most sweetest word we all wish to hear but also the most difficult word for us to say. We want others always saying “yes” to our requests and questions but we are so afraid, so hesitant telling it to others. Very often, we hide our “yes” in cloudy expressions like maybe, will try, or simply not say it all. Especially with God.
How funny that every vocation story of any priest and religious started with that simple “yes” – a “yes, Lord”! Or, “opo, Panginoon, susunod ako”!
Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her.
Luke 1:38
How amazing that such a very simple word of three letters – yes – could be so powerful enough to change one’s life. Even history. And how could such a very short word with just one syllable be so difficult to say!
With every yes in life we hear, it becomes so sweet because we are affirmed. We feel valuable and precious when people say “yes” to us. However, we are very cautious in saying “yes” to others, especially to God and in the name or presence of God because when we say that “yes”, it becomes our very life.
Every “yes” becomes a commitment, a vow, a promise to keep. Not only for us priests and religious but everybody, especially husband and wife saying yes on their wedding day; doctors, lawyers and other professionals saying yes to uphold life, justice and freedom; children saying yes to obey their parents and teachers; everybody has to say a yes in different ways every day everywhere in many occasions and situations. Many times it looks so simple, sometimes it could mean life and death.
Photo by author, St. Scholastica Spirituality Center, Baguio City, 22 August 2023.
Every yes is precious and sweet because it is the beginning of love. That is why we need to affirm and stand with that yes day in, day out in our lives.
Like Mary, her “yes” to God did not happen just once but everyday in her life, reaching its highest point at the Cross when her Son Jesus Christ died. She must have had the most painful yet bittersweet yes too when she held Christ’s lifeless Body immortalized in Michaelangelo’s La Pieta.
But it was Mary’s yes that brought us Christmas and Easter, leading to Pentecost in the birth of our Church, and led her to heaven. That is why, we celebrate her Queenship today, a week after her Assumption.
O most Blessed Virgin Mary,
our Mother and Queen,
help us to say yes like you to God,
not once but every day in our lives;
pray for us to remain faithful in our yes
to him through our loved ones,
through his people and flock;
pray for us to keep our yes to God
simple like yours, trusting him always
even if our yes would lead us to the Cross
so that our yes would bring us also
to his presence in heaven.
Amen.
Lawiswis ng Salita ni P. Nicanor F. Lalog II, Ika-15 ng Agosto 2023
Larawan kuha ng may-akda, bukang-liwayway sa Camp John Hay, Baguio noong 12 Hulyo 2023.
Kamakailan ay naglathala ako dito sa aking blog na wala nang birthday pang ipinagdiriwang sa langit. Ito rin ang dahilan kaya tama ang mga tambay at tomador sa kanto sa kanilang awitin na “sa langit ay walang beer” kasi nga walang birthday sa langit!
Ito ang dahilan kaya ang kapistahan ng ating mga banal ay ipinagdiriwang sa kanilang araw ng kamatayan o kaya sa petsa kung kailan inilipat kanilang mga labi o bangkay. Ito rin ang dahilan kaya sa araw na ito, ika-15 ng Agosto ay ating ipinagdiriwang ang pag-aakyat sa langit sa Mahal na Birheng Maria bagamat hindi siya namatay na katulad ng ibang mga santo at santa o ng mga tao.
Ipinapahayag sa ating pananampalataya batay sa mga tradisyon at pagninilay, hindi dumanas ng “kamatayan” tulad ng ating nalalaman ang Birheng Maria. Sa ating kamalayan at kaalaman, nakakatakot ang kamatayan dahil ito ay mahirap, masakit at malagim. Iyan ay dahil sa ating kasalanan. Sabi ni San Agustin noon, kahit hindi nagkasala ang tao, daranas pa rin siya ng kamatayan ngunit hindi ito mahirap o masakit at malagim. Kumbaga, sa isang kisap-mata maaring mangyari ang kamatayan na walang kahirap-hirap.
Iyon ang dinanas ni Maria, nakatulog kaya sa Inggles ang tawag ay dormition of Mary.
Icon ng “Dormition” o Pagtulog ni Maria na iginuhit ni El Greco noong ika-16 na siglo mula sa en.wikipedia.org.
Gayon din naman, sa kanyang pagtulog, iniakyat ng Diyos si Maria sa langit katawan at kaluluwa upang maging kauna-unahan sa mga nilalang na magtamo ng kaganapan ng pangako ni Jesus na muling mabubuhay ang mga namatay sa wakas ng panahon. Dahil hindi naman “namatay” si Maria kaya hindi rin naagnas o nawasak kanyang katawan kaya siya naman ay kaagad na ring iniakyat ng Diyos sa langit. Ito rin ang ating sasapitin na siyang ating inaasam-asam balang araw sa wakas ng panahon kapag tayo ay papasok din ng langit, katawan at kaluluwa.
Larawan kuha ni Fr. Gerry Pascual sa Santuario di Greccio, Rieti, Italy, 2019.
Kaya naman sa araw na ito ay ipinaalala sa ating ng Dakilang Kapistahan ng Pag-aakyat sa langit kay Maria na ang landas patungong langit ay nagsisimula dito sa lupang ibabaw.
Pagmasdan kung paano sa ating Ebanghelyo ating napakinggan ang pagdalaw ni Maria sa kanyang pinsang Elizabeth na tuwang-tuwang at nagpupuri sa kanyang pagpapalang tinanggap sa Diyos. Sa halip na papurihan din niya si Elizabeth, ang pinuri ni Maria ay ang Diyos sa pag-awit ng Magnificat.
At sinabi ni Maria, “Ang puso ko’y nagpupuri sa Panginoon, at nagagalak ang aking espiritu dahil sa Diyos na aking Tagapagligtas. Sapagkat nilingaop niya ang kanyang abang alipin! At mula ngayon, ako’y tatawaging mapalad ng lahat ng salinlahi.”
Lukas 1:46-48
Dito pa lamang atin nang makikita kung paanong sa buhay ng Mahal na Birheng Maria ay magkatali at hindi mapaghihiwalay kanyang tuwa at galak sa pagliligtas ng Diyos at ang kanyang hapis sa paanan ng Krus ni Jesus.
Si Maria ang una at pangunahing alagad ni Kristo sapagkat siya ang unang tumanggang at tumalima sa Salita na naging tao, si Jesus. Sa buong buhay niya, si Jesus ang kanyang dinala at binahagi sa lahat maging sa pagsisimula ng Inang Simbahan nang kasama si Maria ang mga apostol na nananalangin sa silid nang bumaba ang Espiritu Santo noong Pentekostes.
Kaya naman tinagurian din si Maria bilang Kaban ng Tipan o Ark of the Covenant dahil siya ang nagdala ng Diyos Anak sa kayang sinapupunan.
Matatandaan na noong nasa ilang ang mga Israelita, nagpagawa ang Diyos kay Moises ng kaban upang doon ilagak ang dalawang tapyas ng bato na kinasusulatan ng kanyang Sampung Utos. Itinatago noon sa tolda o kubol ang Kaban ng Tipan bilang tanda ng kapanatilihan ng Diyos. Tuwing papasok si Moises sa tolda kung saan naroon ang Kaban ng Tipan, bumababa ang ulap ng Diyos tanda na naroon siya sa tolda kausap si Moises. Tanging mga pari mula sa lahit ni Levi (kaya Levita ang tawa sa kanilang pari) lamang ang maaring magpasan ng Kaban ng Tipan ng Diyos.
Nang mayari ang templo ng Jerusalem, doon inilagak ang Kaban ng Tipan kaya naman hindi lamang kapitolyo ng mga Hudyo ang lungsod na ito kungdi ito rin ang gitna ng sandaigdigan at maging ng kalawakan sapagkat naroon ang Diyos sa templo sa Jerusalem. Nang mawasak ang templo ng Jerusalem, nawala na rin ang Kaban ng Tipan. Iyong “wailing wall of Jerusalem” na dinarasalan ng mga Hudyo at mga peregrinong Kristiyano ang natitirang labi ng bahagi ng templo na pinakamalapit sa pinaglagyan ng Kaban ng Tipan ng Diyos. Banal na lunan iyon sapagkat iyon ang pinakamalapit sa pinaglagyan ng Kaban.
Larawan kuha ng may-akda, Jerusalem, 2017.
Ngayong Dakilang Kapistahan ng Pag-aakyat kay Maria sa langit ay maganda ring balikan ang litanya ng Birheng Maria na nagsasabi sa kanya bilang “Kaban ng Tipan” na siya ring nakita ni Juan sa kanyang pangitain ukol sa mga magaganap sa wakas ng panahon.
Nabuksan ang templo ng Diyos sa langit, at nakita ko ang Kaban ng Tipan.
Pahayag 11:19
Nakakatawang isipin na mula sa Hollywood sa pelikulang Raiders of the Lost Ark kung saan bida si Harrison Ford bilang Prof. Indiana Jones, kalaban niya ang mga Aleman noong ikalawang digmaang pandaigdig sa paghahanap sa Kaban ng Tipan dahil sa paniniwalang ito ang pinaka-mabisang sandata sa lahat dahil sa angking kapangyarihan.
Hindi na natin kailangan pang hanapin iyon o ano mang anting-anting upang maging makapangyarihan. Tularan lamang natin si Maria sa pagiging kaban o lagakan ni Jesus sa ating pagkatao ay sapat na. Wala tayong hindi mapagtatagumpayanan kung ang Diyos ang nananahan sa ating katawan at katauhan.
“The Assumption of the Virgin” ng Italian Renaissance painter na si Titian, ginawa sa isang simbahan sa Venice noong 1518. Larawan mula sa wikidata.org.
Sa Banal na Misa ang Diyos ay ating napakikinggan sa kanyang mga salita ngunit ito ba ay ating naisasabuhay tulad ni Maria?
Sa Banal na Misa ating tinatanggap si Jesus, Katawan at Dugo sa Banal na Komunyon ngunit siya ba ang nababanaagan sa ating sarili at pamumuhay, salita at gawa?
Sa panahong ito na lumalayo na at binabale-wala ng maraming tao ang Diyos, maging paalala sa atin nawa na maging katulad ni Maria sa pagiging Kaban din ng Tipan ng Diyos, tagapagdala at tagapaghatid ni Jesus sa mga tao hindi lamang sa salita kungdi sa gawa.
Nawa sa ating pagdiriwang ng Dakilang Kapistahan ng Pag-aakyat sa Langit kay Maria, masalamin din sa atin ang inaasam-asam nating buhay na walang hanggan sa langit sa pamumuhay natin sa mapagmahal na paglilingkod lalo sa mga may-sakit at nahihirapan. Sila nawa ay mabuhayan ng loob na magwawakas din kanilang pagdurusa at balang araw makakamit buhay na walang hanggan sa tulong at panalangin ng ating Mahal na Ina si Maria. Amen.
The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Tuesday, Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, 15 August 2023
Revelation 11:19, 12:1-6, 10 ><}}}*> 1 Corinthian 15:20-27 ><}}}*> Luke 1:39-56
“The Assumption of the Virgin” by Italian Renaissance painter Titian completed in 1518 for the main altar of Frari church in Venice. Photo from wikidata.org.
Glory and praise to you,
O God our loving Father
in calling the Blessed Virgin Mary
to be the Mother of your Son
our Lord Jesus Christ!
In calling her to bring into
the world Jesus Christ,
we are saved;
in calling her to be the Mother of Jesus,
we are given the chance to
bring Jesus too
by being like her.
Like the Virgin Mary,
let us cooperate with your grace
O Lord by being open, listening
your word always;
likewise, may we also believe and act
on your word O Lord like Mary;
most of all, may we be one with you,
dear Jesus in your Passion and Death
on the Cross like Mary so we may join
you in your Resurrection too.
As we celebrate this
Solemnity of Mary's Assumption
Body and Soul into heaven,
may we keep in mind this is our lofty goal
in life, that while here on earth,
let our admiration and joy
for Christ's coming be inseparable
from his pains and sufferings;
O most blessed Virgin Mary,
truly the Ark of the New Covenant
as you entered heaven to share
in Christ's glory,
pray for us still on our earthly pilgrimage;
may we also be your Son's tabernacle
like you who visited Elizabeth
to affirm God's mission for us to make
him known and felt in this world
that has turned away from him
and from each other,
choosing to believe more
in science and technology;
may through our lives of holiness
like you, O blessed Mother Mary,
may we show others
a glimpse of the heavenly glory
God assures us.
Amen.
The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Wednesday, Feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, 31 May 2023
Romans 12:9-16 ><}}}}*> + ><}}}}*> + ><}}}}*> Luke 1:39-56
Photo by author, sunrise at Anvaya Cove, Morong, Bataan, 19 May 2023.
Glory and praise to you,
God our loving Father
who had come and comes
daily in Christ Jesus our Lord!
Just like in this Feast of the
Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary,
you always surprise us dear God
like Elizabeth.
Every visitation is always
surprising, especially when
you are the one coming,
O God.
When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the infant leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, cried out in a loud voice and said, “Most blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And how does this happen to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me?”
Luke 1:41-43
Like Elizabeth,
we are so surprised
with your visitation in
Christ Jesus because
if ever there is anyone
who should be making
the visit, it should be us -
or Elizabeth who should
have visited Mary who was
pregnant with Jesus Christ.
What a beautiful anticipation
it was of Christ's mission through
his self-emptying or kenosis
when he said "The Son of Man
has come to serve and not to be
served" (see Mt.20:28, Mk. 10:45).
Keep us home,
keep us grounded in you,
Lord, like Elizabeth,
always ready to be
surprised with your visit,
to welcome your coming
in the Holy Spirit to shake us
and examine our many beliefs,
traditions and conventions
that have prevented us from
making Jesus more present among us
especially the poor and marginalized;
keep us home,
keep us rooted in you
like Elizabeth, Lord,
ready to be radical,
to go back to our roots
and rootedness so that only
what is most essential we must
keep - the person of
Jesus Christ himself
because many times,
we do not recognize your coming,
your visits as we are busy
"visiting" worldly concerns
than being focused in you
our Lord.
Come, Lord Jesus,
visit us like when you
visited Elizabeth and
John through Mary your
Mother so we may imitate
her in bringing you to the
hungry and poor so that
we may learn to practice
St. Paul's admonition,
"Let love be sincere:
hate what is evil, hold on
to what is good; love one
another with mutual affection;
anticipate one another in
showing honor" (Rom. 12:9-10).
lordmychef.com 