Lord My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II Friday, Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Principal Patroness of the Philippines 12 December 2025 Zechariah 2:14-17 <*{{{{>< + ><}}}}*> Luke 1:39-47
What a joy for us, to have you, O Most Blessed Virgin Mary as our Mother too courtesy of your Son our Lord Jesus Christ; you first welcomed and received him was also the first to share him with others like her cousin Elizabeth pregnant with his precursor John the Baptist; as the Mother of God, you never had the season of Advent itself for you were an Advent in yourself carrying the Christ, sharing the Christ! And your advent never stopped.
Sing and rejoice, O daughter Zion! See, I am coming to dwell among you, says the Lord. silence, all mankind, in the presence of the Lord! For he stirs forth from his holy dwelling (Zechariah 2:14, 17).
How quick were you O Blessed Mother to appear in the New World at that great period of discoveries, appearing in Guadalupe, Mexico to San Juan Diego proclaiming, sharing Jesus Christ in their midst; you must be so lovely and most kind indeed that they welcomed Jesus through you you right away in Guadalupe!
Help us to imitate you, O Blessed Virgin of Guadalupe of being an advent of Christ in this modern age so detached from God, so impersonal, so relativistic and materialistic; teach us to be like you, O Blessed Virgin of Guadalupe, always humble and simple, one with us, looking like us, walking with us in our own time and milieu, carrying Jesus, sharing Jesus, showing Jesus. Amen.
Lord My Chef Daily Recipe by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II Red Wednesday, 26 November 2025 Daniel 5:1-6, 13-14, 16-17, 23-28 <*{{{>< + ><}}}*> Luke 21:12-19
Photo from Fatima Tribune, 27 November 2024.
It’s the Wednesday after Christ the King when our churches and other religious buildings are lit in red to mark Red Wednesday, the annual campaign for persecuted Christians worldwide.
Started in 2016 by the Aid for Church in Need (ACN), it has been an annual Church celebration with other Christian groups and sects participating to heighten awareness of the continuing persecution of Christians in various parts of the world – exactly what Jesus had predicted to his disciples more than 2000 years ago.
Jesus said to the crowd: “They will seize and persecute you, they will hand you over to the synagogues and to prisons, and they will have you led before kings and governors because of my name. It will lead to your giving testimony… By your perseverance you will secure your lives” (Luke 21:12-13, 19).
Photo from Fatima Tribune, 27 November 2024.
For us in the Philippines that is majority a Christian nation, Red Wednesday is an opportune time to reflect about our “giving testimony” to Jesus Christ: how “bloody red” is our being a Christian?
Unlike in other countries in Africa or our neighbors in Asia where Christians are persecuted and harassed, we in the Philippines do not go through such sufferings and challenges. Think of any kind of opposition to the Christian faith we have encountered even in the last 100 years. None. The most serious threats ever made against our faith seem to be mere “peer pressures” of being teased as “conservative” in going to Mass and Confession frequently, or upholding the virtue of virginity. Perhaps, the most serious dilemma most of us Christians have ever had in our faith is whether or not we shall pray or at least make the Sign of the Cross when dining in a restaurant or fast food chain. In Europe and the States, chapels and churches are vandalized and burned but here in the country, those who have committed sacrileges in the past three years were “crucified” in social media with one being sued in court.
We do not wish that we also undergo similar religious persecutions like the other Christians abroad whom we pray for today on this Red Wednesday and send with our financial support as concrete actions of our solidarity with them.
In line with this year’s theme of “Living Hope Amidst Suffering” in conjunction with the Jubilee Year celebration “Pilgrims of Hope”, Red Wednesday invites us to simply witness the gospel of Jesus by standing on what is true and good especially these days our country is so deep into the ghost project scandals on flood control.
Giving testimony to Jesus Christ is letting our zeal for him burn anew within us by not bending into the ways of the world that promote a “culture of death” like abortion and contraceptives, or to the many forms of wokism that overextend personal rights contrary to God’s original plan and design like divorce, same sex marriage, and gender manipulation.
Photo by Ms. Kei Abad, Kawaguchiko Lake (Fujisan), 23 November 2025.
Witnessing Christ is being honest and just in a country of such impunity where graft and corruption is a family endeavor, a norm in public service.
Giving testimony to Christ in this time of social media where trending and viral are the new standards is to remain simple and modest even if it is looked down upon, being fair and just even if everyone chooses to disregard them while being concrete in our acts of mercy and charity for the weak and marginalized.
Red Wednesday is reigniting our hope in God which is an expression of our firm faith in him. Religious persecutions happen and abound anywhere God is negated and denied or when a particular group of people insist on their own perception of God.
We Christians are pilgrims of hope because we do believe in the one True and Only God in Heaven who was revealed to us by his own Son Jesus Christ made present up to this day until the end of time by the Holy Spirit. Hope is primarily having faith in God.
In this sense it is true that anyonbe who does not nknow God, even though he may entertain all kinds of hopes, is ultimately without hope, without the great hope that sustains the whole of life (cf. Eph. 2:12). Man’s great, true hope which holds firm in spite of all disappointments can only be God – God who has loved us and who continues to love us “to the end,” until all “is accomplished” (cf. Jn.13:1 and 19:30). (Pope Benedict XVI, Spe Salvi #27)
Hope is not optimism nor positive thinking, believing things will get better. On the contrary, true hope is actually accepting that things and situations could get worst as Jesus mentioned in his predictions of the coming upheavals and persecutions. Hope is putting all our trust in God that no matter what happens in the end when things get worst like death, there is Jesus Christ loving us, comforting us, and saving us.
That’s the kind of faith and hope Daniel expressed in our first reading despite the threats of sure death when he spoke of the God of Israel as the only true God, not the many idols and false gods of the Babylonians. Most of all, because of his fervent hope in God who would raise him up in the end, Daniel delivered his interpretation of the king’s dream of how his days were numbered as the Medians and Persians were soon to conquer them that eventually happened.
Photo by Ms. Kei Abad, Kawaguchiko Lake (Fujisan), 23 November 2025.
Many times in life, all we can have is hope in God especially when pains and sufferings become unbearable, when these get worst without any signs of getting any better.
That is why Red Wednesday’s theme this year is so appropriate, “living hope amidst suffering”.
Hope makes life more worthy and lofty because our sights are not only fixed on this world but even beyond as Jesus assured us in today’s gospel, “By your perseverance you will secure your lives” (Lk.21:19).
And there lies the beauty of hope – it is the most surprising of all virtues as the French poet, essayist and writer Charles Peguy wrote in 1911 in his long masterpiece called “The Portal of the Mystery of Hope.” In this poem, Peguy presents God as the speaker himself, reflecting about the virtue of hope in relation with the other two theological virtues of faith and love. It is so lovely because it is so true especially when I encountered it during my trying months of second year in theology in the seminary.
The faith that I love best, says God, is hope... Faith itself does not surprise me...
Love, says God, that does not surprise me...
But Hope, says God, that is what surprises me. I, myself, find it surprising that my children see what happens and believe things will improve. That is the most surprising, the most marvelous gift. And it surprises me, myself, that my gift has such incredible strength since it first flowed in creation as it always will. Faith sees what is. Hope sees what will be. Love loves what is. Hope loves what has not yet been and what will be in the future and in eternity.
For those suffering, those in pain especially because of faith in Jesus Christ: keep believing, keep hoping and be ready to be surprised by God. Reignite that zeal in Christ and his gospel. Amen.A blessed Red Wednesday to you.
Photo by Ms. Kei Abad, Kawaguchiko Lake (Fujisan), 23 November 2025.
Lord My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul, 18 November 2025 Tuesday in the Thirty-Third Week of Ordinary Time, Year I Memorial of the Dedication of the Basilicas of Sts. Peter & Paul, Apostles 2 Maccabees 16:18-31 ><))))*> + ><))))*> + ><))))*> Luke 19:1-10
Photo by author, sycamore tree in Jericho, Israel, May 2019.
What a most blessed day today, Lord Jesus Christ for you to teach us today of that most essential teaching of yours - of forgetting one's self to the point of giving up one's life and reputation to gain you and eternal life:
Eleazar in the Old Testament, Zacchaeus in the gospel plus today's memorial of the dedication of the basilicas in honor of the two pillars of your church, the Apostles St. Peter and St. Paul.
They all gave up themselves for you by standing for what is true and good and just: despite his old age of 90, Eleazar chose to face torture and death than defile himself by pretending before the people of eating pork as ordered their pagan occupiers; Zacchaeus, on the other hand, disregarded what others would say about him despite his being "small in stature" as a sinner that he climbed a sycamore tree to see Jesus.
Eleazar, one of the foremost scribes, a man of advanced age and noble appearance, was being forced to open his mouth to eat pork… He told them to send him at once to the abode of the dead, explaining, “At our age it would be unbecoming to make such a pretense… should I thus pretend for the sake of a brief moment of life, they would be led astray by me, while I would bring shame and dishonor on my old age” (2 Maccabees 6:18, 24, 25).
At that time Jesus came to Jericho and intended to pass through the town. Now a man there named Zacchaeus, who was a chief tax collector and also a wealthy man, was seeking to see who Jesus was…so he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree in order to see Jesus, who was about to pass that way. When he reached the place, Jesus looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down quickly for today I must stay at your house… When they all saw this, they began to grumlbe, saying, “He has gone to stay at the house of a sinner.” But Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, “Behold, half of my possessions, Lord, I shall give to the poor, and if I have extorted anything from anyone I shall repay it four times over” (Luke 19:1-2, 4-5, 7-8).
As we celebrate today the memorial of the dedication of the Basilicas of your Apostles St. Peter and St. Paul, teach us to have their courage for standing for what is true: like Eleazar, let us never think even of committing sin "for a brief moment" and mislead others into evil; like Zacchaeus, teach us to forget about what others may say about us but what you would tell us.
Let us realize, Lord, that in this life, something's gotta give - possessions and things, pride and ego, sin and addictions - to be truly free and fulfilled in you. Amen.
Photo by author, Bucharest, Romania, 08 Noovember 2025.
Lord My Chef Sunday Recipe for the Soul, 16 November 2025 Thirty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle C Malachi 3:19-20 >><}}}}*> 2 Thessalonians 3:7-12 ><}}}}*> Luke 21:5-19
Photo by author, Bosphrus Strait, Istanbul, Turkiye, 02 November 2025.
We are now in the penultimate Sunday of our church calendar that is why our readings remind us of the Lord’s Second Coming at the end of the world.
While some people were speaking about how the temple was adorned with costly stones and votive offerings, Jesus said, “All that you see here – the days will come when there will not be left a stone upon another stone that will not be thrown down.” Then they asked him, “Teacher, when will this happen? And what sign will there be when all these things are about to happen?” He answered, “See that you not be deceived, for many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he,’ and ‘The time has come.’ Do not follow them. When you hear of wars and insurrections, do not be terrified; for such things must happen first, but it will not immediately be the end” (Luke 21:5-9).
Imagine the scene. See that tinge of humor of Jesus in dousing his disciples with cold water as they marveled at the beauty and magnificence of the Jerusalem Temple only to tell them all shall perish. It reminded me of our recent pilgrimage to the home of the Blessed Mother and St. John the Beloved in Ephesus, Turkiye recently.
Ephesus was a coastal city in Turkiye founded by the Greek colonists hundreds of years before the birth of Christ and was later annexed by the Romans into their empire. It was a very prosperous city with a huge amphitheater that could seat 24,000 people. During the time of early Christianity, Ephesus was already a major city that is why St. Paul founded a Christian community there whom he later sent a letter now part of the New Testament. It was also in that city where the Church held its Council of Ephesus in the fifth century that defined Mary as the Mother of God because Jesus remained true God and true Man in his conception and birth.
Photo by author, original marble stone floors of Ephesus.
But, everything is now in ruins after Ephesus was overran by barbarians in year 600 and struck by massive earthquakes through the following years that literally pushed it farther away from the sea. Almost abandoned except for some locals selling good to tourists and pilgrims who come to visit this lovely ancient city designated in 2015 as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Jerusalem suffered the same fate minus the earthquakes that have kept it inhabited for thousands of years when it fell into the hands of the Romans in year 70AD, then to the Moslems and other invaders until 1948 when the state of Israel declared independence from British Mandate.
Countries and cities come and go along with their civilizations due to varied reasons. It is the normal course of life. This is what Jesus was trying to tell his disciples and us today with the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple.
But of course, there was more.
Christ’s coming is not a spectacle like a show that the world is so addicted with; Christ’s coming is a presence felt and experienced day in, day out right in our hearts. It is a movement of grace upon grace within our very selves that often go unnoticed because we are so obsessed with physical things seen and heard. Jesus reminds us to see beyond, to have vision not just sight. To pray more, to feel more of God, of his truth and justice not only in ourselves but also in others by witnessing his gospel more than ever.
Earthquake survivor Jesiel Malinao sits beside the coffins of her two sons on Thursday, Oct. 2, 2025 after a strong earthquake on Tuesday caused a landslide that toppled their hillside homes in Bogo city, Cebu Province, Central Philippines. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)
This Sunday is designated by the Church as World Day of the Poor who are the ones who suffer most during calamities and man-made disasters as well as conflicts that abound where the powerful play and manipulate peoples for their own selfish ends.
For the poor, every day seems an end – last meal, last breath, last hope. For the poor, living is more of survival because so many of us have not only forgotten them but have totally disregarded them. They are the ones often used and fooled by the powerful like the corrupt politicians with some masquerading as religious leaders like in the aftermath of the ghost-project scam. See how those involved are now playing victims, diverting attention and misleading many of the poor with their calls for transparency and good-governance. It is to them that the words of Jesus are directed today – “Do not be deceived… Do not follow them!”
Let us heed the calls of Abp. Soc Villegas of Lingayen-Dagupan for us to be guided by “wisdom, vigilance, and virtue” in these times when our nation is deeply in crisis in almost every aspect of life. Here we find in the warnings and reminders of Jesus that the end of time with its destruction is not something we have to resign ourselves with. We have to take a more active role to play in the course of history by making the right choices always.
Photo by author, Cantacuzino Castle, Romania, 06 November 2025.
And that is choosing Christ by being truthful, just, and charitable.
These are the calls of the Prophet Malachi and St. Paul in the first and second readings respectively today. For them, every day is the day of the Lord, a day of salvation, a day of thanksgiving. It is not a call for alarm nor cause us to fear but a call for active waiting for the Lord wherein we must remain responsible with our duties as followers of Christ, not falling into doubts and discouragement especially when things are getting rough and tough. These are precisely what the Psalms speak too this Sunday:
Let the sea and what fills it resound, the world and those who dwell in it; let the rivers clap their hands, the mountains shout with them for joy (Psalm 98:7-8).
To let the rivers clap their hands, the mountains shout with them for joy is for us to witness Christ, to give testimony to him and his gospel. Nothing is permanent in this world and life except God. As such, every ending is also a beginning in God. We are not only preparing for the end but also embarking on a new journey in Jesus we must persevere to follow especially in this time of our nation’s history to secure our lives and better future for the next generation.
Our liturgical calendar is about to end next Sunday with the Solemnity of Christ the King; like our Psalm, we embark this Sunday on a new journey in Jesus by witnessing his presence in this world so confused, so noisy, so dark. Amen. Have a blessed week ahead and keep cool! Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II, Our Lady of Fatima University, Valenzuela City.
Photo by author, Bucharest, Romania, 05 November 2025.
Lord My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul, 28 October 2025 Tuesday, Feast of St. Simon & St. Jude, Apostles Ephesians 2:19-22 ><))))*> + ><))))*> + ><))))*> Luke 6:12-16
Photo by author, Sacred Heart Novitiate, Novaliches, QC, 20 March 2025.
Brothers and sisters: You are no longer strangers and sojourners, but you are fellow citizens with the holy ones and members of the household of God built upon the foundation of the Apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the capstone. Through him the whole structure is held together and grows into a temple sacred in the Lord; in him you are also being built together into a dwelling place of God in the Spirit (Ephesians 2:19-22).
How lovely to hear those words of St. Paul in these times of great divisions among us not only in politics but in almost every topic! What is most painful, O Lord Jesus Christ is how some among us have become numb and callous of each other, unmindful of things they say especially of those suffering and in pain; with the little cellphone each of us holding so addictively the whole day, we have created our own self-centered world totally unmindful of others.
On this Feast of your two great Apostles, St. Simon and St. Jude who were poles apart in their differences as persons and backgrounds, may we realize that we are not "strangers and sojourners" but are" fellow citizens", and "members of the household of God" in you, Jesus Christ who is at the center of this household as cornerstone.
Help us, Lord Jesus, to imitate Sts. Simon and Jude who built up your Church, your household of God here on earth; fill our hearts with the zeal and ardent love for you and your Church like Simon called the Zealot: in this time when Catholics in the country are declining in numbers as well as in professing their faith, may we have the enthusiasm to make you known, Jesus, in our loving actions of witnessing; grant us also the strength, clarity and courage like that of St. Jude Thaddeus in dealing with the many contradictions of the world we live in today as Catholics and Christians: "But you, beloved, build yourselves up on your most holy faith; pray in the Holy Spirit; keep yourselves in the love of God; wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. And convince some, who doubt..." (Jude 20-22).
Bless us, dearest Jesus, through the help St. Simon and St. Jude, to rediscover the beauty of our Christian faith and of our Catholic Church by working hard to build it up without tiring through our silent and peaceful witnessing of the Gospel. Amen. Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II Our Lady of Fatima University Valenzuela City
Lawiswis ng Salita ni P. Nicanor F. Lalog II, Ika-22 ng Oktubre 2025
Larawan nina San Juan Pablo II at San Juan XXIII kasama isa sa mga matandang imahen ng aming Patron San Juan Apostol at Ebanghelista sa likuran ng simbahan ng dati kong parokya sa Bagbaguin, Santa Maria, Bulacan.
PANALANGIN KAY SAN JUAN APOSTOL AT EBANGHELISTA KAUGNAY NG MGA BAGONG SANTO NG SIMBAHAN: PAPA JUAN PABLO II at PAPA JUAN XXIII
Mula Hunyo 2011 hanggang Pebrero 2021 ay naglingkod ako bilang kura paroko ng Parokya ni San Juan Apostol at Ebanghelista sa Bagbaguin, Santa Maria, Bulacan bago nalipat bilang chaplain ng Our Lady of Fatima University (OLFU) at Fatima University Medical Center (FUMC) dito sa Valenzuela City.
Iyon ang una at marahil huli ko nang assignment na parokya sa loob ng dalawamput-pitong taon ko sa pagkapari. Masaya ako at fulfilled sa lahat ng aking mga assignment ngunit mayroong kakaibang karanasan sa parokya di tulad sa mga paaralan na dalawang ulit ko nang napupuntahan.
Ibig ko noong mahalin at pahalagahan ng mga taga-Bagbaguin ang kanilang Patron na sabi ko nga ang siyang minamahal na alagad din ng Panginoon. Noon namin sinimulan araw ng debosyon kay San Juan Apostol tuwing araw ng Martes.
Noong 27 Abril 2014 na isang Divine Mercy Sunday, ginanap sa Roma ang canonization ng dalawang makabagong Santo Papa na kapwa kapangalan ng aming Patron, sina San Juan XXIII at San Juan Pablo II. Kaya minabuti ko na sumulat noon ng panalangin aming dinarasal tuwing araw ng Sabado upang maranasan ng mga mananampalataya ang bisa ng pananalangin ng tatlong San Juan para sa kanila: San Juan Apostol na kapistahan ay tuwing Disyembre 27, San Juan XXIII tuwing Oktubre 11 at San Juan Pablo II tuwing Oktubre 22.
Para sa mga ibig magkaroon ng debosyon sa tatlong San Juan ng Simbahan, narito aking panalangin:
Minamahal naming Patron na Banal, Juan Apostol at Ebanghelista po ang inyong ngalan! Ngayo'y aming ipinagdiriwang sa buong Simbahan dalawang bagong Banal: Kapwa sila pastol ng kawan, nang manungkula'y pangalan mo ang hiniram.
San Juan Beinte-tres nang sa kanyang katandaan tulad mo, Sinikap maging makabuluhan at buhay na palatandaan ng Diyos sa gitna ng makabagong panahon itong Inang Simbahan nang kanyang simulan ang Ikalawang Konsilyo sa Vatican.
Kasabay niyang tinanghal bilang Banal ang tinaguriang Dakilang San Juan-Pablo Ikalawa; Labis na pagtitiis ang kinamit sa kanyang sakit, Krus ay sinapit, katulad mo’y naging malapit sa Ina ni Hesus kaya’t “Totus Tuus” ang kanyang awit.
Itulot mo aming Mahal na San Juan Apostol at Ebanghelista, kaming iyong mga anak sana’y matularan, pinagsikapan ng dalawang bagong San Juan: pamilya’t sambayanan mabuklod sa nagkakaisang pag-ibig katulad ng dalangin ni Hesus doon sa Huling Hapunan. AMEN.
San Juan Ebanghelista, ipanalangin mo kami. San Juan Beinte-tres, ipanalangin mo kami. San Juan-Pablo Ikalawa, ipanalangin mo kami.
Larawan ng dati kong parokya kuha noong Enero 2020 ng dati naming choir na si G. Gelo Carpio.
Lord My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul, 21 October 2025 Tuesday, Feast of St. Pedro Calungsod, Martyr Romans 5:12, 15, 17-19, 20-21 <*((((>< + ><))))*> Luke 12:35-38
Where sin increased, grace overflowed all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through justification for eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord (Romans 5:20-21).
Your words today, O Lord Jesus Christ are so inspiring so reassuring and edifying in these most troubled times of our lives; everywhere we look or turn, there is an anomaly, a corruption happening or unearthed that sadly hurt most the poor and marginalized.
Yet, despite our many trials and hardships in life these days, we never run out of good people going out of their ways to help, to care, to guide those in need; most wonderful to hear most of these great stories of love and care are by simple folks, so unlike those supposed to be more educated, more upward and mobile!
It was the same situation of persecution when St. Pedro Calungsod kept his lamp lighted with good works among the locals in Guam where he met his martyrdom. Keep us faithful, Jesus overflow us with your grace while awaiting your daily coming especially during the most trying times. Amen.
Lord My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul, 13 October 2025 Monday in Twenty-Eighth Week of Ordinary Time, Year I Romans 1:1-7 <*((((>< + ><))))*> Luke 11:29-32
Photo by author, St. Paul Center for Renewal, Alfonso, Cavite, August 2025.
Are we doomed, Lord Jesus? Your words today are so penetrating and we deserve them considering the news of wholesale corruption in our country, the indifference of many that sadly include shepherds of souls.
While still more people gathered in the crowd, Jesus said to them, “This generation is an evil generation; it seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it, except the sign of Jonah… At the judgment the men of Nineveh will arise with this generation and condemn it, because at the preaching of Jonah they repented, and there is something greater than Jonah here” (Luke 11:29, 32).
The sign of Jonah is about repentance while the sign of the queen of the south is about wisdom; true wisdom happens when we repent because repentance is an expression of our fear of the Lord that is the beginning of wisdom; teach us, Jesus, to be signs who point to you, the "someone larger" than Jonah and the queen of the south for you are the ultimate sign of all; like Paul, let us be the living witnesses of your glorious resurrection by proclaiming your good news of salvation both in words and in actions. Amen.
Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II Our Lady of Fatima University Valenzuela City (lordmychef@gmail.com)
Photo by author, St. Paul Center for Renewal, Alfonso, Cavite, August 2025.
Lord My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul, 26 September 2025 Friday, Memorial of Sts. Cosmas & Damian, Martyrs Haggai 2:1-9 ><]]]]'> + ><]]]]'> + ><]]]]'> Luke 9:18-22
Photo by author, the wailing wall of Jerusalem, May 2017.
God our loving Father, we praise and thank you for the magnificent places of worship we have for you, churches so beautiful, so wide to accommodate us especially on Sundays to praise and worship you; but, dear God, forgive us when we forget so often that its glory is not in us nor because of us but from your divine presence, in the presence of Jesus Christ not only in the Tabernacle but among the people as you have told us through Haggai your prophet.
For thus says the Lord of hosts: One moment yet, a little while, and I will shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land. I will shake all the nations, and the treasures of all the nations will come in, and I will fill this house with with glory, says the Lord of hosts (Haggai 2:6-7).
That prophecy has been fulfilled in Jesus Christ your Son, our Savior who now asks us daily with his same question to the Twelve: "Who do the crowds say that I am?"
Grant us the courage and strength you gave Peter as well as the early Christians to acknowledge Jesus as the Christ - something so subversive at that time, so dangerous as it disregarded the earthly rulers especially the Roman emperor; so much have changed, Lord in our time when the church has become so elaborately decorated like our faith but deep inside is hollow that no wonder we can't even profess your being Lord just before every meal especially in public places; grant us the same courage you gave the brothers Cosmas and Damian who treated the sick for free in your name, who dared the powers and stood firm in their faith in you. Amen.
Photo by author, Chapel of the Angel of Peace, Our Lady of Fatima University, Valenzuela City, March 2025
Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II Our Lady of Fatima University Valenzuela City (lordmychef@gmail.com)
Lord My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul, 16 September 2025 Tuesday, Memorial of Sts. Cornelius, Pope & Cyprian, Bishop, Martyrs 1 Timothy 3:1-13 <*((((>< +. ><))))*> Luke 7:11-17
Beloved, this saying is trustworthy: whoever aspires to the office of bishop desires a noble task (1 Timothy 3:1).
How timely
are your words today,
Lord Jesus:
definitely it is about your
servants in the church;
but, it applies very much
with all other leaders
in the government
and civil society
who have pledged
to serve the poor
and needy.
Give us a prophetic bishop
who is most in touch with
our humanity,
not merely concerned
with one's self
and ego.
We pray, dear Jesus for bishops and government leaders who are decisive with what is true and good and what is just most of all; give us bishops who act decisively as a father, a teacher, and disciplinarian not those concerned with their status and ego.
Jesus journeyed to a city called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd accompanied him. As he drew near to the gate of the city, a man who had died was being carried our, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. A large crowd from the city was with her (Luke 7:11-12).
How amazing, dear Jesus, that despite the "large crowd" you were still able to spot the grieving widow at the funeral of her only son because you are so in touch with our humanity unlike with some bishops and most leaders in government; grant us prophetic leaders who are in touch and amazed with the dignity and honor of persons as image and likeness of God that like you, Lord, they could feel and be one in the sorrow of those in pain and sufferings.
In this point in our nation's history, we need so badly, dearest Lord Jesus, a prophetic bishop, even just one who could rally the other bishops and priests with the many faithful to effect change, to speak of the truth so people would be shaken and realize like the crowd in Nain who exclaimed after you have raised the dead boy to life, "A great prophet has arisen in our midst." Amen.
Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II Our Lady of Fatima University Valenzuela City (lordmychef@gmail.com)
lordmychef.com 