Words That Heal, Words of Eternal Life

The Lord Is My Chef Sunday Recipe, Week XXI-B, 26 August 2018

Joshua 24:1-2,15-17,18///Ephesians 5:21-32///John 6:60-69

After celebrating the Sunday Mass, try watching “The Day After Valentine’s” starring Bela Padilla and JC Santos, the same tandem behind last year’s “Isang Daang Tula Para Kay Stella” both directed by Jason Paul Laxamana. Without telling you the story, there are three beautiful things in the film that perfectly fit it with the final episode of Jesus Christ’s “bread of life discourse” we have been reflecting these past five Sundays: first, the mystery and power of words, then the wounds and scars we all have in life, and finally, the temptation to walk away from our loved ones or to abandon a cause or a belief.

Like in most romantic films, Lani (Bella) and Kai (JC) accidentally fell in love with each other. Both are very interested with “Baybayin”, the ancient Filipino alphabet which they used to express many of their thoughts and feelings. Both also have scars in their bodies: Kai in his arm that are self-inflicted following his breakup with his last girlfriend and Lani on her whole back due to physical abuse by her own father while still a child. And there lies the twist in the film: Kai sought ways of erasing his physical scars and healing his inner pains that eventually led him back home in Hawaii to reunite with his family while Lani, on the other hand, kept her scars to herself, never allowing anyone to see or know them that made her ran away from home.

Now, the gospel: Many of Jesus’ disciples who were listening said, “This saying is hard; who can accept it?” Since Jesus knew that his disciples were murmuring about this, he said to them, “Does this shock you? What if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before? It is the spirit that gives life, while the flesh is of no avail. The words I have spoken are Spirit and life. But there are some of you who do not believe.” As a result of this, many of his disiciples returned to their former way of life and no longer accompanied him. Jesus then said to the Twelve, “Do you also want to leave?” Simon Peter answered him, “Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. we have come to believe and are convinced that you are the Holy One of God.”(Jn.6:60-64,66-69)

For the past four weeks, John has been telling us how the people were murmuring and then quarrelling among themselves over the words of Jesus in His bread of life discourse. All along these commotions, the disciples of the Lord have been silent until today. There were two groups of followers of Jesus: the Twelve who composed His inner circle known as the Apostles and the other 72 referred to as disciples who have been following Him for some time. For the first time in five weeks since the feeding of 5000, they would be expressing their unbelief in Christ’s words that eventually led to their walking away from Him along with the rest of the crowds. Only the Twelve would remain with Jesus.

In the film “The Day After Valentine’s”, Lani and Kai spelled out some significant words into “baybayin” like “paghihilom” or healing. It is the usual problem with words that are easier said or written than done and proven in actions. Like Lani and Kai, the disciples at Capernaum and us today, we all have a hard time living up to our words’ meaning and realities. It is always so easy to say yes, to commit and pledge our love and support in words but when things get tough and rough, we back out and go back to our former way of life. Sometimes, we really do not mean what we say for they are merely words, words, and words. It is so different with God whose words are His realities that He only had to speak to create everything. His very name in the words “I Am Who Am” is Himself, perfect. Most of all, when He sent us His Son to save us, that was exactly the name given Him, Jesus, which means “God is my savior”. As the Word who became flesh, Jesus revealed to us how much God loves us not only by speaking to us words of Spirit and life but fulfilling these on the Cross on Good Friday. He had shown us that more than the indication of our thoughts and feelings, communication at its most profound level is the giving of self in love. Here we find the great value of silence, especially during times of suffering and pain. Silence is more than being quiet, but being open to God’s words in the scriptures and in our hearts to let its meaning and realities be fulfilled in us. The crowd gathered with Jesus at Capernaum these past five Sundays have been murmuring and quarrelling over His bread of life discourse, refusing to allow His words to permeate them that they eventually left Him. Just like us, not only with God but with our loved ones.

Since Jesus knew that his disciples were murmuring about this, he said to them, “Does this shock you? What if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before?” I love this part in the gospel which I also remembered at the end of “The Day After Valentine’s” when Lani visited her parents’ gravesites. After laying flowers on them, Lani took off her shawl to finally expose her scarred back. She then sat on the ground, looked into the horizon with the camera at her back zooming out until she is framed at the middle between the two crosses of her father and mother’s tombs like the crucified Jesus. The scene was very symbolic, and shocking. Seeing the scars on her back, one could imagine the terrible ordeal Lani had gone through from an abusive father, the shocking truth now happening in many families.

Here at the end of the bread of life discourse, Jesus is asking us to stay, to remain in Him amid all the pains and sufferings of life for only Him can truly heal us and lead us to fullness of life. This was the challenge posed by Jesus to the crowd at Capernaum and with us today when He spoke of His moment of death when He is “lifted up on the Cross”, His ascending to where He was before. Christ’s crucifixion remains the most shocking scandal of all time when the all-powerful God was put to death in the most shameful manner. This we make present in every celebration of the Holy Mass, when we reaffirm to Him like the people with Joshua at Shechem that we choose to stay and serve the Lord our God (Josh.24:18). Staying with Jesus means taking concrete steps to prevent and stop all forms of human abuses especially against children and women. But it requires patience on our part too. There are no shortcuts that could only worsen the situation like retribution and executions. The more wounds we inflict, the more healing becomes elusive. Remain in Jesus, stay with Him. After so many experiments, we realize deep inside like Simon Peter that there is no one else to go to except Jesus who has the words of eternal life. Like Peter, we have to believe Jesus despite our many disillusions in life, in family, and with the Church, His Body. By remaining in Christ, taking the painful path of believing and trusting Him to overcome disillusions, we can enter into joy when life finally blooms to its fullest meaning in love. Too often, there is the temptation to always leave, to go back to our previous life of pains and darkness away from God and others. Amen. Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II, Parokya ni San Juan Apostol at Ebanghelista, Gov. F. Halili Ave., Bagbaguin, Sta. Maria, Bulacan 3022

*Photo by Fr. Nick F. Lalog II, Sacred Heart Novitiate in Novaliches, 04 July 2018.

Being Authentic For A Lasting Success

LordMyChef “TGIF” Quote, 24 August 2018:

“Authenticity is when you say and do the things you actually believe. But if you don’t know WHY the organization or the products exist on a level beyond WHAT you do, then it is impossible to know if the things you say or do are consistent with your WHY. Without WHY, any attempt at authenticity will almost always be inauthentic.”

– Simon Sinek, “Start with Why”, page 69.

Birds

*Photo by Fr. Nick F. Lalog II at Malagos Garden Resort, Davao City, 11 August 2018.

On Being True To Jesus

The Lord Is My Chef Breakfast Recipe-Prayer

Friday, 24 August 2018, Feast of St. Bartholomew the Apostle

Revelation 21:9-14///John 1:45-51

What really happened Lord Jesus Christ when you saw Nathanael or St. Bartholomew “under the fig tree” that prompted him to give that great confession of faith that “you are the Son of God; the King of Israel”? (Jn.1:48,49)

Give me O Lord the grace and courage to strip myself naked, to be flayed like St. Bartholomew in order to reveal and accept what is deep beneath my skin, to be without guile like him. Despite his harsh words about you and your origins which are not really true because you actually came from Bethlehem, it became an opportunity for St. Bartholomew to feel being loved and accepted by you. In calling him a “true child of Israel”(Jn.1:47), St. Bartholomew must have felt that here at last is the Son of God, the Messiah who truly knows him and most of all, accepts him. He must have felt so good of finding you who finally understood and accepted him as he is.

Sometimes Lord Jesus, we refuse to make that bold move of knowing you more clearly, of being under the fig tree, praying for your coming to us personally. And most of all, so often we refuse to be surprised by you like St. Bartholomew in that simple encounter. Make us “come and see” you as you are, Lord Jesus, true God and true Man. Amen. Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II, Parokya ng San Juan Apostol at Ebanghelista, Gov. F. Halili Ave., Bagbaguin, Sta. Maria,Bulacan 3022

*A popular sketch of the call of Nathanael under the fig tree (courtesy of Google).

Our Stony Hearts and God’s Natural Heart

The Lord Is My Chef Breakfast Recipe-Prayer

Thursday, 23 August 2018, St. Rose of Lima

Ezekiel 36:23-28///Matthew 22:1-14

Our dearest God Almighty Father, “cleanse us from all of our impurities, take away our stony hearts and fills us with your natural heart” (Ez.36:25-26) that beats with firm faith, fervent hope and unceasing charity and love. Dress us with your “spirit that we may live in your statutes, careful to observe your decrees” (Ez.36:27-28) to make us worthy to celebrate in your wedding banquet (Mt.22:11-12). This we ask through our Lord Jesus Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Pray for us too, St. Rose of Lima, that we may keep in mind that outer beauty is nothing compared with inner beauty, always radiating the kindness and love of God in whatever we say and most especially do. Amen.Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II, Parokya ng San Juan Apostol at Ebanghelista, Gov. F. Halili Ave., Bagbaguin, Sta. Maria,Bulacan 3022

*Photo by Fr. Nick F. Lalog II, sunrise at Sonnenberg Mountain View, Davao, 11 August 2018.

Mary Is Queen Because God Reigns In Her Supreme

The Lord Is My Chef Breakfast Recipe-Prayer

Memorial of the Queenship of Mary, 22 August 2018

Isaiah 9:1-6///Luke 1:26-38

Praise and glory to you, O God our almighty Father on this Memorial of Mary as Queen of Heaven and Earth! It is purely because of your goodness that we now honor her as Queen. Since the beginning, we have always revered Mary as Queen for being the Mother of your Son Jesus, the King of Kings. Most of all, you remind us, O God, that Mary is rightly a Queen because you reigned supreme in her whole life while here on earth.

“Hail, favored one! The Lord is with you” was Archangel Gabriel’s greeting to her, repeated to us every morning when we wake up, announcing Jesus Christ’s presence in us and with us. Like Mary, in our humanity you have found favor to bring into the world our Savior; but, unlike her, we refuse to say “yes” to your gift, we refuse to believe your Good News of salvation, we refuse to trust in the fulfillment of your will.

Give us the grace today to be like Mary in saying “yes” to you, O God, of believing that Jesus is your Son whom we must welcome everyday in our lives to truly come into this world. May Jesus reign in our hearts, fill us with His humility, justice and love like His Mother Mary so that your heavenly kingdom may come here on earth. Amen.

Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II, Parokya ng San Juan Apostol at Ebanghelista, Gov. F. Halili Ave., Bagbaguin, Sta. Maria,Bulacan 3022

*Photo from Google: “Coronation of the Virgin” by Spanish painter Diego Velasquez in 1645 at Museo del Prado, Madrid.

Playing “GOD”

The Lord Is My Chef Breakfast Recipe-Prayer

Tuesday, 21 August 2018, Week XX, Year II

Ezekiel 28:1-10///Matthew 19:23-30

We praise and thank you our loving Father for this holiday you have given us. Give us the grace to renew everything in Christ your Son, especially our very selves as your servant St. Pius X envisioned during his papacy at the start of the 20^th century.

Until now, like the princes of Tyre of the Old Testament and the other men of the past century when two World Wars plunged the world into darkness, there are still many of us who believe and live as “god”. Everywhere, Lord, we speak and act as if we are god, insisting on what we want, bragging on our achievements, and relying on our strength and power. Everybody is claiming the streets and highway as his or her own sovereignty, feeling like a deity with our vehicles as our “seat of power and might”. We have run out of solons and statesmen in congress and government for all they are concerned with is their own interests.

It is very unfortunate, dear Father, even in your Church, we priests are so lost too in our belief and way of life as being god. Instead of building lives, we have destroyed so many lives with all kinds of clergy abuses that are not only scandalous but very sickening. We no longer smell like your sheep and worst, we have slaughtered many of your little lambs.

In 1983, you sent us Ninoy, believing the “Filipino is worth dying for.” He set aside all his plans, including his very safety and went home to work for peaceful transition. A bullet felled him but not our belief in bringing back democracy in our country. So sad, Lord, how we have easily forgotten YOU who made EDSA a miracle. Many have played gods and destroyed EDSA like Jerusalem of old, making it a symbol of everything that is wrong with us. Primary among these is our belief in being god. We pray to you, our loving Father, in these moments of darkness in our history like at the fall of Jerusalem and at the start of World War I in St. Pius X’s time, give us the grace to renew our love and commitment to You, the only True God for only you who can deliver us. Nothing is impossible with you, especially when we start being human and stop being god. Amen.Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II, Parokya ng San Juan Apostol at Ebanghelista, Gov. F. Halili Ave., Bagbaguin, Sta. Maria,Bulacan 3022

Photo by Fr. Nick F. Lalog II, tree canopy at Sacred Heart Novitiate (Novaliches), 4-6 July 2018.

Memorare

LordMyChef “I-Like-Mondays” Quote, 20 August 2018

Today is the memorial of one of my favorite saints, Bernard of Clairvaux. A devotee of the Blessed Virgin Mary, he wrote the lovely prayer Memorare. For this gloomy Monday due to the weather and whatever troubles that may happen this week especially on our streets, let us pray with St. Bernard:

Remember O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection, implored thy help, or sought thy intercession was left unaided.

Inspired by this confidence, I fly unto thee, O Virgin of virgins, my mother.

To thee do I come, before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in thy mercy hear and asnwer me. Amen.

St.BernardBVM

Photo from Google: Painting by Italian artist Pietro Perugino at a church in Florence. St. Bernard was in deep study when the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to him in a vision. The two men beside St. Bernard at Apostles St. John Evangelist and St. Bartholomew whose feast we celebrate this Friday, August 24.

Our Sins of Omission

The Lord Is My Chef Breakfast Recipe-Prayer

Monday, 20 August 2018, Week XX, Year II

Ezekiel 24:18-23///Matthew 19:16-22

Our dearest Lord Jesus Christ: of the many questions we have always asked you, perhaps the young man’s question in the gospel today is the one you have always wanted – and waited us to ask you: “What do I still lack?”(Mt.19:20)

Every day we pray, confessing our sins for what “I have done and what I have failed to do.” It is always easier Lord to think of what I done wrong; but rarely do we really take time reflecting on what we have failed to do, our sins of omission.

The young man in the gospel today must have been dealing with a lot of people, like us today especially in the social media but, we never ask ourselves if we fulfill the requirements of love in these interactions with others. Many times, our dealings these days are mediated by technology, lacking sincerity and love. Like the young man, it is easy to obey commandments even without much love to our own discomfort because it is not right. But, we do not care to reflect more about it because we are so afraid to discover the sins we are not aware of!

Give us the grace, Lord Jesus to identify our sins of omission so we can achieve greater self-knowledge of our selves for it is the surest way to truly love you and others. Help us to learn from St. Bernard of Clairvaux whose we feast we celebrate today that “Love is a great thing so long as it continually returns to its fountainhead, flows back to its source, always drawing from there the water which constantly replenishes it.”(from the Office of Reading)

This is what we really lack, Lord Jesus Christ: the real good we must do of letting go of our selves, giving away our wealth and other valuables, setting aside our plans and agenda so we can follow you more closely daily. Amen.Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II, Parokya ng San Juan Apostol at Ebanghelista, Gov. F. Halili Ave., Bagbaguin, Sta. Maria,Bulacan 3022 .

*Photo by Fr. Nick F. Lalog II, moss at Malagos Garden, Davao City, 10 August 2018.

“Got To Get You Into My Life” by the Beatles (1966)

The Lord Is My Chef Sunday Music//Week XX-B//19August 2018

Body and Blood of Christ, Our Communion With God

Finally… the Beatles in our LordMyChefSundayMusic!

But did you know that the great Paul McCartney wrote this song not for a particular person but as an “ode to pot”? Yes, in honor of marijuana, that holy grass producing holy smoke!

I was alone, I took a ride
I didn’t know what I would find there
Another road where maybe I
Could see another kind of mind there
Ooh, then I suddenly see you
Ooh, did I tell you I need you
Every single day of my life

Sir Paul revealed this only recently in an interview for a book about him and his works (check Google). But again, as I have told you last Sunday, that is the beauty of music: truly a universal language that takes on a life of its own wherein it becomes applicable to every situation. On this penultimate Sunday of the Lord’s “bread of life” discourse, we find this classic Beatle music speaking also of God’s “communion” with us through Jesus Christ’s Body and Blood in the Eucharist: “we find Jesus speaking more boldly to the unfriendly audience by increasing the force of His declaration as “the bread of life” by repeating it eight times in eight verses! Jesus did not budge in the arguments of the crowd and instead slowly spiraled up His discourse as food and drink for eternal life…showing us the direction we have to follow in Him.” https://lordmychef.wordpress.com/2018/08/18/lordmychefsundayrecipe-19-august-2018/

Have to be clear with you, dear reader, I was not into pot and have not read the inspiration behind this song when I wrote my Sunday reflection… but that is indeed the effect of getting into Jesus in the Sunday Mass, beyond compare with weeds or any other drug: Here again is Jesus Christ before us…inviting us to enter into a communion with Him and in Him without murmuring and quarrelling to calmly reflect on this mystery of the Lord as our food and drink to eternal life… let us not rush God like the crowd at Capernaum by demanding spectacular and verifiable things to remind us of His presence. Jesus is with us in the most ordinary things like bread and wine, in the most common experience like the Mass. He speaks to us in the most consistent manner, always repeating the same words of assurances of His love and mercy, kindness and presence. Never doubt for we are making progress every Sunday, from Eucharist to Eucharist. Sooner or later, we shall come to that promised day of eternal life in the Father through Jesus Christ.” Have a hearty lunch with family and friends and God. And music!

The Body and Blood of Christ, Our Communion with God

The Lord Is My Chef Sunday Recipe, Week XX-B, 19 August 2018

Proverbs 9:1-6///Ephesians 5:15-20///John 6:51-58

Our gospel is now getting more interesting as the drama among the Jews and Jesus Christ unfold into new dimensions on this penultimate Sunday of the “bread of life” discourse. Last week, the Jews murmured among themselves when Jesus declared “I am the bread that came down from heaven” (Jn.6:41); today, the Jews quarreled among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?”(Jn.6:52)

Notice the beautiful interplay of “antes” noted by John in this part of the bread of life discourse: from murmuring, the Jews have turned into quarrelling among themselves in their renewed refusal to believe in Jesus. They have deteriorated from being skeptical into being insidious, reaching its lowest point next week when in their refusal to take the words of Jesus, they would eventually leave Him behind along with other disciples who have followed Him after that episode of feeding of more than 5000 people. Only the 12 would remain with Jesus. On the other hand, we find Jesus speaking more boldly to the unfriendly audience by increasing the force of His declaration as “the bread of life” by repeating it eight times in eight verses! And this time, He would even add that not only His flesh is food but also His blood is drink for eternal life. Jesus did not budge in the arguments of the crowd and instead slowly spiraled up His discourse as food and drink for eternal life. Jesus is trying to establish here a new direction in knowing Him, in following Him. In presenting Himself as our food and drink for eternal life, Jesus is also showing us the direction we have to follow in Him. Remember our reflection last July 15 that discipleship is not destination but directional? And the direction Jesus is taking us in His bread of life discourse is about our Holy Communion in God.

If you have observed in these past four weeks, sometimes the discourse by Jesus seems to be going nowhere, could be vague or ambiguous that it does not seem to progress at all. See how since last Sunday Jesus was repeating over and over His being the bread of life who came down from heaven and that whoever eats His flesh and drinks His blood will have eternal life. Jesus is not trying to get our attention with some fancy thoughts or brilliant expositions; Jesus is inviting us to a more personal experience of Himself in His bread of life discourse. He is asking us to take our time in listening and digesting His words because in the end, His goal is not to fill our minds but to rest in our hearts. Jesus is seeking communion with us, a oneness that can be achieved in the mystery of faith with a certitude deep in our hearts. It is something like our daily prayers and weekly celebration of the Sunday Mass when we sometimes feel nothing is happening; even in our minds, we know we have known everything. Yet, as we try to be open, holding on to our faith in God, we continue to pray and celebrate the Sunday Mass that deep within us we are convinced something had changed, that we have experienced Someone so real and profound. That is communion. When we receive Jesus Body and Blood, we realize and know for a fact we are not one. We have a communion not only with others with similar pains and hurts like ours but most of all with God who became human like us because He loves us so much. Now in Holy Communion, He is one with us, truly inside our body, flesh and blood under the signs of bread and wine. There is now an existing relationship on common experiences inexhaustible in its richness. That is how personal God is with us.

Since the fall of Adam and Eve, God had always longed to restore our union with Him. In the first reading, we have heard how the author of the Book of Proverbs had personified God as Wisdom (a feminine) inviting us to come to her. “Let whoever is simple turn in here; to the one who lacks understanding, I say, Come, eat of my food, and drink of the wine I have mixed! Forsake foolishness that you may live; advance in the way of understanding.”(Prov.9:4-6) Wisdom is God Himself who is at once transcendent and close at hand, very lofty but also in the daily realities of life because He is always seeking a communion with us humans. Note in this passage, God is food and wine – the essentials of life! In the Eucharist, we have the most ordinary food, bread and wine, becoming the most divine presence of God with us in Christ Jesus. It is our common union with God in Christ who became human like us in everything except sin so that we can become like Him who is divine. Observe when the priest prepares the wine during the Mass, he would pause before pouring water to recite the silent prayer, “By the mystery of this water and wine may we come to share in the divinity of Christ who humbled himself to share in our humanity.” I love praying that, especially when I could see that amid the great amount of wine, our human contribution is just a droplet of water because Jesus did everything for us, we just have to believe! Then again while the “Agnus Dei” is sung in preparation of the Holy Communion, the priest pauses in silence as he breaks the bread, takes a little piece of it and puts it into the wine, silently praying “May this mingling of the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ bring eternal life to us who receive Him.”

Here again is Jesus Christ before us, like the scene at Capernaum after the feeding of more than 5000 people, inviting us to enter into a communion with Him and in Him without murmuring and quarrelling to calmly reflect on this mystery of the Lord as our food and drink to eternal life. Let us heed St. Paul’s reminder to the Ephesians today “to watch carefully how we live, not as foolish persons but as wise” (Eph.5:15) more concerned with God and not of the worldly things. Most of all, let us not rush God like the crowd at Capernaum by demanding spectacular and verifiable things to remind us of His presence. Jesus is with us in the most ordinary things like bread and wine, in the most common experience like the Mass. He speaks to us in the most consistent manner, always repeating the same words of assurances of His love and mercy, kindness and presence. Never doubt for we are making progress every Sunday, from Eucharist to Eucharist. Sooner or later, we shall come to that promised day of eternal life in the Father through Jesus Christ. Amen. A blessed week to you!Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II, Parokya ng San Juan Apostol at Ebanghelista, Gov. F. Halili Ave., Bagbaguin, Sta. Maria, Bulacan 3022

*Photo by Fr. Nick F. Lalog II, Church at Tabgha where Jesus is believed to have fed more than 5000 people; at the altar floor is a mosaic of the loaves of bread and two pieces of fish. Taken during our Holy Land pilgrimage April 2017.