The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II Wednesday in the Second Week of Ordinary Time, Year II, 17 January 2024 1 Samuel 17:32-33, 37, 40-51 <'[[[[>< + ><]]]]'> Mark 3:1-6
Guillaume Courtois, “David and Goliath,” 1650-1660. Oil on canvas. Image via Wikimedia Commons.
Dear God: Bring out in me the youthful faith and confidence of David your servant who slew the giant Goliath in your most holy name; many times in life I get so afraid of the many trials in life that come my way - sickness and death, problems and difficulties, sufferings and pains, failures and rejections, sins and evil situations that enslave me.
Many times, you know how I wanted to give up the fight, to just quit and leave but thank you for that spark of faith in you from within that reminds me of you, of your abiding love and presence like David before Goliath:
“All this multitude, too, shall learn that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves. For the battle is the Lord’s, and he shall deliver you into our hands.”
1 Samuel 17:47
Most of all, let me hold on to that truth that you sent us your Son Jesus Christ "to do everything that is good than evil, to save life than destroy it" (Mark 3:4); let me do always your work, dear Father, in the way you would want me to do it. Amen.
The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II Tuesday in the Second Week of Ordinary Time, Year II, 16 January 2024 1 Samuel 16:1-13 <*((((>< + ><))))*> Mark 2:23-28
Photo by Dra. Mylene A. Santos, MD in Infanta, Quezon, 2020.
Is it really possible, dear God, that we shall be able to see and look at persons and things like you?
But the Lord said to Samuel: ”Do not judge from his appearance or from his lofty stature, because I have rejected him. Not as man sees does God see, because he sees the appearance but the Lord looks into the heart.”
1 Samuel 16: 7
If that is the case, O God, then, to see like you is most of all to feel, to listen to experience another person; to see and look at persons and things like you, O God, is to feel the vibes or vibrations, the spirit of another person or of a thing; to see like you, O God, is to be like Jesus mindful always of your will and plan, to you wait for your voice before deciding, before acting.
To see like you, therefore, dear God, is first of all to be one in you, with you in Christ Jesus. Amen.
Photo by Dra. Mylene A. Santos, MD in Infanta, Quezon, 2020.
Kapatid. Mula sa salitang ugat na "patid" ibig sabihi'y putol at hiwalay, nag-iisa at walang buhay ni saysay; sa unlaping -ka, nababago kahulugan, nagkakaroon ng kasama nabubuo ugnayan di lamang sa pamilya at tahanan kungdi saanmang samahan.
Kapatid. Ito ang tawagan natin sa isa't-isa na pinagbubuklod di lamang ng dugo kungdi higit sa lahat ng puso at isipan na kung mawawala ang ka-patid, nawawala katuturan at saysay nitong buhay kaya lahat handang ialay habang may buhay.
Kapatid. Turingan at diwa di kayang mapatid kahit ng kamatayan dahil ugnayan magpapatuloy magpakailanman di kayang putulin o tabunan ng libingan dahil batid natin sa pagpanaw buhay di nagwawakas samahan at ugnayan nananatiling wagas.
Kapatid. Kaputol. Ng sarili. Ng buhay. Ng mithiin at adhika. Kadugtong ng tuwa pati ng luha tunay na pagpapala ng Diyos na may likha sa ating mga kapatid at kaibigan upang tayo ay samahan, alalayan, at abangan sakali man maunang pumanaw upang maging ating pisi at lubid sa langit na hindi mapapatid.
Rest in peace, Dindo (larawan kuha ng kanyang ika-60 kaarawan, Marso 09, 2018).
Paalam, aking kinakapatid Fernando "Dindo" R. Alberto Jr.; ikumusta mo ako sa langit sa mga pumanaw nating idolo sa musika, kami na lamang ni Toby magdiriwang ng birthday tuwing Marso dito habang kayo at ang Ninong magkasama na sa buhay na walang hanggan.
The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II Monday in the Second Week of Ordinary Time, Year II, 15 January 2024 1 Samuel 15:16-23 ><))))*> + ><))))*> + ><))))*> Mark 2:18-22
Photo by author, 2019.
God our Father, teach me to be innovative in witnessing you, in proclaiming you, in making you present in this fast changing world but at the same time still rooted in you, obedient to you; how sad that in our Church today with so many efforts in the guise of "creativity" that led only to empty novelties pretending to be attuned with the time, many have slowly desecrated our liturgy, our celebrations and worst, put into question the relevance of our long held beliefs and teachings on faith and morals; while we have to embrace change happening in the world and in the Church, may we not forget it is YOU, dear Lord, whom we seek, whom we desire, whom we aspire not the social influencers nor rock stars nor any celebrities; teach us to innovate in our ways that are still rooted in you and your precepts not with technology nor with new thoughts; may we learn to understand your Son Jesus Christ's words in today's gospel:
“No one sews a piece of unshrunken cloth on an old cloak. If he does, its fullness pulls away, the new from the old, and the tear gets worse. Likewise, no one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the wine will burst the skins, and both the wine and the skins are ruined. Rather, new wine is poured into fresh wineskins.”
Mark 2:21-22
Forgive us, dear God, for all the novelties we have brought even into our worship and teachings that have detached us more from you and one another; instead of fostering openness and inclusivity, the opposite had happened because to win more people is first of all to remain faithful and obedient to you which King Saul of Israel had forgotten:
But Samuel said: ”Does the Lord so delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as in obedience to the command of the Lord? Obedience is better than sacrifice, and submission than the fat of rams.
1 Samuel 15:23
This New Year, lead us back to you, God, through our leaders in the Church who are faithful to you in prayers, in liturgy, in teachings; innovative like Jesus Christ who fulfilled your Laws of Old in the New settings. Amen.
The Lord Is My Chef Sunday Music by Fr. Nick F. Lalog II, 14 January 2024
Photo by author, San Agustin Church, Intramuros, Manila, 12 January 2024.
We were at the historic San Agustin Church in Intramuros last Friday to officiate the wedding of my godson whose parents were childhood friends in Bocaue, Bulacan.
It was one of the loveliest weddings I have officiated, something like from a fairy tale. The groom was a very eligible bachelor, the bride was a single mom of a five year-old love child. They met six years ago in their former office. He was a very persistent lover, perhaps feeling like a knight in the shining armor while she was adamantly cold who had vowed never to love and trust men again.
But love prevailed. After two years of living together and finally having a son of their own, they came to me and asked to officiate their wedding.
I clarified everything with my godson that what he was going into is not a movie nor a telenovella but he was so cool, perfectly sane, most of all, man enough to stand by his decision, by his bride and her daughter, and their one year old son. She was the most amazing woman I have met recently – beauty and brains with a big heart willing to love again.
Sorry for the long introduction to our music this Sunday we find so related not only with our wedding last Friday but with our gospel today.
Released in 1993 as a track on their extended play (EP) of the same title by the husband and wife team Ben Watt and Tracey Thorn who called themselves as Everything But The Girl (EBTG), I Didn’t Know I Was Looking for Love says all about this mystery of love, mystery of life.
And that is how true love really comes to us, in the most simple and ordinary circumstances of our lives.
I was alone thinking I was just fine I wasn’t looking for anyone to be mine I thought love was just a fabrication A train that wouldn’t stop at my station Home, alone, that was my consignment Solitary confinement So when we met I was skirting around you I didn’t know I was looking for love Until I found you
I didn’t know I was looking for love Until I found you, honey I didn’t know I was looking for love Until I found you, baby Didn’t know I was looking for love Didn’t know I was looking for love
Cause there you stood and I would Oh I wonder could I say how I felt And not be misunderstood A thousand stars came into my system I never knew how much I had missed them Slap on the map of my heart you landed I was coy but you made me candid And now the planets circle around you I didn’t know I was looking for love Until I found you
In this Sunday’s gospel, we find Jesus passing by whom John the Baptist identified as “the Lamb of God”. Upon hearing him speak, his two disciples, Andrew and another companion followed Jesus who asked them “What are you looking for?” Andrew and companion replied with a question, “where do you stay, Rabbi (Teacher)?” That was when Jesus told them to “come and see” and there was no leaving the Lord since then with Andrew bringing his elder brother Simon Peter to Jesus to become his first apostles.
Many times, Jesus is passing by, calling us, inviting us with the same question, “what are you looking for?”
Most of the time, we hardly know what we are really looking for not until we just follow our instincts and feelings, realizing from deep inside our hearts of our need for love and affection, for others, and most especially for God.
It was the same experience of Everything But The Girl in their classic I Didn’t Know I Was Looking for Love. All we need is an open heart for others, for God. Not to forget of the need to listen too to our very selves, to our deepest longings and desires found in our heart where God dwells and invites us to open up to him (https://lordmychef.com/2024/01/13/when-the-question-is-also-the-answer/).
The Lord Is My Chef Sunday Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II Sunday in the Second Week of Ordinary Time, Cycle B, 14 January 2024 1 Samuel 3:3-10.19 ><}}}}*> 1 Corinthians 6:13-15, 17-20 ><}}}}*> John 1:35-42
Photo by author, sunrise at Lake Tiberias (Galilee), the Holy Land, May 2019.
We have reflected last Sunday how our questions are an epiphany too of ourselves because a person is known by the questions he/she asks. What really matters in life are the questions we ask or stumble upon than the answers we have that most often are wrong. Many times, there are no easy answers to life’s many questions that actually, we may never find any answer to our questions because they often lead us to more questions.
Fact is, we just have to keep on asking questions as we journey in life. If we ask the right questions, we could arrive at the right answers too; but, even without a ready answer, it is in asking the right question when the problem is half-solved. That is why in life, the questions we have are also the very answers we need most.
The next day John was there again with two of his disciples, and as he watched Jesus walk by, he said, “Behold, the Lamb of God.” The two disciples heard what he said and followed Jesus. Jesus turned and saw them following him and said to them, “What are you looking for?” They said to him, “Rabbi” – which translated means Teacher – , “where are you staying?” He said to them, “Come, and you will see.” So they went and saw where Jesus was staying, and they stayed with him that day. It was about four in the afternoon.
John 1:35-39
Photo by author, pilgrims in the Holy Land, May 2019.
It is very interesting that the very first words spoken by Jesus recorded in the fourth gospel was this question to Andrew and companion, “What are you looking for?” As we start 2024, these are also the very first words of Jesus to us, what are you looking for?
Here we find the kindness and goodness of Jesus, inviting us to express to him our desires, what we want, what we are looking for. But, here lies too the biggest problem in our life when we do not know what we want or when we are easily distracted with what we really want.
How many times had it happened when we forget what we are supposed to do when distracted by our endless scrolling of Facebook or Instagram? Or, when we go to the mall just to walk and unwind only to find ourselves buying things we do not need at all? Even our dreams and plans in life crash with costly mistakes because we could not stick to our goals. Despite the viral videos we see almost every week, many still go on road rage and end up fools while great men and women fall in disgrace because of sex scandals, including some priests.
Photo by author, Camp John Hay, Baguio City, 12 July 2023.
If we could just focus on what we are looking for, we could have avoided losing the opportunities we have had in life. Sadly, we only confront that question when we face death or when in a major crisis in life, when we realize what we really need most is God. In my three years as a hospital chaplain, I have proven daily in the sick people I visited that the only thing we must first look for in this life is God because in the end, we all go back to him.
That is why ageing gracefully is a virtue. As we get older, it is only then when we realize the spiritual things are more essential than material things. It is later in life we realize when we are already weak and sick that it was not time but us who have actually passed by through the years. Then we become bitter filled with regrets for not having loved God in our very selves, in our family and friends.
Don’t be shy telling Jesus what you are looking for in this life. Tell him what you feel. Nothing is so trivial for him. What matters is we keep on entertaining within us that question until one day, our desire becomes one with his and that is when fullness happens in life. Like what Andrew and his companion experienced that afternoon.
Photo by author, Baguio City, August 2023.
How amazing that the two disciples of John the Baptist answered Jesus with a question too, “Rabbi, where are you staying?”
The word “stay” or “dwell” in some translations is from the Greek word menein which does not necessarily refer to place and space but connotes more of an image of mystery and security. During the last supper, Jesus told his disciples not to be bothered and worried because “In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places… I am going to prepare a place for you” (Jn. 14:2). We hear this gospel in funeral Masses to assure people of having a place in heaven but, more than the spatial reality it signifies, to stay or to dwell evokes in us a sense of mystery, of security and home – of heaven in fact – which we all desire though rarely expressed.
Here, we find dwelling is a sense of belonging. Very early on as disciples of John the Baptist, Andrew and companion must have learned their master’s teachings of the coming Messiah with whom they wanted to belong with that is why their question, where do you stay or dwell was actually what they were looking for. See now their question was a revelation of their desires in life too!
And likewise we find Jesus so welcoming when he told them to “come and see” – to experience him. What they have seen and experienced that afternoon must be so profound that in a brief moment with Jesus, they immediately concluded he is the Christ or the Messiah!
Photo by author, Anvaya Cove, Morong, Bataan, 2023.
But that is how it is with life especially when we examine those birthday parties we have hosted, to the graduation and wedding or ordination that happened so briefly compared with the long preparations we have made; the significance and impact of those brief moments in our lives are something that stay and remain with us, kept us going because in them also we had Jesus impressed and etched in our hearts, in our very being that we must treasure most and take care of lest we lose or waste them.
That is why in the second reading we heard St. Paul telling the Corinthians including us today to stop all forms of immoralities, that as Christians, we live for Christ. Stay focused on that. No one can claim his/her body is totally his/her own and may do whatever he/she wishes like the wokes who claim to be liberal and progressive. They insist “my body, my life”, that it is their right to abort a baby in the womb, that they can just have sex even without commitments and love by using contraceptives. Worst is their claim in the name of openness and freedom, they change everything like gender, looks, concepts and even grammar. What is insane is their insistence even on us on what they think are most important without truly looking deep in their hearts what every human person truly desires.
According to St. Ignatius of Loyola, once we are able to renounce our own will, God’s desire for us always coincides with whatever is really deep down in our hearts. That is because he made us, he knows what is best for us. That is why, we need to pray. And pray correctly not just have devotions and panata that are one-sided and personal without God in the equation, making us selfish and unmindful of others. Prayer is first of all a discipline that brings order in one’s life. The more we dive deeper into prayer and find God, the more we find him in our selves and him in others too.
Photo from Inquirer.net, 09 January 2024.
Every day God is calling us, inviting us to enter into a dialogue, a conversation with him. It is a matter of being open to him like the child Samuel in our first reading, who “grew up, and the Lord was with him, not permitting any word of his to be without effect” (1 Samuel 3:19).
See again how the Lord stayed with Samuel who since childhood was answering God’s call, always following him, remaining in him that he became one of the great prophets of Israel.
Jesus welcomes whatever answer we give him, even if it is in a question form too because as we journey in life, his question with our questions eventually reveal the truth within each of us that God loves us so much, that he wants us to stay in him, remain in him. That is why Jesus, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world, came – so that our joy may be complete and life be fulfilled in him. Amen.
Lawiswis Ng Salita ni P. Nicanor F. Lalog II, Ika-12 ng Enero 2024 Homilya sa Kasal ng Inaanak ko sa binyag, Lorenz, kay Charmaine Simbahan ni San Agustin, Intramuros, Maynila
Larawan kuha ng may-akda, 2019.
Sigurado ako na alam na ninyong lahat, lalo na ng mga Gen Z dito, iyong trending sa social media na post ng isang dilag nang malaman niyang 299-pesos ang halaga ng engagement ring na binigay sa kanya ng boyfriend niya ng walong taon na nabili sa Shopee.
Kasing ingay ng mga paputok ng Bagong Taon ang talakayan noon sa social media hanggang sa naging isang katatawanan o meme ang naturang post gaya ng halos lahat ng nagiging viral. Sari-sari ang mga kuro-kuro at pananaw ng mga netizens, mahuhusay ang kanilang paglalahad, seryoso man o pabiro. Mayroong mga kumampi sa babae habang ang ilan naman ay naghusga sa kanya at sa boyfriend niya.
Hindi ko naman nasundan ang post na iyan. Katunayan, inalam ko lamang iyon kamakailan upang pagnilayan para sa homilya ko sa inyong kasal ngayong hapong ito, Lorenz at Charmaine.
At ito lang masasabi ko sa inyo: ang pag-aasawa ay tungkol sa kuwento ng pag-ibig, hindi ng kuwenta sa mga naibigay, materyal man o espiritwal.
Larawan mula sa YouTube.com
Maliwanag sa ating ebanghelyo na ang pag-aasawa ay kuwento ng pag-ibig ng Diyos sa atin. Maniwala kayo Lorenz at Charmaine, Diyos ang nagtakda ng araw na ito ng inyong kasal. Hindi kahapon o bukas, at hindi rin noong isang taon gaya ng una ninyong plano. Iyan ang sinabi sa atin ni San Pablo sa Unang Pagbasa:
“Kung ang Diyos ay panig sa atin, sino ang laban sa atin? Walang makapaghihiwalay sa atin sa pag-ibig ng Diyos – pag-ibig na ipinadama niya sa atin sa pamamagitan ni Cristo Jesus na ating Panginoon.”
Roma 8:31, 39
Higit sa lahat, batid ninyong pareho sa inyong kuwento ng buhay kung paanong ang Diyos ang kumilos upang sa kabila ng magkaiba ninyong mga karanasan, pinagtagpo pa rin kayo ng Diyos, pinapanatili at higit sa lahat, ngayon ay pinagbubuklod sa Sakramento ng Kasal ngayong hapon.
Sa tuwing pinag-uusapan ninyo ang inyong kuwento ng buhay, palaging naroon din ang inyong kuwento ng pag-ibig maging sa iba’t ibang karanasan – matatamis at mapapait minsa’y mapakla at maisim marahil pero sa kabuuan, masarap ang inyong kuwento, hindi ba? Ilang beses ba kayong nag-away… at nagbati pa rin?
Humanga nga ako sa inyo pareho, lalo na sa iyo Lorenz. Ipinagmamalaki ko na inaanak kita kasi ikaw pala ay dakilang mangingibig. Hindi mo alintana ang nakaraan ni Charmaine. Katulad mo ay si San Jose nang lalo mo pang minahal si Charmaine at ang mga mahal niya! Wala sa iyo ang nakaraang kuwento ng buhay ni Charmaine dahil ang pinahalagahan mo ay ang kuwentong hinahabi ninyong pareho ngayon. Bihira na iyan at maliwanag na ito ay kuwento ng pag-ibig ng Diyos sa inyo.
Paghanga at pagkabighani naman aking naramdaman sa iyo, Charmaine. Higit sa iyong kagandahan Charmaine ay ang busilak ng iyong puso at budhi. Wala kang inilihim kay Lorenz. Naging totoo ka sa kanya mula simula. Higit sa lahat, naging bukas ang isip at puso mo sa kabila ng iyong unang karanasan upang pagbigyan ang umibig muli. At hindi ka nabigo.
Kaya nga Lorenz at Charmaine, ipagpatuloy ninyo ang kuwento ng inyong pag-ibig sa isa’t isa na mula sa Diyos.
Larawan kuha ng may-akda, 2017 sa Israel.
Kapag mahal mo ang isang tao, lagi mong kinakausap. Marami kang kuwento. At handa kang makinig kahit paulit-ulit ang kuwento kasi mahal mo siya. At kung mahal ninyo ang Diyos, palagi din kayong makikipag-kuwentuhan sa kanya sa pagdarasal at pagsisimba.
Palagi ninyong isama sa buhay ninyo tulad sa araw na ito ang Diyos na pumili sa inyo. Wika ng Panginoong Jesus sa ating ebanghelyo, “Manatili kayo sa aking pag-ibig upang makahati kayo sa kagalakan ko at malubos ang inyong kagalakan” (Jn.15:9, 11).
Hindi pagkukuwenta ang pag-aasawa. Hindi lamang pera at mga gastos ang kinukuwenta. Huwag na huwag ninyong gagawing mag-asawa ang magkuwentahan ng inyong naibigay o tinanggap na ano pa man sapagkat ang pag-aasawa ay hindi paligsahan o kompetisyon ng mga naibigay at naidulot. Hindi ito labanan ng sino ang higit na nagmamahal. Kaya, huwag kayong magkukwentahan, magbibilangan ng pagkukulang o ng pagpupuno sa isa’t-isa.
Basta magmahal lang kayo ng magmahal nang hindi humahanap ng kapalit dahil ang pag-aasawa ay ang pagbibigay ng buong sarili sa kabiyak upang mapanatili inyong kabuuan.
Paano ba nalalaman ng mga bata kung magkaaway ang tatay at nanay?
Larawan kuha ng may-akda, 2019.
Kapag hindi sila nag-uusap. Kapag ang mag-asawa o mag-irog o maging magkakaibigan ay hindi nag-uusap ni hindi nagkikibuan, ibig sabihin mayroong tampuhan o alitan. Walang pag-ibig, walang ugnayan, walang usapan.
Kaya nga kapag nag-away ang mag-asawa, sino ang dapat maunang bumati o kumibo? Sabi ng iba yung daw lalake kasi lalake ang una palagi. Akala ko ba ay ladies first? Sabi ng ilan, kung sino daw may kasalanan. E, may aamin ba sa mag-asawa kung sino may kasalanan?
Ang tumpak na kasagutan ay kung sino mayroong higit na pagmamahal, siyang maunang kumibo at bumati dahil ang pag-aasawa ay paninindigang piliin na mahalin at mahalin pa rin araw-araw ang kanyang kabiyak sa kabila ng lahat. Kaya palaging maganda ang kuwento ng pag-ibig, hindi nagwawakas, nagpapatuloy hanggang kamatayan.
Aabangan namin at ipapanalangin inyong kuwento ng pag-ibig, Lorenz at Charmaine. Mabuhay kayo!
The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II Friday in the First Week of Ordinary Time, 12 January 2024 1 Samuel 8:4-7, 10-22 <'[[[[>< + ><]]]]'> Mark 2:1-12
Photo by Mr. Boy Cabrido, 05 January 2024, First Friday at Quiapo Church.
Praise and glory to you, God our Father, on this twelfth day of 2024 as you continue to teach us some valuable lessons to keep in order to live in communion with you and experience your blessings in Jesus Christ daily for the next 366 days.
In the first reading, we find the persistence of your people in having a king over them just like other nations around Israel which, surprisingly, you did not mind at all! How funny it is that many times, we are insistent on things really not that important, wasting precious time and energy only to be sorry later.
Samuel was displeased when they asked for a king to judge them. He prayed to the Lord, however, who said in answer: ”Grant the people’s every request. It is not you they reject, they are rejecting me as their king.”
1 Samuel 8:6-7
Send us prophets, Father, another Samuel who would help us discern what we are asking from you, what we desire in life, what we really want; may we not be insistent nor persistent when our prayers and wishes or objectives contradict your divine plans and set us apart from you and others who truly care for us.
Photo by Mr. Boy Cabrido, midnight at Quiapo, 09 January 2024.
Teach us instead, to be more persistent, even insistent by persevering to get closer to Jesus Christ your Son like those four men who opened up the roof and let down before Jesus the paralytic they were carrying; how funny when we make many excuses to be not insistent and persistent in getting closer to Jesus like going to Sunday Mass, hearing Confessions, or simply praying inside the church or an adoration chapel; many times, we never run out of alibis for not persisting in being kind or being good or at least courteous to others; more often, we simply lack the energy to persevere in cultivating discipline and other virtues because we think more of what others are doing and saying, of what is in, what is in vogue, what is viral and trending.
This 2024, give us the grace of persistence, especially of perseverance in following Jesus, in being like Jesus, in sharing Jesus. Amen.
Photo by Mr. Boy Cabrido in Luneta, 09 January 2024.
The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II Thursday in the First Week of Ordinary Time, 11 January 2024 1 Samuel 4:1-11 <*[[[[>< + ><]]]]*> Mark 1:40-45
Photo from Inquirer.net, 09 January 2024.
God our loving Father, your words today from the first reading as so similar with our annual experiences at Traslacion of Quiapo's Black Nazarene image; every year, we all ask in awe and wonder as well as with skepticism even cynicism by some if this is faith or fanaticism because after January 9, our nation remains the same - defeated in corruption, defeated in inequality, defeated in poverty, so defeated in fact that many are still suffering from all kinds of impoverishments that like the Israelites at Ebenezer, we ask:
“Why has the Lord permitted us to be defeated today by the Philistines? Let us fetch the ark of the Lord from Shiloh that it may gointo battle among us and save us from the grasp of our enemies.”
1 Samuel 4:3
We have the Black Nazarene, we have the Sto. Niño, we have the La Naval, we have everything like your Ark of the Covenant, dear God and yet like the Israelites, we are still defeated: we elect into office to govern us men and women without integrity nor abilities, much less concern for our well-being; we ourselves disobey simple traffic rules, could not give the due respect to our parents at home!
Forgive us, dear God, in relying so much on what eyes can see, what hands can do, what mouths can shout or speak as we forget to move our hearts, to deepen our faith like that leper, wholeheartedly believing in Jesus Christ that he was cleansed and healed; but, unlike him, let us obey the prescriptions of the law, of those above us to avoid sensationalisms that may spark faith in many but fail in deepening that same faith when we turn more on ourselves than to you, O God, in Christ Jesus found in everyone whom we eventually forget as we become self-centered. Amen.
The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II Wednesday in the First Week of Ordinary Time, 10 January 2024 1 Samuel 3:1-10,19-20 <*[[[[>< + ><]]]]*> Mark 1:29-39
Photo by author, 2020.
Dearest God our Father: I find it so funny these days we have that feature in our phones "call waiting" - when we can identify whoever is calling us, giving us the easy choice to answer it or not; if we have missed a call, we still have a chance to call back to return a missed call; with "call waiting", we cannot actually miss a call. Ideally. Supposed to be.
But we not only ignore calls of friends and relatives; worst of all, we refuse answering your calls!
During the time young Samuel was minister to the Lord under Eli, a revelation of the Lord was uncommon and vision infrequent… Samuel grew up, and the Lord was with him, not permitting any word of his to be without effect.
1 Samuel 3:1, 20
How interesting the author noted that "revelation of the Lord was uncommon and vision infrequent" during that time of Eli as your priest; most likely reason was nobody was listening to you at all until Samuel came.
Teach us, dear Jesus, to never keep you waiting for us in answering your calls; like the brothers Peter and Andrew, James and John that we immediately speak to you, most of all always listen to you.
This 2024, let us not keep you waiting in answering your call for you never missed our calls; let me be patient, O Lord, in awaiting your words, your calls so that like Samuel when we speak, our words have effect because we speak your words alone. Amen.
lordmychef.com 
