Tag: being small

Prayer to become small

The Lord Is My Chef Breakfast Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Friday, Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, 19 June 2020
Deuteronomy 7:6-11 ><)))*> 1 John 4:7-16 <*(((>< Matthew 11:25-30
Photo from Google.

O most Sacred Heart of Jesus, make my heart like yours — make me small and little in standing, hidden and unknown among many, simple and humble in a world now measured in influence, popularity, and following.

On this Solemnity of your Most Sacred Heart, I thank you dear Jesus in choosing to be small and little, always hidden in the simplest things of life like soft voices of kindness and mercy, reason and wisdom, gratitude and love.

You have shown us that to be truly loving like you, we have to be small and little like children.

Most of all, free to be ourselves as beloved children of the Father!

Free from inhibitions and guilt to truly express the love and joy within.

Help us, Jesus, to cast all our worries to you, to take your yoke that is easy, burden that is light.

It is so difficult to love when we are burdened by many concerns and considerations, when we cannot be our true selves that we lack spontaneity, of being natural and easy.

In the same manner, it becomes hard for us too to love or even please someone who sees him or her self bigger than reality, when they see themselves as “big shots” and “heavyweights” who have to be pleased and “followed” or affirmed.

May we always keep in mind the words of Moses so applicable also to us today:

“It was not because you are the largest of all nations that the Lord set his heart on you and chose you, for you are really the smallest of all nations.”

Deuteronomy 7:7

O Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, you have given us your heart that bleeds due to the thorns of our sins, yet aglow with the fire of your immense love and mercy.

May we come to you, today and always to find rest, to learn from your gentle and humble ways so needed in our heartless world. Amen.

Photo by Mr. Jim Marpa, 2019.

True greatness is in smallness

The Lord Is My Chef Breakfast Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Wednesday, Week X, Year II in Ordinary Time, 10 June 2020
1 Kings 18:20-39 ><)))*> ooo + ooo <*(((>< Matthew 5:17-19
View from inside the Old Jerusalem. Photo by author, May 2017.

Jesus said to his disciples: “Amen, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or the smallest part of a letter will pass from the law, until things have taken place. Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do so will be called least in the Kingdom of heaven. But whoever obeys and teaches these commandments will be called greatest in the Kingdom of heaven.”

Matthew 5:18-19

O Lord Jesus, these are heavy words for things we consider too small, too little that we take them for granted because they do not have much impact unto this big, wide world.

Like the salt you spoke of yesterday when a dash or a pinch can bring out a burst of flavors from food or a taste that can awaken us.

So many times in our lives, we forget the reality that great things always start with small beginnings.

That people who can be trusted with little things can be trusted with great things; and people who cannot be trusted with small things cannot be trusted too with bigger things.

Forgive us, Jesus, when we tend to look into the size and amount and number as bases for our decision and choices in life, when we continue to hold on to the belief the bigger is always better, the more the merrier.

But you, O Lord, are so different: you chose to be small being born as an infant, waiting for 30 years before coming out in public, having only a band of 12 followers who were practically a nobody in the society then, choosing an unleavened bread and ordinary grape wine as signs of your presence and eternal covenant for all time.

And here we are, like the Israelites of the time of Elijah who chose to to be quiet and doubt you because you only had one, old prophet; but when they his saw many counterparts of Baal, they all rooted for the false god whose only edge was number.

Elijah appealed to the people and said, “How long will you straddle the issue? If the Lord is God, follow him; if Baal, follow him.” The people, however, did not answer him. So Elijah said to the people, “I am the only surviving prophets of the Lord, and there are four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal. Give us two young bulls. Let them choose one, cut it into pieces, and place it on the wood, but start no fire. I shall prepare the other and place it on the wood, but shall start no fire. You shall call on your gods, and I will call on the Lord. The God who answers with fire is God.” All the people answered, “Agreed!”

1 Kings 18:21-24

Please forgive us, Jesus, when we would rather go and accept whatever is popular, trending and viral, when we are so concerned with more likes and followers, with whatever is more and bigger without realizing you are so great because you are so small with a little voice so you can dwell inside our hearts.

Let us value whatever is little and small, uphold whatever is tiny and minute because most often you are there with most power. Amen.

Photo by author, Christmas in our parish, 2019.

Greatness in smallness

The Lord Is My Chef Breakfast Recipe for the Soul

Tuesday, Advent Week I, Memorial of St. Francis Xavier, 03 December 2019

Isaiah 11:1-10 ><)))*> ><)))*> ><)))*> Luke 10:21-24

What a blessed Tuesday we have today, O Lord, despite the threat of a super typhoon approaching us!

Your words console us, assure us of your protection and grace.

You give us today two beautiful images of greatness in being small which is the true spirit of Christmas, of you our God coming to us a child born in Bethlehem more than 2000 years ago.

First image is the “shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse, and from its roots a bud shall blossom” (Is.11:1).

Every great thing always starts small. Most of all, they always happen where we least expect them like shoots sprouting from the stump of a tree! Help us to keep this in mind especially when we are losing hope.

How sad that in today’s world, people insist that “size always matter” that we always want to be the biggest in everything.

Second image, O Lord, that you have given us today of greatness in smallness is being childlike, your favorite:

Jesus rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, “I give you praise, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned you have revealed them to the childlike. Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will.

Luke 10:21
Photo by Mr. Jim Marpa, 2018.

Being like a child is the very essence of your life and teachings, O Lord Jesus which we seem to fail to grasp and accept. All our lives we have always insisted on being so wise and learned that have often led us to more problems and disunity among us.

Teach us to be childlike, full of trust and confidence in you and most especially, with that sense of awe.

Like our Saint for today, that great child in faith of St. Ignatius of Loyola, St. Francis Xavier who kept that spirit of being childlike in his going to mission as far as China and Japan working tirelessly for the faith.

O blessed St. Francis Xavier, pray for us to remain small and simple before God our Master like you so that his greatness and majesty be seen more in us. Amen.

Power of Greatness Is In Being Small

RaffyIceland8
The Lord Is My Chef Breakfast Recipe-Prayer
Tuesday, 30 October 2018, Week XXX, Year II
Ephesians 5:21-33///Luke 13:18-21

            O loving Father, you are such a joy to be with, filled with life and humor!

            Yesterday through St. Paul you asked us to “live as children of light” and today through him again you are asking us to “be subordinate to one another out of reverence for Christ.” (Eph.5:21) 

            Being children, being subordinate are both calls to become small, to be little.  In a world where size always matters, when we talk more about being bigger and biggest, we have always taken for granted being little, being small.  For some, life is measured in terms of power and reach, influence and domination while respect equated by with strength and humility with weakness.

            How ironic that the most powerful weapons in the world are called “atomic” that harness the power of the smallest particle of everything, the atom.  Moreover, some scientists have recently borrowed your name to designate the minutest particle that makes up an atom as “god particle” only to show that to be atomic, to be powerful is to very, very small.

            How could we forget, even disregard, this basic lesson of the universe, still unaware and unconvinced with your example of sending us your Son Jesus Christ who was conceived by the Holy Spirit in Mary’s womb, born as an infant like everyone, grew and matured like any child in Nazareth except in sin?  Eventually, in conquering death, He fully emptied Himself by dying on the Cross in total weakness and surrender, so small in the eyes of the world when in fact He got the whole world in His hands?

            Help us, O God, to keep in our hearts Christ’s teaching that your kingdom is like the small mustard seed that becomes a large bush or the little yeast that leavens the dough.  Help us realize, O God, that for us to be truly great, we have to be small before you our Creator, to always subordinate ourselves with one another in Christ like husband and wife deeply in love.  AMEN. Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II, Parokya ng San Juan Apostol at Ebanghelista, Gov. F. Halili Ave., Bagbaguin, Sta. Maria, Bulacan 3022. 

*Photo by Mr. Raffy Tima of GMA-7 News, Iceland, October 2018.  Used with permission.