The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Wednesday, Memorial of Sts. Joachim & Anne, Parents of the BVM, 26 July 2023
Exodus 16:1-5, 9-15 <*(((>< + ><)))*> + <*(((>< + ><)))*> Matthew 13:1-9
Photo by author, Bolinao, Pangasinan, 19 April 2022.
God our loving Father,
I have just noticed how we all love
seeing and watching the sun set,
even capturing it in our photos
and yet, we tend to forget,
sometimes neglect the people
in the sunset of their lives.
Our grandparents
and elderlies.
The seniors among us.
On this Memorial of
Saints Joachim and Anne,
the parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary,
grandparents of the Lord Jesus Christ,
we pray for all our seniors today.
Grant them the patience of the sower
in the gospel, to continue sowing us
with your seeds of faith and
valuable lessons learned in life
from their experience of you, O Lord.
Like Sts. Joachim and Anne,
may we never lose hope in life
even in our old age in fulfilling
our dreams and aspirations in life;
keep us faithful to you and to one another,
always listening and obeying them
as Aaron had taught your people
in the desert and as Jesus admonished,
"Whoever has ears ought to hear"
(Matthew 13:9).
Teach us, dear Father,
to honor older people
not only today on their feast
but everyday by welcoming them,
helping them, and
making good use of their qualities
as expounded by St. John Paul II
in his Letter to the Elderly, #12.
Most of all, let our young
remain close to the elderly
with great love and generosity
because older people can give
them with much more than
they can imagine with their
"wisdom of heart".
Amen.
The Lord Is My Chef Breakfast Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Monday, Memorial of Sts. Joachim and Anne, Parents of BVM, 26 July 2021
Sirach 44:1,10-15 ><]]]]*> + <*[[[[>< Matthew 13:16-17
Photo by Mr. Jim Marpa, 2018.
"Old age is the final stage
of human maturity and a sign
of God's blessing."
(St. John Paul II, Letter
to the Elderly, 01 October 1999)
God our loving Father,
today we remember
the elderly among us
in celebration of the Memorial
of St. Joachim and St. Anne,
parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary,
grandparents of our Lord
Jesus Christ.
Thank you for their many gifts
that without them, we won't be
here at all while at the same time,
life for us will be not this easy
and comfortable without their
many sacrifices and efforts
we may never know
or even experience.
"Their bodies are peacefully laid away,
but their name lives on and on."
(Sirach 44:11)
Teach us, O Lord, to put a stop
to the wrong and evil mentality
of our time that gives priority
to human usefulness and productivity
that lead to contempt
for the later years of life
that make older people wonder
if their lives are still worthwhile.
Help us recover, merciful Father,
the correct perspective on life
as a whole that leads to eternity
for which we are all preparing for,
guided by the elderly among us
who share with us their wisdom
and maturity of the past
on which our present is firmly rooted.
"But, blessed are your eyes,
because they see, and your ears,
because they hear. Amen,
I say to you, many prophets
and righteous people longed
to see what you see but
did not see it, and to hear
what you hear but did not hear it."
(Matthew 13:16-17)
We pray most especially, dear God
on this day for the young people
to remain close to the elderly
with much love and generosity,
for them to realize how older people
can give them much more
than they can imagine
to grasp life's meaning.
Make us remember to keep
your only commandment with
the promise of blessing at old age
to honor our father and mother
by welcoming the elderly,
by helping them in their old age, and most
specially, by upholding their dignity as your
most unique gift to humanity. Amen.
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