Keeping our confidence

The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Friday, Memorial of St. John Bosco, Priest, 31 January 2025
Hebrews 10:32-39 <*((((>< <*(((>< + ><)))*> ><))))*> Mark 4:26-34

*Photo by author, Sacred Heart Novitiate, Novaliches, QC, 20 March 2024.*

Remember the days past when, after you had been enlightened, you endured a great contest of suffering… Therefore, do not throw away your confidence; it will have great recompense (Hebrews 10:32, 35).

Thank you,
O God our loving Father
for another month past
this new year;
there is indeed no other path
to take but forward
in you and with you
through Jesus.

How amazing,
dear Lord as I look back
to my many setbacks and problems
hurdled in the past,
the more I look forward
into the future!
The more I am excited
of the coming days ahead
because if I made it through
in the past,
through the long, dark nights
of trials and sufferings,
you are always with me
in Jesus.

*Photo by author, St. Scholastica Spirituality Center, Tagaytay, August 2024.*

Keep me faithful, Jesus;
let me not lose that confidence
in you, Lord, like the farmer
in your parable:
let me keep on sowing your
gospel in words and in deeds
especially among the young and 
the underprivileged like
St. John Bosco whose memorial
we celebrate today;
let me do whatever good 
I can do today;
most of all, 
like St. John Bosco,
let me love without measure
without claiming anything at all
except as your work, Lord Jesus
in sowing seeds until they
sprout to life and grow
until harvest time.
Amen.

*Photo by author, Northern Blossoms, Atok, Benguet, 27 December 2024.*

Restore us, O Lord

The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Tuesday in the Sixteenth Week of Ordinary Time, Year II, 23 July 2024
Micah 7:14-15, 18-20 <'[[[[>< + ><]]]]'> Matthew 12:46-50

Restore us, O god our savior, and abandon your displeasure against us. Will you be ever angry with us, prolonging your anger to all generations? Will you not instead give us life; and shall not your people rejoice in you? Show us, O Lord, your kindness, and grant us your salvation (Today’s Responsorial Psalm 85:5-8).

It has been raining 
for almost a week in many
parts of the country of the world
with images of floods everywhere,
many are perennial ones but
many are so unusual and unheard of;
everybody is complaining,
everybody is blaming
everyone for the disaster
except one's self.

That is why I love the
psalmist's prayer today:
"Restore us, O God our savior";
it has so many meanings
and applications so relevant
these days of rains and floods -
repair and renovate the many
roads and homes destroyed;
but most of all,
bring us back to You, O God;
let us return to You
by finding each one a family
 as Jesus taught us
in today's gospel,
"For whoever does the will
of my heavenly Father
is my brother,
and sister,
and mother"
(Matthew 12:50).

Like the remnants of Israel
the Prophet Micah spoke of
in the first reading,
keep me faithful, standing before
You, O Lord in these trying
times of natural and human disasters.
Amen.

Replacing the Judas Iscariots among us

The Lord Is My Chef Easter Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Tuesday, Feast of St. Matthias, Apostle, 14 May 2024
Acts 1:15-17, 20-26   ><)))'>  +  <'(((><   John 15:9-17

Dearest Jesus,
please pardon me
in telling You
how it saddens me 
when I hear of so many
stories of Judas Iscariots
among us especially
in our ministry;
why You chose
and called them is a total mystery,
and I am so sorry
how they came out to be;
I have no claims to
holiness nor being perfect
but I thank You, Jesus,
for this feast of St. Matthias
whom You have called
to replace Judas Iscariot
to show us how much You
love us, most of all,
believe in us and 
trust us even if You know
so well we could be unfaithful
to You and Your call like
Judas Iscariot.

I pray, therefore, O Lord, 
for the gift to be faithful always
to Your call,
to fully participate in Your choices,
in Your choosing me
to Your mission
despite my sins
and weaknesses;
let me keep in mind
and heart it was You
who chose me
and not me who chose You:

“It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you.”
John 15:16

How lovely,
O sweet Jesus,
to find in St. Matthias
Your choice to replace 
Judas Iscariot, a reminder from
You of that fact that while
there is no lack of unworthy 
and traitorous Christians 
everywhere like unfaithful spouses,
corrupt officials,
callous and self-centered priests
and bishops,
You still call each of us to
counterbalance the
evils they have done
with our faithful witnessing
to You, 
our Eternal Priest,
Lord and Savior.

Like St. Matthias,
let us value Your call, Jesus
to continue Your mission
so maligned and destroyed
by the many Judas Iscariots
among us; like St. Matthias,
let us nourish Your choice
by remaining in You, Lord,
by keeping our choices
according to Your
holy will; in making choices 
in this life, help me, Jesus
to be discerning,
to be most prayerful
like the Apostles.

So they proposed two, Joseph called Barsabas, who was also known as Justus, and Matthias. Then they prayed, “You, Lord, who know the hearts of all, show which one of these two you have chosen to take the place in this apostolic ministry from which Judas turned away to go to his own place.”
Acts 1:23-24

Lastly,
I pray today on this
feast of St. Matthias
for people having difficulties
praying to finally realize
Your choices for them;
for those afraid to accept
Your choices;
for those who keep looking
for other options
despite Your clear choice for them;
please enlighten their minds
and fill them with courage
and trust in
You, sweet Jesus.
Amen.

Praying to be a devout Christian

The Lord Is My Chef Easter Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Wednesday in the Third Week of Easter, 17 April 2024
Acts 8:1-8     <*((((>< + ><))))*>     John 6:35-40

*Photo by author, Sacred Heart Novitiate, Novaliches, QC, 19 March 2024.*

There broke out a severe persecution of the church in Jerusalem, and all were scattered throughout the countryside of Judea and Samaria, except the Apostles. Devout men buried Stephen and made a loud lament over him.
Acts 8:1-2

Your words today,
dear Jesus are very solemn
that despite the "severe persecution"
of the church that scattered Your
followers, the Apostles remained
while "devout men" 
buried St. Stephen
while lamenting aloud.

Only the Evangelist Luke
used the word devout in the
Scriptures: first in his gospel
to describe Simeon who waited
for Your coming at the Presentation
and thrice in the Acts in describing
Jews attending the Pentecost (2:5),
in burying St. Stephen (8:2), and
in calling Ananias "a devout observer 
of the law" whom You have instructed
to pray over and heal Saul after You
appeared to him on the way to
Damascus.

*Photo by Ms. Anne Ramos, 22 March 2020.*

Fill us with joy, Lord,
 no matter how difficult
 life may be for us
like those devout men
 who buried St. Stephen
because we can never
 meet You,
Jesus,
in our complaints and whines,
fears and apprehensions
of the difficulties
 that abound around us;
more than being faithful to You,
 a devout person O Lord
 is one who does not only believe in You
but one who makes You present,
one who makes Your coming
a reality
 in every here and now.

Teach us to believe
in You, Lord Jesus,
that You are the "bread of life";
teach us, Jesus,
to act on our faith in You
openly and with courage,
not ashamed of the
consequences
because to be devout
is to care and respect
for each other
as Your indwelling.
Amen.