The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II Monday, Memorial of St. Blaise, Bishop & Martyr, 03 February 2025 Hebrews 11:32-40 ><))))*> + ><))))*> + ><))))*> Mark 5:1-20
Photo by author, Atok, Benguet, 27 December 2024.
Thank you, dear Father in heaven for making me feel your proverbial pat on the shoulder this Monday: while the author of the Letter to the Hebrews wrote of the heroes and heroines of Old Testament to remind us of their incredible deeds, great hardships and sufferings that led to their giving up their lives for the sake of their faith, you remind me too, dear God, of my own sufferings and trials in life far more greater and fulfilling than theirs not on my own account but in Jesus' name.
The world was not worthy of them. They wandered about in deserts and on mountains, in caves and in crevices in the earth. Yet all these, though approved because of their faith, did not receive what had been promised. God had foreseen something better for us, so that without us they should not be made perfect (Hebrews 11:38-40).
You have rewarded so well all those great men and women in the Old Testament but they have to wait until Jesus Christ's coming for the fulfillment of your promise to them in his life, death, and resurrection; in Jesus, every simplest deed of self denial and sacrifice lead to fulfillment like in his exorcism of that possessed man in Gerasenes who "had been dwelling among the tombs, and no one would restrain him any longer, even with a chain" (Mark 5:3); only Jesus was able to restore him to fullness in life, just like with everyone of us today.
Every miraculous healing by any saint, any martyrdom is a celebration of Christ's power over sin and evil, a proverbial pat on our shoulder for letting God, and letting go. Amen.
St. Blaise, Bishop and Martyr, Pray for us.
Photo by author, Mt. Olis, Atok, Benguet, 27 December 2024.
The Lord Is My Chef Sunday Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, 02 February 2025 Malachi 3:1-4 ><}}}}*> Hebrews 2:14-18 ><}}}}*> Luke 2:22-40
“Presentation at the Temple” painting by Italian Renaissance artist Andrea Mantegna done around 1455; Mary holding Baby Jesus while St. Joseph at the middle looks on the bearded Simeon. The man at the right is said to be a self-portrait of the artist while the woman at the back of Mary could be his wife. Photo from wikipedia.org.
We take a break from our regular Sunday cycle of readings today being the second of February, the Feast of the Presentation of Jesus at the Temple which is also 40 days after His birth. That is why it is technically the end of Christmas when Joseph and Mary left Bethlehem to bring Jesus to the Temple in Jerusalem.
The Presentation of Jesus at the Temple is one of the earliest major feasts celebrated by the Church in Jerusalem in the third century that reached Rome 300 years later with the designation as the Purification of Mary. Years later as it spread to France, it came to be known as Chandeleur, or Candlemas in English speaking countries and Candelaria in Spanish when the blessing of candles with a short procession was incorporated into its liturgy due to that part of Simeon’s Canticle calling Jesus as the “light of the world” (gentiles). Following the reforms of Vatican II in 1969, St. Paul VI brought it back to its original title as the “Feast of the Presentation of the Lord” due to its Christological emphasis while retaining the traditional rite of the blessing of candles and short procession into the church.
In the Eastern Churches, this Feast is called the Encounter or the meeting of Jesus with the two elderly Simeon and Anna who were both promised by God to witness the coming of His promised salvation before they died.
One thing remains clear in its long history of celebrating the Lord’s Presentation is the beautiful assurance and sign of Jesus Christ’s presence among us enlightening us, lighting our paths, meeting us most especially in our old age as our fulfillment in life.
Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon. This man was righteous and devout, awaiting the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he should not see death before he had seen the Christ of the Lord. He came in the Spirit into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus to perform the custom of the law in regard to him, he took him into his arms and blessed God, saying: “Now, Master, you may let your servant go in peace, according to your word, for my eyes have seen your salvation, which you prepared in sight of all the peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and glory for your people Israel” (Luke 2:25-32).
Presentation in the Temple painting by Fra Angelico from fineartamerica.com.
For our reflection, let us identify ourselves with Simeon as we dwell on his actions and words in that momentous Presentation of the Lord in the Temple.
From our long gospel account this Sunday, we get a picture of Simeon as an old man; however, not just chronologically speaking in age but also in his feeling isolated and weak deep inside, waiting for so long in faith and in hope for the coming of the Christ who would bring salvation and peace to a troubled world and a troubled self like us. Let us now reflect on Simeon’s action:
"he took him into his arms and blessed God" (Luke 2:28)
Photo from crossroadinitiative.com.
Look at the artistry of Luke as a storyteller and a physician who knew so well how people felt when approaching death whether due to an illness or old age like Simeon and Anna. See how Luke had assembled in one scene the two old people meeting the eternally young Son of God in the temple as if telling us not only to meet Jesus Christ but also to take Him into our arms to embrace and carry Him!
To embrace and carry the Infant Jesus like Simeon and Anna is a call for us to transform and level up our way of looking at old age as a reality we must accept and appreciate than hide or avoid with many illusory tactics that only make it more difficult and leave us more fearful.
Be proud of your grey or white hair like George Clooney and Meryl Streep. Don’t be ashamed of those wrinkles for they are our badges of the many wars and battles we have fought in life, regardless whether we have won or lost. One thing is clear though and that is we are still alive. Laugh it off when our memory fails, when we get slow in everything because life is not a race nor a competition but an art that is perfected as we age.
Taking to carry Baby Jesus like Simeon and Anna is embracing old age called “ageing gracefully” – a modern virtue that calls us to deepen our prayer life as we realize and accept the fact that it is now our “boarding time” for the final Encounter with the Lord in eternity.
In my previous parish assignment, there were three elderly men I have become friends with until their death. As they declined in their health, they came to me so often and later called for me to hear their Confessions whenever they would suddenly remember sins they have committed when they were younger. It must have been a unique grace from God to have that “Simeon moment” of carrying and embracing Jesus to be cleansed and purified before they have died. And I am convinced in my four years as a hospital chaplain that everyone is gifted with this “Simeon moment” to carry Jesus just before our final Encounter with Him in the afterlife. To carry Jesus is to cultivate a spiritual life centered in prayer like Simeon and Anna and those three friends I had.
Inversely, the young are blessed too with “Simeon moment” when like Mary and Joseph they share the Christ in them with those who are old and weak by accompanying them, understanding them, and bearing with them in their old age. It is only after we have “taken” the Child Jesus into our hands to hold and carry and embrace can we sing praise to God like Simeon:
"Now, Master, you may let your servant go in peace, according to your word, for my eyes have seen your salvation" (Luke 2:29-30)
A painting of Simeon with the Child Jesus from the dailyprayerblog.blogspot.com
To age gracefully by carrying and embracing the Infant Jesus like Simeon is realizing deep within us that getting old and weak is also part of our celebration of life because that is when we enter Life Himself and when we also let Him enter us completely.
How did Simeon recognize it was the Savior that the two poor couple with a pair of turtledoves or pigeons were presenting in the temple that day?
Long before Joseph and Mary came to offer Jesus at the temple that day, Simeon had already entered into God’s presence in his long period of waiting through prayers and sacrifices. When Mary and Joseph came to the temple to present Jesus, God entered Simeon through the Holy Spirit to recognize the coming of the awaited Christ. Simeon’s prayerful singing of his praise to God while holding the Infant Jesus on that day was the fulfillment and expression of his long fidelity to God, of his being attuned to the Divine presence and promptings all his life.
In this age of instants, nobody waits anymore because many think that waiting is empty, a weakness and a poverty. A waste of time and energy.
The Fourth Joyful Mystery portrayed in the Presentation Chapel of the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington DC.
But Simeon shows us the exact opposite in his Canticle. It is in our waiting for God amidst the darkness and nothingness when Jesus really comes like that day in the temple. God is most present and closest with us when all we can do is cry “Lord” or “Jesus” because His very name is already His presence. If we keep that in mind like Simeon, we will surely find and embrace Jesus wherever, whenever.
As we celebrate the Jubilee of Hope this 2025, let us be reminded of Simeon along with the Prophetess Anna who were both Pilgrims of Hope who never lost sight of Christ in the midst of their long waiting. The first and second readings this Sunday assure us that God is coming, God has come in Jesus amid our many darkness and nothingness, weakness and decline.
Like Simeon and Anna, let us await to approach Jesus always for He alone matters most in this life found within us, among our family and friends and the people around us, expressed in love and mercy, kindness and forgiveness, and joy. Just be patient and wait, Jesus will appear for you to take Him and embrace Him in your arms like Simeon. Tell that to Jesus now with your other deep longings and you will not be disappointed. Amen.
Photo by author, sunrise bursting through thick fogs over Taal Lake in Bgy. Dayap Itaas, Laurel, Batangas, 17 January 2025.
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.
The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II Thursday, Third Week in Ordinary Time, Year I, 30 January 2025 Hebrews 10:19-23 ><}}}}*> + ><}}}}*> + ><}}}}*> Mark 4:21-25
Photo by author, sunset in Atok, Benguet, 27 December 2024.
Many times, O Lord Jesus, I feel you "hide" from me not because you are avoiding me but simply because you want me to find you. And be surprised because that is how it is really with you and the Father and the Holy Spirit: you want us to experience that sense of awe and wonder of Jacob in Bethel when he dreamt of your stairway to heaven that upon waking up, he cried out in joy, "Truly, the Lord is in this spot, although I did not know it!" (Genesis 28:16)
Photo by author, Mt. Olis Park, Atok, Benguet, 27 December 2024.
Many times in the gospel you have asked those you have healed not to say anything about you to anyone but the more they talk about you, dear Jesus; and this is what you are telling us today, that we cannot hide a shining light or lamp; any good will always shine will always be known and be seen. And that is YOU, Jesus.
When I examine my life, I have experienced many instances when you, Jesus, had broken through the surface after being "hidden" for a long time deep within me; and what a joy until now especially when I am confused, when I feel alone, when I see nothing but darkness, that is actually when you are "hidden", waiting to reveal yourself in the simplest occasions, giving me with "more" even though I already have received so much from you just in finding you!
Grant me the grace, Jesus, "to approach and seek you with a sincere heart and in absolute trust... let me hold unwaveringly to our confession that gives us hope for you are trustworthy as I rouse one another to love and good works" (Hebrews 10:22, 23, 24). Amen.
Photo by author, sunrise at St. Paul Spirituality Center, Pico, La Trinidad, Benguet, 06 January 2025.
The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II Wednesday, Third Week in Ordinary Time, Year I, 29 January 2025 Hebrews 10:11-18 ><]]]]'> + ><]]]]'> ><]]]]'> Mark 4:1-20
From Facebook, 11 March 2024.
Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer offering for sin (Hebrews 10:18).
How lovely and reassuring are these words from the author of the Letter to the Hebrews today, Lord Jesus Christ; thank you for coming to save us from our sins, for forgiving our sins, for teaching us to forgive others most especially by being more loving.
Thank you, Jesus, for being the Sower, always coming out to scatter seeds of love and mercy to us; open our ears, Lord, that we may ought to hear you: forgive us for being hard and harsh in our ways and words, forgive us for being easily pricked and agitated, forgive us for not listening at all to you, Jesus.
Let me open myself to you, Jesus, by opening myself too with others to listen to their points of view in order to understand them, not to judge them; open myself to your healing words so I may also soothe others pains and hurts than add salt to their injuries. Lastly, let me do your will Jesus by always listening and forgiving. Amen.
The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II Tuesday, Memorial of St. Thomas Aquinas, Priest & Doctor of the Church, 28 January 2025 Hebrews 10:1-10 ><))))*> + ><))))*> + ><))))*> Mark 3:31-35
Photo by author, St. Joseph Friary, Order of Friars Minor Conventual, Tagaytay City, 16 January 2025.
Lord Jesus Christ, I pray for one thing today: for us to be made whole again, for us to be one in union in God in you and through you; forgive us O Lord for being so fragmented, so divided with each to his/her own; everyone insisting one's self and many beliefs and views often truncated and far from you.
Make us realize that in your life, death and rising again, you have greatly changed the way we look at everything that was so fragmented before but it seems, we have returned to that situation again; worst, many of us have chosen to be separated, to be on our own, to remain fragmented.
Brothers and sisters: Since the law has only a shadow of the good things to come, and not the very image of them, it can never make perfect those who come to worship by the same sacrifices that they offer continually each year…Then he says, “Behold, I come to do your will.” He (Jesus) takes away the first to establish the second. By this “will”, we have been consecrated through then offering of the body of Jesus Christ once and for all (Hebrews 10:1, 9-10).
Like yesterday in our prayer, let us put on your lenses, Jesus so that we can see life and persons in your light not in our distorted and colored views; open us to see more of you and of your will so that "whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother" (Mark 3:35)!
Grant us the humility and simplicity of St. Thomas Aquinas, the Angelic Doctor whose memorial we celebrate today that we may always turn away from sin in order to be in union with you always so we may have that peace because as he had taught us, "from the union of different appetites in man tending towards the same object that peace results" (Unio autem horum motuum est quidem de ratione pacis) Amen.
Photo by author, St. Joseph Friary, Order of Friars Minor Conventual, Tagaytay City, 16 January 2025.
The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II Monday, Third Week in Ordinary Time, Year I, 27 January 2025 Hebrews 9:15, 24-28 ><}}}}*> + ><}}}}*> + ><}}}}*> Mark 3:22-30
Lord Jesus Christ, take away our colored lenses that prevent us from seeing the real pictures in the world and of life; many times, our lenses are not only colored but even defective that make us see distorted images as the realities when they are not.
Like the Pharisees, we wear different lenses that prevent us from seeing your true self as full of good, of love and mercy; like the Pharisees, our views of others are distorted because we see only ourselves as better while at the same time, still like the Pharisees, we debate truth because we could not accept others as better than us, leaving us all trapped in self-condemned state of sinning that make us see everything as hopeless, worst, nothing is good at all in the world even in our very selves which is the sin agains the Holy Spirit.
Make us see through your loving and merciful lens our selves, others, the world around us, and most especially YOU; give us your lenses to see we have been saved and most of all, worth saving because we are loved by YOU and the Father in heaven.
Let us rejoice and relish your saving power, Lord, when You as the Christ, "Offered once to take away the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to take away sins but to bring salvation to those who eagerly await Him" (Hebrews 9:28). Amen.
The Lord Is My Chef Sunday Music by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II, 26 January 2025
Photo of the cast of the 1986 film “Stand By Me” from goldenglobes.com.
Glad to be back with our Sunday music after six months of absence! Hope you are doing well as we keep our good old music playing.
We cannot resist linking Ben E. King’s 1962 classic Stand By Me with our Sunday gospel about Jesus “standing” at the synagogue one sabbath day to proclaim the Sacred Scripture to his town folks in Nazareth. I have known the song all along having grown with old music at home but fell in love with it only in 1986 when it was adapted as the title of a coming-of-age movie called Stand By Me.
The song’s lyrics perfectly blended with the story of the movie based on Stephen King’s novella The Body, of how four teenagers in Oregon went on a hike to find the dead body of a missing boy. Though the song played only at the end of the movie as the main character closed his narration of what happened after to their friendship as young boys standing by each other, their hike was filled with so many misadventures and realizations that underscored the noble aspirations for fidelity and truth, love and care as well as importance of family we find exactly in the beautiful lyrics by King which is about his standing by his beloved.
When the night has come And the land is dark And the moon is the only light we'll see No, I won't be afraid Oh, I won't be afraid Just as long as you stand Stand by me
So darlin', darlin', stand by me Oh, stand by me Oh, stand Stand by me, stand by me
If the sky that we look upon Should tumble and fall Or the mountain should crumble to the sea I won't cry, I won't cry No, I won't shed a tear Just as long as you stand Stand by me
And darlin', darlin', stand by me Oh, stand by me Oh, stand now Stand by me, stand by me
And darlin', darlin', stand by me Oh, stand by me Oh, stand now Stand by me, stand by me
Whenever you're in trouble won't you stand by me Oh, stand by me Won't you stand by
We remembered the song Stand By Me while praying over this Sunday’s homily as we focused on Jesus always standing for what is true and good, what is just and fair and most especially, for His standing for each one of us always despite our weaknesses and sins. That is why we said in our homily that what matters most in life is not where we sit but where we stand (https://lordmychef.com/2025/01/25/standing-with-jesus-standing-like-jesus/).
As we go on a rest this Sunday, let us recall and remember our family and friends we have stood by all these years as well as those who stood by our side too while praying for those who have left us or betrayed us including those we have deserted too. Through all these standing and falling, there is always Jesus remaining, always standing by our side because He loves us, giving us all the chances to rise and stand again for Him and with Him through our family and friends. Have a blessed Sunday!
From YouTube.com, no copyright infringements intended except to enjoy good music.
The Lord Is My Chef Sunday Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II Third Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle C, 26 January 2025 Nehemiah 8:2-4, 5-6, 8-10 ><}}}*> 1 Corinthians 12:12-30 ><}}}*> Luke 1:1-4; 4:14-21
Doctors tell us that prolonged periods of sitting can lead to many health issues like increased risks of heart disease, diabetes, certain cancers, obesity as well as depression. They have been sounding the alarm for several decades with the rise of “couch potatoes” and now had worsened as we get tied to our seats due to continuous use of computers and other gadgets.
Along with this worsening scenario of our prolonged sitting is the growing “competition” among us these days – consciously or unconsciously – for our places of seat in jeepneys and buses or airplanes, in classrooms and offices, on dining tables, in meeting rooms and in churches. People are so concerned where to be seated not realizing that what really matters in life is where we stand than where we sit!
The verb “to stand” evokes firmness and stability not only in the physical sense but also emotionally and spiritually speaking. Very close to it is the word “stance” that indicates our “stand”, of where we “stand” with our beliefs and convictions regarding issues. Before the coming of social media where we often make our stand while seated, there were placards calling us to “make a stand”.
In this age when most people prefer to sit than to stand as well as kneel to pray, our Sunday readings today are very timely as they teem with the words and images of standing for God.
He came to Nazareth, where he had grown up, and went according to his custom into the synagogue on the sabbath day. He stood up to read and was handed a scroll of the prophet Isaiah. He unrolled the scroll and found the passage where it was written… (Luke 4:16-17).
“Jesus Unrolls Book In the Synagogue” painting by James Tissot (1886-1894), brooklynmuseum.org
We now dive into the Sunday Ordinary Time with Luke giving us a glimpse of how Jesus spent a typical sabbath day proclaiming the word of God by first “standing to read.”
It was not the first time Jesus stood to read as He always stood teaching and preaching to the people. Jesus was a man who literally stood for the Father, stood for what is true and good, stood for what is just and fair. Most of all, He stood for all of us that He died on the Cross.
This Sunday as He launched His public ministry in His hometown Nazareth in Galilee, Jesus made it clear that He is the “word who became flesh” as He stood to read the scripture, claiming what He proclaimed from the Prophet Isaiah:
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord” (Luke 4:18-19).
Imagine present there. More than being spellbind, there must have been that feeling of fulfillment, of the true reality unfolding as Jesus clearly stood by the word of God because He is the word who became flesh.
Our Filipino word paninindigan evokes it so well like in Pinanindigan ni Jesus ang kanyang ipinahayag (Jesus stood by what He proclaimed). From its root tindig which is “to stand” in English, paninindigan is conviction. Jesus spoke with such conviction and authority that those in the synagogue were amazed with Him. Interestingly, our Filipino synonym for paninindigan is pangatawanan which is from the root katawan or “body” in English. Pangatawanan ang salita is to stand by one’s word, like Pinangatawanan ni Jesus ang Kanyang sinabi (Jesus stood by what He said).
See how our readings this Sunday are so interesting, so beautiful especially for us in the Philippines because the words of “standing” and “body” are related, capturing in our own language discipleship in Christ, our standing for Jesus and His gospel.
“Jesus Unrolls Book In the Synagogue” painting by James Tissot (1886-1894), brooklynmuseum.org
At the end of this scene in the synagogue, Luke told us how Jesus declared as He sat that His words were “fulfilled in your hearing” which amazed the people because Christ “walked the talk” even before this took place.
Anyone wishing to have any kind of fulfillment in life has to first make a stand for whatever he believes in. To walk the talk, one has to stand first. Nothing gets fulfilled by sitting. We have to make a stand for everything and everyone we care and love most.
Like Jesus, we can only bring glad tidings to the poor by standing by their side, standing with them to uplift them. In the same manner, liberty for captives and recovery of sight to the blind can only happen standing, by actually being present with them and never remotely from a distant office or setting where we are comfortably seated. The oppressed can only go free as we proclaim a jubilee like this 2025 when we stand for justice and truth instead of simply affixing our “like” to some posts “standing” for whatever causes.
Photo by author, ambo in our Chapel of the Angel of Peace, RISE Tower, Our Lady of Fatima University, Valenzuela City, 25 December 2024.
In the first reading we find the priest Ezra standing as he proclaimed the words of God from a book recovered after their exile from Jerusalem.
Ezra convinced the people so well in his proclamation of the scriptures that people cried and bowed their heads before finally prostrating themselves to God because they felt and experienced the Scriptures as so true.
The words “standing” and “stood” were repeated thrice to underscore not only the physical posture taken by Ezra and Nehemiah but most of all to indicate their emotional and spiritual bearings.
Going back to our gospel scene, see how before narrating to us Jesus in the synagogue, the Church had rightly chosen to include for this third Sunday the prologue of Luke where he laid down the reason for writing his gospel account – so that we “may realize the certainty of the teachings” about the Christ. In writing his prologue, Luke naturally sat but in mentioning that word “certainty”, he tells us a lot of standing he had to make in completing his two-volume work, the gospel and the Acts.
Here we find that like all the evangelists and saints for that matter, they spent much time standing than sitting, second only perhaps to kneeling or praying.
There is a beautiful prayer attributed to St. Teresa of Avila called “Christ has no body” which goes this way, “Christ has no body but yours, no hands, no feet on earth but yours.”
Can we make a stand for Jesus, stand with Jesus, and stand like Jesus to be His body as St. Paul explained to us in the second reading?
“Brothers and sisters: As a body is one though it has many parts, and all the parts of the body, though many, are one body, so also Christ… Now the body is not a single part, but many” (1 Corinthians 12:12, 14).
Photo by author, Chapel of Angel of Peace, RISE Tower, Our Lady of Fatima University, Valenzueal City, June 2024.
As we embark into this long journey of Ordinary Time with Luke as our guide every Sunday, may we do the work of Jesus by standing along with our fellow believers and disciples.
Together let us make that collective stand for truth and justice, for decency and reason in this time when people are so fragmented, held captive by so many thoughts and beliefs propagated from the arrogant chairs of entitlement by some lazy minds influencing the world remotely. Together we stand and experience life as it is in Jesus Christ, even at His Cross.Amen. Have a blessed week ahead as we close January 2025!
The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II Friday, Memorial of St. Francis de Sales, Bishop & Doctor of the Church, 24 January 2025 Hebrews 8:6-13 ><))))*> + ><))))*> + ><))))*> Mark 3:13-19
Photo by author, Sacred Heart Novitiate, Novaliches, QC, 20 March 2024.
Jesus went up the mountain and summoned those whom he wanted and they came to him (Mark 3:13).
How lovely to my ears, to my heart, to repeat over and over again as I bask into your warmth O Lord Jesus Christ with these powerful account by Saint Mark today: "summoned those whom he wanted and they came to him."
Thank you, Jesus, for the grace and courage to answer your call, to come to you, to follow you like the original Twelve; forgive me, Jesus when your call gets into my head than into my heart and arms and legs; forgive me, Jesus when your want for me inflates my ego to one extreme and makes me doubt myself at the other end; bless me, Jesus, to always cherish your call to me using my name as I also renew my yes to you; keep me faithful in being close to you so that I may share you whenever you send me.
I pray also, dear Jesus, for all the others you want, you call but refuse to respond and worst, doubt if you really wanted them; through the intercession of your tireless saint Francis de Sales we pray that you grant them the grace to move on with life, to let go of their past hurts and sins for you are now our perfect mediator of the perfect covenant (first reading); may your kindness and truth meet in them finally. Amen.
Photo by author, Sacred Heart Novitiate, Novaliches, QC, 20 March 2024.
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