Prayer against jealousy

The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Thursday in the Second Week of Ordinary Time, Year II, 18 January 2024
1 Samuel 18:6-9, 19:1-7 <*{{{{>< + ><}}}}*> Mark 3:7-12

Photo by author, *sunflower farm in La Trinidad, Benguet, 12 July 2023.*

"In God I trust; I shall not fear."

Let those words of the psalmist
today be my prayer too, dear Father
especially when jealousy slowly
creeps into me,
when people around me do better,
when they seem to be more
loved or liked or accepted;
like King Saul in the first reading
today, there are times I am filled
with insecurities
with my own self,
with my strengths
and abilities,
most especially,
with your love.

Jealousy arises easily in our hearts… When we truly enjoy God’s unlimited generosity, we will be grateful for what our brothers and sisters receive. Jealousy will simply have no place in our hearts.
Fr. Henri Nouwen

How true were the words
of the late Fr. Henri Nouwen;
jealousy arises easily
in our hearts;
sometimes they just come
without us even
thinking about it;
problem is,
many times we entertain
and let it take over us,
feeling we are a victim
of something,
 like King Saul,
or the elder brother in
the parable of the prodigal son,
or those early workers
in the parable of the vineyard
who felt they should be paid more
than those late workers
who were paid with same wage
as theirs.

When good things happen
to others,
teach me to rejoice
with them,
let me be thankful
too for their being blessed
by you;
let me not be jealous
of whatever they have
for you never fail to bless me
too with so many things
they do not have;
let me be more trusting
in your generosity,
O God,
to never have fear of you
running out of blessings
and other good things 
for each one of us
according to our own abilities;
let me rejoice
when other people
are blessed like in the gospel today
because whatever good things
that happen around us
are signs
you are with us
in Christ Jesus.

Instead of looking on what
others have,
let me look what I have,
and always,
let that be YOU
in Christ Jesus!
Amen.

Doing the work of God

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.

To see as God sees

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.

Innovation vs. Novelty

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

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.

To persist or not to persist

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.*

True faith in God

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.

Call waiting

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

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.

True authority

The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Tuesday in the First Week of Ordinary Time, Year II, 09 January 2024
1 Samuel 1:9-20 <*((((>< + ><))))*> Mark 1:21-28

*Photo by Mr. Jay Javier, Quiapo, 09 January 2020.*

Praise and glory to you,
Lord Jesus Christ,
that today we shift into Ordinary Time
in our liturgy that coincides with
the annual Traslacion of the image
of the Black Nazarene in Quiapo,
Nuestro Padre Jesus Nazareno 
as you remind us too in our readings
true meaning of authority
we often relate with power.

Jesus came to Capernaum with his followers, and on the sabbath he entered the synagogue and taught. The people were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority not as the scribes.
Mark 1:21-22

People were astonished with your
authority, Lord Jesus, not only because
it is all-powerful but most of all,
it is most kind,
most compassionate,
most humane
because in your life,
in your very self as Jesus Nazareno,
you have shown us that 
authority is not just having 
power to make thing happen nor 
lording over others;
like in Quiapo today as in Capernaum,
we are astonished with your 
authority not because of its
powers of being efficacious
but because of your being so close
with us who are weak and suffering;
true authority for you, dear Jesus,
is to be one with the people -
in our miseries and anxieties,
in our pains and hurts,
as well as in our aspirations and dreams;
authority is most real,
most powerful
and most appreciated
when that authority
is felt as power for the people
to be healed and comforted,
raised up and inspired
like you have shown in your 
coming to us,
in your carrying the cross,
of your bearing our infirmities.
Like Hannah in the first reading,
we beg those authorities above us
to "think kindly" of us people;
many times,
people in authority lord it over us
like Eli initially, suspecting
Hannah being drunk,
scolding us,
reprimanding us,
worst, judging us
without even knowing 
our plight, so unlike you
who became poor like us,
most of all,
died for us.
Amen.

Rend the heavens, O Lord

The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, 08 January 2024
Isaiah 55:1-11  <*{{{{>< + ><}}}}*>  Mark 1:7-11

How lovely, dear God our Father,
that at the start of work and classes
this 2024, we heard from Mark
the start of his gospel where he told us
the baptism of your Son Jesus,
the fulfillment of your promises of old
announced by his precursor, John the Baptist.

On coming out of the water he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit, like a dove descending upon him. And a voice came from the heavens, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”
Mark 1:10-11

Oh how I love that part of Mark's narration
of "the heavens being torn open",
so evocative of your power, almighty Father
of intervening into our lives,
of rending the sky to come down
upon us to bring order,
to bring peace,
to bring salvation in Jesus! 
At the end of his gospel,
Mark spoke anew of how Jesus 
at his last breath “rending” the curtain 
at the sanctuary of the temple 
was torn in two from top to bottom (Mk.15:38).

Everyday you open the heavens for us,
dear Father in Christ Jesus, 
calling us your beloved children, 
pouring upon us all your blessings
not only the material things we need
but all good things we need 
to live fully as you have told Isaiah in
the first reading:

Thus says the Lord: All you who are thirsty, come to the water! You who have no money, come, receive grain and eat; come, without paying and without cost, drink wine and milk! Heed me, and you shall eat well, you shall delight in rich fare. Come to me heedfully, listen, that you may have life. I will renew with you the everlasting covenant, the benefits assured to David. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord… so shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth; my word shall not return to me void, but shall do my will, achieving the end for which I sent it.
Isaiah 55:1-3, 8, 11

Loving Father,
let us not reject your call
and invitation in Christ Jesus
to be one with him in this world;
forgive us when most often,
we think of the difficulties in keeping
your commandments without realizing
they are "not burdensome" (1 John 5:3)
because the more we sin,
the more life gets harder
and difficult for us.

Let us hold on your assurance of love 
on this feast of the Lord's baptism,
of how your favor rests upon us in Christ Jesus;
let us heed your calls so we may see
you rending the heavens apart,
coming to our rescue,
coming to our aid
in your loving presence.
Amen.

“Waiting for Love” by Sergio Mendes & Brasil ’77 (1974)

The Lord My Chef Sunday Music by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II, 07 January 2024

*Photo by Dra. Mylene A. Santos, MD, in Tagalag, Valenzuela City, 13 September 2023.*

It’s the first Sunday of 2024 and we are celebrating in the Church today the Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord used to be known as Feast of the Three Kings. Today is the final Sunday of the Christmas season which closes tomorrow with the Feast of the Baptism of Jesus before we go into the Ordinary Time the following Tuesday.

From the Greek word epiphanes that means appearance or manifestation, today’s celebration reminds us that Jesus came for everyone especially those forgotten and unloved, the poor and marginalized, the sinner and those lost.

Most of all, Christ became human like us except in sin so that it would be easier for us to find God who loves us so much without any reservations. In fact, it is actually God who searches for us and always finds us. Whenever we think we are looking for God and have found Him, it was actually God who first sought us and found us.

It was God who moved the magi from the East to search for Jesus Christ born in Bethlehem and they found him. Ironically, it was the people of Jerusalem, especially King Herod along with the scribes and priests who knew where the Christ would be born were the ones who did not find him because they were not really interested in finding Jesus.

Christmas is being “out” with Christ when we think less of ourselves within like the magi from the East who went out of their ways, of their comfort zones and even ivory towers to find Jesus in Bethlehem… Yes, Jesus is out there, manifesting himself daily in so many ways but we could not recognize him because we are locked inside our own beliefs of the Christ, held captive by our many fears like King Herod and the people of Jerusalem.
https://lordmychef.com/2024/01/06/our-questions-our-epiphanies/

This is the second time we are featuring on Epiphany Sunday Sergio Mendes and Brasil ’77’s classic “Waiting for Love” composed by Randy McNeill from their 1974 album Vintage 74. One good thing with social media today is how we are able to unearth or discover so many wonderful things about our music in the past like the impressive talents behind this lovely song with vocals from the lovely Bonnie Bowden who collaborated with many other albums later with Mr. Mendes as well as Jazz artist George Duke. Jazz legend Dave Grusin was the conductor and arranger for the orchestra music of the album with some acoustic guitar renditions by another legend Antonio Carlos Jobim.

What we like most with Waiting for Love that rings true to everyone of us is the fact how very often we are so locked inside – with our past pains and hurts, even sins and failures as well as presumptions on everyone and everything that we could not find Jesus and love itself outside in other people.

Was it something in the rain
Or a chance of love again
That made me explain
The secrets of my soul
I guess I only needed
Someone to hold

But I was gone without a trace
And the rain blew away

And it seems I've spent my whole life
Waiting for love
And when it comes
I always run away

Was it something on a dream
That touched my memory
Or a picture I didn't know I'd seen
That made me stop and stare
And then I lost him,
If he was ever there

Waiting for Love challenges us like the Epiphany to be wise like the magi to recognize and follow Jesus appearing daily in our lives in many occasions and circumstances. Surely, there were other people who have seen the bright star of Bethlehem when Christ was born but why only the three magi from the East came to follow it and search for Jesus?

This 2024, stop being “afraid of being close where I need to be the most”to start following and believing in the bright star of Jesus Christ found in people who come to us daily. Cheers to more love this 2024!

Here is Sergio Mendes and Brazil ’77…

From YouTube.com