Lord My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II Friday in the Eleventh Week of Ordinary Time, Year II, 19 June 2026 2 Kings 11:1-4, 9-18, 20 <*((((>< + ><))))*> Matthew 6:19-23
Photo by author, St. Michael Retreat House, Antipolo City, 16 June 2026.
Thank you dear Lord for the last week, thank you for this beautiful Friday as you give us this sacred moment to examine two vital organs of our body: our heart, our eyes the both lead us to treasures we eye, treasures we keep.
"For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be" (Matthew 6:21).
Guide me, Jesus as I look inward into my heart to see what occupies it most of the time, what I value and desire much daily in life, the things and even persons perhaps I hold onto, protect and depend on for meaning and security, the things and people I value most, I treasure more than you.
"The lamp of the body is the eye. If your eye is sound, your whole body will be filled with light; but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be in darkness. And if the light in you is darkness, how great will the darkness be" (Matthew 6:22-23).
How lovely are your words, Jesus, because what we look at, what we focus on with our eyes do not merely inform us of what we see but mostly shape our inner self, filling our hearts and thus forming our sense of who we are; what we look at, what we choose to see either lead us to light or darkness like Athaliah in the first reading who was consumed with wealth and power.
Teach me, Jesus, to focus my eyes on those things and persons who can make me see you more clearly, love you more dearly, and follow you more closely. Amen.
Photo by author, St. Michael Retreat House, Antipolo City, 16 June 2026.
Lord My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II Tuesday in the Eleventh Week of Ordinary Time, Year II, 16 June 2026 1 Kings 21:17-29 <*[[[[>< + ><]]]]*> Matthew 5:43-48
Photo by author, Jordan, May 2019.
God our loving Father, grant me the grace to love you more, to follow you more closely, to be like you, "perfect" and "holy"; I feel so sad especially these days as I continue to grapple with your mystery, of your immense love for us all, even ton our enemies and oppressors.
Jesus said to his disciples: “You have heard that it was said, You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your heavenly Father… So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matthew 5:43-45, 48).
Photo by author, Jordan, May 2019.
What is most difficult for me, O Lord, is when your "anger" subsides, when your mercy prevails on those who do evil against us like King Ahab in the first reading; oh yes, Father, sorry but it is true, we enjoy you "castigating" evil doers like King Ahab; but, why Oh why, after he had realized his sins and be sorry, you suddenly change your mind?
Then the Lord said to Elijah the Tishbite, "Have you seen that Ahab has humbled himself before me? Since he has humbled himself before me, I will not bring the evil in his time. I will bring the evil upon his house during the reign of his son" (1 Kings 21:28-29).
Forgive me, Lord Jesus Christ when sometimes I see vengeance as a form of justice, forgetting your lesson yesterday; but, help me learn and realize to embrace fully your words that are so extravagant, asking far more than anyone might ever think possible not only in loving our enemies, or doing good to our persecutors but mystery of all mysteries is when perpetrators of evil seem to get away with their sins like King Ahab by simply being sorry?
But, on deeper prayer as peace and tranquility take over my anger, then I realize your call Jesus to be perfect like the Father is also a call for me to be vulnerable like him in offering kindness because he is a Father, not because of any worthiness of anyone among us for we are all sinners; indeed, we do not deserve anything at all but because of your love, you have made us deserving.
May we find your love
and kindness
and mercy in us, Jesus,
instead of look for these
on those who hurt us
for indeed,
what good is it really
if I can love only
those who love me
or hate those who hate me?
With you dwelling in my heart,
Jesus,
it's no good at all,
no good at all
for what is truly good
is to love like you:
help me Jesus
to bear witness
to your loving presence
in the world.
Amen.
Lord My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II Friday, Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, 12 June 2026 Deuteronomy 7:6-11 ><}}}*> 1 John 4:7-16 ><}}}*> Matthew 11:25-30
Photo by author, Sacred Heart Novitiate, Novaliches, QC, March 2026.
You read it right. The title of our reflection on this Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus is the same title of The Smiths’ 1984 classic Heaven Knows I’m Miserable Now.
It is one of my all-time favorite songs, my theme song after graduating in 1986, landing on my first and only job as it captured my exact situation of the period:
I was happy in the haze of a drunken hour But Heaven knows, I'm miserable now I was looking for a job, and then I found a job And Heaven knows I'm miserable now
Since then, the song has remained relevant with me especially after learning how the young generation appreciate a lot The Smiths that I have used their other music in my spiritual conferences and recollections as a university chaplain. That’s why during our Sacred Heart Novena in our university chapel, the same song kept playing at the back of my mind especially while meditating on the second reading on this feast of the Sacred Heart.
Beloved, let us love one another, because love is of God; everyone who loves is begotten by God and knows God. Whoever is without love does not know God, for God is love. In this is love: not that we have loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as expiation for our sins (1 John 4:7-8, 10).
How lovely and simple is our second reading from the letter of the beloved disciple, John who gives us the deepest theological grounding of the Sacred Heart of Jesus: “God is love.”
Pope Benedict XVI used to say Christianity is the only religion is the world with that kind of declaration about God; it is not merely that God loves but that love is God’s very nature!
And what does it mean to us? The older I get, the more I realize and experience that I live because of God’s love: it is the reason I wake up and sleep; why I strive to be my best in everything despite my weaknesses and limitations; why I still love even if I am not loved or misunderstood and even maligned; why I still go in living even if I am sure one day I shall die.
We live because we are loved by God.
Simply loved because he is love himself.
Not because we are good or does something important or fulfills his divine will.
God loves because it is his very essence as Moses reminds us in the first reading, “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. It was because the Lord loved you” (Dt.7:7-8).
Hence, John insists that in this is love – not that we loved God but that God loved us first. Our love for God and for one another is a response to his very love.
Would there be any difference at all to begin with God’s initiative rather than our own love?
Surely a lot. Even unthinkable to just rely on our own love and initiative because it is never enough for we humans are imperfect.
Human love is imperfect; only God can love us perfectly. That is why love is always initiated by God. We can’t love on our own. No matter how good and holy we may be. Mayroon palaging maisusumbat ating minamahal sa ating pagmamahal. Sa Diyos wala.
That is why I love the song Heaven Knows I’m Miserable Now.
We humans are so miserable in loving but because of our loving God who is love himself, we are able to love, to keep on loving despite and in spite of everything because to live is to love. Jesus came so that we can continue to love, to keep loving even if the world tells us it is foolish. Even if people don’t care at all for us and do not love us as Morrissey sang it so well in the chorus of Heaven Knows I’m Miserable Now:
In my life, why do I give valuable time To people who don't care if I live or die?
Very true – fascinatingly – is Morrissey’s third chorus line because he openly brings out the usual thoughts we hide in dealing with people we hate or do not like:
In my life, why do I smile At people who I'd much rather kick in the eye?
Funny is it not? But very true! And that’s because of God’s love in us, of his grace that despite the many people who hurt us and do not love us, we still choose to be loving and kind, at least smile at them than stoop down to their low levels.
Photo by author, Sacred Heart of Jesus Novitiate, Novaliches, QC, 20 March 2024.
The feast of the Sacred Heart is an invitation to look at the heart of God – at what God most desires for us and for our world. It is not a sentimental image but a radical one: a love that goes all the way to the Cross.
God knows how miserable we are these days when things like positions and power, fame and wealth have become more important than persons to be loved and cared for. Despite the many technological advances we have achieved that promised to make life easier, the opposite proved to be more true. Life has been reduced to mere lifestyle, persons have become objects to be possessed by companies and brands, even by schools!
Today’s celebration of the Sacred Heart feast invites us to go back to Jesus who knows fully well our miseries; songs like Heaven Knows I’m Miserable Now can identify and express them to offer respite for a while but only Jesus can uplift and change us for he alone truly loves us because he is love himself.
“Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for your selves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light” (Matthew 11:28-30).
Amid the many miseries we are all going through these days, let us take time today to respond to the love of Jesus Christ in the most honest and true ways that will make others experience his love. Many times, it is the simplest gesture of just being gentle with others in words and in deeds, of not adding to their many burdens in life. Jesus, meek and humble of heart, make our hearts like yours! Amen.
Lord My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II Thursday, Memorial of St. Barnabas, Apostle, 11 June 2026 Acts 11:21-26;13:1-3 <*{{{{>< + ><}}}}*> Matthew 10:7-13
Photo by Mr. Jim Marpa, Carigara Market, Leyte, June 2019.
Thank you, Lord Jesus for gift of being called and sent as your apostle like the Twelve in today's gospel; your call and sending continued after your Ascension up to these days as we celebrate the memorial of your St. Barnabas whose name means "son of encouragement"; teach us to be like him filled with the Holy Spirit and faith in God, searching for those in the worst situations in life like Saul at that time who was so ashamed to join the disciples because of his sinful past; like Barnabas, may we encourage others to hope and look forward to better days in you, Christ Jesus, to trust in your mercy and forgiveness, to take every moment a chance to be converted; how sad that in this world of a global village interconnected by the internet, more and more are getting discouraged than encouraged in life as the social media tend to present more of the dark, dismal side of life than its brighter and colorful and joyful realities found in you, Lord who is the kingdom of God right in our midst.
… and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. When he arrived and saw the grace of God, he rejoiced and encouraged them all to remain faithful to the Lord in firmness of heart, for he was a good man, filled with the Holy Spirit and faith… Then he went to Tarsus to look for Saul, and when he had found him he brought him to Antioch (Acts 11:22-24, 25-26).
We pray, dear Jesus that you send us more "Barnabas" or make us a "Barnabas" who rejoiced upon seeing your followers in Antioch whom you sent to Antioch where they were first called Christians; give us the courage like what Barnabas and Paul have when you have them set apart for a special mission; may we grow and move in your Spirit, Lord Jesus Christ, moving with you and moving to you, to follow your movement away from others we have been comfortable with in order to move where we may experience discomfort and be dislocated for the sake of your kingdom. Amen.
Photo by author, Ephesus in Turkiye, November 2025.
Lord My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II Tuesday, Tenth Week in Ordinary Time, Year II, 09 June 2026 1 Kings 17:7-16 ><)))*> + ><)))*> + ><)))*> Matthew 5:13-16
Photo by author, Taal Lake from St. Anthony de Padua Chapel, D’Alta Tagaytay, 02 June 2026.
God our loving Father, we thank you for the gift of this brand new day especially for our brothers and sisters in GenSan and other parts of Mindanao struck by a powerful quake yesterday; may this calamity bring out the best among us as we try to rebuild lives and cities anew.
Your words today, dear God speak about "bringing out" - when Elijah came to Zarephath, he asked your "designated widow" to bring out for him "a cupful of water to drink... along a bit of bread" while in the midst of a widespread drought.
She left and did as Elijah had said. She was able to eat for a year, and he and her son as well; the jar of flour did not go empty, nor the jug of oil run dry, as the Lord had foretold through Elijah (1 Kings 17:15-16).
Teach us to trust you more in Jesus Christ your Son who calls us today "salt of the earth" and "light of the world" - how lovely that both things are so commonly found in every home then and now that also do the same what the widow of Zarephath did in bringing out water and bread to Elijah; may we be like the salt that brings out the taste and flavor of food that brings delight and nourishment to everyone; likewise, may we be like the light that dispels darkness to bring out realities and things into sight.
God our loving Father, may we never lose the saltiness of the salt, the luminance of light we already have but have taken for granted, even traded for lesser things that have severely affected our relationships, work, and inner life; your Son Jesus Christ clearly called us to make our light "shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father" (Matthew 5:16).
May we be clarified always that being salt of the earth and light of the world is not self-promotion so common these days but God's glory exactly what Elijah and the widow of Zarephath did. Amen.
Photo by author, St. Anthony de Padua Chapel, D’Alta Tagaytay, 02 June 2026.
Lord My Chef Sunday Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II Solemnity of the Most Holy Body & Blood of Christ-A, 07 May 2026 Deuteronomy 8:2-3, 3:14-16 ><}}}*> 1Corinthians 10:16-17 ><}}}*> John6:51-58
Photo from wikimedia.org of the nave with the classic altar of the Sta. Cruz Church in Manila.
Of the many churches I have been to, the Sta. Cruz Church in Manila remains my favorite. Since childhood, I have always loved its beautiful apse of Byzantine glass mosaic of a sacrificial lamb symbolizing Jesus Christ whose blood flows like a river to the tabernacle amid a setting of mango, banana and fire trees.
Photo from Pinterest.com.
The mosaic gives that feeling of the divine presence that may be a contributing factor too in keeping the solemnity of the many successive Masses celebrated there daily.
After leaving the high school seminary in 1982 while in college at UST, I still went to Sta. Cruz church by taking the Love Bus to Escolta after which I would walk across the street to my dad’s barber for a haircut then lunch at Panciteria Ramon Lee. It remained my refuge whenever I found myself deep into sins and troubles, with problems and difficulties, feeling lost and empty especially later in life while working.
It had played a significant role in my vocation story and that is why I remembered it while reflecting this Sunday’s gospel on the Solemnity of the body and Blood of Christ.
More than a gift offered to us individually in the Eucharist, Jesus intends his Body and Blood “for the life of the world” like that sacrificial lamb depicted at the apse of the Sta. Cruz church.
Jesus said to the Jewish crowds: “I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world” (John 6:51).
Photo by author, Chapel of St. Anthony De Padua, Alta D’Tagaytay Hotel, 02 June 2026.
On this Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ, we are invited to reflect on the meaning of the Holy Eucharist in our lives where the mystery of God in Three Persons, the Blessed Trinity we celebrated last week is revealed and becomes most real.
Faith in God is faith in the Incarnation of Jesus Christ present to us in the Eucharist under the signs of bread and wine. But, what does it mean really for us especially in the light of today’s gospel where Jesus said “and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world.” How can our individual life contribute in giving the life of the world, Jesus Christ himself?
In his encyclical letter Ecclesia de Eucharistia issued in 2003, St. John Paul II beautifully expressed that if Jesus can transform the bread and wine into his Body and Blood in every Eucharistic celebration, then he can transform us into better persons too.
So true! That is why the bestest time to pray is right after receiving Holy Communion because that is when Jesus Christ, Body and Blood, is present in our own body – speak to him in your most natural way. If you want, complain to him. Magsumbong ka rin sa kanya. Pour your heart out to Jesus who is Body and Blood inside you.
However, make sure too that you listen intently to him. When we listen to Jesus, we then enter into a relationship with him as we make him part of our lives as we too become part of his very life. That is when we are filled with his life which we in turn share with others and thus, give life to the world.
In the first reading we heard Moses calling us to “remember” not only those forty years in the wilderness by the Israelites but our own journey in the many desert of this life.
The word “remember” is from the root word “member” which means “part” plus the prefix “re” meaning again; to re + member a person and an incident is to make them a part of the present moment again which is the very commandment of Jesus at the Last Supper, “do this is remembrance of me.”
Now look: every week we go through our many exodus like in the first reading. We remember them especially at the start of every week because life is a daily exodus, of coming out from sickness into health, of darkness into light, of slavery into freedom, of sin into grace, of death into life. Yes, our many desert experiences in life were painful but they were all moments of grace too because that is when we realized that we do not live by bread alone, by material things alone – that we need God.
Hence, the first step for us experience this life of Christ as life for the world is to go back to the church, go back to the Holy Mass. These online Masses must be stopped. COVID pandemic is long gone.
The Mass presupposes actual presence because Christ is truly present with us in every celebration. We must learn anew to desire Jesus more in the Eucharist especially on Sundays.
In the Mass, we re-member Jesus in our lives after a week of busy activities and work; as we make Jesus a part of our lives anew, we see also ourselves needing much needed rest and comfort too in Jesus! Inasmuch as we re-member Jesus into our lives, it is actually us being re-membered into Christ who is also our food and drink to nourish us in this daily exodus in life.
Notice how in verse 14 Moses reiterated his call to the people to “remember” but this time what he told them including us today is “do not forget the Lord”: every Mass as our exodus is a way of casting off the temptation to live one’s life without God.
When we come to celebrate the Mass, especially when we are well disposed and prepared, we realize that we are always poor before God who alone can satisfy all our longings and needs.
To forget this is the sure path to catastrophe as many of us would attest.
With God, life; without God, no life.
This we find so clear with the Corinthians during the time of St. Paul that is why he addressed them in the interrogative tone:
Brothers and sisters: The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? Because the loaf of bread is one, we, though many, are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf (1 Corinthians 10:16-17).
The Corinthians at that time were already well aware of how the Eucharist make the Church whose head is Jesus Christ. Hence, the need for a communion or “participation” which is the word used in our translation. St. Paul was reminding them of what they knew in faith, that is, a Holy Communion in Christ which they must put into practice. This communion among the Corinthians would be put into risk when quarrels and divisions plagued their community later that prompted St. Paul to write them a second letter.
As part of the Mass, the Communion is when we receive the Body and Blood of Christ; but, in a deeper sense, Communion is unity in charity. It is Jesus Christ becoming human like us in everything except sin so that we can become holy and divine like him. This mysterious exchange of ourselves with Jesus, in Jesus, and through Jesus happens in the Eucharist where we are nourished and filled with the life of Christ whenever we receive the Holy Communion. May we share this life we have gained in Christ with others by witnessing his Gospel to give life to this sick and dying world – like that sacrificial lamb at the apse of my favorite church in Sta. Cruz. Amen.Have a blessed week ahead.
Lord My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II Friday, Eighth Week, Memorial of St. Paul VI, Pope, 29 May 2026 1 Peter 4:7-13 ><))))*> + ><))))*> + ><))))*> Mark 11:11-25
Photo by author, 05 May 2019, Jerusalem, Israel.
As we come to nearly closing the month of May, your Prince of Apostles, St. Peter leaves us with beautiful reminders so timely and appropriate in this period of darkness and evil:
Beloved: The end of all things is at hand. Therefore, be serious and sober-minded so that you will be able to pray. Above all, let your love for one another be intense, because love covers a multitude of sins (1Peter 4:7-8).
How lovely, how powerful, and so true are your words to us today through St. Peter: we are living at the end of all things and still, here we are living as if there is no end, as if there is no death, as if there is no judgment.
We have become so bad, so dismal is the world like that fig tree you have cursed, Lord Jesus: so delightful in the eyes but fruitless like us, especially the rich and powerful among us like our lawmakers and public officials so affluent, dressed in fineries without any benefit at all for the society they have abused; oh yes, even our church is like the temple of Jerusalem that has become a den of thieves than a house of prayer when priests and bishops are more concerned with money and clout, with self, leaving You Jesus trapped inside the Tabernacle.
Teach us conversion, Jesus: give us strength and will to turn away from evil, to closely examine our selves for all our sins when we have refused to love; love can truly cover a multitude of sins because when we truly love, that is when we turn away from sin, when we return to You, Jesus found in the least and taken for granted among us; may our love for You through one another be constant because wherever there is love, there is God; when there is love, there is no sin.
May we be witnesses of Your love dear Jesus in this world so wounded by sins and evil; like your servant Pope St. Paul VI, may we witness Your love in our daily lives caring for those in the margins, for those sufferings and especially for those who are weak. Amen.
Photo by author, May 2017, in Ein Karem, Israel near the Church of the Visitation.
Lord My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II Tuesday, Memorial of St. Philip Neri, Priest, 26 May 2026 1 Peter 1:18-25 ><))))*> + ><))))*> + ><))))*> Mark 10:32-45
Photo by author, somewhere in Batangas, 15 May 2022.
God our loving Father, as we slowly move into Ordinary Time in our Church calendar that began yesterday, delete from our thoughts, from our orientations, from our consciousness the idea of anything called "ordinary" as something less important, less in value because it is usual, plain and simple. Ordinary.
Make us realize the word "ordinary" implies orderliness and regularity, from the Latin root that literally means "rule."
Make us realize, O Lord, that the ordinary days, the ordinary people, and whatever we refer to as ordinary actually make up the bulk of our lives with You, O God, the Supreme Ordinary of our lives!
Make us realize that whoever or whatever we deem as ordinary is the rule of the day - so, let us stop taking them for granted like leading our lives in You, according to Your will, witnessing Jesus Christ who had come to show us the value and dignity of our being human because it is the path, the rule to fulfillment, to life and to meaning as St. Philip Neri realized early in his life in turning away from a life of ease and comfort by embracing then priesthood.
Jesus said, “Amen, I say to you, there is no one who has given up house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or land for my sake and for the sake of the Gospel who will not receive a hundred times more now in this present age: houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and eternal life in the age to come” (Mark 10:29-30).
Photo by author, Cabo de Roca, Pundaquit, San Antonio, Zambales, 15 May 2025.
Finally, teach me, dear Jesus, to have this regularity of life, of having order in my life that begins and ends in You because you have come to make me and everyone truly special by being closer to the Father through one another. Amen.
Lord My Chef Sunday Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord, Cycle A, 17 May 2026 Acts 1:1-11 ><}}}}*> Ephesians 1:17-23 ><}}}}*> Matthew 28:16-20
Photo by author, Sacred Heart Novitiate, Novaliches, QC, 18 March 2026.
The past week is probably the most ugliest we ever have as a nation in recent years when power-hungry lawmakers seized power in the senate just to keep their cabals away from the legitimate powers of the legislature and international court.
Sorry for mentioning that this Sunday.
However, I hope you also find consolation in our celebration today of the Solemnity of the Ascension of Jesus who invites us to examine the true meaning of “power” that was mentioned four times in the three readings we have heard:
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8).
and what is the surpassing greatness of his power for us who believe, in accord with the exercise of his great might, which he worked in Christ, raising him from the dead and seating him at his right hand in the heavens, far above every principality, authority, power, and dominion, and every name that is named not only in this age but also in the one to come (Ephesians 1:19-21).
Then Jesus approached and said to them, “All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behod, I am with always, until the end of the age” (Matthew 28:18-20).
Photo by author, Sacred Heart Novitiate, Novaliches, QC, 20 March 2026.
How timely that we reflect this Sunday the “power” claimed by Jesus Christ as given to him and now shared with us his disciples after returning to heaven.
As Jesus concludes his earthly existence with his Ascension, let us go back to his ministry to reflect the different aspects of his power that we must imitate as his disciples.
First we find in Jesus is the power of prayer. He was always in prayer that even his disciples were so impressed and asked him to “teach them how to pray”. More than the words to say in praying, Jesus taught us the very attitude in praying: it is not forcing ourselves to God but submitting ourselves to God we call Father by recognizing one another as brothers and sisters.
Prayer for Jesus is power because it is primarily a relationship with God expressed in our relationship with each other. His ascension need not be taken literally as if Jesus was like a rocket launched into space; his ascension is more like a “leveling up” in his relationships with us and the the Father. For us to ascend like Jesus Christ through prayer means for us to be “lighter” by letting go of our selves, of our pride.
Prayer is power because it leads us to self-emptying (kenosis) that we become more loving and respectful of others, not manipulative; truthful and honest, not liars; and, more just and respectful of laws.
The more we pray, the more we see God and others as brothers and sisters that we work for peace and unity, not divisions and chaos because ultimately, prayer is power as it makes us find life not death as Jesus exemplified on the Cross.
Photo by author, Manaoag, Pangasinan, 09 January 2026.
Simultaneous with the power of prayer, we find in Christ the power of love and respect for persons.
It is one of his radical teachings, an integral part of his gospel of salvation of loving one another as he had loved us, of giving up one’s life for a friend, of finding God on the face of every one. Even among enemies!
It is power because when we love and respect every person, that is when we establish the kingdom of heaven here on earth. Love and respect for persons as power is prayer in action through our loving service for others.
Clearly, it is one power we lack so much in the country especially in government when officials are deep into corruption. Its most tragic part is at how people mostly the poor have allowed corruption to persist because they themselves could not love and respect their very selves, refusing to see beyond the material world. For them, man lives to eat. Then die. They would not even raise up their heads to look high above the clouds to dream and dare in life, to believe and hope in God.
Photo by author, Sacred Heart Novitiate, Novaliches, QC, 20 March 2026.
Because sadly, many refuse to recognize the very power of Christ which is the Cross.
Because of the Cross, there is Easter. And then Ascension.
Without the Cross, nothing.
That is why for many life has become more of a mess, empty without meaning because they believe power is strength and force, of control and manipulation. Most of all, of subjugation.
Christ showed us in his Cross that life is always larger than what we see or even perceive as it is. Life is so wide and vast, so high and so deep we can never hold nor contain. Or even understand and explain.
Life is meant to be lived not solved at all. We hear it often said, “let go, let God.” Notice in this saying how the single letter “d” leads to the transition, transformation. That small letter “d” stands for our little daily deaths.
It is here we find the power of the Cross: when we surrender and submit, the world opens, we see more options, we see more life; when we suffer and cry, when we get hurt and bruised, we learn to stop and wait until healing comes and then we are renewed.
Most of all, when we experience those little deaths in taking our cross, in dying on the Cross of Jesus, that is when we find our greater self, when we experience Christ in us who had conquered sin and death because he is life himself. That is when we find true power because that is when we rise and ascend in Christ.
Events happening lately in our country and in the world, and most especially in our very lives do not look so nice and good. Even dismal. But, Jesus reminds us this Sunday of his true powers that enable to rise, to ascend in him. Most of all, he promised to be with us always. As we come nearer to the closing of Easter Season, let us ask anew ourselves and him how we can live out this new level of relationship in him, with him and through him. Let us wait in prayers to discover too his powerful answer. Amen.
Photo by author, Mt. Arayat from Angeles City, Pampanga, October 2024.
Lord My Chef Sunday Music by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II, 10 May 2026
Photo by author, 07 February 2026.
Jesus wrapped up this Sunday his teachings about relationships with the commandment to love one another. Five times he repeated the word “love” in our short gospel this Sunday to highlight its centrality in every relationship.
Without love, no relationship will ever mature and grow.
More than a feeling, love is a decision, a choice we make, day in, day out. As such, it cannot be defined but simply described.
And being a Mothers’ Day this Sunday, we find Christ’s description of keeping his commandment to love is exactly the kind of love every mom exemplifies to us captured by the 1986 song Coming Around Again by one of our favorites, Ms. Carly Simon.
Baby sneezes Mommy pleases Daddy breezes in So good on paper So romantic But so bewildering
I know nothing stays the same But if you're willing to play the game It's coming around again So don't mind if I fall apart There's more room in a broken heart (broken heart)
You pay the grocer You fix the toaster You kiss the host goodbye Then you break a window Burn the soufflé Scream a lullaby
I know nothing stays the same But if you're willing to play the game It's coming around again So don't mind if I fall apart There's more room in a broken heart
And I believe in love But what else can I do I'm so in love with you
Photo by author, August 2024.
Written by Ms. Simon in 1986 as soundtrack for the dramatic comedy film “Heartburn” starring Meryl Streep and Jack Nicholson, the song captures the very essence of its writer Nora Ephron’s fictionalized account of her tumultuous marriage and divorce with her first husband Carl Bernstein, the famous reporter who unearthed the Watergate scandal with fellow Washington Post journalist Bob Woodward. It is a very touching movie with great performances by Streep and Nicholson perfect for this Mothers’ Day too.
Mothers are the best examples of the love Jesus is speaking of in the gospel today that Simon portrayed in her song Coming Around Again.
It is the love that mothers affirm over and over again despite the pains and hurts inflicted by their husband and children; it is the faithful love of every mom even if others are unfaithful; most of all, it is the love that remembers and never forgets, always forgiving, kind and understanding expecting nothing in return.
Yes, it sounds like in a movie like “Heartburn” but it is still so true as we have experienced with our own mother!
That is why I like that part when Simon declared:
I know nothing stays the same But if you're willing to play the game It's coming around again So don't mind if I fall apart There's more room in a broken heart (broken heart)
The love Jesus is commanding us is the very same love mothers exemplify: they are so aware “nothing stays the same” with unfaithful husband, ungrateful children yet, they keep on loving because it is “coming around again”. Most of all, because they “believe in love”.
And I believe in love But what else can I do I'm so in love with you
Without love, humanity will go extinct.
Because of love, as proven by mothers, we have learned that every tragedy, every suffering and problem we go through leads to happy ending primarily because we discover something in ourselves and in someone beyond far more important than any situation or plight we may be into.
In that song and movie, you will find how love is the source of constant deep joy when we are suffering especially in silence. It is here we find the coming around in fullness of love in Jesus: his promised revelation of himself to those who keep on loving despite and in spite of everything. (See also our homily this Sunday, https://lordmychef.com/2026/05/09/easter-is-making-jesus-present-in-our-love/)
Here now is Ms. Carly Simon with Coming Around Again that was included in her 1987 album of the same title. Don’t forget to hug your mom today, to thank her and greet her with a happy mother’s day!
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