Saying the names of people we pray for

Quiet Storm by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II, 04 November 2026

*Photo by author, Chapel of Our Lady of Ephesus, Bella Rose Gardens, Silang, Cavite, 07 October 2026.*

One of the frequently asked question (FAQ) people ask us priests during Undas is why only the name of their departed is mentioned or written for the Mass intentions and prayers for souls?

It is very amusing observing how they wonder of not having the need to write the complete names of their departed loved ones, wary their Mass intentions and prayers might go to somebody else.

*Photo by author, baptismal font, Cathedral of Our Lady of Pillar, Imus, Cavite, 27 October 2026.*

First of all, God knows in his infinite knowledge and wisdom our intentions for our departed loved ones. Most of all, when we were baptized, the priest did not mention our family names because as baptized Christians, we are God’s beloved children. Therefore, we only have one family in God whom we call “Our Father.”

In the Old Testament, there is one short verse I have loved so much since high school seminary taught to us by our teacher now Msgr. Narsing Sampana that has guided me in life especially when feeling so low and lost,

But now, thus says the Lord… “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are mine… Because you are precious in my eyes and glorious, and because I love you…” (Isaiah 43:1, 4).

It is very sad how these days how parents think more of most unique names to give their children than check the calendar of saints or the Bible so that kids may have holy role models in growing up. For the Jews as we see in the Bible, names are not only for identification of the person; the name is also the mission of the person like Jesus that means “God saves” or John, “God is gracious”.

Names are most special because they express and deepen our relationships. We know very well that indeed, the most sweet thing to hear is our name being called because it is more than being recognized but most of all a sign of being valued and remembered.

But, names have deep spiritual meanings too as our invisible lines and connections with each other, whether in this life or eternal life. That’s because names have innate value. And power.

*Photo by author, sunset at Subic, 02 November 2026.*

We not only feel good being called in our own name but we feel our heart is changed, like mellowed and gladdened specially when we call the name of someone dear to us, or simply we are nice with. That is why is very important when we pray for others, we also mention their names, making us grow closer with them.

I only realized this now I am old with longer lists of names to pray for. It was my mother who taught me that whenever I pray, I always mention the names so God would know whom to bless! We were still two siblings then living in Project 7 when Mommy taught us with these exact words for prayer right after we have put on our kulambo:

Thank you very much God for today:
Please bless my Daddy Will and Mommy Cory,
my sister Meg and I, Nick. Amen.

Later on came my second sister Bing-Bing came and she was added to our list of names to mention in prayer every night. When Bing was learning to speak and it was her turn to learn to pray, Mommy added another prayer just for her, “God, give me patatas” because she loved potatoes in nilaga, pochero, afritada including those little cubes in menudo!

My list of names to pray for grew as our family grew: our bunso also my only brother Willy Boie came in 1973 and in 1995 Meg married Dino my bayaw. They have four children – Katrina Andrea, Fabiola, Dymphna, and Thomas. Will also had a daughter whom I baptized in my first and only parish, Catherine Darla. All of them had nannies whom I prayed for too, just like Mommy’s caregivers until she died in 2024.

*Photo by author, Cathedral of Our Lady of Pillar, Imus, Cavite, 27 October 2026.*

During our 30-day retreat in Cebu, our Jesuit guide Fr. Arthur Shea (+) told us that mentioning the names of those persons we pray for make our prayers truly personal, assuring us that something beautiful happens within us whenever we mention the names of people we pray for. That’s very true.

The most effective prayer is always those most personal when we specify the people with their names and the intentions we pray for. Even if they do not know us because prayers change and transform people, not situations; when people are transformed, relationships improve, peace and harmony happen among us. Mentioning the name of people we pray for is practical as it lessens the anger and negativities we have against any person. Most of all, it is difficult to pray for people we hate and thus, mentioning their names not only make our prayers effective but also affective.

The same is true with people we do not know at all but still pray for like the anonymous drivers who transport us, the vendors and bakers who provide us with all kinds of goods and others who provide us with the goods and services we need daily. When we pray for specific peoples like the the sick, the prisoners in jail especially the innocent ones, and yes, the corrupt government officials, we learn to think more of other people, to see more outside of ourselves and search for those in the margins and forgotten whom God loves so much.

When I was in first year theology in 1993, I was so overjoyed in the historic meeting in Oslo, Norway of Israeli PM Yitzhak Rabin (later assassinated) and the late PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat because I have been praying for peace in Israel since I re-entered the seminary. It convinced me that God answers prayers no matter how simple or complicated it may be. Though peace remains elusive in that part of the world, I still pray for the people in Israel and the Middle East especially after I had visited the Holy Land thrice and now with the war still going on there.

Beloved: First of all, I ask that supplications, prayers, petitions, and thanksgiving be offered for everyone, for kings and for all in authority, that we may lead a quiet and tranquil life in all devotion and dignity (1 Timothy 2:1-2).

When we pray for one another as St. Paul tells Timothy, that is when we begin to identify everyone and find our relationships with them as brothers and sisters whom we must love and respect to make this world a better place to live in. It all begins in our hearts because when we pray, we make a space in our hearts for other people. Then God comes as we find in Jesus Christ’s healing of the centurion’s servant (Lk.7:1-10). See how in this version by Luke the Jews “approached Jesus and strongly urged him to come, saying, ‘He deserves to have you do this for him, for he loves our nation and he built the synagogue for us.’ And Jesus went with them” (Lk.7: 4-6). Jesus answered their prayers because he must have been so surprised with their attitude toward the pagan because finally, they saw not differences but similarities as persons believing in God.

When we mention names of people, that is when we recognize them as one of us too, making our prayers effective and affective as change and miracles begin to happen. Whether in this life or in eternity, for sure. Let us pray for one another. Amen.

*Photo by author, Bella Rose Gardens, Silang, Cavite, 07 October 2026.*

Our hallowed hiddenness

Quiet Storm by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II, 03 November 2026

A week before Undas,
we went to Imus, Cavite;
it was my first time and in obedience
to my late mother's instruction,
we went to pray at the Cathedral Parish of
Our Lady of the Pillar.

According to tradition,
Saint James the Greater was discouraged
at his preaching of the Gospel in Spain
with very few converts;
the Blessed Mother who was still then
living in Jerusalem
appeared to him via bilocation
at the banks of Ebro River
in Zaragoza, Spain
while standing on a jasper column.
Mary gave the pillar to Saint James
with the instruction to build
a chapel in her honor there
that became the Cathedral-Basilica of Zaragoza,
considered as the first Marian apparition
in history that happened on the year 40,
second day of January.

Saint James eventually won many converts
and returned to Jerusalem where he was martyred
in the year 44 to become the first
among the Apostles to shed blood
for the Gospel.
His remains were later
translated back to Spain,
reaching its final destination
in the now famous Santiago de Compostela.

I have always wanted to go on a pilgrimage
to Santiago de Compostela in Spain
but it seems God has other plans for me;
while praying there at Imus,
it just dawned upon me that we can always
do that pilgrimage to any holy site
first in our hearts,
in our own 
hallowed 
hiddenness.

Right inside this
beautiful Cathedral in Imus
after praying,
I felt taking my iPhone
to observe the steps,
the internal camino
of many other pilgrims 
coming there only with 
their hearts for Jesus
with Mary.

Like this man silently, 
intensely 
praying.

I have realized that 
hiddenness is a sacred presence 
where each of us can be all by one’s self 
focused on God 
who is the root of our being and existence.

According to St. John Paul II,
God created man 
first to be alone with Him.  
And that is how it will be 
to each of us in the end: 
we die alone. 
With God in Jesus.

We all have this gift of hiddenness 
within whenever we desire to be still, 
for some “me” time 
to rediscover 
and find 
one’s self anew.

“In our society we are inclined to avoid hiddenness. We want to be seen and acknowledged. We want to be useful to others and influence the course of events. But as we become visible and popular, we quickly grow dependent on people and their responses and easily lose touch with God, the true source of our being. Hiddenness is the place of purification. In hiddenness we find our true selves” (Fr. Henri Nouwen).

Hiddenness is the passageway 
to the great gifts of silence and stillness 
that lead us to the deeper truths
and realities of life,
of self,
ultimately
of God.

Silence is the language of God;
 silence precedes very communication by God
something we have refused to learn
about communication that is why
we quarrel a lot,
misunderstanding each other always.

We never dialogue
nor communicate
but simply talk, talk, and talk
without silence in order to listen
to others.

Hiddenness is God’s mode of presence 
that cannot be captured 
nor described in human terms. 
That is why He is hidden. 
It is not that God is hiding from us 
but He is inviting us 
to be intimately close with Him 
to exclusively 
and personally 
experience Him, 
be filled with Him.

It was the same thing 
Jesus did on Easter, 
remaining hidden 
before finally appearing to Mary Magdalene
whom He stopped from touching Him
to signal her 
and us today
of the new level of relating 
with the Risen Lord in hiddenness. 

In all Easter stories, 
we are told how the disciples fell silent 
whenever Jesus appeared to them. 
In Emmaus, 
after the breaking of bread, 
the two disciples finally recognized Jesus 
who immediately vanished 
because Jesus wanted them 
and us today 
to follow Him personally 
in His hiddenness 
to find Him 
and ourselves too.

Appearances,
 images
 and noise
 are fleeting.

 The most significant moments
 and insights we have in life
 are those that come from our long periods of silence,
 of prayers and soul-searching.

This November
as we continue to remember
 all those who have left us in this world, 
let us keep its sacred origins
in the hiddenness of our hearts:
  All Saints Day
 for those souls already in heaven
 and All Souls’ Day
 for those who have departed
 but still being purified in the purgatory.
 
 Both invite us to “hide” in prayers,
 in silent remembering
 to experience God
 and our departed loved ones
 in the most intimate and personal manner
 without the gadgets and things
 that numb us of their presence.
 Amen.
 Have a blessed 
and meanigful
All Saints’ and All Souls’ Days!

Usapang cremation pa rin…

Lawiswis ng Salita ni P. Nicanor F. Lalog II, Ika-02 ng Nobyembre 2026

Salamuch po sa mga bumisita at nagbasa ng ating blog ukol sa wastong pangangalaga ng mga sinaabong labi o cremated remains. Mayroong ilan ang tumuligsa sa ating isinulat na batay sa pinakahuling Instruction ng Vatican, ang Ad resurgendum cum Christo na nagbabawal sa pag-iingat sa bahay ng urn ng na-cremate na labi ng mahal sa buhay maging ang pagpaparte-parte kahit katiting ng mga sinaabong labi na kadalasan nilalagay sa mga kuwintas at alahas bilang remembrance.

Ipagpaumanhin po ninyo kung sakaling nasaktan inyong mga damdamin sa aking nalathala na pitak ngunit wala pong kinalaman sa usaping pananalapi ang mga alituntunin ng Simbahan na noon pa mang 1963 umiiral; kailan lamang nagkaroon ng mga kolumbaryo sa mga parokya. Karamihan sa mga kolumbaryo ay pinangangasiwaan ng mga pribadong kumpanya gaya ng mga funeral homes at memorial parks.

Sabi naman ng iba walang sinasabi sa Bibliya na bawal ilagak sa tahanan ang urn naglalaman ng sinaabong labi ng yumao. Ang ating pong tugon: e wala din naman po sinasabi ang Bibliya ukol sa cremation ng mga namatay bagaman mayroong isang pagkakataon mga labi ng namatay ay sinunog. Ito ay matapos na lapastanginin ng mga Filisteo mga labi ni Haring Saul at mga anak kaya binawi ng mga Israelita kanilang mga bangkay at sinunog upang ilibing mga abo bilang tanda ng kanilang pag-galang (1 Samuel 31:7-13).

Makikita natin sa buong bibliya na mula kina Abraham hanggang kay Jesu-Kristo, pawang silang lahat ay mga inilibing kaya naman ito pa rin ang higit na paraan pinipili ng Simbahan mula sinauna sa pangangalaga ng mga labi ng namatay bilang paghahanda sa Second Coming na kung saan ang mga labi ng mga namatay ay hahanguin muli upang isama sa kaluluwa at makamit ang glorified body tulad ni Jesus nang muling nabuhay. Ito pa rin ang dahilan kaya nang payagan ng Simbahan ang cremation pagkaraan ng Vatican II, tiniyak pa rin na mapangalagaan at nasa ligtas at naaayong lunan mga labi ng mga yumao.

Larawan kuha ng may-akda isa sa mga pinakamatandang sementeryo sa labas ng Jerusalem; masdan mga nitso nakaturo ang mga paanan nito sa silangang bahagi ng lungsod kung saan nila inaasahan magdaraan ang Mesiyas kapag dumating kaya kapag iyon ay nangyari, lahat ng mga namatay ay babangon nakaharap doon upang salubungin siya.

Ngunit higit na dahilan sa pagtitiyak na nasa maayos, marangal at nararapat na libingan ang labi ng ating mga yumao ay bahagi ng katuruan ng Simbahan na batay pa rin sa Banal na Kasulatan – ang pagpapahalaga sa dangal ng bawat tao kahit namatay na bilang larawan at wangis ng Diyos.

Hindi ba ninyo alam na ang inyong katawan ay templo ng Espiritu Santo na nasa inyo at tinanggap ninyo mula sa Diyos? Ang inyong katawan ay hindi talagang inyo kundi sa Diyos (1 Corinto 6:19).

Maliwanag ang Banal na Kasulatan, mga ginigiliw ko: sa buhay na ito hanggang kamatayan, wala tayong masasabing atin sapagkat ang lahat ay sa Diyos. Mainam basahin din natin nauunang talata ng ating sitas kung saan ipinanangaral ni San Pablo kabanalan ng ating katawan kaya dapat panatilihin itong malinis mula sa kasamaan at kasalanan. At ito ay kahit namatay na.

At dito ating makikita ang malungkot na umiiral sa makabagong panahon na marami sa atin sa ngayon pakiwari sa sarili ay buo niyang pag-aari, na tila walang pakialam sino man sa ibig niyang gawin sa kanyang sariling katawan.

*Larawan kuha ng may-akda, Chapel of Our Lady of Ephesus, Bella Gardens, Tagaytay City, 07 Oktubre 2026.*

Katawan ko pag-aari ko ang tila slogan ng karamihan ngayon kaya kung ayaw magbuntis, ipapalaglag sanggol sa sinapupunan. Ito rin dahilan sa sobrang pagbatak – stretching – ng ating mga karapatan kung kayat pati na rin sa pag-iiba ng ari at kasarian (sex change), ang nauusong test tube baby o in-vitro fertilization na pawang hindi pinahihintulutan ng Simbahan sapagkat labag mga ito sa dangal ng buhay. Ang malungkot kasi sa panahon ngayon, puro tayo karapatan na tila pag-aari natin ang lahat – hindi lamang ating sariling buhay kungdi maging buhay ng iba gaya ng sanggol sa sinapupunan ng isang ina o mga pumanaw na. Sa bawat karapatan ay mayroon ding katapat na tungkulin at pananagutan sa iba.

Sinasabi ng mga dalubhasa na mayroong dalawang palatandaan ng mataas na antas ng kalinangan ano mang lipi ng mga tao na kanilang napag-aralan: una anila ay kapag ang mga buto ng mga yumao ay mayroong tanda ng panggagamot at ikalawa ay kapag inililibing ang mga yumao.

Ayon sa kanila, nagpapahayag ang dalawang palatandaang ito ng pangangalaga sa kapwa tulad ng panggagamot sa nagkakasakit o naaksidente at higit sa lahat, kahit namatay na, iniingatan pa rin kanilang mga labi. Palatandaan anila ang mga ito ng tunay na pagmamalasakit sa kapwa na nagpapatunay ang tao ay social being, hindi nag-iisa at palaging mayroong kapwa. No man is an island wika nga dahil tayong lahat ay magkakarugtong sa buhay maging sa kamatayan na ang kaganapan ating inaasam ay magaganap sa buhay na walang hanggan kapiling ang Diyos.

Kaya kung paano natin pinahahalagahan ating mga yumao ay nagsasalamin ng ating patuloy na pagpapahalaga sa kanila, sa pagkilala sa kanilang sariling katauhan na maging mapayapa at malaya sa buhay na walang hanggan. Sadyang masakit ang mamatayan ng mahal sa buhay ngunit alalahanin nating ang usapin ay hindin lamang may kinalaman sa ating nagdadalamhati at nasaktan kungdi higit sa lahat doon mismo sa namatay. Ibigay natin nauukol sa paggalang sa kanilang naiwang labi na sinaad ng mga titik na “R.I.P.” mula sa mga katagang Latin na Requiescat In Pace o Rest in Peace sa Inggles habang sa Filipino ay mas malalim ang salin na isang panalangin din, Sumalangit nawa (SLN) kanilang kaluluwa. Amen. Isang mapayapang Araw ng mga Yumao.

*Salamuch kay Ginoong Paterno Esmaquel II ng The Religion Reporter na nag-interview sa atin noong Sabado upang maipaliwanag ilang mga bagay-bagay sa cremation. Narito po ating panayam mula sa YouTube.com.

Mula sa YouTube.com.

“Do It Again” by Steely Dan for my funeral

Lord My Chef Sunday Music, 01 November 2026

*Photo by author, Don Bosco Batulao Retreat House, Batangas, April 2026.*

You read it right: when I die, it is my wish that Steely Dan’s 1972 classic Do It Again shall be my funeral music. Aside from the fact that it was the first SD song I heard that started my fascination and love for this duo and their music, it speaks so well of my life that if I should live again, I will repeat everything. Just like Jack in Do It Again.

In the mornin' you go gunnin' for the man who stole your water
And you fire 'til he is done in but they catch you at the border
And the mourners are all singin' as they drag you by your feet
But the hangman isn't hangin' and they put you on the street

You go back, Jack, do it again, wheel turnin' 'round and 'round
You go back, Jack, do it again

When Walter Becker died on September 3, 2017, it was the last day of a retreat I facilitated for graduating high school students in Bustos, Bulacan. They were dumbfounded, wondering what had happened to me after hearing their confessions as I spoke of Becker and Steely Dan, singing and playing some of their songs they could hardly relate with. Soon, other musicians died along with actors and actresses whose music and films have shaped us during our growing up years that as a priest, I would include them in my prayers and Masses, hoping some day we could all jam in heaven!

Aside from praying for the souls of my favorite musicians on this All Saints’ Day and tomorrow’s All Souls’ Day, I thought of writing about Do It Again as my funeral song after watching a reel sent by a friend of an imaginary movie of someone dying with this opening track from Steely Dan’s debut album Can’t Buy a Thrill. My friend who sent that said he would have My Old School; but, as I have said, I will have Do It Again.

I must confess I never truly understood the meanings of the SD songs I used to hear and listened to while growing up except that they were all weird and odd like me while at the same time smooth and sophisticated. For me, what matters most always is when the music and lyrics jibe – something Walter and Donald Fagen perfected so well, putting them on top of the pantheon of gods of music.

As I matured, I realized, like me, SD music is deep and profound. Yes, surreal and psychedelic that an aunt (may she rest in peace) used to ask me how would I become a priest while listening to such kind of music. But, I eventually became a priest, still a Danhead! (You should see how some people react when they ask me explain the origin and meaning of Steely Dan.)

Going back to “Do It Again”, it is one of those tracks that I listen to every time I drive because the Remastered Best of Steely Dan is the only CD in my player. Of course I have a USB with other music but every time I drive, Walter and Donald with their fellow gods accompany me in my trips.

Before the Smiths came whom I also love, Steely Dan were there first to “romanticize” life’s many failures and disasters. Alex Pappademas is right after all when he wrote in “Quantum Criminals” that we are actually Jack in Do It Again – the gambler always losing, the one always caught in the crossfires of every battle in life but still somehow survives that hence, we do it again.

That is what I like most with Walter and Donald: they can express truly what we feel in every failures and losses we have had without pinning us down; instead, in their perfectionist music, we feel uplifted that like Jack, we just do it again like in our failed relationships – whether our own fault or others fault. Just choose for yourself and still be consoled, Jack….

When you know she's no high climber then you find your only friend
In a room with your two-timer, and you're sure you're near the end
Then you love a little wild one and she brings you only sorrow
All the time you know she's smilin' you'll be on your knees tomorrow, yeah

You go back, Jack, do it again, wheel turnin' 'round and 'round
You go back, Jack, do it again

I have realized in life that coming to terms with death is coming to terms with life. And vice versa. The moment we start living fully, meaningfully, authentically, that is when we befriend death. That is when we truly become free from others say, from everything that enslaves you to fully become free as your true self.

Now you swear and kick and beg us that you're not a gamblin' man
Then you find you're back in Vegas with a handle in your hand
Your black cards can make you money so you hide them when you're able
In the land of milk and honey, you must put them on the table

You go back, Jack, do it again, wheels turnin' 'round and 'round
You go back, Jack, do it again

I have no claims to greatness nor holiness. I am just like Jack and at this stage of my life at 61 years old, 28 years as a priest, if given a chance to live again, I will do everything again. Yes, still be a priest. And a Danhead. Even perhaps add more mischiefs for more lessons and adventures and fun. Like Jack and the rest of the gang we have come to know as Steely Dan. To all Steely Dan fans, hail! For those wondering what is this all about, listen.

From YouTube.com.

Blessed hunger & thirst for God

Lord My Chef Sunday Recipe for Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Solemnity of All Saints, 01 November 2026
Revelation7:2-4, 9-14  ><}}}}*>  1 John 3:1-3  ><}}}}*>  Matthew 5:1-12

Thousands of people arrive to pray at the graves of their relatives at a cemetery during the annual observance of All Saint’s Day in Manila on November 1, 2019. Photo by *Ted Aljibe, AFP.*

The way we Filipinos say goodbyes illustrates vividly – with a dash of some humor – the theology of our celebrations of All Saints Day and All Souls Day we collectively call as Undas.

When we are in a party or any gathering, we never say we are leaving like alis na ako that sounds rude, or layas na ako that is tinged with anger while diyan na kayo could mean burning of one’s bridges, a sort of total separation.

Normally, we say goodbyes either by saying tutuloy na po ako or mauna na po ako. The po is optional but both are the most kind and accepted way of telling everuyone we are leaving. our hosts we are leaving. Tutuloy na ako literally in English is “I’m coming in”when you are actually going out to leave while mauna na po ako means I’m going first or will go ahead of everybody whereas no one is following you especially the host.

But here are the twists in these Filipino goodbyes: both indicate our being Christians, of our deeply ingrained religiosity no matter how hard some would deny. Whenever we say tutuloy na ako, mauna na ako, we unconsciously or subconsciously express our hunger and thirst for heaven, for eternal life.

To say tutuloy na ako is to express that basic truth we all die with one final destination which is heaven in eternal life.

To say mauuna na ako is an affirmation of our other famous maxim about death, una-una lang yan, that nobody knows who’s going to die among us next.

Every time we bid goodbye to anyone, we express this holy desires to be in heaven, to be with God, to be like all the Saints we celebrate on this first day of November.

When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain, and after he had sat down, his disciples came to him. He began to teach them, saying: “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they will be satisfied” (Matthew 5:1-2, 6).

*Photo by author, Baguio City, July 2018.*

In this time of faith in a mass-mediated culture that thrives in promoting pleasures and merry-making alongside with overflowing food and drinks while more others are starving and dying in hunger and still more are without potable water to drink, we find the fourth beatitude a rarity.

Notice how bacchanalian our generation has become with all the food apps and restaurants offering a plethora of food and drinks so glorified in social media called “food porn”, a prostitution of food and drinks. How sad so many people has become so insensitive in posting all their food in social media without any deference for the poor who could barely make ends meet for a decent meal thrice daily. See how so few among us Catholics really fast or go on abstinence every Ash Wednesday and Good Friday with all of our excuses and alibis.

*Photo by author, side entrance to Church of Beatitudes, the Holy Land, May 2019.*

Very sad.

Hence, Jesus called “blessed” those who hunger and thirst for righteousness because it is an affirmation of our faith in him who told the devil in the wilderness that “man does not live by bread alone but by every that comes forth from the mouth of God” (Mt.2:4). To hunger and thirst for righteousness is to value more the soul than the body. It is an appetite for the sacred and for things of deeper value and importance than those that are fleeting and superficial like food and drinks and other pleasures including those that bloat our egos.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness because it is a desire to be holy first of all, a desire for God himself, a desire for heaven. Righteousness for the Jews is holiness which is the observance of God’s Laws and Commandments. But, problem with this frame of mind as we have seen since the other Sunday is the tendency to be legalistic, to see more the Laws than the person that ultimately, fails to see God in one another.

Holiness is being filled with God like the souls already in heaven called Saints. They are holy because they have been purified of their sins and therefore filled with God as John tells us in his vision of heaven of great multitudes wearing white robes washed in the Blood of the Lamb.

But for us still on earth, still battling with sin and evil, holiness is being filled with God but not sinless. And because we are filled with God, we strive always to work alongside with Christ, bearing all the pains and sufferings he bore first for us for the sake of righteousness, of justice and peace. In this world when conformity to whatever “everyone is doing” is the rule of the game like corruption, dishonesty, and infidelity, being hungry and thirsty with the poor and suffering is our strongest signs of protest and resistance against the prevailing evils of our time. Being hungry and thirsty for righteousness is also being hungry and thirsty for the Kingdom of God because that is a sharing in Christ’s Passion and Death leading to his glorious Resurrection.

*Photo from bloomberg.com of a homeless man in New York City during a fashion week in summer 2019.*

The most difficult daily struggle we all contend with is our hunger and thirst, our most basic instincts for the most basic needs of food and water in order to live; without food and water, we grow weak and die. However, hunger and thirst tend us to overindulge with food and drinks because these readily give us pleasures, making us forget the more essential things in life.

That is why the need for some forms of sacrifices like abstinence and fasting not only with food and drinks but anything that gives us pleasure and comfort so that we learn to desire for higher things like God, holiness and virtues.

The fourth beatitude is most timely in a world that has become so consumerist where only matter matters with everything reduced to pera pera lang with God slowly being deleted from daily life scenes. See how our world has become like showbiz with all the glitz and glamor with everything for show or palabas that despite the abundance we now enjoy not only in food and drinks but almost everything, the more we have become empty and alienated within.

Blessed are you if you hunger and thirst for righteousness because it is a grace reminding you of that fact many forget that the world and everything here passes. Being hungry and thirsty for righteousness is having God in your heart, of experiencing his love, of working to love others so that they too may experience God because they have been so hungry and thirsty for love and kindness, care and concern from others.

What do you hunger and thirst for these days?

How sad that with all these technologies we now have meant to bring us closer with one another have actually brought us apart. Worst of all, the very technologies meant to work for us now enslave us, becoming not only the gods of many but masters too. Blessed are you in your hunger and thirst for God because he alone in Christ Jesus can truly satisfy us here and hereafter. Dwell in the love of God in Jesus Christ John tells us in the second reading like the saints who have gone ahead of us, resisting all evils and temptations to sin for only the Lord satisfies us. Amen. A blessed All Saints’ Day to you!

*A panel of Fra Angelico’s painting (1423-24) “The Forerunners of Christ with Saints and Martyrs” from wikipedia.*

Pagninilay sa Undas: Halaman at bulaklak, tanda ng buhay maging sa kamatayan

Lawiswis ng Salita ni P. Nicanor F. Lalog II, Ika-30 ng Oktubre 2026

*Larawan kuha ng may-akda, Anvaya Cove, Hulyo 2026.*

Isang kaibigan nakita kong dumaing sa kanyang post sa Facebook sa sobrang mahal daw ng mga bulaklak isang linggo pa man bago mag-Undas. Sa mga panahong ito, pangalawa sa mga sementeryo, mga tindahan ng bulaklak gaya ng sa Dangwa ang puntahan ng maraming tao.

Buhay man o patay, bulaklak palagi ang ating handog sa ating mga mahal sa buhay. Wika nga sa Inggles, “say it with flowers” sapagkat ito na ang pinakamabisang pagpapahayag ng tunay na saloobin sa lahat ng pagkakataon. Wala ka na talagang sasabihin pa kapag ikaw ay nagbigay ng bulaklak kanino man. Ano man ang okasyon. Hatid ng mga ito ang tuwa at kagalakan sa sino man nagdiriwang ng buhay at tagumpay, maging ng kagalingan at lakas sa may tinitiis na sakit at hilahil. Sari-saring kulay, hugis at anyo, iisa ang pinangungusap ng bulaklak sa lahat ng pagkakataon, buhay at kagalakan at kaisahan ng magkakaibigan at magkasintahan, mag-asawa at mag-anak, magkaano-ano man.

Maliban sa tao, ang mga bulaklak at halaman na ang pinakamagagandang nilikha ng Diyos upang ipadama at ilarawan sa atin ang Kanyang kagandahan at kabutihan, katamisan at pagmamahal. Gayon din tanda ang mga ito ng Paraiso kaya bawat kasalan at lamayan, pinupuno ng mga bulaklak at halaman paalala ng langit na ating pinagmulan at hantungan.

Isang tagpo tuwing Biyernes Santo at Sabado Santo ang hindi nabibigyang halaga ng marami, ang paglilibing kay Jesus.

Sa pinagpakuan kay Jesus ay may isang halamanan, at dito’y may isang bagong libingang hindi pa napaglilibingan. Yamang noo’y araw ng Paghahanda ng mga Judio, at dahil sa malapit naman ang libingang ito, doon nila inilibing si Jesus (Juan 19:41-42).

Hindi nagkataon lamang na inilibing si Jesus sa may halamanan dahil pagsapit ng Pasko ng Pagkabuhay, kay sarap namnamin ang Kanyang Pagkabuhay doon sa halamanan ay isang uri ng “return to Paradise”, “return to Eden” wika nga.

Kaya nga nang lapitan ni Jesus si Magdalena habang umiiyak dahil wala ang Panginoon sa libingan, napagkamalan niya si Jesus bilang hardinero. Paalala ito na ang Paraiso ay di lamang ating patutunguhan kungdi doon din nagsimula ang lahat sa Paraiso bago nagkasala mga unang tao.

*Pagtatagpo nina Magdalena at Jesus noong Pasko ng Pagkabuhay sa kanyang libingan mula sa commons.wikimedia.org*

Noong Martes, sinabi ni Jesus sa ebanghelyo na ang paghahari ng Diyos ay “Katulad ng isang butil ng mustasa na itinamin ng isang tao sa kanyang halaman” (Lk.13:19).

Bawat isa sa atin ay halamanan ng Diyos, a garden of God. A paradise in ourselves.

Katulad ng ano mang halaman, kailangan natin ng mainam na lugar, taniman.

Noong ako ay naka-assign pa sa paaralan sa Malolos, palagi kong tinitiyak sa mga magulang kapag kami ay nagki-kick out ng estudyante na hangad pa rin namin kabutihan ng kanilang anak na ay isang halaman, minsan mainam na ilipat ng paso o taniman upang tumubo at lumago. May ilan naman sa mga na-kick out ko noon ang nagpapasalamat naman sa akin ngayon dahil daw nakabuti rin yung karanasan at sila ay nakapagtapos ng ibat ibang kurso.

Iyon din ang sinabi kamakailan sa Wimbledon ng ating tennis sensation na si Alex Eala, “kapag lumago, hindi na hihinto” at naging tanda niya ang bulaklak ng halamang Sampaguita.

Maraming pagkakataon pinababayaan natin ating mga sarili tulad ng halaman na hindi dinidilig ni nililinang. Kung minsan naman, hindi nating maintindihan sa kabila ng ating pangangalaga, tila walang nangyayari sa ating sarili, tulad ng halamanang walang tumubo o lumago, mamunga o mamulaklak sa kabila ng pagaasikaso.

Nguni’t maraming pagkakataon din naman na namumulaklak, nagbubunga tayo tulad ng halamanan dahil ang tunay na lumilinang sa atin ay ang Panginoong Diyos na mapagmahal. Ayon kay Sta. Teresa ng Avila, ang pananalangin ay ang tubig na ating dinidilig sa ating sarili na katulad ng halaman upang lumago at mamulaklak.

Kamakailan ay nagpalit ako ng tubig ng mga alaga kong water plants sa aking silid at ako’y natigilan nang maalala ko bigla aking yumaong Ina na napakahusay sa paghahalaman. Mayroon siyang “green thumb” na hindi ko namana sa kanya.

Kahit maliit lamang aming lupain noon sa lumang bahay namin haggang sa kanyang munting tindahan, sagana siya sa pananim tulad ng mga rosas at orchids, cactus, mayana, violets at mayana, sari-saring halaman sa paso at lupa gaya ng papaya, atis, langka, pati kamote at sili sa gilid ng bahay namin ay mayroon siya.

Ako naman, hindi makabuhay ng ano mang halaman. Katunayan noong first year high school kamuntik ako bumagsak sa gardening dahil wala akong nabuhay na pananim. Umani na ng pechay at talong mga kaklase ko, walang tumubo sa aking plot kaya sabi ng mommy ko, kamote ang aking itanim. Kapag daw yun hindi ko pa nabuhay, ako na raw ang kamote! (Nabuhay naman po at ako ay nakapasa.)

Nang magkaroon ako ng sariling parokya noong 2011, kapag dumadalaw sila sa akin isa sa mga inaalam ni Mommy ay ang aking mga alagang halaman na galing sa kanya. Madalas hindi ako makasagot kasi, palaging mayroong namamatay sa mga iyon tuwing darating siya. Pati water plants! Sabi niya sa akin noon, “ano ka ba naman anak, water plant na lang napapatay mo pa? Masyadong mainit iyong mga kamay,” aniya.

*Isa sa aking mga waterplants na buhay pa mula 2021.*

Isang bagay nakalimutan kong sabihin kay Mommy bago siya mamatay noong 2024 ay nakakabuhay na ako ng water plant sa kuwarto ko sa bago kong assignment sa Fatima Valenzuela.

Kaya noong Martes na ang ebanghelyo ay tugkol sa halaman ng mustasa, habang ako ay nagpapalit ng tubig ng aking mga water plants, naisip ko marahil masaya na sa kabilang buhay si Mommy kasi nakabuhay na ako ng halaman.

Sinabi din niya sa akin noong bata pa ako, dapat daw marunong akong mag-alaga ng halaman at hayop dahil tanda raw iyon na makakabuhay na rin ako ng tao.

Siguro nga. Kaya ko nang mabuhay maski wala na siya, paalala marahil nitong aking mga halaman.

Connections

Quiet Storm by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II, 20 October 2026

*Detail of the fingers of Adam and God “connecting” in Michaelangelo’s “Creation” painting at the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican; from commons.wikimedia.org.*

This piece is long overdue but recent events in my life, though so simple, convinced me to finally put into words my thoughts about connection and connecting.

We are all created to connect as Michaelangelo perfectly portrayed in his painting of the Creation at the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican which is widely used in many ads, from Levi’s jeans to every major telephone companies around the world.

Because, with connections, we live, we prosper, we grow. Without it, we decay. Then die.

*Michaelangelo’s “Creation” painting, the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican; from commons.wikimedia.org.*

According to a recent TED talk episode I have seen, the top leading predictor for longevity in life is the kind of relationships or connections we keep in life. In a study of thousands of people from different backgrounds, it was found that people actively connected, actively interacting with others are the ones who live longest. The study ranked obesity and smoking way below as predictors of longevity; so, keep connecting, clicking wine glasses and beer pitchers with friends and relatives!

Any break in connections is an indication of separation and isolation. Of sin, most of all. That is why, any relationship on the rocks or had gone sour is always marked by cold silence among family and friends, even plain acquaintances. You see them suddenly not talking to each other, refusing to eat together, even avoiding to look at each other.

*Photo by author, St. Michael Retreat House, Antipolo City, July 2026.*

Many times our connections happen unconsciously. Or serendipitously where magic often happens, like love at first sight perhaps. It can happen with people we casually take as one of the guys, one of those ordinary folks we meet daily in work or in the neighborhood.

Last Sunday I was invited by one of our drivers in the University to attend his birthday party thrown by his elder sisters in a restaurant in Bulacan near our home. It turned out that weeks before his birthday, he had asked some people in the office to invite me because he was too shy to ask me personally; but, everyone told him malabo pumunta si Father, busy yun kasi Sunday.

But, he tried his luck when we bumped into each other at the lobby of our building one afternoon, blurting out in successive words his invitation with quick excuses that he would ot mind at all if I am so busy and tired. Because it would be his 60th birthday, I assured him I would come.

And glad that I came, even so late.

It was only then when I learned of his life story as he cried expressing his fervent wish to be reunited with his wife and children. One of his friends thanked me as I left the party, saying how Rollie was deeply happy and affirmed, kahit na isang driver lang siya, pinuntahan siya ng isang pari. The following Monday, we met again at the lobby, he shook my hands and warmly expressed his gratitude to my coming to his party that made his elder sisters so happy too.

That’s when I realized how it mattered a lot to him. I have experienced it so many times in my 28 years of priesthood, of how people look up to us priests that it was an honor for them to receive us as their guests. This is most true with those with less in life, saying the same lines over and over, mabuti naman po Father pinuntahan ninyo kami maski mahirap lang kami. People like it most when we priests connect with them no matter what is their situation in life, when we smell like them our sheep as Pope Francis would always say of us priests.

Many times, we take our connections for granted, taking them as so simple with no big deal at all but for some, it means the whole world for them because every connection leads to joy and freedom: the joy of acceptance, the joy of friendships that make us realize that we do not have to pretend to be somebody else, to be free and be our true selves because we are accepted and appreciated. Most of all, because of feeling connected, we feel not alone, always with somebody at our side, giving us the strength to forge on in life even when everything seems to be dark and bleak, difficult and fearsome. Or even when we feel ourselves in a mess, we feel we have connections that will pull us through.

Last September 28, we were invited to join the birthday celebration of Archbishop Socrates Villegas of Dagupan-Lingayen Archdiocese.

For the longest time even before getting ordained, I have always looked up to him and admired him from afar. That is why I felt so glad and blessed when my brother priests in my first assignment were his contemporaries at San Carlos Seminary that we finally got to personally meet and know each other. From then on, we would always meet on many occasions in simple greetings and short conversations.

On his birthday celebration, I felt a different connection. A blessed one because it is something so priestly, so unique that I felt him as a father and a brother.

He invited our group, the Ephesus Cares Ministry to join him in celebrating his birthday Mass with their retired priests; kami lang daw ang iba niyang bisita maliban sa kanilang mga pari.

It was on that occasion of Bishop Soc’s birthday when I got this idea about connections, of being connected.

How I loved that scene at the chapel before the Mass and blessing of new duplex homes for their retired priests: there was Bishop Soc praying in silence in front, connecting with Jesus our Eternal Priest. This is something Bishop Soc has consistently taught in his talks and homilies especially to priests and lay people alike: our strongest connection in life is prayer to be in communion with God in Jesus always because when everything else fails in life, God remains connected with us.

Later, the retired priests came and all the more I appreciated the scene in their chapel: Bishop Soc connected with his elderly priests! How edifying to see and experience the bishop choosing to connect exclusively with his retired, sick, and elderly priests on his birthday. How wonderful that after all the other birthday celebrations tendered for him, Bishop Soc chose to close his birthday celebration with a Mass and dinner with his priests, retired and active. No outsiders nor laypeople except our Ephesus Cares volunteers.

During dinner, Bishop Soc asked me to sit beside him in the table with his other priests. We talked a lot of things but what I like most was when he told me I am always welcomed there or even in his residence in case I want to rest, to get connected with Jesus. And he is willing to guide me too.

A week after that, I received from the mail a letter from Bishop Soc thankin me for coming to his birthday and for the card I have given him that day. He asked only for one thing: that I pray for his priests and his seminarians preparing for the priesthood that they may have the strength to remain good priests. It was something I never expected considering his busy schedule but here is a Bishop we see and hear and read everywhere proclaiming the good news of Jesus Christ. He is so good at it because he is clearly so connected – with God, with himself and with others. Salamuch for connecting with me. Let’s keep connected. God bless!

*Photo by author, Villa San Rafael Retirement Home for Priests, Bonuan, Dagupan City, 28 September 2026.*

Be my everything, Jesus

Lord My Chef Daily Recipe for Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Wednesday, Twenty-Eighth Week in Ordinary Time, Year II, 14 October 2026
Memorial of St. Callistus, Pope and Martyr
Galatians 5:18-25 ><]]]]'> + ><]]]]'> + ><]]]]'> Luke 11:42-46

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

Be my everything,
Jesus: it is not enough
I follow you because along
the way, I can still stop and roam
around, following my many desires,
the restless longings of my heart
for selfish interests;
teach how to imitate St. Paul
in "crucifying my flesh with its
passions and desires" (Galatians 5:24).

But, 
what is to crucify my flesh
with its passions and desires?

Simply let me focus on you alone,
Jesus, making you the measure of
everything I shall do,
to search for you in everyone I meet,
to bring you out with everyone I meet;
to see more the bigger picture 
of life by resisting the works
of the flesh like "immorarilty,
impurity, licentiousness, idolatry,
sorcery, hatreds, rivalry, jealousy,
outbursts of fury, acts of selfishness,
dissensions, factions, occasions of envy,
drinking bouts, orgies, and the like"
(Galatians 5:19-21).


Keep me aware, 
Jesus,
that as my desires for comfort and ease
are bottomless, 
I shall never be satisfied within
if I see more the things than the persons,
or give much emphasis on my self
than others like the sick and suffering;
let me search for the bigger pictures
of life's many realities like your
plans for eternity so that I may strive more
to crucify my flesh with its passions
and desires by forgetting my little self
I always inflate to look larger than others;
may I give the chance for the Holy Spirit 
to win me over, bearing fruits of
“love, joy, peace, patience, kindness,
generosity, faithfulness, gentleness,
self-control" (Galatians 5:22-23).
Amen.

*Photo by author, Chapel of Our Lady of Ephesus, Bella Rosa Gardens, Silang, Cavite, 07 October 2026.*

Fatima, our G-U-I-D-A-N-C-E

Lord My Chef Daily Recipe for Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Tuesday, 109th Anniversary of Last Apparition of Blessed Virgin Mary at Fatima
Isaias 61:9-11 ><}}}}*> Galatians 4:4-7 ><}}}}*> Luke 11:27-28

We remember today the 109th anniversary of the Blessed Virgin Mary’s last appearance at Cova da Iria in Fatima, Portugal when the “Miracle of the Sun” happened before a crowd of 70,000 people.

It was the sixth and last apparition of the Blessed Mother to the three children – Sr. Lucia and her cousins St. Francisco and St. Jacinta Marta – that began on May 13, 1917. According to sworn accounts by many witnesses and attested by many journalists in their reports, it was past noon at about 1:30 PM when the Sun “danced” or zigzagged in the sky and then careened to the Earth while emitting radiant colors that lasted for about ten minutes. It was on this date when the Blessed Mother introduced herself to the three children as the Lady of the Rosary, telling them how World War I would soon end, that “People must amend their lives and ask pardon for their sins. They must not offend our Lord any more, for He is already too much offended!”

During her last interview in 1957 while already a cloistered Carmelite nun, Sr. Lucia revealed how during that last apparition to them (her two cousins have died in 1919 and 1920 during the flu pandemic), the Blessed Virgin Mary looked very sad and never smiled to indicate the gravity and seriousness of her messages to them.

Amid the many interpretations of the events of October 13, 1917, Fatima has remained so popular and very significant to this day because of its truth and relevance to our own situation and experiences from the not-so-distant-past. Three things I wish to share with you today:

First is to see the last apparition of October 13, 1917 not as the final one but the beginning of the unfolding of more revelations and realizations for us. Fatima is not about the end of the world but actually a new beginning for the world.

Very often, many people have always seen Fatima as a sign of the end of the world, of worldwide catastrophe that have instilled more of fear and even controversies that included doubts of the Vatican allegedly not fully revealing the Third Secret despite assurances from the visionary herself, Sr. Lucia who said before her death in 2005 that all Fatima Secrets have been fully revealed. It must also be kept in mind that after October 13, 1917, Sr. Lucia continued to receive private visions while in the convent as a nun in 1925 through the 1930’s.

The Blessed Mother appeared in Fatima not to scare us but to inspire us to turn away from sins, to be converted and be holy so that the world may truly find peace in Jesus her Son. Fatima’s main messages are hope and joy for the world, not fear and confusion.

Every ending, every destruction imply new beginning, new arising. That’s the meaning of Isaiah’s vision in the first reading, of how the destruction of Jerusalem with all its ruins shall usher in a better city, a blessed nation to be known and recognized by other nations. In the same manner, the last apparition at Fatima in 1917 was meant to usher in new hopes for us to become better persons who will build stronger families and more vibrant church communities.

Unfortunately, it is still far from being realized even 109 years ago have passed as we have not yet learned or heed its lessons. In that case, we and not God nor Jesus nor the Blessed Mother are to be blamed at why we are going through all these difficulties and miseries we are into in this modern age. Let us make today the beginning of our conversion and transformation in Christ Jesus with the help of the Blessed Mother, that simple Virgin of Nazareth who obediently accepted God’s will to bring forth into the world our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (second reading).

It is in this aspect where we wish to propose our second reflection for 109th anniversary of the last apparition at Fatima by confronting our true selves. If Jesus were with us today, he would have surely reminded us anew that his mother and brothers and sisters are those who listen and do his words (gospel).

Being Christian is more than a name or rites and rituals, even sacraments but more of witnessing Christ especially right inside our home, in our very family. It was in her last apparition at Fatima when the Blessed Mother revealed to the three children how the devil has been working, infiltrating every family and the church to mislead parents and priests into serious, grave sins like the rising incidents of divorce and separation of many couples as well as the continuing reports of sexual abuses by members of the clergy.

At Fatima 109 years ago today, the Blessed Mother invited us to focus more in revealing God’s will as experienced and prayed in the the Sacred Scriptures than wasting our time with politics and other worldly debates that often disregard the dignity of every person. Fatima is about our daily conversion from our sins, of choosing always what is good and just and charitable, not selfish and self-serving interests. This is very evident with the two elements that prevailed on that day: rains and the Sun.

The rains have soaked wet the people and the whole area for two days, October 12-13, signifying the call for inner cleansing and purification of our hearts and person. And when the Sun “danced”, the people were astonished how their clothes were dried along with the whole surroundings as if it had not rained the previous day after witnessing the spectacular display of colors and light. Let Jesus cleanse and purify us into better persons who witness his gospel always.

And thirdly, on this 109th anniversary of our Lady’s final apparition in Fatima, let us keep in mind the word “guidance” which stands for:

God
U and 
I
DANCE for life.

Like the dancing Sun on that day 109 years ago today, Jesus invites us to “dance” in life, following the steps and the way of the Cross like his Blessed Mother who remained with him until his death. Amen. Our Lady of Fatima, Pray for us.

*Photo by author, National Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima, Valenzuela City, 25 February 2026*.

It might be you?

Lord My Chef Daily Recipe for Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Monday, Twenty-Eighth Week in Ordinary Time, Year II, 12 October 2026
Galatians 4:22-24, 26-27, 31-5:1 <*((((>< + ><))))*> Luke 11:29-32

*Photo by author, Bella Rosa Gardens, Silang, Cavite, 07 October 2026.*

Please excuse me, Jesus
as I feel like singing
one of the songs during 
our college days by 
Stephen Bishop 
for the movie "Tootsie"
starring Dustin Hoffman:

Time, I've been passing time
Watching trains go by
All of my life
Lying on the sand
Watching sea birds fly
Wishing there would be

Someone waiting home for me
Something's telling me it might be you
It's telling me it might be you
All of my life

I could hear you speaking
to me today, Jesus:
"This is an evil generation;
it seeks a sign,
but no sign will be given it,
except the sign of Jonah"
(Luke 11:29);
there are times I keep looking
for certainty, asking for a sign
from God for the things I have to do,
for the mission I have to accomplish;
but like your people,
we today fail or refuse to see you,
to find you, Jesus 
when you are
right in front of us,
always beside us;
and it is true, Lord Jesus,
I cannot find you in my life
because I expect something
more obvious or even something
more dramatic like in the movies.

Keep me simple, Jesus,
so that I may find you,
I may recognize you in
the most ordinary,
the simplest occasions
in my life,
among the people I meet daily
especially those I take for granted
or refuse to relate with.

So many quiet walks to take
So many dreams to wake
And with so much love to make, oh
I think we're gonna meet some time
Maybe all we need is time

And it's telling me it might be you
All of my life
I've been saving love songs and lullabies
And there's so much more
No one's ever heard before

Something's telling me it might be you
Yeah, it's telling me it must be you
And I'm feeling it'll just be you
All of my life

Yes, it's you, Jesus...
always you every time I wake up
and make that sign of the Cross
first thing in the morning;
it is you, Jesus...
when I see the light
and feel the warmth of
the rising sun;
it is you, Jesus...
when people and kids
smile at me,
when people ask for me,
when people listen and
speak to me;
it is you, Jesus...
when I still hope
and love and desire
for you.
Help me in my unbelief.
Amen.

From YouTube.com.