Thus says the Lord: "Cursed is the man who trusts in human beings, who seeks his strength in flesh, whose heart turns away from the Lord. He is like a barren bush in the desert that enjoys no change of season, but stands in a lava waste, a salt and empty earth" (Jeremiah 17:5-6).
Forgive us, merciful Father for turning away from you, and turning away from our neighbors especially the sick many other Lazarus we ignore at our doorsteps; forgive us in believing more in ourselves, in our science and technology, ideologies and philosophies that stretch our rights and freedom forgetting all about our responsibilities; how foolish, O God, that we insist on our beliefs and misplaced trust in ourselves, in everything that is passing and temporary for as long as it is self-serving that we become like a barren bush or shrub in the desert, drying up, dying, hoping for the rains that would never come. Awaken us, Lord from this foolishness and let us arise to return to you until there is time.
Photo by author, Hidden Valley, Laguna, February 2025.
Thus says the Lord: "Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose hope is the Lord. He is like a tree planted beside waters that stretches out its roots to the stream; it fears not the heat when it comes, its leaves stay green; in the year of drought it shows no distress, but still bears fruit" (Jeremiah 17:7-8).
Let me find my way back to you, God our Father; let me be like that tree planted beside the stream, beside you, in you, trusting you alone; let me be rooted in you, Father, filled with life and meaning; deepen my roots in you, Father, listening more to your voice of wisdom and truth that are inconvenient in this age of instants comfort.
Photo by author, Malagos, Davao City, 18 August 2018.
Lord Jesus Christ, you have given me with so much and I have given so little; let me give more of myself to you so I can give and share you more with others; keep me rooted in you as I surrender myself to you, doing your most holy will. Amen.
40 Shades of Lent by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II First Sunday in Lent-A, 22 February 2026 Genesis 2:7-9, 3:1-7 + Romans 5:12-19 + Matthew 4:1-11
Photo from earth.com.
We now live in a world so noisy with many voices competing for our attention. Everybody is talking including cars and elevators, phones and gadgets and apps with names Siri and Alexa. So often, it is from these competing voices come our temptations in life, too.
In his first Lenten Message, Pope Leo XIV invites us to listen more to the word of God in order to be converted anew to Him. He said it so well that “The willingness to listen is the first way we demonstrate our desire to enter into a relationship with someone.”
Very true! And the question this first Sunday in Lent asks us is, whose voice do I follow? Because the voice we listen most is likely the one we prefer or love most – in fact, it could be the voice of the one we keep a relationship with!
That is the tragic truth of the story of the fall of Adam and Eve in the first reading today – they listened more to the voice of the devil signified by the serpent than to God who warned them not to eat the forbidden fruit.
And that continues to happen every day in our lives! That is why to sin is not merely to turn away from God but actually a refusal to love because sin is rejecting a relationship with God to whom we must listen to. This we see today in Matthew’s version of the temptations of Christ in the desert.
At that time Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. He fasted for forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was hungry. The tempter approached and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command that these stones become loaves of bread.” He said in reply, “It is written: One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:1-4).
Detail of “The Temptation of Jesus According to St. Matthew” on the wall of St. Mark’s Cathedral in Venice, Italy. Photo from psephizo.com.
Right at the start, Jesus made it clear by quoting the Sacred Scriptures, the word of God, that “One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.”
Jesus, the Word who became flesh to live among us tells us clearly today that same truth. God’s word is life when He created everything by just speaking. Any voice that leads to destruction is from the devil, the father of fake news. And the devil’s biggest lie we must always avoid is making and having things easily. See how until now every fake news is always about “instants” like instant food and health, instant solution to everything without realizing its sinful effects as well as side effects that may actually harm us more.
Listening is an art because it teaches us to be patient, to wait and most of all, to persevere which leads us to perfection and excellence. Haste always makes waste. When we listen, we become patient, choosing to wait than take shortcuts or get instants that avoid difficulties and hardships like gambling to be wealthy without working, or cheating to pass exams without learning as well as freedom without responsibilities.
Then the devil took him to the holy city, and made him stand on then parapet of the temple, and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down. For it is written: ‘He will command is angels concerning you’ and ‘with their hands they will support you, lest you dash your foot against a stone.'” Jesus answered him, “Again, it is written, You shall not put the Lord your God to the test” (Matthew 4:5-7).
Photo by author, Domiican Hills, Baguio City, January 2019.
More than an art, listening is a virtue because it demands silence which is a fullness wherein we are able to listen and distinguish every voice and sound so that we may choose which to listen to and follow.
The word “listen” is the palindrome of “silent” – we listen best in silence to hear God, others and our very selves.
When we learn to be silent, we also become more trusting because when we trust, we speak less and listen more. The most silent people are the also the most trusting. When we trust, we wait and avoid shortcuts and instants.
The voice of God stirs our inner self, not just our senses because His voice leads us to deeper realities and meanings in life. Remember that Jesus eventually fed more than five thousand people from just five loaves of bread and two pieces of fish when He saw them already prepared inside their hearts and soul; when Jesus felt them more open to God than to the world, then He gave them bread and fish for their stomach.
Notice how the devil’s temptation to Jesus continues among us with those voices calling us to overly assert ourselves, to be influencers and clout chasers or content creators to be praised and followed by everyone when actually is all about wealth and money, and of course, power. It is the voice of control and manipulation. How sad that many of us gobble their lies completely, consuming everything, filling ourselves even with trash.
The voice of God calls us to sacrifice, to bear pains and sufferings not to be overburdened in life but for us to see God especially among those mostly in need like the poor and marginalized. Often, the voice of God is the softest and tiniest in our hearts calling us to simply trust Him by doing the simplest things like smiling to strangers, easing the pain of those lonely and sad, giving bread to the poor and hungry. Listening to the silence of God enables us to trust Him more that we learn to share and forget ourselves. Then, we grow and mature truly as persons.
Then the devil took him up to a very high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in their magnificence, and he said to him, “All these I shall give you, if you will prostrate yourself and worship me.” At this, Jesus said to him, “Get away, Satan! It is written: The Lord, your God, shall you worship and him alone shall you serve.” Then the devil left him and, behold, angels came and ministered to him (Matthew 4:8-11).
Again, we go back to Pope Leo XIV’s Lenten Message about listening as “the first way we demonstrate our desire to enter into a relationship with someone.”
Don’t you feel sad at the sight of today’s everyday life where everyone has something in their ears, whether the tiny earpods or the headset/headphone?
What used to be insane like talking by one’s self has now become a status symbol as everyone looks crazy speaking by themselves through modern devices amid a crowd while walking or seated anywhere conversing to somebody at the other end of their lines unmindful, oblivious of the persons around them. May sariling mundo.
Many these days have created their own worlds and universe with them at its center through our new Baal, the cellphone – the very first thing everyone is looking for after waking up and the last thing in everyone’s hand before sleeping. How sad many among us today practically live in social media. What is most tragic is that all these modern means of communications were invented to bring us closer together when in fact, the more we have grown apart from each others! We are not only polarized as people but even separated from God.
The third temptation of the devil to Jesus continues with us today with all those voices telling us to forget God and morality and truth so that we become popular by being viral and trending. It is the biggest scam and fake news of all by the devil – of us being the “master” to rule and have world with all of its luxuries and power. The voice seems harmless, as if asserting our true selves but actually destroys our being and relationships with God, with others and eventually with our very selves.
Lent is an inside journey into our hearts, of finding Jesus anew inside our hearts where He dwells. St. Paul tells us in the second reading how Jesus brought us back to God, to grace and salvation.
Lord Jesus Christ, help us not to harden our hearts today so that we may listen anew to Your voice within us to find our way back to God, to peace and to fulfillment in ourselves and in one another.Amen. Have a blessed week ahead!
Photo by author, Carmel of the Holy Family Monastery, Guiguinto, Bulacan, 22 January 2026.
40 Shades of Lent by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II Ash Wednesday, 18 February 2026 Joel 2:12-18 +++ 2 Corinthians 5:20-6:2 +++ Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18
Thank you,
merciful Father
for personally calling us
to return to you this Lent
as we mark its start with
Ash Wednesday;
thank you, Father
in sending us your Son
Jesus Christ our Lord
to lead us back to you,
reminding us of your
abiding presence despite
our turning away from you;
thank you for his Vicar,
Pope Leo XIV in guiding us
in this Lenten journey into
our inner selves,
into our hearts
to find you,
to rest in you,
and to remain in you.
“Even now, says the Lord, return to me with your whole heart, with fasting, and weeping, and mourning; rend your hearts, not your garments, and return to the Lord, your God” (Joel 2:12-13).
Rend my heart, dear Jesus, that I may start listening anew to your words, in listening to your silence to lead me into conversion; rend my heart, O Lord, that I may always listen to you in my brothers and sisters' pleas for help amid their many pains and suffering because I have been numb to them, unmindful of their presence; rend my heart, Jesus so you may be my core not easily swayed by that little gadget the cellphone that had become the modern baal of our time we unconsciously follow and obey instead of you, Lord.
Rend my heart, dear Jesus, that I may truly fast by emptying myself of my pride and sins so that you may fill me with your humility, justice, and love; rend my heart, O Lord, that I may "hunger" more for your values and "thirst" for your love and mercy by "disarming our language, avoiding harsh words and rash judgment, refraining from slander"; render my heart, Jesus, so I may fast my tongue, "striving to measure our words, cultivate kindness and respect so that words of hatred may give way to words of hope and peace."
Rend my heart, dearest Jesus, so that my listening and fasting may lead into the common good, into a communion of your disciples attentive to God and to the least among us; rend my heart, Lord Jesus Christ not only to cleanse my conscience but also to enhance the quality of my relationships and dialogue with each other in the power of the Holy Spirit.
Rend my heart, Lord Jesus Christ to help me find my way back to the Father in you, through you, and with you. Amen.
*Prayer based on Pope Leo XIV's first Lenten Message, https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/bollettino/pubblico/2026/02/13
40 Shades of Lent by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II Ash Wednesday, 18 February 2026 Joel 2:12-18 +++ 2 Corinthians 5:20-6:2 +++ Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18
Lent is often portrayed as a journey of 40 days towards Easter starting today, Ash Wednesday. But deeper than a journey in time, it is a journey into the Father that starts in our hearts, deep within each one of us.
It is the season when we are invited to take time to look inside our hearts to see our true selves as sinful in order to meet God dwelling right inside us. The Prophet Joel in the first reading sets this tone of inner journey of conversion perfectly when he voiced out God’s call, speaking to us personally especially in this modern age:
“Even now, says the Lord, return to me with your whole heart, with fasting, and weeping, and mourning; rend your hearts, not your garments, and return to the Lord, your God” (Joel 2:12-13).
Photo by author, Buendia Ave., Makati City, 09 February 2026.
Very often, we are concerned about our external appearance, of how we look to other people but God sees what is in our hearts, of what is really inside us. And the path inside us is to cleanse ourselves thoroughly of the dirt and smudges of sin; hence, the imposition of ashes on our forehead.
Ash has long been a cleansing agent. Long before these modern kitchen stoves and gadgets of today, we used firewood for cooking that blackened the bottom of cooking wares. There were no Scotch Brite nor dishwasher at that time so we would mix ashes and cleanser soap then with steel wool and eskoba, we scrubbed them on the dirty kaldero and kawali until they were sparklingly beautiful again.
It is the very imagery of that cleaning of darkened pots with ash and soap the priest conveys to us when he says “Repent and believe in the gospel” while putting those ashes on our foreheads.
To repent is more than being sorry and admitting our sins but also a firm resolve to change our sinful ways, to be converted by following Jesus Christ in his Cross, by being more loving like him. In his first Lenten Message, Pope Leo XIV reminds us that “Every path to conversion begins by allowing the word of God to touch our hearts and welcoming it with a docile spirit.” He proposes three specific ways in doing this: listening, fasting and together.
Listening. The Holy Father reminds us so beautifully that “The willingness to listen is the first way we demonstrate our desire to enter into a relationship with someone.”
So true! But, so sad, too is the fact whom do we listen more these days? We live in a mass-mediated culture with so many young people practically living in the social media, taking and believing everything they read and see on their screen as the “gospel” truth that have only misled so many of us into various forms of miseries like emptiness, alienation from self and others, and even deaths.
Pope Leo explains that “Our God is one who seeks to involve us. Even today he shares with us who is in his heart. Because of this, listening to the word in the liturgy teaches us to listen to the truth of reality… In order to foster this inner openness to listening, we must allow God to listen as he does.” This is precisely the call of Jesus to us in the gospel when he repeatedly spoke of “God seeing you in secret” – God is always listening to us but do we listen to him?
In order to truly listen to God, first we must learn his language which is silence. See how the word “silent” is a palindrome of “listen” which is the reason why we have two ears so that we may listen more than speak. Remember also the shape of our ears – when placed together they form a heart because listening is not letting the words pass through the other ear nor keep in one’s head to understand but meant to bring down into our hearts so we can be more loving and kind, leading to oneness and bonding with the other persons.
Here we can adopt the suggestions of the CBCP that we fast this Lent on social media: no more cellphones before sleep and after waking up; limit social media and streaming time; observe device-free meals and gatherings; replace screen time with prayer and making time to be with others personally.
Photo by author, Sacred Heart Novitiate, Novaliches, QC, March 2025.
Fasting. According to Pope Leo, “fasting is a concrete way to prepare ourselves to receive the word of God.” He explains that “because it involves the body, fasting makes it easier to recognize what we ‘hunger’ for and what we deem necessary for our sustenance. Moreover, it helps us identify and order our ‘appetites,’ keeping our hunger and thirst for justice alive and freeing us from complacency.”
Again, let us use our Filipino language in understanding fasting and abstinence as well. Fasting is linked with abstaining from food. For us Filipinos, the most common practice of fasting and abstinence is avoiding meat like no meat on Fridays; meat in Filipino is laman. Therefore, when we say “no meat” it literally means walang laman which means empty in Filipino. It is when we are empty of ourselves that we become filled with God and his word, eventually of others especially the sick and suffering.
In a very interesting way, Pope Leo XIV invites us beginning this Lent to fast with our “tongue”: “Let us begin by disarming our language, avoiding harsh words and rash judgment, refraining from slander and speaking ill of those who are not present and cannot defend themselves. Instead, let us strive to measure our words and cultivate kindness and respect in our families, among our friends, at work, in social media, in political debates, in the media and in Christian communities. In this way, words of hatred will give way to words of hope and peace.”
Together. Finally, the Holy Father sums up that listening and fasting must both lead to the common good, the unity of peoples because “conversion refers not only to one’s conscience, but also to the quality of our relationships and dialogue. It means allowing ourselves to be challenged by reality and recognizing what truly guides our desires” not only as a community but especially in our “thirst for justice and reconciliation”.
Again, our Filipino word for listening says it all: pakikinig leads to pagniniig or intimacy which is oneness, communion, and bonding. True conversion leads to communion that begins with reconciliation as St. Paul called on us today in the second reading, “We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. Behold, now is a very acceptable time; behold, now is the day of salvation (1Cor. 5:20,6:2).”
As we receive the ash on our foreheads today, let us have moments of silence to listen to God’s voice we have stifled in our hearts, let us fast from talking and scrolling, and together we help each other to truly journey inside our true selves to meet God this Lent. To meet God is to die into one’s self, one’s sins, one’s selfishness as well dying literally speaking which the old formula of imposition of ash solemnly declares, “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”
Let’s face it: it is the reality of death that we have often tried to deny and escape in life that have kept our hearts consumed with all these distractions in modern life that have led us into sins and meaninglessness. Let us start anew today in Christ Jesus to find ourselves and God within our hearts. Amen. A blessed Ash Wednesday to you!
Lord My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II Wednesday, Memorial of St. Thomas Aquinas, Priest & Doctor of the Church, 28 January 2026 2 Samuel 7:4-7 <*[[[[>< +++ ><]]]]*> Mark 4:1-20
Photo by Nikola u010cedu00edkovu00e1 on Pexels.com
"May tainga ang lupa, may pakpak ang balita."
A Filipino saying to express how news and rumors travel so fast because "The soil (or land) has ears, news has wings."
It sounds funny, Lord Jesus that this saying came to my mind upon hearing your parable that started with your words "Hear this! A sower went out..." and ended, "Whoever has ears to hear ought to hear" (Mark 4:3, 9).
What an art you have endowed each of us Lord with two ears so that we may listen and hear twice than speak; how lovely you have shaped our ears that when put together, they look like a heart and yet, we rarely listen at all to you and with others.
Make us like the good soil, Jesus: open to receive your words, open to welcome your many possibilities, open to simply be ourselves so that you may transform us like the seeds that grew and produced fruits.
Remind us, Lord Jesus, like David by Nathan that far more better than buildings on land is our hearts where you desire most to dwell; may our hearts remain your temple planted on good, firm soil that it may be felt alive always.
Teach us to imitate your great Saint Thomas Aquinas we remember today: that we may cultivate to prepare our hearts and minds to become like the good soil so that your seeds of the Gospel may grow and bear fruit for your greater glory. Amen.
Lord My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul, 07 August 2025 Wednesday, Eighteenth Week in Ordinary Time, Year I Numbers 20:1-13 <*((((>< + ><))))*> Matthew 16:13-23
Lord Jesus Christ, today I pray for the grace and virtue of listening especially in this world so filled with noise with everyone and everything speaking even machines like cars and elevators and phones; how sad that photos about listening are images of headphones and ear pods that are not totally about listening which is more than hearing the sound but also hearing the silence. That is why listening is a virtue, a grace, and an art. Why, even prayer is listening! And that is what we must pray more these days that we learn to listen more in order to truly pray, hear your voice in silence.
The responsorial psalm says it so well this day, "Today if you hear his voice, harden not your hearts."
Jesus went into the region of Caesarea Philippi and asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” They replied, “Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter said in reply, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus said to him in reply, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah. For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father” (Matthew 16:13-17).
You always ask us, Jesus and we can easily answer you when it concerns other people but when you ask us personally, when your question is addressed as "YOU" - we rarely can answer because we do not listen both to you and to ourselves.
Without listening, we cannot answer and follow you, Lord; without listening, we cannot obey you, Lord; without listening, we cannot stay and and remain in you, Lord.
Yesterday in the Feast of the Transfiguration, the voice of the Father was clearly heard, telling us to listen to you, O Lord Jesus, his Chosen Son (Luke 9:35) and we still do not listen.
A 1311 painting of the Transfiguration by Italian artist Duccio di Buoninsegna from commons.wikimedia.org.
Why was only Peter able to answer your question? Maybe because he was the only one who truly listened and understood your question, Lord; and maybe, he was the only one who truly listened and heard the answer from the Father.
Even Moses refused to listen
to you, Lord when he struck twice
the rock at Meribah for water
contrary to your command that cost
his denial of entrance into the
Promised Land;
forgive us, Jesus
for the many times we
have refused to listen
and failed to faithfully
do your work in the way
you want it be done;
forgive us, Jesus,
in listening more
to the ways of the world
than to the ways of God.
Amen.
Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Our Lady of Fatima University
Valenzuela City
Lord My Chef Sunday Recipe by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II Fourth Sunday in Easter, Cycle C, 11 May 2025 Acts 13:14, 43-52 ><}}}}*> Revelation 7:9, 14-17 ><}}}}*> John 10:27-30
The new Pope, Leo XIV, appears on the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica, 09 May 2025; photo from vaticannews.va
What a lovely fourth Sunday in Easter also known as “Good Shepherd Sunday” when we are blessed with a new Pope – Leo XIV – who will shepherd us into this modern time. Truly, Jesus Christ our Good Shepherd knows us so well that he did not make us wait long in having a new Pope in this troubled time.
Jesus said: “My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish” (John 10:27-28).
“I know them.” How lovely are these words of Jesus to us, his “sheep” especially for those going through a lot of trials and difficulties, for those feeling lost and empty, for those about to give up on life.
Let us dwell on his words “I know them”.
For the Jews and in the Bible, knowing is more of the heart than of the mind. Knowing a person is not just knowing one’s name but most of all of being in a personal relationship, an affinity with the person.
In declaring “I know them”, Jesus affirms how he personally regards each one as somebody dear to him, somebody close to him. We are all a somebody, a someone to Jesus whom he personally loves and cares for.
This we have seen among the people we have met in Lent like the apostles Peter, James and John during the transfiguration, the prodigal son, the woman caught in adultery. Or during the Holy Week like Judas who betrayed the Lord, Peter who denied Jesus thrice, Dimas the thief, the centurion who believed in him after his death on the Cross, John and the Blessed Mother at the foot of the Cross. They were all in their most difficult situations in life yet Jesus knew them so well that he assured them of his loving presence, lifting them up to move on with life.
Recall also the people we met this Easter Season like Mary Magdalene and companions early in the morning later followed by Peter and the beloved disciple who all found the tomb empty, the disciples at the upper room with locked doors that evening of Easter, the two disciples on the road to Emmaus, Thomas Didymus, the disciples led by Peter at breakfast with Jesus at the shore of Lake Tiberias. In their most joyous moments in life amid the darkness and emptiness, the doubts and unbelief or blindness following Easter, they were accompanied and joined by the Risen Lord to ensure and assure them that indeed he is alive and will always be with them.
In the same manner, think also of those moments in your own life of darkness and emptiness, whether negatively or positively, for better or for worse… who remained standing by your side?
Jesus. Only Jesus. And always Jesus. Because he knows us so well.
Jesus is truly the Good Shepherd who knows us so well even in these modern times where there are more vehicles and traffic, more disruptions to life yet he continues to shepherd us like the many shepherds still in many countries in Europe and the Middle East.
And that makes this passage most touching and refreshing because though times may have changed, Jesus has remained personally committed with each one of us. He keeps on looking for us, searching us, following us. Loving us most of all. But, are we present in Jesus?
Notice the four verbs in this short gospel we have today: ascribed to Jesus are the verbs “know” and “give” while to us the sheep, “hear” and “follow” where problems always happen. Do we “follow” what we “hear”? “To hear” is to recognize the authority and importance of the speaker’s words; it is to enter into a communion with him, to put oneself in his guidance, to “follow” him as his disciple.
Jesus speaks to us daily but nobody cares because right after waking up, most of us today look for our cellphone than pray! We are more interested with the “likes” and “followers” we have garnered from our previous posts. We are more enthralled with the seductive voices and images of social media that feed on our ego and senses, giving us false feelings of security and acceptance. We would rather be consumers than disciples who are called to sacrifice like the shepherd.
Photo of a sheep’s fleece by Dra. Mylene A. Santos, MD, 2022.
Though life has become more affluent these days, it has ironically become more empty and lost without direction because we just keep on having and possessing, consuming and ingesting everything the world offers that leave us guilty and empty because we cannot experience any sense of fulfillment and meaning.
How ironic that amid this pandemic of “obesity”, we fill ourselves mostly with trash and poison, literally and figuratively speaking that we feel so lost more than ever with so much time wasted and sadly, life and relationships thrown away. Everything has become more of the mind than of the heart with persons being commodified as things, everything seen in monetary terms, so utilitarian in nature.
Only Jesus “knows” us so well that is why only he “gives eternal life” as Peter exclaimed in this Saturday gospel in the third week of Easter, “Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and we are convinced that you are the Holy One of God” (Jn.6:68-69).
Unlike anybody, Jesus is the Son of God sent to gather us, to save us and to bring us closer to the Father so that no one among us shall perish. That is the plan of God fulfilled by Christ which we must continue like the apostles as we have heard in the first reading when Paul and Barnabas preached the Gospel of Jesus to the gentiles.
This Sunday, Jesus our Good Shepherd assures us, wherever we may be – in darkness and emptiness, or under the dark clouds of a thunderstorm, under a thatched roof of misery – that he knows us so well. He loves us.
Feel the warmth of Christ’s loving heart this Sunday by being present with your loved ones, the people you know so well like Jesus. Let us pray:
Lord Jesus, you are our Good Shepherd and we are your sheep; only you know us so well, only you can give us eternal life, only you can keep us safe not to be snatched by anyone like the corrupt and shallow candidates running for office again this election; give us the wisdom, courage and faith to follow you and stand by you like those elders in white garments seen by John in his vision of heaven in the second reading; let us vote wisely, let us not waste that power you shared with us. Amen.
Oh God... I can hear your voice so loud today; your words are meant for us though you have proclaimed it thousands of years ago through Prophet Jeremiah.
Thus says the Lord: This is what I commanded my people: Listen to my voice; then I will be your god and you shall be my people. Walk in all the ways that I commanded you, so that you may prosper. But they obeyed not, nor did they pay heed. They walked in the hardness of their evil hearts and turned their backs, not their faces from me. Say to them: This is the nation which does not listen to the voice of the Lord, its God, or take correction. Faithfulness has disappeared; the word itself is banished from their speech (Jeremiah 7:23-24, 28).
God our Father, we have become so possessed by the deaf mute demon you exorcised by Jesus in today's gospel: almost everyone has that thing plugged into the ears, listening by themselves, speaking by themselves, laughing by themselves, walking by themselves unmindful of the persons around, not hearing the cries of the poor and suffering, not caring at all to those slumped on the floor due to failures and sickness even death; living in their own world wired to technology but never to one's self, to others and to God.
Forgive us, O God, in rejecting you so many times, in believing more in ourselves, to our technology than to you; open not only our ears but also our hearts to listen to you; a long time ago, it was deemed crazy to be walking speaking to one's self, or laughing alone but today it has become a mark of honor and prestige when people talk alone, laugh alone with the aide of blue tooth; we have been so foolish, Lord that despite all these technologies and affluence of today, we are more lost because we walk aimlessly to nowhere as we have forgotten to listen to you for directions in life. Amen.
The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II Wednesday, Third Week in Ordinary Time, Year I, 29 January 2025 Hebrews 10:11-18 ><]]]]'> + ><]]]]'> ><]]]]'> Mark 4:1-20
From Facebook, 11 March 2024.
Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer offering for sin (Hebrews 10:18).
How lovely and reassuring are these words from the author of the Letter to the Hebrews today, Lord Jesus Christ; thank you for coming to save us from our sins, for forgiving our sins, for teaching us to forgive others most especially by being more loving.
Thank you, Jesus, for being the Sower, always coming out to scatter seeds of love and mercy to us; open our ears, Lord, that we may ought to hear you: forgive us for being hard and harsh in our ways and words, forgive us for being easily pricked and agitated, forgive us for not listening at all to you, Jesus.
Let me open myself to you, Jesus, by opening myself too with others to listen to their points of view in order to understand them, not to judge them; open myself to your healing words so I may also soothe others pains and hurts than add salt to their injuries. Lastly, let me do your will Jesus by always listening and forgiving. Amen.
The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II Monday, Memorial of St. Padre Pio, Priest, 23 September 2024 Proverbs 3:27-34 <*((((>< + ><))))*> Luke 8:16-18
Photo by Mr. Jay Javier, 07 September 2024.
Jesus said to the crowd: “No one who lights a lamp conceals it with a vessel or sets it under a bed; rather, he places it on a lampstand so that hose who enter may see the light… Take care, then, how you hear. To anyone who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he seems to have will be taken away” (Luke 8:16, 18).
God our loving Father, thank you very much in giving us a modern saint in San Pedro Pio who is so beloved not only for his miracles but most of all in his bringing your Son Jesus Christ's light into this dark modern world, listening always not only to You but to everyone so weighed down by sin and all forms of sufferings.
With your so many gifts to San Padre Pio especially the stigmata of Jesus, he remained so humble, witnessing to this modern world of excessive wealth and poverty in money and spirituality, San Padre Pio refused no one whatever good he could offer to those who came to him and continue to come to him for intercession.
Fill us, dear Father, with St. Padre Pio's same love of You and love of neighbor rooted in the meaningful celebration and deep love for the Holy Eucharist, always making your light shining brightly in our life of witnessing as we too listen intently to your words through Jesus Christ. Amen.
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