The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II First Friday, Fourth Week in Ordinary Time, 07 February 2025 Hebrews 13:1-8 ><}}}}*> + ><}}}}*> + ><}}}}*> Mark 6:14-29
Photo by Mr. Gelo Carpio Nicolas, January 2020.
Keep me faithful and true to you, Jesus because you are "the same yesterday, today, and forever" (Hebrews 13:8); it is I who forgets all the time, who chooses to turn away from you and be unloving, unkind, unforgiving.
Forgive me, Jesus when you tell me "Let brotherly love continue" (Hebrews 13:1)....
...but many times I can't look or even consider each one a brother or a sister because of our many differences.
"Do not neglect hospitality, for through it some have unknowingly entertained angels" (Hebrews 13:2)...
...I think, more than the angels but on many occasions it was you whom I have turned away, Jesus because I am so suspicious of others who come to me for whatever needs.
"Be mindful of prisoners as if sharing their imprisonment, and of the ill-treated as of yourselves, for you are also in the body" (Hebrews 13:3)...
I'm sorry, Jesus for the many times I have imprisoned others in my narrow mind of many biases and prejudices.
"Let marriage be honored among all and the marriage bed be kept undefiled" (Hebrews (13:4)...
what a shame, Jesus in our age when marriage is no longer honored and just taken for granted with many couples defiling their bed.
"Let your life be free from love of money but be content with what you have" (Hebrews 13:5)...
alas! my dearest Jesus, save us your priests our diocese so in love with money, with the rich and powerful with whom we are so close and identified with, totally neglecting the poor and the suffering among us with our many excuses and alibis, always at their beck and calls.
Yes, Jesus, many times we feel like Herod: bothered only by the gospel, bothered only of your presence among the poor and suffering but so much like Herod, we never bothered ourselves to truly find you and follow you. Amen.
Photo from Wikipedia, mosaic of Jesus with Mary and John the Baptist at the Hagia Sophia in Turkey.
The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Thursday, Feast of St. Lorenzo Ruiz & Companion Martyrs, 28 September 2023
Haggai 1:1-8 ><]]]]'> + ><]]]]'> + ><]]]]'> + ><]]]]'> Luke 9:7-9
Photo by Mr. Jay Javier, August 2023.
Teach me,
O God our Father,
to be sincere and true,
humble and docile
to heed your call
today to "consider
my ways" in relating
with you and others:
Now thus says the Lord of hosts: Consider your ways! You have sown so much, but have brought in little; you have eaten, but have not satisfied; you have drunk, but have not been exhilarated; have clothed yourselves, but not been warmed; and he who earned wages earned them for a bag with holes in it. Thus says the Lord of hosts: Consider your ways! Go up into the hill country; bring timber, and build the house that I may take pleasure in it and receive my glory, says the Lord.
Haggai 1:5-8
I confess, Lord,
so many times in life
I have been thinking more of
myself and less of you,
less of others,
and yet,
the more I get
everything and all
the attention, the more
I feel lost and empty
because I do not have you.
How true are your
words to Haggai, Father:
it is not really working
on so much but doing
everything for you and
in you; it is not simply
eating but also feeding
my soul that is truly
filling; more than drinking
is the reason for celebrating;
better than clothes is
the warmth of another
person; and better than
all the fruits of our labor
are the treasures of
kindness we save
in heaven that is never
lost.
Let us consider
our ways in the light
of Jesus Christ;
like Herod, many times
we just keep on trying
to see him without
any firm resolve
to follow him like
St. Lorenzo Ruiz and
companion martyrs
we celebrate today.
You are so kind,
O God; all you ask us
is to consider our ways
to become witnesses
of your love without any need
to shed our blood
like St. Lorenzo and
company; make us see,
dear Father, the life
and joys you offer us
freely, compared to
the ways of the world
that is misleading
and utterly empty,
lacking in meaning.
Amen.
The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Friday in the Twenty-fourth Week of Ordinary Time, Year I, 22 September 2023
1 Timothy 6:2-12 ><]]]]'> + ><]]]]'> + ><]]]]'> Luke 8:1-3
Photo by Dra. Mai Dela Peña, Mt. Carmel, Israel, 2017.
Excuse me,
loving Father
for being musical since
yesterday in my prayers;
your words have been
literally hitting some
musical chords within me
as I pray and experience
your presence.
How beautiful are the words
of St. Paul today as he urged
St. Timothy and us
to focus on the really precious
things in life that are often
having less of things
and more of you,
more of others
so we can share
more love,
more kindness,
more being with.
But you, man of God, avoid all this. Instead, pursue righteousness, devotion, faith, love, patience, and gentleness. Compete well for the faith. Lay hold of eternal life, to which you were called when you made the noble confession in the presence of many witnesses.
1 Timothy 6:11-12
Forgive us,
Father, for filling our
lives not only with
endless desires for
money and things,
fame and honor
but also with so many
ideas and words that
pretend to promote equality
and freedom but actually
result in "arguments and
verbal disputes" that lead to
"envy, rivalry, insults, evil suspicions,
and mutual friction among people
with corrupted minds, deprived
of the truth" (1 Tm. 6:4-5).
Grant us,
dear God,
the courage
to strip ourselves naked
of earthly desires
in order to focus more
in journeying in Jesus Christ
like those women who
accompanied him and Twelve
by "providing for them out
of their resources" (Lk.8:3).
Let us trust in you alone,
Father, that you provide
everything we need
in this life
as we seek first
your kingdom.
Amen.
The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Monday, Memorial of St. Ignatius of Antioch, Bishop & Martyr, 17 October 2022
Ephesians 2:1-10 ><)))*> + <*(((>< + ><)))*> + ><)))*> + <*(((>< Luke 12:13-21
Photo by author, April 2021.
Praise and glory
to you, God our Father,
so "rich in mercy" and love
and "kindness in Jesus Christ"
(Ephesians 2:4,7); sometimes,
I wonder why can't we just be
like the trees and other plants
that keep on blooming with flowers
and fruits so delightful to sight
and tastes without any efforts at all
except to simply follow your flow
of seasons unlike us spending
our entire lives earning and
amassing wealth and things
that do not fulfill us but even
rob us of peace and joy!
For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this not from you; it is the gift of God; it is not from your works, so no one may boast. For we are his handiwork, created in Christ Jesus for the good works that God has prepared in advance, that we should live in them.
Ephesians 2:8-12
You have created everything,
everyone so beautiful by nature,
dear God, but here we are,
destroying earth and our selves
with our own "creations"
that do not last at all.
Forgive us, O God,
that in our pursuits to earn
for ourselves, we fail to learn
that the "bestest" things in life
come only from you - Jesus Christ
and his gifts of faith, hope and love
lived sincerely in our family and
friends and community.
Forgive us, Father,
in coming to you in prayers
like that "someone in the crowd"
asking for material favors and
treasures of this world not realizing
the most important which is to be
"rich in what matters to God"
(Lk.12:21).
May we heed and contemplate
the words of your great Saint,
Ignatius of Antioch,
Bishop and Martyr who
wrote the Christians in
ancient Rome:
"Do not talk about Jesus Christ
as long as you love this world."
Help us forget ourselves,
Lord, so we may love you
more through others.
Amen.
Homily by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II, Baccalaureate Mass, 04 July 2022
Grade Six and Grade Ten, Our Lady of Fatima University in Valenzuela City,
Fairview, Quezon City and San Fernando, Pampanga
Congratulations, our dear graduates in Grade Six and also to our “completers” of Grade Ten! As you “move up” to Junior and Senior High School, please consider these five things I strongly recommend you must always have in your pocket or purse as you pursue your dreams in life.
These are the fruits of my own journey from elementary school to college and professional life and later, as a priest in the past 24 years. I have shared these with my former students in Malolos and later when some of them got married and asked me to officiate their wedding, I have used this again as my homily.
First thing you must always have is a handkerchief.
If you are a man, make it white. And better, make it two – one for wiping your face and the other for sneezing. Or, who knows, someone might need a handkerchief in an emergency; it is good to always have an extra one like in my experience here at the National Shrine last week when I officiated a wedding.
Forgive me, my dear students and parents and faculty members: I was aghast – shocked and so kadiri to see the groom crying and sniffing as he pressed his nose and rubbed his eyes with his fingers when he saw his bride walking down the aisle because he did not have a handkerchief! I hope the video editor had edited that part of his wedding. It was good that his best man had some paper napkins and gave it to him.
It was exactly what my father used to tell me in elementary school to always have a handkerchief to wipe dirt off my face, adding that “baka mamya mabahing ka at sumambulat mga sipon mo tapos ni wala kang panyo, nakakahiya ka.”
Very true! It is part of good hygiene. And remember that saying we learned in Grade One, “Cleanliness is next to godliness”. And that is the deeper meaning of having handkerchief always: for us to stay clean. Be faithful to God who gave us his Son Jesus Christ to wipe away and cleanse us of our sins. That is the message of the prophet Hosea in our first reading today: be faithful to God. Remain clean before the Lord.
Second thing you must have in your pocket or purse for ladies is money. Never leave home without some money, at least a hundred pesos in case of an emergency.
My mother used to tell me whenever I would go out with my classmates on weekends to watch a movie or visit friends to always have some extra money, saying “baka makatisod ka ng isang tumpok na kamatis wala kang ibayad sa tindera”.
I’m sure you do not understand what I am speaking of: before the coming of supermarkets, during our time, vendors would sell their goods on sidewalks like tomatoes and calamansi that are always grouped together (that is, tumpok). There were no weighing scale then. If you are careless in walking, you might step on the tomatoes and surely, you will be charged to pay for it.
You are so lucky these days, children. During our time, we only have either baon like sandwich that was actually a pan de sal with Cheez Wiz or money; today, you both have baon and money!
And I won’t be surprised at all that some of you might have G-Cash too! My point is, have some money for emergencies. Learn to budget. Never spend beyond your means. And, be generous to those in need. Remember, money is important in life but not the most essential; learn how to manage your wealth at a young age.
Third, always have a pen or a ballpen. I was a reporter before but after I have resigned and went to the seminary to become a priest, I have realized the importance of having a pen like when you witness a hit and run accident: you can always write down on your palm the plate number of the vehicle in the accident.
In this time of the pandemic, it is very important to have your own pen than borrow or use those pens laden with virus and bacteria in filling up forms to enter an establishment.
It is sad that in this age of computers that had gone paperless, your generation is missing a great deal about life itself in the art of writing. Look at the penmanships of your elders, how legible their writings are unlike us today who are more used to pounding keys than “romancing” the paper with pen.
My lesson for you my dear students is that like the pen, always leave a mark. And the mark you must always leave is the mark of Jesus Christ. The marks of kindness and respect, of love and generosity. What marks are you leaving behind at our Basic Education Department?
Fourth, always have a comb. I am sure the ladies among you always have brush or even a blower or hair dryer in your bag! A comb is our best weapon for looking good even on “bad hair days” so to speak.
But please, do not comb your hair in public. Go to the washroom to fix your hair. It is not vanity. It is good grooming, having proper decorum before other people. You might say what is essential is invisible to the eye, of what is inside us; yes, that is true. But keep in mind that what others see in us outside, in our appearance is an indication of what is inside us. If you look good, most likely, you must be a good person because you give importance to others you meet by looking good!
Last but not least you must have in your pocket or purse is a Rosary. It is not an anting-anting meant to keep you safe from all harm. It is to remind you to always pray, to never forget God and our Lady of Fatima, our Patroness.
I know some of you are not Catholics but my message is simple: never forget God. Handle life with prayer. As you advance in your studies, there will be more trials and hardships coming your way. But Jesus is with you, will help you in everything. So, hold on to him. Imitate Mary his Mother, our Lady of Fatima in being a faithful disciple of Jesus by remaining at his side at the Cross. Always begin and end the day with prayer.
In our gospel today, Jesus brought back to life a dead young girl who was about 12 years old, the daughter of a synagogue official. Just like some of you today.
See how Jesus held her hand and raised her up. Notice also how Jesus turned his face toward that old woman who touched his garment along the way to be healed of her sickness? That is how Jesus Christ would always want to relate with us, with you especially, young people: always touching us, calling us by our name, speaking to us. But, do we listen to him?
Since I came here last year, I have been telling our students to study hard, work harder and pray hardest. To you, I say the same. And add these five things you must have in your pocket or purse. Hope to see you again in August as you rise to the top! God bless you all!
Photo by Mr. Chester Ocampo, springtime in Japan 2017.
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