Lord My Chef Daily Recipe by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II Thursday in the First Week of Advent, 04 December 2025 Isaiah 26:1-6 <*((((>< + ><))))*> Matthew 7:21, 24-27
Photo by author, Malolos Cathedral, December 2019.
On that day they will sing this song in the land of Judah: "A strong city have we; he sets up walls and ramparts to protect us. Open up the gates to let in a nation that is just, one that keeps faith" (Isaiah 26:1-2).
Like most cities, O Lord our God, I lay in ruins: physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually; feeling lost, almost collapsing, trembling in so many fears and concerns; but my faith in you assures me of being "a strong city" with "walls and ramparts" that protect me; I may not see them now but "open the gates" of my heart to trust in you, in your continuing work in me so mysterious that leads to victory eventually.
Give me patience and perseverance; enliven my hope in you, Jesus Christ who comes to me daily, dwelling in me to be my "everlasting rock".
Jesus said to his disciples: “Everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. The rains fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and buffeted the house. But it did not collapse; it had been set solidly on rock” (Matthew 7:24-25).
Keep me faithful in you, Lord Jesus as I rejoice in your works, in your comfort, in your presence and coming. Amen.
Lord My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul, 08 October 2025 Wednesday in the Twenty-Seventh Week of Ordinary Time, Year I Jonah 4:1-11 ><))))*> + ><))))*> + ><))))*> Luke 11:1-4
Photo by Mr. Nicko Timbol, Chapel of Angel of Peace, OLFU-Valenzuela, 03 October 2025.
Lord Jesus, teach me... not only to pray but most of all teach me to grow in you, to reorder my life in you by reshaping my will and desires with yours, to desire what you desire for me and for others, to open my heart than twist your arm to what I want, to know and seek what brings life, what builds community, what reflects your love and mercy.
Lord Jesus, teach me to be angry positively like you when you cleansed the temple, not like Jonah.
Jonah was greatly displeased and became angry that God did not carry out the evil he threatened against Nineveh…But the Lord asked, “Have you reason to be angry?” Then Jonah asked for death, saying, “I would be better off dead than alive.” But God said to Jonah, “Do you have reason to be angry over the plant?” “I have reason to be angry,” Jonah answered, “angry enough to die.” Then the Lord said, “You are concerned over the plant which cost you no labor and which you did not raise; it came up in one night and in one night it perished. And should I not be concerned over Nineveh, the great city, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand persons who cannot distinguish their right hand from their left, not to mention the many cattle?” (Jonah 4:1, 4, 8-11)
Lord Jesus, teach me to pray so that I may trust you more, so that I may be transformed into the beloved child of the Father like you. Amen.
Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II Our Lady of Fatima University Valenzuela City (lordmychef@gmail.com)
Photo by author, Carmel of the Holy Family Monastery, Guiguinto, Bulacan, 25 September 2025.
Lord My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul, 16 July 2025 Wednesday, Memorial of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Exodus 3:13-20 ><}}}*> + ><}}}*> + ><}}}*> Matthew 11:25-27
Photo by author, Sonnenberg Mountain View, Davao del Sur, August 2018.
Today, O Lord your words bring us to the mountain as we celebrate too the Memorial of Our Lady of Mount Carmel; in the first reading you brought Moses to your mountain in Horeb to see you in the burning bush while the Memorial of our Blessed Mother today reminds us of the early monks who banded together to pray at Mount Carmel.
When the Lord saw him coming over to look at it more closely, God called out to him from the bush, “Moses! Moses!” He answered, “Here I am.” “Come, now! I will send you you to Pharaoh to lead my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.” But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and lead the children of Israel out of Egypt?” He answered, “I will be with you; and this shall be your proof that it is I who have sent you: when you bring my people out of ??Egypt, you will worship God on this very mountain” (Exodus 3:4-5, 10-12).
How lovely was your conversation, Lord with Moses, so similar with our conversations when we would readily answer your call with the declaration "Here I am" that suddenly when you hand us our mission, we balk and question you, "Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh?"
Many times we are like Moses - while showing humility with some fears in our quick response to your call, we suddenly doubt ourselves upon learning the mission you entrust us with whereas you simply assure us of your presence, of being our companion with your simple statement "I will be with you." Such is your simplicity, Lord.
Teach us to be like Mary your Mother, dear Jesus Christ, simple and childlike filled with humility, always open to God and his plans; after all, you call us first of all for a relationship with you not with a task to be achieved.
May the Brown Scapular given by Mary to St. Simon Stock be a reminder of our relationship with God in Christ with Mary; always open to his will but most of all faithful and obedient to his call of communion and oneness. Amen.
Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II Our Lady of Fatima University Valenzuela City
The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II Friday, Memorial of Sts. Cyril (Monk) & Methodius (Bishop), 14 February 2025 Genesis 3:1-8 ><0000'> + ><0000'> + ><0000'> Mark 7:31-37
Photo by author, 14 August 2024.
On this most joyous day when most hearts has only one thing to say, I pray dear Lord Jesus Christ that I remain and stay at your side, never to hide because of shame and sin.
Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked… When they heard the sound of the Lord God moving about in the garden at the breezy time of the day, the man and his wife hid themselves from the Lord god among the trees of the garden (Genesis 3:7, 8).
How times have changed, Lord, when in the garden at Eden the man and his wife sinned, they hid whereas today no one is ashamed anymore of their nakedness; what a shame that today, we don't hide in shame instead flaunt our nakedness for everyone to be convinced we are clean, we are right, we have not sinned.
Heal our deafness, Jesus; take us off away from others to be with yourself like that deaf mute, put your fingers into our ears, pierce our hearts, touch our souls for us to see our indifference to sin and evil and shout your words "Ephphatha" that we may be opened anew to the sad realities of our nakedness we ironically use to cover our sins. Amen.
The Lord Is My Chef Sunday Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle C, 09 February 2025 Isaiah 6:1-2, 3-8 ><}}}}*> 1 Corinthians 15:1-11 ><}}}}*> Luke 5:1-11
Photo by author, sunrise at the Lake of Galilee, the Holy Land, May 2017.
In my almost 27 years in the priesthood, I have always found kids asking the most difficult questions in life than adults. What makes their questions more difficult is that there are no easy answers that you have to use some imagery.
That is why it is always good to pray in advance the coming Sunday gospel like last Tuesday when a young girl asked me why God had allowed her to be given away by her biological mother for adoption.
After a pause of silence as I reflected today’s gospel, I told her that many times we are “thrown” by God – inihahagis, iniitsa – like in baseball or basketball not to be lost but to be caught in order to be cared and loved to score points and win this game called life. God knew so well her adoptive mother is an excellent “catcher” in life who “caught” her to give her a better life like now going to a good school, being dressed properly, never gone hungry. Hence, my reflection on this Sunday’s homily is focused on that magic word “to catch”:
For astonishment at the catch of fish they had made seized him and all those with him, and likewise James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners of Simon. Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.” When they brought their boats to the shore, they left everything and followed him (Luke 5:9-11).
Mosaic in the Church of St. Peter in Capernaum from thework-fso.org.
The word “catch” is a very catchy one (pun intended), used in various ways that could mean positively or negatively like in catching a bus or a train and catching a ball. We catch a meaning while we also catch a glance. We do a lot of catching daily in our lives like catching up with lessons and chismis that eventually we catch a cold or catch pneumonia after a kiss like in the song.
To catch means to intercept and hold, to have something or someone like when lovers are told of having a good “catch” with their girlfriend or boyfriend. That is why, it is always said that in catching, never drop what you have caught – take care, and cherish what you caught! It could be a prized catch after all.
Photo by Mr. Jim Marpa, 2019.
It is the same thing that Luke is telling us this Sunday, of how Jesus makes a marvelous catch not only with Peter and company but for all of us in the gospel.
Coming home from a night of fishing without any catch, Jesus saw Peter with his companions washing their net. They must have been very sad with nothing to bring home to their families and then came Jesus who was so keen with everyone’s feelings and situation. Jesus surely noticed the sadness in Peter that He borrowed his boat to teach the crowd who have been following Him.
After teaching and dismissing the crowd, Jesus asked Peter to go fishing again. Imagine Peter twice allowing Jesus to “catch” him: first, in borrowing his boat and second, in instructing him to “Put out into deep water and lower your nets for a catch.”
Imagine Peter so lugi (bankrupt) with Jesus borrowing his boat that could have been so worn out with holes to be His platform for teaching. Was it not insulting? Are we not like Peter sometimes? Or like his boat then borrowed by Jesus?
Good that Peter did not mind it at all but, when asked by Jesus to go out fishing again, we find a change in Peter already. Jesus had already caught Peter as he had caught the Lord’s words and teachings that he replied, “Master, we have worked hard all night and have caught nothing, but at your command I will lower the nets.”
Photo by author, Macapagal Blvd.’s dampa restaurant, 2018.
The miraculous catch of fish caught Peter and everybody by surprise. See how Peter knelt to Jesus in reaction to their great catch instead of helping his men pulled their nets.
Most of all, Peter addressed Jesus as “Lord” whereas earlier, he called Him “Master”. There was already a recognition of Jesus more than a Teacher and Master but the Son of God for how can one really explain the great catch that happened?
The greatest sign that Peter was totally caught by Jesus was his conversion, when he begged the Lord to depart from him for he was a sinful man. At that point, Peter was already all caught up by Jesus along with his brother Andrew and their companions, the brothers James and John
Many times in life Jesus catches us by surprise in the most ordinary instances of our lives like in our daily routines. But most surprising of all is when Jesus catches us in our lowest moments in life too like Peter, deep in sin or deep in trouble, even deep into debts and other darkness in life. There are times we set limits to our patience and perseverance that we are so tempted to give up and quit, saying “I’ve had enough!” or “I’m done with this!”
Don’t give up, don’t quit! Jesus is passing by. If you feel like being thrown out of the room or up in the air or even the sea, muster all your courage and trust, Jesus is around waiting to catch you as you fall. Nobody had really gone rock bottom in life without anything at all. At least, we are still alive and that’s because Jesus had caught us, always carrying us in our worst moments in life.
That is why we have to do a lot of catching up with Jesus too. Persevere in prayer. Every failure, every suffering and pain is an opportunity to grow, to succeed, to meet someone or something so surprising who could be right beside you in the Sunday Mass.
Photo by Mr. Jim Marpa, 2019.
The Sunday gospel reminds us to be like Peter and company to remain open for new things and new persons who come to our lives who may be Jesus Himself passing by.
Yes, we may feel being thrown sometimes in life but not to fall but to be caught by Jesus, the best catcher of all time.
Let us allow ourselves to be caught by Christ like Paul in the second reading and Isaiah in the first reading. Despite their flaws in themselves, especially Paul who admitted being “the least” of all apostles, both were caught in the most ordinary circumstances of their lives. And once caught, there was no turning back: Isaiah offered himself to God to be sent while Paul became the best fisher of men in the early Church.
Remember our prayer before the Holy Communion, “Lord, I am not worthy to receive you under my roof but only say the word and I shall be healed.”
Photo by author, bronze statue of Peter kneeling before Jesus after the miraculous catch of fish near the shore of Capernaum, 2017.
Every time we pray that, we admit we are caught up in Jesus, by Jesus. What a fitting confession just before we catch Jesus Body and Blood in the Holy Communion. And just like the gospel this Sunday, we find in every Mass, in every week of our lives, Jesus our Lord and Master is the most essential and prized catch we can always have.
We can go “fishing” all our lives but remain incomplete, unfulfilled and even lost without our best catch of all, Jesus who sees us too as His best catch ever. Amen.Have a blessed week ahead.
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 Simbang Gabi-3 Homily, 18 December 2024 Jeremiah 23:5-8 <*[[[[>< + ><]]]]*> Matthew 1:18-25
Photo from panmacmillan.com
For those looking for a great gift this Christmas, whether for others or for yourself, I strongly recommend a copy of Before the Coffee Gets Cold. If you can afford, get its four other sequels too!
Written by the Japanese Toshikazu Kawaguchi, Before the Coffee Gets Cold and its sequels is a collection of stories about “time travel” set in a Tokyo cafe with a funny name that is actually the title of 1921 Italian opera song, Funiculi Funicula that means “A Merry Life”. It is very appealing because we all have dreamt or wished of travelling in time with its crucial question – who is that one person you would like to meet in the past or future?
There are many rules to follow for anyone wishing to travel time in the Tokyo cafe like you can only time travel with someone who had been there; you sit only at one particular table inside the small cafe; you may go back to the past or even go to the future but you cannot change them as it would adversely affect the present; and most of all, you have to drink the coffee before it gets cold to return to the present.
The novel is aptly titled Before the Coffee Gets Cold because anyone wishing to travel time, whether in the past or future, one has to drink and swallow all bitterness (coffee) we have in life in order to find fulfillment in the present and future.
Is it not funny that in life and in fantasy like time travel, we are governed by rules as well as commandments? Many times most of us disregard them while some almost worshipped them like the Jews of biblical times, except Joseph.
From vaticannews.va.
After establishing the fact that Jesus Christ is from the lineage of the two greatest personages of the Old Testament, Abraham and David, Matthew logically placed next to his genealogy the circumstances surrounding the birth of the Lord by solemnly declaring, “This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about (Mt.1:18).”
Notice how Matthew not only stressed Joseph as “the husband of Mary. Of her was born Jesus who is called the Christ (Mt.1:16)” to indicate his royal blood from the lineage of King David but as a true blooded Jew for he was “a righteous man (Mt.1:19).”
In the Bible, a “righteous man” or a “just man” is a “holy man” called a zaddik in Hebrew, one who lives his life according to the sacred Scriptures as word of God, delighting in His laws and commandments, and entrusting everything to the Divine will.
Joseph was exactly that kind of Jewish “zaddik” who lived in constant dialogue with God in His words, concretely living it out minus the legalisms of Pharisees and scribes. For Joseph, the Torah was a “good news” meant to make life better not bitter that it was not difficult for him to choose to leave Mary silently so as to spare her of all the shame and trouble in bearing a child not his if he went by their laws. Eventually after the angel had appeared to him in a dream to explain the virginal conception by Mary, “When Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took his wife into his home (Mt.1:24).”
Matthew is teaching us that to be holy like Joseph, we have to make that important decision of bridging our faith with our life, of being obedient to God. Obedience literally in Latin means “to listen intently”; in being open to God’s words and will, Joseph listened intently that he was able to obey and follow God. It required a lot of listening and humility on Joseph’s part to set aside his plans and let God’s will prevail. That early, Joseph realized that for him to accept God in Jesus, he had to take Mary as his wife. And here lies Joseph’s greatness: in taking Mary as his wife as told by the angel, Jesus Christ was born and we have Christmas to celebrate!
Photo by author, March 2024.
As a true blooded Jewish man, Joseph knew all the rules and commandments and lived by them but never in absolute terms especially when they superseded persons. Later, Jesus would insist to His detractors that “the sabbath was created for man not man for sabbath.” Joseph as a righteous man did exactly that when he took Mary as wife and became the Lord’s “foster father” on earth. There was a clear application in life whatever was in the heart and mind of Joseph as he walked his talk (or silence).
Joseph’s holiness in the real sense is best expressed in his ability to sleep soundly in the midst of great crises as he completely trusted God. There were four instances that the angel appeared to Joseph in a dream with important messages from God: first was here in the annunciation of Christ’s birth; then, when he was told to flee to Egypt with Mary and Baby Jesus to escape Herod’s wrath; third, when he was told to return to Israel after Herod’s death, and fourth when he was told to raise Jesus in Mary’s town of Nazareth in fulfillment of the prophecy “he shall be called a Nazorean.”
Joseph was always asleep because he completely trusted God whenever he made decisions in life. He never dilly-dallied with important decisions unlike us who could not firm up our decisions that is why we are restless, could not sleep at all. In the first reading we heard the prophecy of the coming of Christ who shall be called “the Lord our justice (Jer.22:6)” because like Joseph, Jesus would entrust Himself completely to God’s will when He died on the Cross for us.
Photo by author, December 2023.
Sleeping and dying are similar in the closing of our eyes when we entrust ourselves to God completely without knowing what shall happen next if we would still wake up or, in the case of death, rise again.
When we sleep, we travel through time in our dreams, in our hopes and aspirations in the future, and in the pains of the past. We submit them all to God as we sleep hoping for His surprises upon waking up. Christmas happens and Jesus comes to us when like Joseph we abandon everything to God and go to sleep to be ready and prepared for new, unexpected, and even incredible things the following morning. So, face your problems and issues squarely before going to bed, pray and then decide like Joseph and be surprised by the Lord, whether in your dream or upon waking up.
One of the stories in Before the Coffee Gets Cold is about an accomplished Japanese career woman; she asked to travel to her past when her younger boyfriend dated her in the cafe before leaving for the US. The woman was so sad as she felt discarded by her boyfriend in favor of a career in the the States. When she finally travelled in time, she kept her mouth shut unlike in their last meeting; lo, and behold, it was only then she “heard” her boyfriend asking her to wait for him after three years. She never listened to her boyfriend during their last meeting, oblivious to his request that she wait for him after three years when he comes back to get married with her! Everything changed when she returned to the present: without changing the past, she could still change the future in her favor as she happily awaited her boyfriend’s return.
When we are open to God in Jesus, we can also “travel time” in Him for He is eternal, to listen intently to Him as we revisit our past with all its mistakes and sins or peek into the future with all of its fears and uncertainties or simply remain in the present moment with all the problems and trials we grapple. That’s when we admit and swallow the bitterness we have and surprisingly find Jesus Christ in our present, past and future always loving us, calling us, speaking to us. Do we listen to Him and to those around us or, are we so bound by rules and our own prejudices? Amen. Have a blessed day!
Photo by author, Fatima Avenue, Valenzuela City, December 2023.
The Lord Is My Chef Sunday Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II Second Sunday in Advent, Cycle C, 08 December 2024 Baruch 5:1-9 ><}}}}*> Philippians 1:4-6, 8-11 ><}}}}*> Luke 3:1-6
Photo courtesy of Mr. Jilson Tio, Archdiocesan Shrine of Nuestra Señora De Guia, Ermita, Manila, 28 November 2024.
Two weeks ago I officiated the golden wedding anniversary of a friend’s parents where I said the best wedding homily is actually the couple themselves still much in love, filled with joy after 50 years as husband and wife.
“May forever pa rin,” despite all the celebrity break ups we feast on social media and the many separations happening among some couples these days. How I wish that more young people are invited to wedding anniversaries so they would aspire for lasting relationships too.
Photo by author at the Archdiocesan Shrine of Nuestra Señora De Guia, Ermita, Manila, 28 November 2024.
Of course, it is never easy – that is why there is the Sacrament of Marriage where couples pray to God and promise Him to cooperate in His grace so that until death, they would remain together in faith, hope and love that would eventually bring them to eternity.
It is the reality not only of marriage but of life itself. God calls us to a particular vocation or state in life like marriage, priesthood and religious life, or single-blessedness in order to lead us to Him in eternity.
And that is the two-fold meaning of Advent too! We are preparing not only for the first coming of Jesus at Christmas but most of all to His Second Coming at the end of time (parousia). This is the second Sunday in Advent so beautifully presented by Luke.
In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of the region of Iturea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias was tetrarch of Abilene, during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the desert (Luke 3:1-2).
Photo by author, Second Sunday Advent 2022, BED Chapel, Our Lady of Fatima University, Valenzuela City.
First we notice is Luke’s solemn account of how the Son of God Who is eternal entered through our own time that is temporal. If Luke were to write his gospel today, maybe he would simply change the names above into BBM and Sara Duterte, with Pope Francis and Cardinal Advincula representing the Church then spice it with some showbiz tidbits or whatever is trending in social media.
But, here also is the artistry of Luke when he segued to John the Baptist to direct our thoughts to the Second Coming of Christ without losing sight of the present moment, of the here and now.
John went throughout the whole region of the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah: A voice of one crying out in the desert: “Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths. Every valley shall be filled and every mountain and hill shall be made low. The winding roads shall be made straight, and the rough ways made smooth, and all flesh shall see the salvation of God” (Luke 3:3-6).
“St. John the Baptist Preaching in the Wilderness” by German painter Anton Raphael Mengs (1728-1779) from commons.wikimedia.org.
Though John is the main character in today’s gospel and next Sunday, Luke is actually focused on Jesus Christ who had come, would come again, and continues to come to us today. All four evangelists were clear about John as secondary only to Jesus as His precursor.
However, only Luke of the four evangelists cited the Prophet Isaiah extensively regarding John’s unique mission with Christ to stress this future aspect of Advent, skipping only that part “the glory of the Lord shall be revealed” by closing it at “all flesh shall see the salvation of God” in Isaiah 40:3-5.
Luke is teaching us that Advent is looking beyond Christ’s birth but also to His Easter and most of all, to His Second Coming now happening.
For Luke, to be like John in the wilderness is for us to be bold and daring in opening ourselves to God in Jesus Christ amid the turmoils of our time like wars and pandemic, calamities and upheavals. No matter how much pains and disappointments we have had this year that made us doubt God’s love and presence for us in Christ, let us dare anew like John in the wilderness to believe and live out His coming and presence.
In citing Isaiah 40:3-5, Luke is reminding us that we shall all see and experience God’s salvation in Jesus Christ today while awaiting His Parousia. Notice the similarity of Isaiah’s prophecy with that of Baruch’s in the first reading when “every lofty mountain be made low, and that age-old depths and gorges be filled to level ground, that Israel may advance to secure in the glory of God” (Bar. 5:7). Both prophets spoke of the future expectation expressed by John already unfolding in Christ who had come.
Photo by author, Fatima Avenua, Valoenzuela City, December 2023.
A friend texted me last week complaining if Christmas would happen at all in their family after a serious rift with their youngest brother. “Dinaraan-daanan lang po ako Father ng kapatid kong bata, para akong patay na.”
Being the eldest in the family, my friend asked his younger brother to shape up and fix his life (ayusin ang buhay) after taking a third partner. He had dumped his first wife after the birth of their son who turned out to be a special child; then, took a second partner and had a daughter whose godmother, his kumare is now his third partner. My friend had taken upon himself to rear his special nephew and niece while his brother does not care at all.
With that situation at home, my friend told me he could not feel Christmas at all despite the material things they have. After a few hours, I texted him back and told him no one can take away the joy of Christmas because that is Jesus in our hearts. Keep Jesus alive in your heart, I texted him, asking him to continue to still love his wayward brother, never losing that hope in Christ that someday, peace would be restored among them in the family. I ended my texts reminding him that Jesus was born during the darkest night of the year.
That’s the voice of John in the wilderness – when we dare to open to God amid our many pains and sufferings, proclaiming and living out His love in Jesus who had come, continues to come and would come again at the end of time. That’s preparing the way of the Lord even when it is all dark, taking small steps at a time as we could not see the next distant scene. In times like these, let St. Paul’s desire in the second reading be our Advent prayer, “that your love may increase ever more in knowledge and every kind of perception, to discern what is of value, so that you may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ” (Phil.1:9-10).
Photo by author, RISE Tower, Valenzuela City, 06 December 2022.
How lovely during this time of Advent when our days are getting shorter, dark earlier than usual because this is also the time sunsets are most awesome. Somewhere out there where the sun sets with skies redolent like embers of the dying day is the voice in the wilderness proclaiming to us Christ’s coming and presence even in the long dark night of waiting.
What do you long or desire most right now in your heart? Reawaken your hopes in Christ Jesus and be ready to be surprised as He shall straighten your path soon especially with your loved ones. Amen.
The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II Friday in the First Week of Advent, 06 December 2024 Isaiah 29:17-24 <*((((>< + ><))))*> Matthew 9:27-31
Photo by author, Pulong Sampalok, DRT, Bulacan, 23 November 2024.
Forgive me, most merciful Father, when disappointments and hurts deep within me lead me to doubt you, your love and concern for me; this season of Advent, grant me the grace to be more daring in being open to you, Lord, believing and trusting you especially your words:
Thus says the Lord God: but a very little while, and Lebanon shall be changed into an orchard, and the orchard be regarded as a forest! On that day the deaf shall hear the words of a brook; and out of gloom and darkness, the eyes of the blind shall see. The lowly will ever find joy in the Lord, and the poor rejoice in the Holy One of Israel (Isaiah 29:17-19).
Reawaken that gift of hope
in Jesus Christ who had come,
would come again at the end of time,
and continues to come daily in life
I always miss as I have stopped
daring to be open to you, Lord;
grant me the same courage and boldness
of those two blind men in today's gospel,
so daring in following
and insisting to Jesus
to heal them;
only you, Jesus, has the power to heal,
to change and transform each one of us
but so often, the pains and darkness
we go through life make us balk even
mistrust you that we no longer come to you
unlike the two blind men, ironically;
please, make me dare to open myself
to you again Lord this Advent and hereafter.
Amen.
Slide from Ms. Regina Buenaventura, Campus Ministry of Our Lady of Fatima University, 05 December 2024.
The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II Friday in the Thirty-Fourth Week of Ordinary Time, Year II, 29 November 2024 Revelation 20:1-4, 11-21:2 <*((((>< + ><))))*> Luke 21:29-33
Photo by author, Pulong Sampalok, DRT, Bulacan, 23 Novebmer 2024.
It is the last Friday of November and the final one too of our current Church calendar for tomorrow evening we begin the new Season of Advent; that is why, Your words, O Lord, are more pronounced, more detailed though deeply symbolic of the coming end of time and most especially, of a "new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God" (Revelation 21:2).
How will all these happen and when, we do not know as Jesus Himself had insisted nobody knows that except the Father; let us live, therefore, O Lord, doing Your Holy Will because in the end, all "were judged according to their deeds" (Revelation 20:13).
Of course, every good we do does not really come from us but from You, dear God; if ever we are able to do anything good, it is because we have opened our hearts and selves to You, Father who transforms us into better persons in Jesus Christ.
Help us imitate the fig tree, dear Jesus: continually transformed in You by staying one with You in Your Paschal Mystery; make us better persons, Jesus purified and cleansed by the Cross so that even while here on earth, we may dwell in your house, be one in You to make You present here and now. Amen.
Photo by author, Pulong Sampalok, DRT, Bulacan, 23 Novebmer 2024.
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