40 Shades of Lent by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Friday in the Fourth Week of Lent, 24 March 2023
Wisdom 2:1, 12-22 >>> + <<< John 7:1-2, 10, 25-30
Photo by Dr. Mylene A. Santos, MD, 2022.
Yes, dear God our Father,
man is a mystery,
for better and for worst.
For better when we live up
to your call for us to be holy
like you and for worst when we
live so far from your ways.
Your mystery is always beautiful
and good to ponder upon but
there are times when we succumb
to evil and sins, our mystery
becomes so dull without any
sparkle at all, often shameful
even detestable like the ways
of the wicked in the first reading.
The wicked said among themselves, thinking not aright: “Let us beset the just one, because he is obnoxious to us; he sets himself against our doings, reproaches us for transgressions of the law and charges us with violations of our training. Let us see whether his words be true; let us find out what will happen to him. Let us condemn him to a shameful death; for according to his own words, God will take care of him.
Wisdom 2:1, 12, 17, 20
Keep us strong, dear Father
like your Son Jesus Christ
in the face of wicked men
who laugh and scorn us,
daring to test you;
in this age of social media
when everything is flaunted
for all to see including
what is evil and not right,
even indecent
including the excesses
of worldly things,
teach us to be simple,
to keep something
in us hidden,
a mystery.
Like fidelity,
perseverance,
and holiness.
Amen.
The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Friday in the Third Week of Ordinary Time, Year I, 27 January 2023
Hebrews 10:32-39 ><0000'> + ><0000'> + ><0000'> Mark 4:26-34
Photo by Fr. Pop dela Cruz in San Miguel, Bulacan, 15 June 2022.
Lord Jesus Christ,
your words this last Friday of January 2023
are so lovely, so inspiring:
"Therefore, do not throw away your confidence;
it will have great recompense.
You need endurance to do the will of God
and receive what he has promised" (Heb. 10:35-36).
What is to not throw away our confidence?
Simply be assured always in God, with God.
Have faith because he knows very well what is
happening with each of us.
Help us to keep that in mind and heart!
Now, this is what I like, Lord Jesus,
when the author of the Letter to the Hebrews
told us to have "endurance to do the will of God
and receive what he has promised."
Teach us, Jesus, to bear and endure
all pains in doing your will,
in standing for what is true and good,
in keeping on doing what is good,
in continuing to love amid the pains.
Along with endurance,
give us also perseverance, Lord Jesus:
more than enduring the pains, let us go against
all these difficulties and hardships to perfect
ourselves, our faith and our love like you!
Like the farmer in your parable,
let us persevere, to keep on farming despite
the rains and drought without really knowing
if there would be bountiful harvest or not
except in having that deep faith in God
that whatever we plant, no matter small,
would always grow and bloom.
Amen.
The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Wednesday in the Thirty-Fourth Week of Ordinary Time, Red Wednesday, 23 November 2022
Revelation 15:1-4 ><000'> + ><000'> + ><000'> Luke 21:12-19
Today, O Lord Jesus Christ,
we join your whole Church in
observing "Red Wednesday"
to voice our concern
and make our stand against
the persecution of Christians
and all faiths globally that sadly
remain unnoticed.
According to the
Pew Research Centre,
"Christians suffer persecution -
from harassment to murder -
in more countries than any other
faith group. What a disturbing fact
that too often we thought have ended
many centuries ago!
You have warned us about this persecution
a long time ago while still here on earth;
it had never stopped but simply persisted
maybe partly because many of us have chosen
to be silent and deaf to its realities especially
where Christians are a minority.
Jesus said to the crowd: “They will seize and persecute you, they will hand you over to the synagogues and to prisons, and they will have you led before kings and governors because of my name. It will lead to your giving testimony. By your perseverance you will secure your lives.”
Luke 21:12-13, 19
No action,
no contribution,
no prayer
is too small for each of us
to make a difference this year
in supporting our persecuted
brothers and sisters
and most of all,
in putting an end to this kind of hatred
and violence simply because
of faith and belief in you our God!
We pray that one day.
we will finally sing face to face
with you Lord Jesus Christ in heaven
the hymn of praise and adoration
John saw in his vision those
"who had won the victory over the beast";
enable us to make the right choices
like them on this Red Wednesday to
both pray and act
for the suffering members of
your Body, the Church.
Amen.
The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Wednesday in the Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time, 27 July 2022
Jeremiah 15:10, 16-21 ><)))*> + ><)))*> + ><)))*> Matthew 13:44-46
Photo by author, Ubihan Island, Meycauayan City, Bulacan, 31 December 2021.
July is about to end,
God our Father,
and while we are surprised
at how fast time flies,
our litanies of complaints
and self-pities drag us down,
afraid of moving on with our
mission like your prophet
Jeremiah in the first reading.
Forgive us, dear God,
for always forgetting that
fulfilling your mission means
rejection and persecution for us
even from those people we serve,
from those supposed to be closest to
us and understand us; remind us,
O Lord like your prophet Jeremiah that
despite your protection and strength,
we cannot expect to be loved in return
by everyone.
And so, let us stop all our self-pity
and just keep on with our mission
as you told Jeremiah today.
May we keep in mind that what we
seek in this life is your kingdom,
your will and not the adulation and
praises of people.
Amen.
QuietStorm by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Homily for the 55th Anniversary of Our Lady of Fatima University and
Fatima University Medical Center, 14 February 2022
From Facebook, 14 February 2022.
Every anniversary is a celebration for the heart, of the heart.
Every anniversary is an occasion to look and examine our hearts, to fill our hearts with gratitude and joy for the gift of life and existence, of mission that continues despite and in spite of so many things; a time to cleanse our hearts of pains from the hurts of the past; and, most of all, to open our hearts anew to more challenges and opportunities for deepening and fulfillment.
In keeping with our tradition, we gather on this Valentine’s Day to praise and thank God for his outpouring of blessings in the past 55 years to Our Lady of Fatima University and the Fatima University Medical Center.
Despite the disruptions and problems COVID-19 had caused us that continues to this day, our hearts are overflowing with thanksgiving and great hopes for better tomorrow for our beloved OLFU and FUMC.
Consider it all joy, my brothers and sisters, when you encounter various trials, for you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. And let perseverance be perfect, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
James 1:2-3
Photo from Facebook/OLFU.
St. James reminds us today of yesterday’s sermon on the plains by Jesus Christ that truly blessed are those who are poor, hungry, weeping, and maligned and persecuted for standing for what is true (Lk.6:20-26).
Inasmuch as we greatly dislike inconvenience and sufferings, failures and powerlessness, poverty and sickness, we have experienced that true growth and maturity can only happen by going through difficulties that bring out the best in us through time than the instant gratifications and feel-good sensations offered by the world.
Those who have been with us for over 30 years have witnessed how our University and Medical Center have grown from initially two buildings – the old hospital and nursing school – here at the Valenzuela campus along McArthur Highway now composed with 16 buildings with five other campuses in Quezon City, Antipolo (with another medical center), San Fernando, Cabanatuan, and Sta. Rosa in Laguna.
There were so many difficulties and even mistakes during those years but everybody persevered, hurdling all the trials to establish Our Lady of Fatima University and the Fatima University Medical Center as one of the leading centers of learning and medical sciences in the country with its innovative courses and programs available to more people.
We strived. And we never stopped.
Photo from Facebook/OLFU.
When the COVID-19 pandemic came in 2020, many of our plans were deferred but we continued to persevere in this modern crisis. It is still the most difficult trial we have ever faced in our lives, changing so much the way we live these days.
Despite the uncertainties and yes, fears, we sought ways and new methods in dealing with the crisis, becoming the first school of medicine to offer limited face-to-face classes. Eventually, we opened many of our courses to limited face-to-face classes last year still ahead of other schools and universities.
It was during these difficult years of the pandemic when our vision and mission have become most clear than ever to be a fount of “truth and mercy” during this great period of crisis by “rising to the top” through innovative new methods and approaches in the fields of education, medical sciences and management.
Truly, trials perfect and make us complete as men and women ready to serve and lead others to achieving their dreams and caring for the sick.
St. John of the Cross said “The soul that walks in love is never tired and never tires others.”
On this day of the hearts as we celebrate our 55th anniversary, let us borrow from this great mystic of the Church his words with a slight twist, “The heart that walks in love is never tired and never tires others”.
Our Lady of Fatima University and Fatima University Medical Center in Antipolo, photo from OLFU/FB.
In the gospel we have heard the story of the Mary’s visitation of her cousin Elizabeth then six months pregnant with John the Baptist. Mary had just conceived through the Holy Spirit our Lord Jesus Christ and she hurriedly went to visit Elizabeth.
A beautiful scene of two great women together, conversing and rejoicing in God. Very rare in the bible do we find two women together in one scene and Luke presents this to us to remind us of the wrong perception at that time – that sadly persists to this day – of women taken for granted and looked down upon. Most especially the Virgin Mary who came from the obscure town of Nazareth and compared with her cousin Elizabeth who came from a family of priests, the Blessed Mother was a “nobody”, a simple, country maiden.
But in Mary’s simplicity, we find an important aspect of the heart – of being open to God, of always welcoming Jesus into our hearts to allow ourselves to be his instruments of change. What a beautiful coincidence or divine will that largely behind the success of Our Lady of Fatima University and Fatima University Medical Center are three great women too! – our late co-founder Mrs. Juliet Santos, our President, Dr. Caroline Santos-Enriquez and Chairperson of the Board of Trustees, Dr. Yvonne Santos-Guevarra.
Filled with love for God and for her cousin Elizabeth, the Blessed Virgin Mary went in haste to visit her to show support and recognition to the plan of God to the baby in her womb; filled with love in her heart, Mary visited Elizabeth to share in God’s divine plan of saving mankind.
Aside from facing trials with perseverance, Elizabeth tells us today another thing about true blessedness through Mary: believing that the words of God will be fulfilled!
Photo from OLFU/FB.
My dear friends, the Administrators and Board Directors of Our Lady of Fatima University and Fatima University Medical Center, our dear students and faculty members, fellow employees, and alumni: on this Valentine’s day we not only look into our hearts but also give our hearts to Jesus as the Blessed Virgin Mary had told us at Fatima, Portugal over a hundred years ago.
Like our Lady of Fatima, let our love for God flow to our love for one another.
Like Mary at Fatima, let our love for others be more intense and encompassing in leading men and women into knowledge and wisdom, well-being and health.
Like Mary at Fatima and through her prayers, let our hearts be cleansed and purified to make our faith more firm and our hope more vibrant in Christ who calls us to follow his truth and imitate his mercy. Amen.
Lawiswis ng Salita ni P. Nicanor F. Lalog II, Ika-05 ng Agosto 2021
Larawan kuha ni G. Vigie Ongleo sa Singapore, 03 Agosto 2021.
Akin nang kinalakhan
kasabihan ng matatanda,
"Kapag may tiyaga,
may nilaga!'
Ngunit sa aking pagtanda
ako ay namangha sapagkat
mayroon pang higit sa pagtitiyaga,
isang dakilang biyaya: ang pagsusumakit.
Sa wikang Inggles,
"persistence" kung isasalin
ang salitang pagtitiyaga
na kung saan nagsisikap
ang sino man upang matamo
kanyang inaasam na tagumpay
kaya buong lakas at panahon
doon nakatuon upang maging kampeon.
Ngunit higit pa sa pagtitiyaga ang pagsusumakit:
sa wikang Inggles ay perseverance
na kung saan sino man ay laan masaktan
at mahirapan upang mapanatili
at mapangalagaan sumpa
at pangakong binitiwan (komitment),
di lamang sa mithiing inaasam
na ibig makamtan kaya pinagtitiyagaan.
Sa pagsusumakit,
hindi nakakaakit tagumpay
na makakamit kungdi higit
sa lahat ay hindi maipagkait ang
nararapat at naayong tugon sa
bawat pagkakataon kung kayat
ano man kahantungan ng bawat punyagi
kabutihan at kaganapan ang mapanatili.
Hindi pansamantala
ang pagsusumakit di tulad
ng pagtitiyaga at pagsisikap
na kadalasan ang layunin
ay bagay at gamit na makakamit;
bawat pagsusumakit saan man
at kanino man ay paglapit
at pagkamit na rin ng langit!
Sinabi ni Jesus sa mga tao:
"Ngunit pagsumakitan ninyo ng higit
sa lahat ang pagharian kayo ng Diyos
at mamuhay nang ayon sa kanyang
kalooban, at ipagkakaloob niya
ang lahat ng kailangan ninyo."
(Mateo 6:33)
The Lord Is My Chef Breakfast Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Wednesday, Feast of St. John Marie Vianney, Patron of Priests, 04 August 2021
Numbers 13:1-2, 25-14:1, 26-29, 34-35 ><]]]]*> Matthew 15:21-28
Photo by author, sky over Sinai desert in Egypt, 2019.
Dearest God our Father,
on this sacred feast of our
Patron St. John Marie Vianney,
I pray not only for us your priests
but most especially for everyone
going through so many trials and
tests these days as we near
another series of lockdown due to
a surge in COVID-19 infection.
I pray, O God, for more perseverance
in our faith, hope and love in you
so that we may remain committed to you
like that Canaanite woman in the gospel:
a pagan yet believed so much in Jesus,
crying out to him as "Lord" and "Son
of David" to heal her sick daughter (Mt.1521ff);
most of all, like St. John Marie Vianney,
teach us to persevere in life, in serving you
no matter how great are the odds against him
when he lived at a most unfavorable time
for the Church in France after a bloody revolution
that sowed strong anti-clerical, anti-Church
sentiments among the people.
Perseverance.
From the Latin root perseverare
that means to continue with one's
commitment despite the lack of
any success, surviving trials and no
matter what is the result, whether
we succeed or not in our goals,
we still emerge a better person,
a winner.
Perseverance
as perseverare in Latin means doubling
the efforts in keeping up with the doubling
of sufferings and trials we face,
of continuing to work hard even after
you have already worked so hard,
in fact so tired but would not
refuse to surrender and stop
because you are so committed,
truly a winner in the Lord!
Like St. John Marie Vianney:
despite his difficulties learning
and mastering the Church language
of Latin during his time, he persevered
in the seminary until he was ordained priest;
as Cure de Ars or pastor of the insignificant
village of Ars with its 250 inhabitants,
he persevered in preaching and
hearing confessions that were so appreciated
by everyone from all parts of France and Europe
because of his life of simplicity and humility.
And like that Canaanite woman after
being challenged by Jesus, saying
"It is not right to take the food
of the children and throw it to the dogs",
she said, "Please, Lord, for even the
dogs eat the scraps that fall from the
table of their masters" (Mt. 15:26-27).
Let us not imitate the men sent
by Moses to reconnoiter the land
of Canaan that instead of instilling
the virtue of perseverance on the people,
they discouraged them from taking possession
of the land you were giving them,
giving up everything they have worked for
and sacrificed; most of all, rejecting your gift
that eventually, you denied them entrance
into the Promised Land for forty years.
Let me persevere in loving you, Father
even if I am a sinner through
the mercy and salvation in Jesus;
Let me persevere in following your will
through the Holy Spirit
even if I stumble and fall so often;
Let me persevere in serving you
dear Lord like St. John Marie Vianney
even if I am self-centered,
always seeking rest and rewards. AMEN.
The Lord Is My Chef Breakfast Recipe for the Soul
Friday, Third Week in Ordinary Time, 29 January 2021
Hebrews 10:32-39 +++ >><)))*> + <*(((><< +++ Mark 4:26-34
Photo by Mr. Raffy Tima of GMA-7 News, Batanes 2018.
Our loving Father in heaven, thank you very much for another weekend, for another day of rest approaching, for the grace of making it this far despite the many difficulties we have gone through: the chemotherapy and dialysis, surgery or physical therapy; death of a loved one, including a beloved pet for some; losing a job, giving up a business, calling it quits for a dream or endeavor.
So many trials, some we have hurdled, some we have overcome, some we have lost.
But here we are, Lord God, though wounded and bruised but still alive, still dreaming, still hoping, still fighting. All persevering in Jesus Christ our Eternal Priest and Master.
Your words today, O Lord, are so comforting for many of us. Help us to never give up, to persevere despite our sins and failures. Be patient with us, sweet Jesus. Most of all, let us be patient too in waiting for you, in your coming, in your comfort, in your solace, in bearing fruits. Help us realize that the more we are enlightened in you, the more we are purified, the more we are tested.
Remember the days past when, after you had been enlightened, you endured a great contest of suffering. You need endurance to do the will of God and receive what he has promised. We are not among those who draw back and perish, but among those who have faith and will possess life.
Hebrews 10:32, 36, 39
Like the farmer who sows seeds in his farm, may we confidently wait, never giving up until they sprout into new plants, have blades, have flowers and bear fruits.
Like the mustard seed, may we persevere to find deep within our hearts your gift of faith that someday, we shall grow and be fruitful. Amen.
Photo by author, flower of a mustard seed at Ein-Karen, Israel, 2017.
The Lord Is My Chef Breakfast Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
First Friday, Advent Week-I, 04 December 2020
Isaiah 29:17-24 <*(((><< + >><)))*> Matthew 9:27-31
Photo by author at Silang, Cavite, 20 September 2020.
Your words today, O God our Father are so reassuring and refreshing especially for many of us like the Babylonian exiles who are so tired and exhausted, almost about to give up for the many pains and sufferings, hardships and trials in life while awaiting your Advent, your coming.
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 book; 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
Yesterday I was crying out to you, pouring out my pains unto you, Lord, wondering and lamenting if Advent is truly your coming when sometimes I feel the opposite, that you have abandoned me; your words are so sweet but when I looked into my life, I felt so bitter as things are not turning out so well as you have promised.
And I paused, waiting for you.
Then, you said, “But a very little while…”
How long is your “a very little while”, Lord?
Soon enough I have learned yesterday too that it all depends on my faith in you!
Photo by Ms. Jo Villafuerte of sunrise at Atok, Benguet, 01 September 2019.
Yes, a very little while you can change everything from darkness into light, from gloom into joy, from sickness into health, from desolation into consolation, from problem into solution!
It all depends on how strong are we holding on to you, Lord.
Like those two blind men who followed Jesus. How they did it — I do not know though it is funny– at how people of great faith would always do extraordinary things because of you, Lord!
Teach us that in life, we need to come to you in faith, hope and love to experience your Advent, your coming because you have already come. That is why, a very little while, so many great things and miracles can happen because as Jesus had shown us in the gospel today, you are just waiting for us like those two blind men to come to you for healing and other needs.
Grant us, O Lord, the courage and perseverance to always seek you, hold on to you, and come to you no matter how dark it may be because you are always with us so that a very little while, your Advent is fulfilled. Amen.
The Lord Is My Chef Breakfast Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Thursday, Week XXXIV, Year II in Ordinary Time, 26 November 2020
Revelation 18:1-2, 21-23; 19:1-3, 9 >>> + <<< Luke 21:20-28
Praise and glory to you, Lord Jesus Christ for your words today that offer us with clear images about true freedom that leads to fullness of life. So often, many among us are greatly misled by the belief that true freedom is breaking free from sufferings and God and morals, of having absolute freedom to do everything.
That has always been one of the fundamental tenets of pagans of ancient Rome you have banished for being a “cage”, an imprisonment!
“Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great. She has become a haunt for demons. She is a cage for every unclean spirit, a cage for every unclean bird, a cage for every unclean and disgusting beast.”
Revelation 18:2, 21
True freedom is choosing what is true and good, trying to bear all pains and sufferings that purify us into better persons, that free us from impurities to enter into your heavenly banquet of eternal life.
Then the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who have been called to the wedding feast of the Lamb.”
Revelation 19:9
Life continues to bear down upon us these days, Lord, especially the poor who are left with almost nothing in this life; worst, with nothing else but their dignity as persons, there are times they are being forced to give it up for a price.
Give us the grace of perseverance, to withstand all pressures by holding on to you, clinging to your merciful love that amid all the trials and sufferings going on, we may “stand erect and raise our heads because our redemption is at hand” (Lk.21:28).
Let us not be ashamed of being faithful to you, Jesus, for you alone can lead us to true freedom as a person. Amen.
Photo by Ms. Ria De Vera, Christ the King celebrations in the parish, 22 November 2020.
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