The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Thursday in the Fourth Week of Easter, 12 May 2022
Acts 13:13-25 ><]]]]'> + <'[[[[>< John 13:16-20
Photo from gettyimages.com.
Thank you, Lord Jesus Christ,
for this timely reminder in today's
gospel in being your true servant -
one who is always present in you,
and present for you.
When Jesus had washed the disciples’ feet, he said to them: “Amen, amen, I say to you, no slave is greater than his master nor any messenger greater than the one who sent him. If you understand this, blessed are you if you do it.”
John 13:16-17
Let us do your work of
loving service for one another,
dear Jesus by imitating you in
your humble presence with everyone,
especially enemies; let us be like you,
kind and magnanimous with everyone,
without any airs of superiority even if
you are our Master.
In this time of sadness and
disappointment and failures,
let us look back to our own lives
like Paul in his preaching
to see how God's providence
has always been at work in
various key moments leading us
to something bigger and higher;
these experiences have always
left us both with happy and painful
memories but you were always there
present with us.
Teach us to continue to be
present in you and for you
in our loving service for others,
like John the Baptist heralding
your coming and your very
presence among us. Amen.
The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Wednesday in the Fourth Week of Easter, 11 May 2022
Acts 12:24-13:5 ><}}}}*> + <*{{{{>< John 12:44-50
Photo by author, Bolinao, Pangasinan, 19 April 2022.
God our loving Father,
give us the stamina to continue
in this life's journey, most especially
to fulfill your mission; do not let us
to be sidetracked by failures and
disappointments; most of all,
"reset" our buttons to refresh us
in your Son Jesus Christ
so that we may do your work anew
than insist on doing our work for you.
We have been working so hard for you
without truly asking you what work you
want us to do for you; we have forgotten
to await your mission task in true prayers
and discernment, relying mostly in our
good intentions when all mission is yours.
Now there were in the Church at Antioch prophets and teachers… Then, completing their fasting and prayer, they laid hands on Barnabas and Saul and sent them off. So they, sent forth by the Holy Spirit, went down to Seleucia and from there sailed to Cyprus.
Acts 13:1, 3-4
Enlighten our minds and our hearts,
Lord Jesus; shout or cry out again
so we may listen and believe in you
that we may do your work as teachers
and prophets among your people.
Let us return to you, dear Jesus,
and be rooted in you so we may have
a deeper insight into where you are
calling us to serve as your prophets,
following you to find new ways in
proclaiming your gospel in these times.
Let us be converted in you, dear Jesus,
to remain rooted in you, giving only you,
teaching you solely to the people,
conserving and handing on to them
your teachings, not ours.
Let us come to your words, Lord Jesus,
to be led anew in doing your work,
fulfilling your mission. Amen.
Photo by author, Bolinao, Pangasinan, 19 April 2022.
The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Tuesday in the Fourth Week of Easter, 10 May 2022
Acts 11:19-26 ><]]]]'> + <'[[[[>< John 10:22-30
Photo by Ms. Jing Rey Henderson in Taroytoy, Aklan, 30 April 2022.
God our loving Father,
it has been almost a day
since we had perhaps our
most hotly-contested elections
so far that have divided us not
only as a nation but also as
family and friends, and sadly
as followers of your Son,
Jesus Christ.
How sad that long before
the start of the campaign period
many among us have forgotten
being Christians; it was the opposite
that have happened lately, Christians
persecuting fellow Christians simply
because they belong to different
camps in politics.
Those who ad been scattered by the persecution that arose because of Stephen went as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, preaching the word to no one but Jews. The news about them reached the ears of the Church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to go to Antioch. Then he went to Tarsus to look for Saul, and when he had found him he brought him to Antioch. For a whole year they met with the Church and taught a large number of people, and it was in Antioch that the disciples were first called Christians.
Acts 11:19, 22, 25-26
Though there was the sad note
of persecution at the beginning of the Church,
it turned out to be a blessing for it helped
spread fast the good news to more
people in more places; what is most
wonderful, dear Father is the virtue of
magnanimity among the disciples and early
followers.
As they gained followers
with strong footholds especially
at Antioch where they were first called
Christians, they have always been
magnanimous in their successes.
Teach us all to be magnanimous,
Lord, especially the victors in these
elections though it is still too early;
may our words and deeds, especially
our behavior and attitudes testify
to our being Christians; enough with
our sanctimonious stance with
those opposed to us; may we
imitate Barnabas is reaching out
to others, of being open, of
being converted daily in Jesus
our Good Shepherd. Amen.
The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Monday in the Fourth Week of Easter, 09 May 2022
Acts 11:1-18 ><))))*> + <*((((>< John 10:1-10
Photo by author, a house near the home of Cornelius in Jaffa, Israel, 2017.
Today O Lord we go to the polls
to cast our votes for the next group
of national and local leaders of our
nation; we have long been praying
for these elections to be peaceful
and orderly.
Most of all, a matured and intelligent one.
That we finally learn to vote according
to our informed and guided conscience,
carefully and prayerfully evaluating every
candidate, listening more to the voice
of Jesus the Good Shepherd.
But for us to be able to listen to Jesus,
let us first pass through him, our
only door.
Jesus said: “Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever does not enter a sheepfold through the gate but climbs over elsewhere is a thief and a robber.” So Jesus said again, “Amen, amen, I say to you, I am the gate for the sheep.”
John 10:1, 7
To pass through Jesus our gate
requires our own conversion to him;
and not just a conversion like that of
unbelievers and Gentiles in the first
reading but to be converted like Peter
himself and the rest of his fellow
believers who were of Jewish roots:
Peter began and explained it to them (Apostles and brothers in Jerusalem) step by step, saying, “If then God gave them the same gift he gave us when we came to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to be able to hinder God?” When they heard this, they stopped objecting and glorified God, saying, “God has then granted life-saving repentance to the Gentiles too.”
Acts 11:4,17-18
To pass through you, dear Jesus,
is to be one in you which calls for our
daily conversion to you; so many times
we feel complacent, resting on whatever
we have achieved or reached in our
relating with you; it is in our daily-
conversion in you that truly leads us
to communion in you. Amen.
The Lord Is My Chef Sunday Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II Mother’s Day, Second Sunday of May Fourth Sunday in Easter, 08 May 2022
Photo by author, 2019.
O God our loving Father,
when you sent the Archangel Gabriel
to the Blessed Virgin Mary
to announce her becoming the
Mother of your Son Jesus Christ,
she was greeted “Hail, favored one!
The Lord is with you" (Lk.1:28).
On this second Sunday of May,
I thank you for the gift of all mothers,
especially my Mom and all the other
Moms so dear to me: they are
your favored ones, being chosen
to bring life and us into this world,
enabling us to experience you, O God,
in them for you are always with every Mom
in all their love and kindness and tenderness,
including their vast knowledge and wisdom
in knowing almost everything;
you know how we disliked them so much in
acting like Google and Wikipedia rolled into one
but, lo and behold! - most of the time they
they were proven right with what they knew.
Photo by Ms. Jo Villafuerte, 2019.
Thank you, our loving Father,
in giving us a glimpse of your beauty
and majesty in our Mothers; most of all, for being
our first teacher and catechist who taught
us how to love and care, respect and obey
others and most especially you, God
in prayers and spirituality.
Thank you for our Mother's patience and
perseverance, for their being the best
economists who taught us how to save
and invest not only money and tangible
wealth but most of all with virtues and
values that give us fulfillment and joy
in your Son Jesus Christ.
Thank you most of all for our Mother's
mercy and forgiveness like you:
you know, dear Father, how many times
we have hurt our mothers, how we have
disappointed them but despite all these,
they have remained most loyal and faithful to us,
ready to forgive us, giving us with countless
chances that many of us have abused.
Photo by author, 2017.
O God, take care of our dearest Mothers,
ease their pains and sufferings not
only in body but also in heart and soul;
heal them of their sickness,
assure them of your presence and
providence so that they may not worry
so much; lighten their loads and burdens
in life and most of all, fill their hearts with
your Son Jesus Christ's peace and joy,
fulfilling their wishes and prayers
not only for themselves but also for their
loved ones; likewise, we pray for all Mothers
who have gone ahead us - please grant them
eternal rest in your Divine Presence.
Lastly we pray for our dear Motherland,
the Philippines: tomorrow we vote for
our next leaders; let us express our love
and gratitude to you and our dear Motherland
by choosing candidates closest to being like
your Son Jesus Christ, the Good Shepherd
who values life and every person,
values Mother Nature and most all,
values family - leaders with that beautiful virtue
of Motherhood of nurturing and caring
of every person and family,
not those who will promote death in all forms
and destruction of family through divorce or
same sex union. Amen.
The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Friday in the Third Week of Easter, 06 May 2022
Acts 9:1-20 ><))))*> + <*((((>< John 6:52-59
Photo by author, Puerto del Sol, Bolinao, Pangasinan, 19 April 2022.
Our readings today,
O God our Father,
are very much alike with
our situation these days:
so many tensions, so many
quarrels among friends and
families due to elections on
Monday.
Saul, still breathing murderous threats against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, that, if he should find any men or women who belonged to the Way, he might bring them back to Jerusalem in chains.
Acts 9:1-2
The Jews quarreled among themselves…
John 6:52
Only Jesus Christ your Son,
our Lord can dispel all these
negative feelings and disharmony
if we can be humble like Paul and
Ananias who prayed over him;
"level up" our thoughts to higher
realities in life, in spirituality so
that we may realize the inner truth
and beauty of Jesus our bread of life;
how sad that in this highly advanced
age and time, we can "shift" our
thoughts to higher levels or
advanced stages in terms of material
things only like garnering most scores
or sales or followers and other numbers
that rarely speak about realities in life.
In this final stretch of the campaign
period, remind us anew like Paul that
we are all brothers and sisters in Christ,
that whatever we do to one another,
we do exactly to you, dear Jesus;
open our minds and hearts to listen
to your voice, Lord Jesus Christ
on whom to vote this Monday based
on your teachings of love and truth.
Amen.
The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Thursday in the Third Week of Easter, 05 May 2022
Acts 8:26-40 ><}}}}*> + <*{{{{>< John 6:44-51
Photo by author, 2021.
Praise and thanksgiving
to you, most loving Lord,
Jesus Christ, in making us
come to you daily!
Jesus said to the crowds: “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draw him, and I will raise him on the last day. It is written in the prophets: They shall all be taught by God. Everyone who listen to my Father and learns from him comes to me.”
John 6:44-45
Grant me the courage
and docility of Philip your
Apostle whose feast we
celebrated yesterday to
always come to you, ready
to "get up and set out"
wherever you send us.
May we spend time,
make time daily to come to you,
Jesus, to put into practice
that grace of the Father to
meet and experience you in
prayers and the sacraments
so we may be filled with your
presence and mercy.
And wisdom.
Then the eunuch said to Philip in reply, “I beg you, about whom is the prophet saying this? About himself, or about someone else?” Then Philip opened his mouth and, beginning with this Scripture passage, he proclaimed Jesus to him.
Acts 8:34-35
First, let us come to you,
Jesus so that we may come
to share you with others.
Amen.
The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Wednesday in Third Week of Easter, 04 May 2022
Acts 8:1-8 ><]]]]'> + <'[[[[>< John 6:35-40
Photo by author, ICSB in Malolos City, Summer 2021.
"Sanaol" - a wish and a prayer
that all may be blessed,
that like the flowers of summer,
everyone may bloom in the Lord.
"Sanaol" was the good news
after that Pentecost when
Jesus Christ's good news of
salvation was proclaimed to all;
despite the persecutions that
began in Jerusalem and "all were
scattered throughout Judea and
Samaria, except the Apostles,
there were great joy in that
city" (Acts 8:1, 8) because
everyone was blessed,
everyone was welcomed,
everyone was accepted.
"Sanaol", Lord Jesus,
would accept you in the
Eucharist and eventually in
the person of everyone we meet;
it is you, dear Jesus, who brings
joy and fulfillment in everyone
of us whenever we receive and
welcome you in the Eucharist
and in every person we meet.
Jesus said to the crowds, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst. But I told you that although you have seen me, you do not believe.
John 6:35-36
What has happened to us,
Lord Jesus?
We have turned away from you
and from each other, choosing to
believe in thoughts and ideas,
in personalities, and all the
fancies around them from colors
to cults that have brought us
divisions and even persecutions.
Let us seek you again, dear Jesus,
and listen more to your voice
than to all the noises barraging us
especially at this crucial time
of the elections.
"Sanaol" will listen to you again,
and find you anew in everyone.
Amen.
The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Tuesday, Feast of St. Philip and St. James the Less, Apostles, 03 April 2022
1 Corinthians 15:1-8 ><}}}}*> + <*{{{{>< John 14:6-14
Jesus teaching his Twelve Apostles, from GettyImages.
Lord Jesus Christ,
on this feast of your apostles
Philip and James the Younger,
grant me the grace to discover
your true identity the way they
got to know you too; draw me
closer to you to be familiar with
you and your ways, to always
"come and see" you in prayers
and experiences in life.
Keep me close to you, dear Jesus,
so that I may truly lead people to you
and not to me nor to my beliefs;
let me lead seekers of you find you
both in your glory and in your Cross
for without your sufferings and death,
everything becomes a novelty and
a fancy, or a philosophy and never
a life and a union in you.
For I handed on to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures; that he was buried; that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures; that he appeared to Cephas, then to the Twelve.
1 Corinthians 15:3-5
Like Philip, keep me open in
expressing to you my views
when asked like at the wilderness
when you tested him where to find
food for the crowd; in another instance,
let me be like Philip entertaining requests
from others to see you like those Greeks
who have come to Jerusalem;
most of all, keep me open to you,
dear Jesus to accept and treasure
your words and teachings even if I
do not understand immediately if that
is the way to know you more clearly
and eventually see and experience
God our Father.
Like your cousin James the Younger,
let me keep in mind that closeness
with you does not come through mere
affiliations nor with names because
knowing you is a habit that we must strive
and work for by coming to you daily,
following you even up to the Cross;
it is only in following you, becoming
like you we truly become your
disciples like James who taught
and witnessed your love for everyone
by working so hard with Peter to
intervene in the difficult relations
between the early Christians of Jewish
origins and those of pagan converts;
in practice and in his writings, James
showed that faith in you is fulfilled
in a life lived in love and respect
for each other: "As the body apart
from the spirit is dead, so faith apart
from works is dead" (James 2:26).
Philip and James were not perfect,
just like me; but in their humility
and obedience, you perfected
them in their lives of witnessing
that cost their lives; keep me
faithful to you, dear Jesus,
and let others see you in me
in words and in deeds. Amen.
The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Monday, Memorial of St. Athanasius, Doctor of the Church, 02 May 2022
Acts 6:8-15 ><))))*> + <*((((>< John 6:22-29
Photo by Ms. Jing Rey Henderson in Taroytoy, Aklan, 29 April 2022.
In this Season of Easter,
help us, dear Lord Jesus
to know you more clearly
so that we may deepen our
faith in you and eventually do
your work of loving service
to one another; so many times
in life we seek you for selfish
and personal reasons
like the people you have fed
at the wilderness.
And when they found him across the sea they said to him, “Rabbi, when did you get here?” Jesus answered them and said, “Amen, amen, I say to you, you are looking for me not because you saw the signs but because you ate the loaves and were filled. Do not work for food that perishes but for food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him the Father, God, has set his seal.”
John 6:25-27
Like St. Stephen in the first
reading, fill us with passion
in "working for God" which is
primarily to believe in you as
the Christ, the one he sent;
but so many times, even in this
modern age, we doubt you,
O Jesus, as the Son of God:
like those Jews, we ask
"when did you get here" -
from where are you, Jesus,
because we always doubt you
as the Son of God like our separated
brothers and sisters until now
influenced by Arianism.
Hence, it is not enough for us
to be simply passionate like St. Stephen -
grant us the academic discipline
of St. Athanasius whose memorial
we celebrate today;
his sound mental acumen formed by
his deep spirituality based on prayers
made him a pillar of the Church in
defending your truth as the Son of God.
The more he knew you more clearly,
the more he followed you closely
even if he was banished so many
times from his posts due to his rootedness
in you; most of all, in his knowledge
and wisdom, the more he loved you dearly,
Jesus, by serving the flock entrusted to him.
Amen.
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