Nasa puso, hindi sa mga kamay ang pagiging bukas-palad

Lord My Chef Daily Recipe for Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II 
Sacred Heart Novena Day 1, 18 June 2025

*Detalye ng painting ng Sacred Heart of Jesus sa Visitation Monastery, Marclaz, France mula sa godongphoto / Shutterstock*.

Tamang-tama ang ating mga pagbasa sa araw na ito ng Miyerkules ng ika-labing isang linggo sa Karaniwang Panahon na nagtutuon ng ating pansin sa ating puso sa unang araw ng nobena sa Kamahal-Mahalang Puso ni Jesus.

Ang mga aral ng Panginoong Jesus sa ebanghelyo na huwag maging pakitang-tao lamang ang ating mga gawa ng kabutihan kungdi magbukal mula sa kaibuturan ng ating mga puso ang siya ring nilalagom ni San Pablo sa kanyang sulat sa mga taga-Corinto at maging sa ating lahat ngayon:

Tandaan ninyo ito: ang naghahasik ng kakaunti ay mag-aani ng kakaunti, at ang naghahasik naman ng marami ay mag-aani ng marami. Ang bawat isa’y dapat magbigay ayon sa sariling pasiya, maluwag sa loob at di napipilitan lamang, sapagkat ang ibig ng Diyos ay kusang pagkakaloob. Magagawa ng Diyos na pasaganain kayo sa lahat ng bagay – higit pa sa inyong pangangailangan – upang may magamit sa pagkakawanggawa (2 Corinto 9:6-8).

*Larawan kuha ng may-akda, Sacred Heart Novitiate, Novaliches, Marso 2023.*

Mas mainam ang salin sa Inggles ng ika-pitong talata, “God loves a cheerful giver.” Kailan ba tayo nagiging “cheerful giver” o galak na kusang loob sa pagbibigay?

Maraming pagkakataon sa buhay natin na madali tayong magbigay at magbahagi ng ano man mayroon tayo tulad ng salapi, pagkain, damit at iba pang gamit kapag tayo ay sagana sa mga bagay na materyal. Gayon din kung tayo ay panatag ang katayuan kapag walang problema at suliraning mabigat, kapag tayo ika nga ng mga kabataan ay chill-chill lamang.

Subalit, nangyayari din naman na maramot tayo maski tayo ay sagana sa buhay at panatag ang lahat. Para bang bad trip tayong tumulong maski alam naman nating mayroon tayong sapat para sa atin o walang gaanong alalahanin.

Sa kabilang dako naman, may mga pagkakataon na kahit tayo ay hindi naman saganang-sagana sa mga bagay at iba pang uri ng kayamanan ay mapagbigay pa rin naman tayo ng tulong maging ng ngiti at pakikisama. May mga panahon na napakagaan natin sa pagtulong at pagdamay kahit naman tayo mismo ay gipit ang kalagayan. At siyempre naman, hindi rin nating maikakaila na pinakamaramot at masungit tayo kapag tayo ay kapos at salat sa ano mang magaganda sa buhay.

Pagmasdang mabuti. Meron man o wala, maari tayong maging mapagbigay o madamot. Ibig sabihin, wala sa ating mga kamay o laman ng bulsa ang pagiging mapagbigay. Ito ay naroon sa ating puso!

Ang ating puso ang pinagmumulan, hindi ang ating mga kamay ang siyang dahilan at kakayanan ng ating pagiging bukas-palad bagaman ang palad ay bahagi ng kamay; sa lahat ng bahagi ng ating katawan, itong puso ang sentro ng lahat ng ating kilos at galaw maging ng pagpapasya kung kayat nasa puso ang ating buhay at sentro ng katauhan. Kapag namatay ang puso, tayo ay mamamatay. Kaya doon din sa puso nananahan ang Diyos sa atin kung saan bumubukal ating pananampalataya at pagtitiwala sa Kanya.

Magiging cheerful giver lamang tayo at generous o bukas-palad kapag buo tiwala natin sa Diyos na hindi Niya tayo pababayaan magbigay man tayo ng magbigay. At ito ay madarama lamang doon sa puso kung saan nananahan ang Diyos sa atin. Kapag buo ang ating pagtitiwala sa Diyos doon sa puso natin, wala tayong takot magbahagi at maging mabuti, magmahal sa kapwa maski tayo ay sakbibi ng mga sakit dahil panatag ating puso at kalooban sa Diyos na pinagmumulan ng lahat ng kabutihan.

Higit sa lahat, nagiging bukas-palad tayo at cheerful giver dahil malinaw sa atin na ano mang mayroon tayo sa buhay, ito ay sa Diyos pa rin. Ano mang pera o gamit o kabutihan ibigay natin sa iba, hindi ito mauubos ni masasaid dahil sa Diyos na walang hanggan naman ang lahat ng ito. Hindi magmumula sa kaisipan kungdi sa kaibuturan ng puso ang kaalaman at katiyakang ito.

Wika nga ni Papa Leo XIII sa kanyang sulat noong 1899 sa pagtatalaga ng sangkatauhan sa Kamahal-Mahalang Puso ni Jesus, doon aniya sa Sacred Heart natatagpuan ang tanda at larawan ng walang hanggang pagmamahal sa atin ni Jesu-Kristo kaya tayo man ay nakapagmamahal. Sino mang nagmamahal na tunay, siguradong siya ay mapagbigay ng kusa. Higit sa lahat, nagagalak palagi tulad ni Jesus.

Nawa sa unang araw na ito ng ating pagsisiyam sa Dakilang Kapistahan ng Sacred Heart sa isang linggo, suriin nating mabuti ang ating mga puso kung naroon ang pagtitiwala kay Jesus. Ating pagmasdang mabuti ating mga kamay kung ang mga ito ay naka-ugnay doon sa ating puso na siyang sentro at hantungan ng pagkakadugtong-dugtong di lamang ng ating mga kamay at braso kungdi ng lahat ng bahagi ng ating katawan. Hindi tayo makapagmamahal nang tunay, pati ating mga kamay ay tiyak titiklop at sasaradong parang galit na kamao kapag ang puso natin ay tumigas at namatay. Kaya ating idalangin:

O Jesus na mayroong
maamo at mapagkumbabang Puso,
Gawin Mong ang puso nami'y
matulad sa Puso Mo!
Amen.

Generosity & trust

Lord My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Wednesday in the Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time, Year I, 18 June 2025
2 Corinthians 9:6-11 ><}}}*> + ><}}}*> + ><}}}*> Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18

*Photo by the author, La Mesa Dam Eco-Park, QC, February 2023.*

What will it take 
for me to be a cheerful giver,
Lord?
Maybe, first I must have that
complete trust in you,
Jesus Christ;
no one can be generous 
unless one trusts completely
God the source and giver
of all good things in life.

Brothers and sisters: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingl, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each must do as already determined, without sadness or compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. Moreover, God is able to make very grace abndant for you, so that in all things, always having all you need, you may have an abundance for every good work (2 Corinthians 9:6-8).

St. Paul's words in 
today's first reading echoed
your teachings, Jesus
in today's gospel,
of the need to do everything
from the heart, 
not to please others,
but God alone;
to do anything from the heart
calls
demands
trust!

I have been through 
moments of abundance
when sometimes I was generous
and sometimes not generous at all,
when giving was "costly" despite 
still having a lot for myself.

Why?

It was not really of the abundance 
that I have in my hands that make
me generous, Jesus
but the abundance of faith and
trust I have in you in my heart;
teach me, Jesus
to be more trusting 
in you
in order to be more loving
so that I may be generous,
whatever I may have in my hands,
whether I have less or more.
Amen.

*Detail of a painting of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in the Visitation Monastery in Marclaz, France. (photo: godongphoto / Shutterstock)*

Why be perfect like God?

Lord My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Tuesday in the Eleventh Week of Ordinary Time, Year I, 17 June 2025
2 Corinthians 8:1-9 ><]]]'> + ><]]]'> + ><]]]'> Matthew 5:43-48

*Photo by author, Archdiocesan Shrine of Nuestra Señora De Guia, Ermita, Manila, 28 November 2024.*

Your words struck me hard
again today, Lord Jesus:
can we really be perfect
just as our heavenly Father
is perfect?
(Matthew 5:48)

Jesus said to his disciples: “You have heard that it was said, You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your heavenly Father, for he makes his sun rise on the bad and the good, and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust” (Matthew 5:43-45).

When I recall your mercies,
Jesus as you spared me 
from the bad things I deserved
due to my many and repeated sins,
the more I must be loving 
and perfect like the Father;
when I think, O Lord, 
of your many graces poured 
upon me, of the many good things 
that are mostly I never asked 
and certainly I never deserved,
it is but natural that I must be loving
and perfect like the Father;
when I examine my life
and experience how you have filled
and blessed me, Jesus,
with all your mercy and grace
despite and in spite of who I am,
the more I am convinced 
of my need to be perfect
like the Father.

Dearest Jesus,
we are all undeserving of your
love and grace,
mercy and blessings
but you simply showered us with
these all because you love us;
let our love for you be genuine
with our concern for others
like you who became poor
for us so that we may become rich
for God through others
(2 Corinthians 8:9).
Start in me,
Lord Jesus,
a revolution of love
in tenderness
and kindness
in a world that has
become so harsh
and inhospitable.
Amen.

*Photo by author, sunflower farm, Benguet Province, 12 July 2024.*

Praying to be generous in Christ

Lord My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Monday in the Eleventh Week of Ordinary Time, Year I, 16 June 2025
2 Corinthians 6:1-10 ><))))*> + ><))))*> + ><))))*> Matthew 5:38-42

*Photo by author, Sacred Heart Novitiate, Novaliches, QC, 20 March 2025.*

Your words today,
O Lord Jesus Christ
are very astonishing -
from the writings of St. Paul
to your teachings that literally
go against the ways of the world;
of course, you and your message
have always been against the ways
of the world but, how do we strike
a balance in the present conditions
happening today?

Jesus said to his disciples: “You ahve heard that it was said, An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. But I say to you, offer no resistance to one who is evil. When someone strikes you on your right cheek, turn the other one to him as well” (Matthew 5:38-39).

You know very well,
dear Jesus our situation:
our country going into a great
showdown with all the maneuverings
of the evil forces in the Senate to
cover up a crime, a serious case of
corruption and abuse of authority
while in the Middle East, 
Israel and Iran are in a very
dangerous war that may spread
in the whole region; O Jesus,
we live in a world of "preemptive 
strikes" and "counterstrikes"
and your words seem impossibly
naive and optimistic?
Is it really possible?

Brothers and sisters: As your fellow workers, we appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain. For he says: In an acceptable time I heard you, and on the day of salvation I helped you. Behold, now is a very acceptable time; now is the day of salvation (1 Corinthians 6:1-2).

Have mercy on me,
dearest Christ Jesus
in doubting the power of your
words and of your teachings;
have mercy on me,
dearest Lord when I think
in the ways of the world
than in the ways of God;
the balance I am seeking
is found only in YOU:
teach me to be generous like you,
like St. Paul, always in communion
with you through much endurance
in afflictions, hardships, constraints
and other sufferings (1 Cor. 6:4);
let me be centered in you always
Jesus, guided by the Holy Spirit
in "unfeigned love, truthful speech,
and power of God; with weapons of
righteousness through glory and dishonor,
insult and praise";
grant me the courage to be truthful
even when treated as deceiver,
to be acknowledged when
unrecognized, alive and living when
considered dead,
always rejoicing amid sorrows,
being poor to enrich many
and simply having YOU,
Jesus in having nothing
(1Corinthians 6:4-10).
Amen.

The God we delightfully await

Lord My Chef Sunday Recipe by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Solemnity of the the Holy Trinity, Cycle C, 15 June 2025
Proverbs 8:22-31 ><}}}}*> Romans 5:1-5 ><}}}}*> John 16:12-15

*Photo by author, Hidden Spring Resort, Calauan, Laguna, 20 February 2025.*

We resume the Sundays in Ordinary Time with the Solemnity of the Holy Trinity today that is the highest truth in our Church teachings often referred to as a “mystery” or something so difficult to explain and understand.

We find this context of “mystery” right in our gospel this Sunday that takes us back again to the Last Supper scene as in the final Sundays of Eastertide.

Jesus said to his disciples: “I have much more to tell you, but you cannot bear it now. But when he comes, the Spirit of truth, he will guide you to all truth. He will not speak on his own, but he will speak what he hears, and will declare to you the things that are coming” (John 16:12-13).

What is the “more” Jesus has to tell his disciples that include us today which we cannot bear, that we need to be guided by the Holy Spirit?

“I have much more to tell you, but you cannot bear it now.”

As we have learned in the scriptures especially during the Holy Week and Easter, Jesus was speaking at that time of his life and death prefigured by his Last Supper. He was preparing his disciples to do the same as he expressly said after washing their feet.

It is the same lesson Jesus teaches us every Sunday in the Holy Eucharist, of how we his modern disciples must learn to offer our lives with others which is what the Holy Trinity is all about – a sharing and giving of life of the Three Persons in One God. Unity happens only in the total union of one’s self-giving.

This is the mystery of our personal or relating God revealed to us slowly through time, from the Old Testament that reached its highest point in Jesus Christ in the New Testament that continues to these days because each one of us is a reality of the Holy Trinity.

This Holy Trinity sharing and mutuality of Persons in One God is an ongoing lesson we undergo as disciples of Jesus because like the Apostles, we too continue to cling to life, finding it so hard to let go and let God.

*Photo by author, Sacred Heart Novitiate, Novaliches, 20 March 2025.*

As we move on with life, we realize that life is not in clinging but in dying and letting go, in giving and sharing than having or taking or keeping. We realize as we age and mature that more than the wealth and recognition we all aspired for when younger were nothing but a waste in life because what really matters most is our relationships – with God and with others.

It is a lesson that unfolds to us every day, getting better as we age, when we look back to our past especially to our very roots like our parents with whom we find not only proximity and intimacy but most of all, delight and pride in being one with them. This is exactly what the first reading is telling us about Wisdom said to be the personification of Jesus Christ as the Second Person of the Trinity who is one with the Father:

Thus says the wisdom of God: “The Lord possessed me, the beginning of his ways, the forerunner of his prodigies long ago; from of all I was poured forth, at the first, before the earth… When the Lord established the heavens I was there, when he marked out the vault over the face of the deep… then was I beside him as his craftsman, and I was his delight day by day, playing before him all the while, playing on the surface of his earth; and I found delight in the human race” (Proverbs 8:22-23, 27, 30-31).

*Photo by Mr. Boy Cabrido, EDSA 1986 People Power Revolution.*

Life and man are all a mystery. Many times there are no easy answers to our many questions in life. There are times when our questions in life are actually answered in deaths like in the passing of our loved ones. Most of all, many questions in life can never be answered at all.

But, the joy of living is in still asking more questions. Man is known more in the questions he asks because the answers he gives are often wrong or off-tangent. When we ask the right questions, even if we do not arrive at the right answers, somehow we get a grasp or glimpse of the bigger realities and mysteries of life, of the things to come that Jesus tells us today.

I have always been curious as a child, always asking my father on the various things I heard from him and my mother or from the television and later from books I have read. After explaining things to me or passages I have read that I still could not understand, daddy would assure me that “pag-tanda mo maiintindihan mo rin yan.”

Those are my fondest memories of childhood with my father – the delight of learning, of discovering, of understanding. Now that I am a priest and a senior, there is still that deep joy and delight in searching and asking because like what Jesus said, there is so much more to learn in this life and in our very selves. There is that desire and attraction within that leads us outside our very selves to search for more meaning – like resulting from faith and hope in God as reflected by St. Paul speaks in the second reading wherein the Holy Spirit leads us to the glory of God.

*Photo by Ms. Ria De Vera in Delia, Alberta, Canada, 03 June 2025.*

A senator recently made a mockery of the Holy Spirit, claiming his move to dismiss the impeachment complaint as a leading of the Holy Spirit. Making things worst and most unbelievable is the fact that another senator, son of a founder of a local church and preacher played a real devil in quashing efforts to find the truth about the charges of corruption against the Vice President of the Republic.

Clearly, it was not of the Holy Spirit but more of the devil that is divisive and most untruthful, totally unmindful of our relationships as a nation.

The “more” that Jesus speaks of in sending us the Holy Spirit is for each of us to realize our being a Trinity in our very selves, our connectedness as one in God. It is sad that for many, the Blessed Trinity does not really matter that much for them to appreciate or even understand. For many, it is enough to believe in God just like the others in various religions and sects or worst, like those who do not care at all about God except that they “believe” in a Supreme Being.

As we resume the Sundays of Ordinary Time, this Solemnity of the Holy Trinity evokes the most concrete reality of God, that he is a Person like a Father who is the giver of life because he is life himself with whom alone we owe our lives. This we realize and experience in the Son Jesus Christ who became like us humans so we may become like him again as divine, with honor and dignity. It is the Holy Spirit, the third Person of the Trinity who guides us to more realities and truth of this loving God so immense, delighting us in awaiting our union in him. Let us pray:

Come, Holy Spirit!
Fill our hearts with that
desire to continuously await
God's coming in Jesus Christ,
as we delight in a life of
giving and sharing,
of caring and kindness,
of mercy and forgiving
until that day we shall be one
in the Father in heaven
in his love.
Amen.

Happy Father’s Day too!

Our treasures

Lord My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Friday, Memorial of St. Anthony of Padua, Priest & Doctor of Church, 13 June 2025
2 Corinthians 4:7-15 <*((((>< + ><))))*> Matthew 5:27-32

Your words today,
O Lord Jesus through
St. Paul are so refreshing,
so reassuring of our worth
and giftedness:

Brothers and sisters: We hold this treasure in earthen vessels, that the surpassing power may be of God and not from us. We are afflicted in every way, but not constrained; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying about in the Body the dying of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our body (2 Corinthians 4:7-10).

How lovely 
are those words,
"we hold this treasure
in earthen vessels";
today as we come to close 
the week, we are reminded to
think of the "treasures" we hold
dear most in our lives;
many times we forget the many
treasures within us or in our
very lives God has given us
or shown us that have kept us
still standing all these years,
weathering the many storms that 
have come to batter us that eventually
made us more firm and strong,
most of all, fruitful; let us be mindful toda
of the many treasures you have
given us, Jesus.

Let us learn from our weaknesses
and failures, sins and mistakes
for life is always filled with many
struggles that serve not as
obstacles but opportunities
to become better
not bitter;
indeed,
life is difficult
as you have taught us
today in the gospel,
of the need to respect everyone
at all times and be faithful;
through the intercession of
St. Anthony of Padua who is invoked
for lost items,
help us find our treasures in you,
Jesus.
Amen.

“Here I am! Send me.”

Lord My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Thursday after Pentecost, Feast of Our Lord Jesus Christ, 
the Eternal High Priest, 12 June 2025
Isaiah 6:1-4, 8     <'{{{{><  +  ><}}}}'>     John 17:1-2, 9, 14-16

*Photo by author, Cabo de Roca, Pundaquit, San Antonio, Zambales, 14 May 2025.*

Lord Jesus Christ,
our Eternal High Priest
who called and sent us 
to continue your work of love
and mercy into this world
so broken by pride and selfishness,
personal interests and evil schemes,
continue to pray for us,
to consecrate us to your truth
so we may continue to make you known
in this world that refuses to 
recognize you
accept you
and worship you.

So much decadence has been
going with us these past six months
especially in our Senate:
we have put into office inept and
corrupt lawmakers who shamelessly
disregard the rule of law especially
the welfare of the people,
taking on themselves a wrong
sense of authority based on power
and personal whims instead of
seeing it as a sharing in your
rule meant to keep justice
and peace among us;
decadence has come upon us
all when pride is something to 
be proud of,
when persons and sexuality
are redefined to suit each one's
inclination disregarding God's
original design so that love and
life may flourish amid our differences;
our family is disintegrating
while our society is decaying
127 years since our Independence;
what a mess we are into,
Lord Jesus.

To whom shall we go,
Lord Jesus?
You have the words of life
but many times the problems
and darkness we are into
even with our personal lives
are so enormous;
we have been so detached
from you that is why we have been
far from each other too;
on this Feast of your Eternal Priesthood,
remind us of our share in your Priesthood,
of our being a priest,
a bridge,
a link with others
in you and through you;
let us imitate you Jesus
in your gentleness and mercy,
kindness and love;
many times Lord we forget
these qualities are already in us,
our giftedness in becoming like you
because you are our perfect mediator
with the Father,
our Eternal High Priest who became
like us so that we can become
like YOU.

When Jesus had said this, he raised his eyes to heaven and said this, “Father, the hour has come. Give glory to your son, so that your son may glorify you, just as you gave him authority over all people, so that he may give eternal life to all you gave him… I gave them your word, and the world hated them, because they do not belong to the world any more than I belong to the world. I do not ask that you take them out of the world but that you keep them from the evil one” (John 17:1-2, 14-15).

Lord Jesus,
your prayer offered for us
 since that Holy Thursday evening
remains true and sincere,
and most fulfilled in our time
as you never cease to fail in giving us
everything we need;
on this Feast of your Eternal Priesthood,
we pray that we do our share,
 our part in fulfilling that prayer
 by becoming like you,
 of being in the world
 but not of the world;
like the Prophet Isaiah,
we each one pray too
"Here I am! Send me"
to be your witness,
to be your light,
to be your presence.
Amen.

Praying to encourage others

Lord My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Wednesday, Memorial of St. Barnabas, Apostle, 11 June 2025
Acts 11:21-26, 13:1-3 <*{{{{>< + ><}}}}*> Matthew 10:7-13

Rains have started to pour,
a good news to many
and a bad news too to many more
caught in jams, floods, and
the worst of situations
in life, especially at night.
We pray, dear Jesus
you send us more "Barnabas"
whom you sent to Antioch
where your followers were first called
Christians.

… and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. When he arrived and saw the grace of God, he rejoiced and encouraged them all to remain faithful to the Lord in firmness of heart, for he was a good man, filled with the Holy Spirit and faith… Then he went to Tarsus to look for Saul, and when he had found him he brought him to Antioch (Acts 11:22-24, 25-26).

On this memorial of your Apostle
Barnabas whose name
means "son of encouragement",
teach us to be like him
filled with the Holy Spirit
and faith in God,
searching for those in the worst
situations in life like Saul at that
time who was so ashamed
to join the disciples because of
his sinful past;
like Barnabas,
may we encourage others
to hope and look forward
to better days in Christ,
to trust in your mercy and
forgiveness,
to take every moment a chance
to be converted;
in this world that had shrunk
into a global village,
how sad that more and more
are getting discouraged
than encouraged
when we look more into the dark
dismal side of life than to its
brighter and even colorful and joyful
realities found in you, Lord,
the kingdom of God in our midst.
Amen.

*Photos by Ms. Ria De Vera in Delia, Alberta, Canada, 03 June 2025.

Yes & No, Salt & Light

Lord My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Tuesday in the Tenth Week of Ordinary Time, Year I, 10 June 2025
2 Corinthians 1:18-22 <*[[[[>< + ><]]]]*> Matthew 5:13-16

*Photo by Valeria Boltneva on Pexels.com*

What a great way to resume
the Ordinary Time this Tuesday,
Lord Jesus Christ as your words 
today invite us to examine 
some of the most "ordinary" things
in life we take for granted.

Brothers and sisters: As God is faithful, our word to you is not “yes” and “no.” For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was proclaimed to you by us, Silvanus and Timothy and me, was not “yes” and “no,” but “yes” has been in him (2 Corinthians 1:18-19).

Many times in our answers
of yes or no we cannot even make
a clear stand in you, Jesus;
like Paul,
give us the strength and courage
to mean "yes" in you, Jesus;
let our "yes"
to your gospel,
to your love and justice,
to your kindness and forgiveness
be a resounding "Amen"
in Christ, without any reservations,
without ifs nor buts
but a firm "yes, Lord!"

Teach to become
the salt of the earth bringing out
the flavor and goodness
of every person like what salt
does to our food;
at the same time,
let your light shine in us,
Jesus, to bring out the light,
the beautiful colors of every person
around us with our witnessing
to you, Jesus.
Amen.

*From The Fatima Tribune, Red Wednesday 2024.*

Resuming Ordinary Time by devoting ourselves to prayer with Mary

Lord My Chef Daily Recipe by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Monday, Feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church, 09 June 2025
Acts 1:12-14 <*{{{{>< <*{{{{>< + ><}}}}*> ><}}}}*> John 19:25-27

*Painting by El Greco, “Pentecostes” (1597) from commons.wikimedia.org.*

Praise and glory to you,
Lord Jesus in inspiring the Church
in its most recent celebration of
the Feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary,
Mother of the Church every Monday
after Pentecost when we resume
Ordinary Time; it is so right and fitting
that after your return to heaven,
you send us to the world to continue
your work of salvation by being rooted
in you in prayer,
not just by ourselves
but with Mary your Mother,
your first disciple,
the first doer of your word,
the first to receive you, 
Jesus the Christ.

Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet…Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James son of Alphaeus, and Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James. All these devoted themselves with one accord to prayer, together with some women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers (Acts 1:12, 13-14).

*Icon of Mary “Mater Ecclesiae” (Mother of the Church) in St. Peter’s Square from opusdei.org.*

Since the very start of the Church,
you have always been with her,
truly her Mother being the
Body of Christ your Son;
all your life,
you have devoted yourself
into prayer as a communion
in Jesus Christ which is essentially
what discipleship is - prayer!

As we resume the Ordinary Time,
teach us Mother Mary to remain in
union with Jesus in prayer:

let us be one with Jesus your Son
to make our joy complete 
not only in listening and receiving
his word but most especially
in doing his words;

let us be one with Jesus your Son
for us to persevere in our sorrows
by finding him always in every suffering
by embracing his Cross;

let us be one with Jesus your Son
so that glory and victory may not
inflate our ego, 
realizing everything
is for God's greater glory;

let us be one with Jesus your Son
for us to remain in his light of the
Holy Spirit in this time 
we are engulfed in darkness of sin 
and materialism,
pride and power,
vanity and self-centeredness.

*Photo by author, Sacred Heart Novitiate, Novaliches, Quezon City, 20 March 2025.*

O most Blessed Virgin Mary,
Mother of the Church,
Mother of Christ
and our Mother too,
be our companion in this
long journey in Ordinary Time,
knowing Jesus,
loving Jesus,
following Jesus,
always leading and pointing
others to Jesus
to be like Jesus.
Amen.