40 Shades of Lent by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II Tuesday in the First Week of Lent, 24 February 2026 Isaiah 55:10-11 + + + Matthew 6:7-15
Photo by author, somewhere in the SCTEx, November 2018.
Today I borrow the words of your servant, Lord Jesus Christ, the late Fr. John Main, OSB who wrote that "The meaning of life is the mystery of Love. Just as the roots of trees hold firm in the soil, so it is the roots of love that hold the ground of our being together."
Keep me rooted in you, God our Father; keep me rooted in your love in Jesus Christ your Son; water and nourish me with your words of life so I may grow tall, spread my branches, bloom and bear fruit to share your love and kindness and mercy with others; keep me rooted in you, Lord, strong and firm to weather the harshest storms and summer in life, still full of sap, still full of life.
Lord Jesus, you have given me with so much and I have given so little; teach me to give more of myself to you so I can give more of you and of your love to others. Amen.
40 Shades of Lent by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II First Sunday in Lent-A, 22 February 2026 Genesis 2:7-9, 3:1-7 + Romans 5:12-19 + Matthew 4:1-11
Photo from earth.com.
We now live in a world so noisy with many voices competing for our attention. Everybody is talking including cars and elevators, phones and gadgets and apps with names Siri and Alexa. So often, it is from these competing voices come our temptations in life, too.
In his first Lenten Message, Pope Leo XIV invites us to listen more to the word of God in order to be converted anew to Him. He said it so well that “The willingness to listen is the first way we demonstrate our desire to enter into a relationship with someone.”
Very true! And the question this first Sunday in Lent asks us is, whose voice do I follow? Because the voice we listen most is likely the one we prefer or love most – in fact, it could be the voice of the one we keep a relationship with!
That is the tragic truth of the story of the fall of Adam and Eve in the first reading today – they listened more to the voice of the devil signified by the serpent than to God who warned them not to eat the forbidden fruit.
And that continues to happen every day in our lives! That is why to sin is not merely to turn away from God but actually a refusal to love because sin is rejecting a relationship with God to whom we must listen to. This we see today in Matthew’s version of the temptations of Christ in the desert.
At that time Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. He fasted for forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was hungry. The tempter approached and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command that these stones become loaves of bread.” He said in reply, “It is written: One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:1-4).
Detail of “The Temptation of Jesus According to St. Matthew” on the wall of St. Mark’s Cathedral in Venice, Italy. Photo from psephizo.com.
Right at the start, Jesus made it clear by quoting the Sacred Scriptures, the word of God, that “One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.”
Jesus, the Word who became flesh to live among us tells us clearly today that same truth. God’s word is life when He created everything by just speaking. Any voice that leads to destruction is from the devil, the father of fake news. And the devil’s biggest lie we must always avoid is making and having things easily. See how until now every fake news is always about “instants” like instant food and health, instant solution to everything without realizing its sinful effects as well as side effects that may actually harm us more.
Listening is an art because it teaches us to be patient, to wait and most of all, to persevere which leads us to perfection and excellence. Haste always makes waste. When we listen, we become patient, choosing to wait than take shortcuts or get instants that avoid difficulties and hardships like gambling to be wealthy without working, or cheating to pass exams without learning as well as freedom without responsibilities.
Then the devil took him to the holy city, and made him stand on then parapet of the temple, and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down. For it is written: ‘He will command is angels concerning you’ and ‘with their hands they will support you, lest you dash your foot against a stone.'” Jesus answered him, “Again, it is written, You shall not put the Lord your God to the test” (Matthew 4:5-7).
Photo by author, Domiican Hills, Baguio City, January 2019.
More than an art, listening is a virtue because it demands silence which is a fullness wherein we are able to listen and distinguish every voice and sound so that we may choose which to listen to and follow.
The word “listen” is the palindrome of “silent” – we listen best in silence to hear God, others and our very selves.
When we learn to be silent, we also become more trusting because when we trust, we speak less and listen more. The most silent people are the also the most trusting. When we trust, we wait and avoid shortcuts and instants.
The voice of God stirs our inner self, not just our senses because His voice leads us to deeper realities and meanings in life. Remember that Jesus eventually fed more than five thousand people from just five loaves of bread and two pieces of fish when He saw them already prepared inside their hearts and soul; when Jesus felt them more open to God than to the world, then He gave them bread and fish for their stomach.
Notice how the devil’s temptation to Jesus continues among us with those voices calling us to overly assert ourselves, to be influencers and clout chasers or content creators to be praised and followed by everyone when actually is all about wealth and money, and of course, power. It is the voice of control and manipulation. How sad that many of us gobble their lies completely, consuming everything, filling ourselves even with trash.
The voice of God calls us to sacrifice, to bear pains and sufferings not to be overburdened in life but for us to see God especially among those mostly in need like the poor and marginalized. Often, the voice of God is the softest and tiniest in our hearts calling us to simply trust Him by doing the simplest things like smiling to strangers, easing the pain of those lonely and sad, giving bread to the poor and hungry. Listening to the silence of God enables us to trust Him more that we learn to share and forget ourselves. Then, we grow and mature truly as persons.
Then the devil took him up to a very high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in their magnificence, and he said to him, “All these I shall give you, if you will prostrate yourself and worship me.” At this, Jesus said to him, “Get away, Satan! It is written: The Lord, your God, shall you worship and him alone shall you serve.” Then the devil left him and, behold, angels came and ministered to him (Matthew 4:8-11).
Again, we go back to Pope Leo XIV’s Lenten Message about listening as “the first way we demonstrate our desire to enter into a relationship with someone.”
Don’t you feel sad at the sight of today’s everyday life where everyone has something in their ears, whether the tiny earpods or the headset/headphone?
What used to be insane like talking by one’s self has now become a status symbol as everyone looks crazy speaking by themselves through modern devices amid a crowd while walking or seated anywhere conversing to somebody at the other end of their lines unmindful, oblivious of the persons around them. May sariling mundo.
Many these days have created their own worlds and universe with them at its center through our new Baal, the cellphone – the very first thing everyone is looking for after waking up and the last thing in everyone’s hand before sleeping. How sad many among us today practically live in social media. What is most tragic is that all these modern means of communications were invented to bring us closer together when in fact, the more we have grown apart from each others! We are not only polarized as people but even separated from God.
The third temptation of the devil to Jesus continues with us today with all those voices telling us to forget God and morality and truth so that we become popular by being viral and trending. It is the biggest scam and fake news of all by the devil – of us being the “master” to rule and have world with all of its luxuries and power. The voice seems harmless, as if asserting our true selves but actually destroys our being and relationships with God, with others and eventually with our very selves.
Lent is an inside journey into our hearts, of finding Jesus anew inside our hearts where He dwells. St. Paul tells us in the second reading how Jesus brought us back to God, to grace and salvation.
Lord Jesus Christ, help us not to harden our hearts today so that we may listen anew to Your voice within us to find our way back to God, to peace and to fulfillment in ourselves and in one another.Amen. Have a blessed week ahead!
Photo by author, Carmel of the Holy Family Monastery, Guiguinto, Bulacan, 22 January 2026.
40 Shades of Lent by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II Friday After Ash Wednesday, 20 February 2026 Isaiah 58:1-9 +++ Matthew 9:14-15
Photo by author, Sacred Heart Novitiate, Novaliches, QC, March 2024.
God our loving Father,
thank you for this
blessed season in Lent;
grant me the true spirit
of fasting,
of emptying my self
of my pride and sins
to be filled with your Spirit,
with your word,
with your love and justice;
in my fasting
and self-emptying,
help me create a space within
that shall restore
my broken relationships
with you,
with others,
and even with my true self.
This, rather, is the fasting that I wish: Releasing those bound unjustly, untying the thongs of the yoke; setting free the appressed, breaking every yoke… Then your light shall break forth like the dawn, and your wound shall quickly be healed; your vindication shall go before you, and the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard. Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer, you shall cry for help, and he will say: Here I am! (Isaiah 58:6, 8-9)
Show me, Lord Jesus those "bonds of injustice" and "thongs of the yoke" you are calling me to undo; it is so easy to identify the many injustices and oppression happening in the society that are indications of the very inequalities I do against my family members, to those in my close circle of friends and those around me.
Let me fast, Lord, according to your desire and design that is to make you present among us so that whenever anyone would cry to you for help, they may hear through me your voice and presence, "Here I am!"
Lord Jesus Christ, you have given me with so much and I have given you with so little; teach me to give more of myself, more of my time, most especially, more of you in me. Amen.
Photo by author, Sacred Heart Novitiate, Novaliches, QC, March 2024.
40 Shades of Lent by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II Thursday after Ash Wednesday, 19 February 2026 Deuteronomy30:15-20 +++ Luke 9:22-25
Can my life, or life itself be separated from you, my God?
Then he said to all, "If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it" (Luke 9:23-24).
As I immerse myself to your words today, Jesus, I remember so many occasions when I was younger always trying to save my life, simply clinging to my life, or asserting my life, that's when I lost in every count: it seems to me now that when we are young - and strong - we choose ourselves more, insist on ourselves, even shouting deep within "It's my life"...!
Sad truth is, we lost always as we felt most empty, no direction, no meaning in life. When life is too cushy, without any problems and challenges, that is when life is deep in serious trouble. It is not even life at all but felt like death!
But, Lord, I remember too that since I took that dive, when I thought less of my self, when I started following you, of losing my life for your sake, that was when I found meaning and fullness in life, when I truly save my life; it was a bumpy road, Lord - you know it very well how many times I stopped along the way to choose my own path, even dared leaving you but you were always there waiting for me, walking with me even in the opposite direction just to bring me back to you to gain my life in you.
Glory and praise to you, Lord Jesus! Your words are not just a rhetoric, nor a poetic overstatement of a guru or a teacher but actualizing words of the Son of God, our Savior and Messiah; you have given me with so much and I have given you so little; teach me to give more of myself to you so that I can give myself to others by giving more of you in loving service.
Let me choose you always, Jesus, for life itself cannot be separated from you who is life yourself. Amen.
40 Shades of Lent by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II Ash Wednesday, 18 February 2026 Joel 2:12-18 +++ 2 Corinthians 5:20-6:2 +++ Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18
Lent is often portrayed as a journey of 40 days towards Easter starting today, Ash Wednesday. But deeper than a journey in time, it is a journey into the Father that starts in our hearts, deep within each one of us.
It is the season when we are invited to take time to look inside our hearts to see our true selves as sinful in order to meet God dwelling right inside us. The Prophet Joel in the first reading sets this tone of inner journey of conversion perfectly when he voiced out God’s call, speaking to us personally especially in this modern age:
“Even now, says the Lord, return to me with your whole heart, with fasting, and weeping, and mourning; rend your hearts, not your garments, and return to the Lord, your God” (Joel 2:12-13).
Photo by author, Buendia Ave., Makati City, 09 February 2026.
Very often, we are concerned about our external appearance, of how we look to other people but God sees what is in our hearts, of what is really inside us. And the path inside us is to cleanse ourselves thoroughly of the dirt and smudges of sin; hence, the imposition of ashes on our forehead.
Ash has long been a cleansing agent. Long before these modern kitchen stoves and gadgets of today, we used firewood for cooking that blackened the bottom of cooking wares. There were no Scotch Brite nor dishwasher at that time so we would mix ashes and cleanser soap then with steel wool and eskoba, we scrubbed them on the dirty kaldero and kawali until they were sparklingly beautiful again.
It is the very imagery of that cleaning of darkened pots with ash and soap the priest conveys to us when he says “Repent and believe in the gospel” while putting those ashes on our foreheads.
To repent is more than being sorry and admitting our sins but also a firm resolve to change our sinful ways, to be converted by following Jesus Christ in his Cross, by being more loving like him. In his first Lenten Message, Pope Leo XIV reminds us that “Every path to conversion begins by allowing the word of God to touch our hearts and welcoming it with a docile spirit.” He proposes three specific ways in doing this: listening, fasting and together.
Listening. The Holy Father reminds us so beautifully that “The willingness to listen is the first way we demonstrate our desire to enter into a relationship with someone.”
So true! But, so sad, too is the fact whom do we listen more these days? We live in a mass-mediated culture with so many young people practically living in the social media, taking and believing everything they read and see on their screen as the “gospel” truth that have only misled so many of us into various forms of miseries like emptiness, alienation from self and others, and even deaths.
Pope Leo explains that “Our God is one who seeks to involve us. Even today he shares with us who is in his heart. Because of this, listening to the word in the liturgy teaches us to listen to the truth of reality… In order to foster this inner openness to listening, we must allow God to listen as he does.” This is precisely the call of Jesus to us in the gospel when he repeatedly spoke of “God seeing you in secret” – God is always listening to us but do we listen to him?
In order to truly listen to God, first we must learn his language which is silence. See how the word “silent” is a palindrome of “listen” which is the reason why we have two ears so that we may listen more than speak. Remember also the shape of our ears – when placed together they form a heart because listening is not letting the words pass through the other ear nor keep in one’s head to understand but meant to bring down into our hearts so we can be more loving and kind, leading to oneness and bonding with the other persons.
Here we can adopt the suggestions of the CBCP that we fast this Lent on social media: no more cellphones before sleep and after waking up; limit social media and streaming time; observe device-free meals and gatherings; replace screen time with prayer and making time to be with others personally.
Photo by author, Sacred Heart Novitiate, Novaliches, QC, March 2025.
Fasting. According to Pope Leo, “fasting is a concrete way to prepare ourselves to receive the word of God.” He explains that “because it involves the body, fasting makes it easier to recognize what we ‘hunger’ for and what we deem necessary for our sustenance. Moreover, it helps us identify and order our ‘appetites,’ keeping our hunger and thirst for justice alive and freeing us from complacency.”
Again, let us use our Filipino language in understanding fasting and abstinence as well. Fasting is linked with abstaining from food. For us Filipinos, the most common practice of fasting and abstinence is avoiding meat like no meat on Fridays; meat in Filipino is laman. Therefore, when we say “no meat” it literally means walang laman which means empty in Filipino. It is when we are empty of ourselves that we become filled with God and his word, eventually of others especially the sick and suffering.
In a very interesting way, Pope Leo XIV invites us beginning this Lent to fast with our “tongue”: “Let us begin by disarming our language, avoiding harsh words and rash judgment, refraining from slander and speaking ill of those who are not present and cannot defend themselves. Instead, let us strive to measure our words and cultivate kindness and respect in our families, among our friends, at work, in social media, in political debates, in the media and in Christian communities. In this way, words of hatred will give way to words of hope and peace.”
Together. Finally, the Holy Father sums up that listening and fasting must both lead to the common good, the unity of peoples because “conversion refers not only to one’s conscience, but also to the quality of our relationships and dialogue. It means allowing ourselves to be challenged by reality and recognizing what truly guides our desires” not only as a community but especially in our “thirst for justice and reconciliation”.
Again, our Filipino word for listening says it all: pakikinig leads to pagniniig or intimacy which is oneness, communion, and bonding. True conversion leads to communion that begins with reconciliation as St. Paul called on us today in the second reading, “We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. Behold, now is a very acceptable time; behold, now is the day of salvation (1Cor. 5:20,6:2).”
As we receive the ash on our foreheads today, let us have moments of silence to listen to God’s voice we have stifled in our hearts, let us fast from talking and scrolling, and together we help each other to truly journey inside our true selves to meet God this Lent. To meet God is to die into one’s self, one’s sins, one’s selfishness as well dying literally speaking which the old formula of imposition of ash solemnly declares, “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”
Let’s face it: it is the reality of death that we have often tried to deny and escape in life that have kept our hearts consumed with all these distractions in modern life that have led us into sins and meaninglessness. Let us start anew today in Christ Jesus to find ourselves and God within our hearts. Amen. A blessed Ash Wednesday to you!
Lord My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II Tuesday, Sixth Week in Ordinary Time, Year II, 17 February 2026 James 1:12-18 <*((((>< + ><))))*> Mark 8:14-21
Photo by author, San Juan, La Union, 09 January 2026.
Help me understand, Lord Jesus! Until now like your Apostles, I grapple and still baffled by your immense love for me, your boundless care and grace that most of the time I still don't get what you mean when you speak to me.
How I see myself seated there in your boat, side by side with the Twelve, thinking along the same line, still could not get your point vis-a-vis your recent gifts and blessings.
No one experiencing temptation should say, “I am being tempted by God”; for God is not subject to temptation to evil, and he himself tempts no one. Rather, each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his desire. Then desire conceives and brings forth sin, and when sin reaches maturity it gives birth to death. Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers and sisters: all good giving and every perfect gift is from above coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is not alteration or shadow caused by change (James 1:13-17).
This is another thing that must be clarified among us, Lord Jesus: God tests us but never tempts us!
God tests us, allows us to be tested to strengthen our faith, to make us grow and mature as persons dependent in him; temptations are pressures and enticements to lure us into sin, to disobey God that comes from many sources like pride and selfishness, the world and its comforts, and the devil himself.
This is the leaven of the Pharisees we must take guard against always, Lord Jesus; keep us focused on you alone, clear me of doubts and self-serving interests, to be always open to you by sharpening my perception of your loving presence. Amen.
Photo by author, San Juan, La Union, 09 January 2026.
Lord My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II Monday, Sixth Week in Ordinary Time, Year II, 16 February 2026 James 1:1-11 ><))))*> + ><))))*> + ><))))*> Mark 8:11-13
Photo by author, Tagaytay City, February 2023.
Let me be focused on you alone, Lord Jesus: like many others today who are facing trials and difficulties, when a lot of situations and people are testing my patience and endurance; grant us the courage and wisdom, and perseverance in seeking your wisdom.
But he should ask in faith, not doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed about by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord, since he is a man of two minds, unstable in all his ways (James 1:6-8).
How sad, dear Jesus, when storms come in our lives, we often lose our focus on you; instead of praying and strengthening our inner self and will, that is when we waste time with our various coping mechanisms that do nothing to help us solve our problems but even worsen them; keep us centered in you alone, Lord - convinced and contented not like the Pharisees who keep on asking your for signs despite they have seen all your works. Amen.
Lord My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II Thursday, Fifth Week in Ordinary Time, Year II, 12 February 2026 1 Kings 11:4-13 ><))))*> + ><))))*> + ><))))*> Mark 7:24-30
Photo by author, Mt. St. Paul Retreat House, La Trinidad, Benguet, February 2020.
Lord Jesus Christ, help me find my way back home to you again; I am like King Solomon at this stage: lost and empty, confused despite being wise in world's standards; like Solomon, I have been ruled by my emotions and many other considerations as I rationalise everything that have all led me to sin and bad behavior; grant me O Lord Jesus that wisdom found in your way of the Cross where truth and goodness reign.
Lord Jesus Christ, grant me humility that leads to intimacy in you wherein I find my true place in life and in society like that Syrophoenician woman who begged you to heal her daughter; what a beautiful image of your love for us, finding us, going where we are; how blessed are we like that pagan woman who recognized you, Jesus, passing through a foreign land!
Help us regain the wisdom of Solomon of knowing and doing what is true and good while remaining humble and sincere like the Syrophoenician woman. Amen.
Photo by author, Mt. St. Paul Retreat House, La Trinidad, Benguet, February 2020.
Lord My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II Wednesday, Memorial of Our Lady of Lourdes & World Day of Sick, 11 February 2026 Isaiah 66:10-14 ><}}}}*> + ><}}}}*> + ><}}}}*> John 2:1-11
Photo by Architect Philip Santiago, Lourdes, France, October 2025.
Praise and glory to you O God, our loving and merciful Father who has given us a wonderful and most kind Mother in Mary the Blessed Virgin through Jesus Christ your Son.
From the beginning since Jesus Christ began his ministry to our present time, the Blessed Virgin Mary has always been with Jesus showing us your great signs of presence, of generosity, and of life first anticipated at the wedding feast at Cana.
On the third day there was a wedding in Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus and his disciples were also invited to the wedding. When the wine ran short, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.” Jesus said to her, “Woman, how does your concern affect me? My hour has not yet come.” His mother said to the servers, “Do whatever he tells you.” Jesus told them, “Fill the jars with water” (John 2:1-5, 7).
Photo by Architect Philip Santiago, Lourdes, France, October 2025.
How wonderful to recall and meditate on this first miracle of Jesus of turning water into wine at the wedding feast at Cana through the intercession of his Mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Through Mary, your abundant blessings, O God, have continued to overflow upon us even after she is now with you and Jesus as Queen of heaven and earth.
How true were your words to the Prophet Isaiah that you shall send Israel a mother who shall comfort us, a mother in whom you shall spread prosperity and blessings (Isaiah 66:10-14).
How lovely that more than 1800 years after Cana, another miracle happened anew using the same element of water through Mary in Lourdes, France; how amazing in both Cana and Lourdes, Jesus asserted water as the primordial element of life and symbol of humanity; most amazing Lord Jesus that since that miracle at Cana, your life continues to overflow upon us through Mary your Mother and our Mother too in Lourdes, France.
Photo by Architect Philip Santiago, Lourdes, France, October 2025.
Like the servers at Cana, Mary told the young St. Bernadette at Lourdes to dig on earth so water may burst forth as spring, like life coming out of the womb of the earth; until now, that spring has been the source of many healings and other miracles among generations of peoples from all walks of life and nations; these waters of Lourdes remain as symbols of fruitfulness and of healing, of maternity in Mary who cares most to us and the sick in Jesus our Savior.
Give us the grace, dear Jesus the gifts of purity and cleanliness in our hearts so that we may become like Mary at Cana and Lourdes, a vessel of your healing and compassion especially for the sick of the world.
Grant us, dear Jesus, the gift of listening and docility like the servers in Cana and St. Bernadette in Lourdes to always "do whatever you tell us." Amen.
Photo by Architect Philip Santiago, Lourdes, France, October 2025.
Lord My Chef Daily Recipe for Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II Tuesday, Memorial of St. Scholastica, Virgin, 10 February 2026 1 Kings 8:22-23, 27-30 ><]]]]’> + ><]]]]’> + ><]]]]’> Mark 7:1-13
Photo by author, Museo de Valenzuela’s replica of “Arkong Bato” with the pointed facade of the National Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima as background, 21 January 2026.
How true were the words of your great King and Servant Solomon, O God our mighty Father, that nothing like "the heavens and the highest heavens" can contain you much less the temple he had built or anything that we have in this time; yet, you have promised us to hear our prayers when we come to pray to you, to call on you in temples and churches human hands have made that are not enough to have you.
Forgive us, Lord, when we try to "contain" you, "keep" you in specific places not just churches and temples and oratories; most of all, forgive us, Lord, when we lack the reverence and intimacy we must have with you when inside the church and other sacred places; Jesus' words in today's gospel cuts us to the heart of our hypocrisies, "This people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me; in vain do they worship me, teachings as doctrines human precepts" (Mark 7:6).
O dear Jesus present in the Blessed Tabernacle, empty me of my pride so that You may reign in my heart always. Amen.
Photo by author, Chapel of the Carmel of the Holy Family Monastery, Guiguinto, Bulacan, 23 January 2026.
lordmychef.com 