The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II Wednesday in the Thirty-Second Week of Ordinary Time, Year II, 13 November 2024 Titus 3:1-7 ><))))*> + ><))))*> + ><))))*> Luke 17:11-19
Photo by author, 20 August 2024, St. Scholastica Retreat House, Tagaytay City.
“For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, deluded, slaves to various desires and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful ourselves and hating one another” (Titus 3:3).
What a beautiful reminder by St. Paul to his co-worker in the Lord, Titus, and to us in this modern age; Oh, how often are we all foolish, disobedient, and deluded, too?
That word struck me today, Lord: deluded which is to suffer from delusion which is to believe in something not true! And that's the great tragedy in these days of modern communications when information is easily accessible, when facts can be quickly verified if true or not but, why do we remain deluded that St. Paul rightly noted, we are "hateful ourselves, hating one another"?
Proof? Our being ungrateful. Our refusal to express gratitude like the nine lepers cleansed of leprosy by Jesus; only one, a Samaritan returned to Jesus and thanked Him for the healing: forgive us Jesus when so often in life it is easier for us to believe in things not true at all than to accept and embrace simple truths in life like that we are loved, that we are good, that You believe in us; clear us of our built-in biases against ourselves that delude us and blur our vision of others; teach us to be more appreciative of simple joys and pleasures in life.
The Lord Is My Chef Sunday Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II Thirty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle B, 10 November 2024 1 Kings 17:10-16 ><}}}}*> Hebrews 9:24-28 ><}}}}*> Mark 12:38-44
Our Sunday readings are so lovely, so picturesque where you find in both first reading and gospel the character of a poor widow standing side by side with great men of faith in God as the main focus, the Prophet Elijah and Christ Jesus, respectively.
In the first reading, we find humorously the Prophet Elijah asking for water, then some bread from a widow gathering sticks outside her home in Zarephath.
Elijah said to her, “Do not be afraid… For the Lord, the God of Israel, says, ‘The jar of flour shall not go empty, nor the jug of oil run dry, until the day when the Lord sends rain upon the earth.'” She left and did as Elijah had said. She was able to eat for a year, and he and her son as well; The jar of flour did not go empty, nor the jug of oil run dry, as the Lord had foretold through Elijah (1 Kings 17:13, 14-16).
Elijah had fled Israel after proclaiming a drought because the people turned away from God to worship baals or false gods brought by the wife of King Ahab, Queen Jezebel. God then directed Elijah to Zarephath outside the city of Sidon to hide where the king was the father of his archenemy, Queen Jezebel!
Imagine Elijah hiding in the most hostile place of all with a pagan widow who worshipped baal so denounced by him. But, here is a marvelous story of faith of Elijah who trusted God completely in obeying Him to move to the pagan region ruled by his enemies. Similar was the faith of the pagan widow who surprisingly believed Elijah and God’s power that she did not mind putting her life and her son’s at risk in harboring their enemy. Their admirable faith both remind us how God accomplishes His great acts of mercy and love when we surrender ourselves totally to Him.
Photo by author, Wailing Wall of Jerusalem, May 2019.
Nine hundred years later after Elijah, we had Jesus in Jerusalem like the prophet in a very hostile place and situation too – in the Temple that was the very domain of His enemies. This was the Holy Week after Jesus had entered Jerusalem on Palm Sunday leading to Good Friday.
And like Elijah who approached a widow worshipper of baal, Jesus dared to sit at the temple area after harshly castigating the scribes there:
He sat down opposite the treasury and observed how the crowd put money into the treasury. Many rich people put in large sums. A poor widow also came and put in two small coins worth a few cents. Calling his disciples to himself, he said to them, “Amen, I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all the other contributors to the treasury. For they have all contributed from their surplus wealth, but she, from her poverty, has contributed all she had, all her livelihood” (Mark 12:41-44).
Jesus sat down opposite the treasury and observed how the crowd put money into the treasury.
Throughout this week, that scene of Jesus seated at the Temple had so absorbed me. What was Mark trying to tell us in reporting this? Jesus seated at the temple opposite the treasury observing the crowd is something else.
See the genius of Mark in weaving this Sunday’s gospel scene: right after castigating the corrupt leaders of Israel who were affiliated with the temple, Mark segued into this poor widow dropping some coins into the treasury box. In ancient Israel, the poor like the widows were not required to give those contributions. In a stroke of genius, Mark tells us something is wrong in this scene which Jesus rightly attacked because that widow was one of those widows whose house was devoured by the scribes!
“The Widow’s Mite” painting by French painter James Tissot, from brooklynmuseum.org.
And Mark never intended the story only for the Christians of his time but also for us as we have continued in the Church that malpractice by priests and scribes of Jerusalem. Woe to us priests and bishops who go around in “long robes and accept greetings, seats of honor” and worst of all, “devour houses of widows”, forgetting the poor, preferring always to be with the rich and powerful that social media attest.
Like Zarephath and the Jerusalem Temple, there is Jesus sitting in the middle of our Church under attack on all fronts and within in order to be closer with us especially the widows and the poor who are victims of an unjust society and systems perpetrated by same men and women supposed to be servants of God, or, at least men and women of God.
Photo by author, July 2024.
That image of Jesus seated at the Temple opposite the treasury was in fact a reminder of His being the victim too of injustice in the temple like the poor widow, of His Crucifixion on Good Friday. In fact, the 30 pieces of silver the priests have paid Judas Iscariot to betray Jesus must have come from that treasury.
In the midst of the hostilities and hurts, the divisions and abuses of power by priests and lay alike, in the Jerusalem Temple then and now in our Church, there has always been Jesus sitting among us, observing our offerings after first offering Himself for us all as our perfect High Priest (second reading) who finally freed us from these injustices and inhumanity of the past.
That is why I love this scene so much.
More than tithing, Jesus tells us this Sunday that like that generous heart of the poor widow, despite her plight, she continued to give because she believed, she hoped, most of all, she loved God. She need not give but still insisted because the treasury was for the upkeep of the temple, the very house of God, therefore, for God Himself.
There are times I hurt deep inside for the pains of the many scandals some priests and bishops have caused the Church but I choose to remain, even to sit in this Church or be a victim like Jesus amid all these because I love Jesus. Yes, amid all these sorrows, there is one “first” I see above all, Jesus Christ. This is concretization of last Sunday’s “which is the first of the commandments” – God who is love above all!
Jesus is telling us this Sunday through the poor widow that it is recognizing God in us and in one another that matters, and that is why we give at all.
Photo by author, 2022.
If we love God, if we find God in us and in others, when we find Jesus seated among us, then we realize we are the Church, we are the Temple we love. The moment we realize this, the more we feel at home “sitting with Jesus in the temple”, then we start giving totally because we love as well as know for a fact that whatever we give is actually what we receive from God in Jesus.
Why give so little? Give all, give everything because you never have anything to begin with! Everything is from God. That is why it is in giving that we truly receive. In every Mass, we do not give anything except our mere presence that is not even complete and yet, we get abundant blessings, primarily Jesus Christ whom we receive wholly, Body and Blood.
In every Mass we celebrate, we sit with Jesus in the midst of this inhospitable world we live in, even right in the church we love and hate sometimes. We do not give up. We persevere because we believe, we trust, we hope. Most of all, we love like Elijah and Jesus and believe like the poor widows of Zarephath and Jerusalem Temple. Amen. Have a blessed week ahead!
Lawiswis ng Salita ni P. Nicanor F. Lalog II, Ika-7 ng Nobyembre 2024
First time ko sa Dumaguete City.
Kabilin-bilinan ng mommy ko noong bata pa ako na basta first time ko saan mang lugar, una kong pupuntahan ang simbahan.
Kaya kanina pagdatng dito sa Dumaguete, una kong hinanap ang simbahan kahit ako ay nagugutom na. Nakakatuwa may kasabay din kaming mga panauhin at iyon din ang pakay nila bagamat inuna ang sikmura bago bumaba ang sugar.
Pagdating doon sa Katedral ni Santa Catherine ng Alexandria, ito ang eksenang bumungad sa akin.
Noong bata pa ako, magkahalong takot at pagkamangha aking nadarama tuwing isasama ako ng aking lola sa Quiapo at makakita ng maraming ganito magdasal – lumalakad ng paluhod.
Sa paglipas ng panahon, unti-unti nang nawala mga eksenang ito hanggang sa makakita ako muli kanina sa katedral ng Dumaguete.
Kay sarap pagmasdan at pagnilayan yaong mama na lumakad paluhod sa kanyang pagrorosaryo.
Sa panahong ito ng social media na lahat gusto siya ang bida, nawala na itong pagluhod na tanda ng pagpapakababa sa Diyos na higit na dakila sa lahat.
Ni hindi na rin nga alam ng karamihan ang pag-genuflect o pagluhod ng isang tuhod o “one-hod” kung aking tawagin bago pumasok ng upuan ng simbahan o “pew” tanda ng pag galang at pagkilala sa kasagraduhan ng lunan.
Ilang taon na nakakalipas pinuna ni Obispo Soc Villegas ang nawawalang gawi ng pagluhod ng mga tao; sa halip aniya, tayo ay nagiging “clap generation” – dinaraan ang lahat sa palakpakan. Sabi nga sa akin kamakailan ng isang kaibigan hindi raw niya maintindihan mga pari na magsasabi lang ng amen ay magpapalakpakan nang walang humpay mga tao. “I cannot”, eka niya.
Nanalangin ako ng ilang sandali sa katedral ng Dumaguete ng nakaluhod bago tumayo upang magtanghalian. Para na kasi akong nanghihina…
Hindi ba isang kabalintunaan kung pagninilayan, ang pagluhod ay tanda rin ng lakas ng katawan at tatag ng kalooban? Bakit nga ba tayo ngayon, sa dami ng mga gamot at pagkain, tila mahina pa rin, hindi na makaluhod para manalangin? Gaya nung mama na aking nakita, tila napakalakas pa rin niya at kayang-kaya pa ring lumakad paluhod.
O, iyon ding pagluhod niya ng madalas ang sa kanya nagpalakas?
Kasabay ko siya natapos sa pagdarasal. Hindi ko na siya kinunan ng larawan taglay kanyang aral ng kababaang-loob sa Diyos. At sa kapwa. Oras nang lumuhod. Amen.
The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II Wednesday in the Thirty-first Week of Ordinary Time, Year II, 06 November 2024 Philippians 2:12-18 ><]]]]'> + ><]]]]'> + ><]]]]'> Luke 14:25-33
Photo by author, Fatima Ave., Valenzuela City, 25 July 2024.
Grant me, dear Jesus the serenity and composure of St. Paul: so peaceful, so dignified, so free in the face of death.
Do everything without grumbling or questioning, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine like lights in the world, as you hold on to the word of life… But, even if I am poured out as a libation upon the sacrificial service of your faith, I rejoice and share my joy with all of you. In the same way you also should rejoice and share your joy with me (Philippians 2:14-16, 17-18).
Many times O Lord the burdens are too heavy and unbearable, with pains and suffering so overwhelming that I really wonder if I would make any difference at all; but, you are always here present in the "nick of time" sending people reminding me of jokes I have long forgotten but still tickle them; or simple lessons I could not recall but they have kept and guided them through life; or music I made them listened to that have lingered in their heads; or books and poems that have opened their horizons.
Teach me, Jesus to renounce everything I have, empty me of my pride, of my self to be filled with you only so that I may truly shine like light in this world so at home and fascinated with neons and klieg lights that mislead them to darkness. Amen.
The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II Tuesday in the Thirty-first Week of Ordinary Time, Year II, 05 November 2024 Philippians 2:5-11 ><))))*> + ><))))*> + ><))))*> Luke 14:15-24
Photo by author somewhere in Pampanga, 17 September 2024.
One of those at table with Jesus said to him, “Blessed is the one who will dine in the Kingdom of God.” He replied to him, “A man gave a great dinner to which he invited many. When the time for the dinner came,he dispatched his servant to say to those invited, ‘Come, everything is ready.’ But one by one, they all began to excuse themselves” (Luke 14:15-18).
Forgive us, Lord Jesus Christ for our endless excuses and countless alibis in not answering your calls nor accepting your invitations; we make so many excuses and alibis, citing various reasons because we cannot be sincere enough to tell you we have other plans, we follow other gods, we believe and trust others than you, Lord.
What a shame at times, dear Jesus when our excuses and alibis do not even hold nor could stand tests and yet, you accept them so that we would not be put to shame; forgive us, Jesus, when our perception and understanding of your kingdom is something of going up, of being on high as we it in the world so magnified by social media these days; open our eyes and our hearts to see that your path has always been to go down, to be little, to be humble which is the way of Kenosis, of self-emptying. Amen.
Brothers and sisters: Have among yourselves the same attitude that is also yours in Christ Jesus, Who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God something to be grasped. Rather, he emptied himself… (Philippians 2:5-7).
Photo by author somewhere in Pampanga, 17 September 2024.
The Lord Is My Chef Sunday Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle B, 27 October 2024 Jeremiah 31:7-9 ><}}}}*> Hebrews 5:1-6 ><}}}}*> Mark 10:46-52
Photo by author, Nagsasa Cove, San Antonio, Zambales, 19 October 2024.
“Seeing” is a word with so many meanings for us. More than its literal sense of having eyesight, “seeing” is used as a metaphor like referring to understanding when we say “I see your point” or poetically as in to see with one’s heart.
Filipino mothers have a very funny, unique expressing about seeing when telling us children to look for something that if we could not find it, every Nanay fumes with a warning saying, “kapag hindi mo nakita iyan, makikita mo sa akin!”
Whatever that means, it shows “seeing” reveals to us a lot about ourselves and others, of life and most especially of God.
Illustration from linkedin.com.
As Jesus was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a sizable crowd, Bartimaeus, a blind man, the son of Timaeus, sat by the roadside begging. On hearing that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, son of David, have pity on me”… he kept calling out all the more, “Son of David, have pity on me.” Jesus stopped and said, “Call him”… Jesus said to him in reply, “What do you want me to do for you?” The blind man replied to him, “Master, I want to see.” Jesus told him, “Go your way; your faith has saved you.” Immediately he received his sight and followed him on the way (Mark 10:46-48, 49, 51-52).
See Mark’s gift in storytelling in this second crucial teaching by Jesus on discipleship sandwiched between His third prediction of His Pasch and entrance to Jerusalem.
See the contrast between James and John “wanting” fame and power by seating beside Jesus in glory and Bartimaeus “wanting” to see Jesus: the brothers were rejected after being told “you do not know what you are asking” whereas the beggar’s plea was granted after asking him “what do you want me to do for you?”
Clearly, this is about what we see in Jesus, of how ironic like James and John that we who have eyesight and closer to Jesus do not have the vision of a blind beggar like Bartimaeus asking to see more of Jesus, more of faith, more of life!
The scene has many layers so beautifully assembled together by Mark for us to see beyond our sight in order to have a clearer vision of discipleship and ultimately of God in eternal life.
On hearing that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, "Jesus, son of David, have pity on me." And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But the more he kept calling out all the more, "Son of David, have pity on me."
Photo by author, Jericho City, the Holy Land, May 2019.
Though blind, Bartimaeus “saw” Jesus, calling Him “Son of David” which is the messianic title of the coming Savior so awaited by the Jewish people. It is a title so unique among them, referred with David in the Old Testament being their greatest king and deliverer. Jeremiah tells us in the first reading today of how “the Lord has delivered his people… gathering the blind and the lame” (Jer. 31:7,8) now fulfilled in Jesus Christ.
How amazing that Bartimaeus without eyesight staying at the sides of the road of Jericho being able to “see” Jesus as his Savior, asking most especially the vision to see eternity like that man who approached Jesus two Sundays ago. The big difference is that Bartimaeus was convinced of his faith in Jesus based on what have heard about Him.
Very crucial here are the cries of Bartimaeus to Jesus as “Son of David”. See how the crowds around him tried to silence him but the more he shouted aloud to Jesus. That is more than persistence in prayer but a conviction in the very person of Jesus as Savior, as Messiah, as God, truly a Brother and a Friend.
Bartimaeus reminds us to go back to Caesarea Philippi where Jesus asked the Twelve and us everyday, “who do you that I am?” Our answer to that question is essential because it is on that conviction and faith in Jesus where our prayers and prayer life itself are essentially hinged on. Now, compare what James and John saw in Jesus last Sunday with their request and with what the blind Bartimaeus saw in asking for his sight.
When we truly know Jesus, then we know what we want from Him. Many times in life, when we feel so blinded, when everything seems so dark we could not see where we are, who our friends are, when all we can do is simply cry like Bartimaeus, whispering Jesus, Jesus… that is when we unconsciously see Him right beside us.
Photo by Dra. Mylene A. Santos, MD, Katmon Nature Sanctuary & Beach Resort, Infanta, Quezon, 2020.
As Jesus was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a sizable crowd, Bartimaeus, a blind man, the son of Timaeus, sat by the roadside begging... And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent.
See my dear friends how in this scene those traveling with Jesus looked upon Bartimaeus as an interruption on the journey to Jerusalem. It seemed like a distraction but the truth is, Jesus saw Bartimaeus as the very point itself of His journey!
We have seen this year how Jesus visited even the most unlikely places of pagan territories, of where lepers are even Samaritans to heal and speak to them. Jesus is always passing by in our lives but, are we there to meet Him?
Recall those failures and disasters that punctuated our lives, when we saw them as distractions and interruptions that have delayed and even set aside many of our plans, but, look now how those disasters were actually providential that led us to success.
When we review our lives, we see God truly writing straight with crooked lines with those countless times when He turned our failures into triumphs, sadness into joy, losses into gains. It was during those blinding moments in life when we were actually able to see clearly our selves, our family and friends, and most especially, God in Jesus Christ.
This is what the author of the Letter to the Hebrews is telling us in the second reading, of Jesus the Son of God, our eternal high priest exceedingly better and perfect than any high priest “able to deal patiently with the ignorant and erring, for he himself is beset by weakness” (Heb. 5:2). Jesus is the Son of God who transforms not only water into wine or bread into His Body but most especially us like the blind Bartimaeus into whole persons again. The key is to keep our sights on Him, to see Him more clearly so that we can follow Him closely.
Photo by Dra. Mylene A. Santos, MD, Katmon Nature Sanctuary & Beach Resort, Infanta, Quezon, 2020.
Jesus said to him in reply, "What do you want me to do for you?" The blind man replied to him, "Master, I want to see."
Jesus today is asking us too, “What do you want me to do for you?” What would our request be? What do we want? Jesus wants us to focus our sights to Him alone.
Discipleship is never about us but always Jesus, only Jesus who invites this Sunday to take a sincere look into ourselves like Bartimaeus, without alibis and excuses to root out whatever that keeps us from seeing Him truly like self-centeredness and selfishness or preoccupation with wealth and fame, or pleasures and comfort.
To see Jesus truly like Bartimaeus is to be like a child, to die into one’s self by “throwing aside” whatever we have, “springing up to come to Jesus”. That is when we discover too that the more we see Jesus, the more we realize that Jesus gives us more than what we ask Him because He is actually never far from us especially when we cry out to Him!
To see Jesus truly like Bartimaeus is to leave the sides and walk the main roads with Jesus to Jerusalem, up to His crucifixion. In doing so, we must learn to always stop for others struggling in their blindness to see Jesus too.
Most of all, to see Jesus like Bartimaeus is to keep on asking Him, “Master, I want to see” so that we keep on experiencing a new way of seeing Jesus in life’s many complexities these days that have rendered so many of us blinded by the enticing lures of the world. Amen.And, see yah! Have a new way of seeing life and others this week in Jesus!
Photo by the author, Pundaquit Mountains in San Antonio, Zambales at the back of Nagsasa Cove, 19 October 2024.
The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II Wednesday, Memorial of St. John of Capistrano, Priest, 23 October 2024 Ephesians 3:2-12 <*((((>< + ><))))*> Luke 12:39-48
Photo by author, Pampanga, September 2024.
Lord Jesus, many times I find myself like Peter asking You so often with his same question especially when things get so difficult, so trying:
Then Peter said, “Lord, is this parable meant for us or for everyone?” And the Lord replied, “Who, then, is the faithful and prudent steward whom the master will put in charge of his servants to distribute the food allowance at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master on arrival finds doing so” (Luke 12:41-42).
Forgive me, Jesus, when there are times I exclude myself from the rest, when I exempt myself from your teachings, when I unconsciously demand from You some perks and privileges for following You; let me be your faithful servant who takes care of others even if my other fellow servants are remiss of their responsibilities or worst when those You have entrusted with authority forget to be humble, throwing their weight around us, insisting on their powers.
Give me the grace, Jesus, to imitate St. Paul of ably dispensing God's grace and mystery of salvation to everyone despite the many hurts and pains that often come with it. Amen.
The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II Tuesday, Memorial of St. John Paul II, Pope, 22 October 2024 Ephesians 2:1-10 <*[[[[>< + ><]]]]*> Luke 12:35-38
Photo by author, mountain range off the coast of Nagsasa Cove, San Antonio, Zambales, 19 October 2024.
Glory to You, O God our most loving Father for this blessed Tuesday as we celebrate the Memorial of one your great servants in modern time, Saint John Paul II, the Pope who truly worked so hard to spread the Good News of Jesus Christ our Savior, especially to children and young people, to the sick and suffering.
Oh how we miss him so much most especially in his efforts to promote unity in the real sense without bending Church teachings and traditions like St. Paul who taught the unity effected by Jesus Christ:
So then you are no longer strangers and sojourners, but you are fellow citizens with the holy ones and members of the household of God, built upon the foundation of the Apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the capstone. Through him the whole structure is held together and grows into a temple sacred in the Lord; in him you also are being built together into a dwelling place of God in the Spirit (Ephesians 2:19-22).
Grant us through your Son Jesus Christ the grace to have Him always at the center of our lives and in our efforts to bridge people together despite their many differences so that we may truly build the Body of Christ here on earth.
Like St. John Paul II, let us be faithful servants, let us "gird our loins and light our lamps" awaiting your presence, Lord Jesus, of your coming among people who open themselves to building unity, to coming together in your name to promote peace and harmony not a unity for the sake of appeasing modern thoughts and trends, nor to win favors or be popular but truly standing firm in Jesus and His teachings because truly, as St. John Paul had taught us, "Unity not only embraces diversity, but is verified in diversity." Amen.
Pope John Paul II, using his crosier for support, celebrates an outdoor Mass in Slovenia, Sept. 19, 1999. (photo: Gabriel Bouys / AFP via Getty Images)
The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II Monday in the Twenty-ninth Week of Ordinary Time, Year II, 21 October 2024 Ephesians 2:1-10 <*((((>< + ><))))*> Luke 12:13-21
Photo by author, the pristine Nagsasa Cove in San Antonio, Zambales, 19 October 2024.
Your words today, O loving God through St. Paul are so refreshing, so lovely to read and hear, very reassuring especially for those of us losing hope in life, those so tired and exhausted, those about to give up; let us sing joyfully to You, O Lord, and serve You gladness!
For we are his handiwork, created in Christ Jesus for the good works God has prepared in advance, that we should live in them (Ephesians 2:10).
Everything that we have become, every good and beautiful thing we do is simply because of You, O God, at work in us, through us; what a great honor, O God You made us so good and beautiful, You brought us here, You sent us for a mission; let us be open in order to give our unconditional "YES" to Jesus Christ in faith daily so that we may do continue your work in keeping this a better and more humane world; let us give our unconditional "YES" to Jesus daily so we may experience your guidance and help in our undertakings to reflect You, dear God, so that it is You who is always found and recognized in everything we do that is true, good, and beautiful; let us not be preoccupied with so much material wealth and fame that fills us with greed unable to satisfy the deepest longings of our hearts found only in You. Amen.
Photo by author, river leading to Nagsasa Cove, San Antonio, Zambales, 19 October 2024.
The Lord Is My Chef Sunday Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle B, 20 October 2024 Isaiah 53:10-11 ><}}}}*> Hebrews 4:14-16 ><}}}}*> Mark 10:35-45
The Jewish Cemetery of Mount of Olives facing the Eastern Gate of Jerusalem where the Messiah is believed would pass through when He comes, exactly where Jesus entered on Palm Sunday over 2000 years ago (photo by author taken in May 2019).
Jesus Christ’s three predictions of His coming Passion, Death, and Resurrection punctuate Mark’s narration of the Lord’s journey to Jerusalem. They were already fast approaching Jerusalem when Jesus revealed His third prediction of His Pasch to His followers.
According to Mark, the Twelve and the crowd were “amazed and were afraid” after hearing for the third time Christ’s coming Passion, Death, and Resurrection.
Photo by author, Via Dolorosa in Jerusalem, April 2017.
And this was the prevailing mood among the followers of the Lord as they approached Jerusalem; beginning today and next Sunday, Mark reminds us of the need to have a clear sight and understanding of Jesus and His mission so that we may not be blinded by fame and glory in following Him like the brothers James and John:
James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to Jesus and said to him, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.” He replied, “What do you wish me to do for you?” They answered him, “Grant that in your glory we may sit one at your right and the other at your left.” Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking… but to sit at my right or at my left is not mine to give but is for those for whom it has been prepared” (Mark 10:35-38, 40).
Jesus said to them, "You do not know what you are asking."
Photo by author, Betania Tagaytay, 2018.
Whoa…! We might all exclaim with some indignation like the other ten Apostles upon hearing this request by James and John, two of the most intimate friends of Jesus with Simon Peter.
Were they trying to ease their worries and fears that they made the request without thinking it so well, a case of mema, me masabi lang? Or, do they really understand nothing at all of the Lord’s teachings especially last Sunday of the need to let go of our possessions to enter eternal life?
Whatever may be the reason, we could just imagine the treachery of the two who left the group behind, trying not to be noticed by the ten, and approached Jesus who was walking ahead. They have both belittled Jesus who reads the minds and the hearts of everyone. And most sad is the fact that many times, we too act like James and John.
Oh yes! We know so well of the sufferings and trials, of the “cup we have to drink and baptism we have to undergo” Jesus told the brothers. Very much like the two, we also know Christ always triumphs! Jesus never fails!
And that’s the crux of the matter here not only with James and John but with us: we bet on Jesus like in gambling casinos for we know Jesus wins all the time, hoping for some rewards following His glory.
James and John like us today believed so much in Jesus that despite His coming Passion and Death, they knew as we do that He would rise again and be King. Long before the Passion of Jesus had begun, still far from entering Jerusalem, James and John were already betting on the success and glory of Christ because they wanted a guarantee of a reward. It was a sort reminding Jesus they have always been with Him since the beginning like Peter last Sunday who bragged about having left everything to follow Him.
Are we not like them? It is the same attitude found among many of us not only in politics and government but even at home, in school and offices, or the church! Be the first to register to make it known how well qualified we are for commendations and rewards simply because of being in the company of every journey or advocacy or struggle.
It is the tragedy that happens even in our faith journey as Christians when we are blinded by so many worldly things about Jesus whom we see merely as a miracle-worker or worst, an ATM who never runs out of cash. We believe in Jesus as the Son of God, all-powerful and merciful who can do everything, especially the impossible as He had assured us last Sunday but many times, we do not know what we are asking like James and John.
When the ten heard this, they became indignant at James and John. Jesus summoned them and said to them, “You know that those who are recognized as rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones make their authority over them felt. But it shall not be with so among you. Rather, whoever wishes to be great among you will be your servant; whoever wishes to be first among you you will be slave of all. For the Son of God did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:41-45).
Photo by author, wailing wall of Jerusalem, May 2019.
Jesus clarifies today with us that His glory has nothing in common whatsoever with those things we gain here on earth by claiming our rights or resorting to undue favors, by competing with others to get the better of them or even push them away or step on them to crush them for us to be on top.
We cannot be Christ’s disciples if we are preoccupied with rewards. We serve Jesus because we love that we want to be with Him in eternal life. And in loving Him, we serve lovingly others without expecting anything in return simply because we love.
See how in calling together the Twelve, Jesus reminded them and us today of His central teaching of becoming like a child, confidently entrusting everything into the Father’s hands, exactly like Him, the Suffering Servant of God referred to by the Prophet Isaiah in the first reading who “gave his life as a ransom for many” (Mk.10:45).
Photo by author, 2021.
Jesus reminds us this Sunday that love alone – like His self-sacrificing love on the Cross – is the basis of our relationships with each other, unlike the world where relations are based on power and domination.
Noteworthy too is the reminder of the author of the Letter to the Hebrews today about Jesus our High Priest who entered the sanctuary of heaven through the Cross so that we may be saved and receive mercy from the Father.
What else do we want Jesus to do for us when He had done everything for our salvation? Let us pray for a clearer vision of Jesus, to always see and find Him in our lives so that we desire only Him and share only Him. And follow Him like the blind Bartimaeus next Sunday. Amen. Have a blessed week ahead!
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