The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II Friday before the Epiphany of the Lord, 05 January 2023 1 John 3:11-21 <*((((>< + ><))))*> John 1:43-51
Photo by Dra. Mylene A. Santos, MD, at Tagalag, Valenzuela City, 18 November 2023.
How wonderful on this fifth day of 2024, O God our Father, that you amaze us first on what is truly amazing...
"Do not be amazed, then, brothers and sisters, if the world hates you" (1 John 3:13).
Many times we are amazed at the evil men and women do; we are amazed and surprised in the negative sense like shocked, appalled, even embarrassed when others speak and act shamelessly against what is true, good, and beautiful; to be amazed in the negative sense makes us withdraw to examine our very selves if we too have become callous and shamelessly evil.
What is truly amazing, worth of our surprise is when we are amazed in the positive sense like Nathanael: "Can anything good come from Nazareth?" Philip said to him, "Come and see" (John 1:46).
Only what is truly good, very true, and really beautiful is amazing; nothing can make our hearts leap even in momentary disbelief and amazement like Nathanael to hear or see or experience something so good and all good; and that is YOU, O God, the most amazing of all now brought nearer to us in Christ Jesus; in him, we have realized and experienced that "God is greater than our hearts" (1 John 3:20) because you, O God, your love and your truth, your mercy and your kindness are all beyond our grasp; nothing can be so amazing, loving Father, for us to experience your love far beyond anything we could expect for ourselves; make us believe, let us be amazed in you. Amen.
The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II Thursday before the Epiphany of the Lord, 04 January 2024 1 John 3:7-10 ><]]]]'> + <'[[[[>< John 1:35-42
Photo by author, La Mesa Forest Park at the back of Our Lady of Fatima University-Quezon City, January 2023.
The two disciples heard what he said and followed Jesus. Jesus turned and saw them following him and said to them, “What are you looking for?” They said to him, “Rabbi” (which translated means Teacher), “where are you staying?” He said to them, “Come, and you will see.”
John 1:37-39
Thank you very much, dear Lord Jesus in helping us find new directions in life this fourth day of 2024; your question to Andrew and his companion still echoes to us in this time, confronting us for an answer, for a response.
Lord Jesus, enlighten our minds and our hearts with your Holy Spirit this beginning of the year; we are constantly in search of so many things but mostly not essential; thank you in giving us Andrew and companion as guide on what to look for - you and nobody else!
Teach me, dear Lord, to always first ask that important question what matters most to me that I am looking for because it reveals who I am, where I stand before you, my Lord, and before others. Many times, we merely follow you but when the going gets tough and rough, we leave and stay behind; many times, we merely follow you without truly searching where you stay, where can you truly be found, Lord Jesus because you are never idle nor confined in a book nor a place nor a kind of person; very often, you stay dear Jesus where it is difficult, even agonizing, and disturbing.
Let us come to you, and see you, dear Jesus, to personally experience you even in the most surprising ways for there is no place nor person nor situation where you cannot be found. Amen.
The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II Wednesday, Memorial of the Most Holy Name of Jesus, 03 January 2024 1 John 2:29-3:6 <*{{{{>< + ><}}}}*> John 1:29-34
Photo by Mr. Boy Cabrido, National Shrine of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, New Manila, QC, 21 December 2023.
On this third day of the new year, O Lord, your words are calling us to live as children of God, holy and righteous like you; many times, we could not heed this call and most often, we laugh at the mere thought of holiness because we look down at ourselves as incapable of being good because we refuse to break free from sin.
Everyone who commits sin commits lawlessness, for sin is lawlessness. You know that he was revealed to take away sins, and in him there is no sin. No one who remains in him sins; no one who sins has seen him or known him.
1 John 3:4-6
Sin is lawlessness not only in the sense it is a disobedience and a breaking of your laws, Lord; sin is lawlessness because it is a refusal to love and be true like you, Lord Jesus; every time we refuse to reflect your love and your truth, there is disorder in life, their is disharmony among us, there is destruction and dirt in us; you have come precisely O Lord Jesus, to take away our sins as the Lamb of God identified by John the Baptist; grant us courage and strength, determination as well to live up to our new person, our new being as forgiven and loved children of the Father; may we desire order and peace, serenity and fulfillment in our lives, in our selves, in our world by turning away from sins and turning towards you in love and truth, kindness and care because any failure to find you, Lord Jesus, will always lead us to selfishness, to conceit, and to emptiness because without you and others, we are alone without any point reference for our being and existence. Amen.
The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II Monday, Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, 01 January 2024 Numbers 6:22-27 ><]]]]'> Galatians 4:4-7 ><]]]]'> Luke 2:16-21
Photo from Tetra Images/Getty Images, mosaic of Virgin Mary and Jesus in the Haghia Sophia, Istanbul, Turkey.
Just like this Christmas, we start our new year reflection with another song, also controversial for some Catholics in the US, composed by two Protestant songwriters in 1994 that had become a hit this 2023 following a cover by Pentatonix.
The song is Mary Did You Know with these following lines that say:
Mary, did you know that your baby boy Would one day walk on water? Mary, did you know that your baby boy Would save our sons and daughters? Did you know that your baby boy Has come to make you new? This child that you delivered, will soon deliver you
Before Vatican II, January first being the octave of Christmas was the feast of the Holy Name of Jesus when he was circumcised and given with that name as instructed by the angel both to Mary and to Joseph.
Yes, Mary was not totally unaware, that she knew some things about Jesus, his identity as Son of God, as the Savior and Messiah. But, she knew nothing really in particular or details like what the song says in Mary Did You Know that is why we find it so appropriate in today’s celebration of the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God.
Photo by author, St. Scholastica Retreat Center, Baguio City, August 2023.
The only thing Mary clearly knew about her child born on Christmas Day was the name to be given him, Jesus which means “God saves”. Aside from that, there was nothing else she knew.
She never knew how Jesus would die, that he would be betrayed by one of his own apostles. She never knew Jesus would perform all those miracles like feeding thousands of people from five loaves of bread or healing the sick, restoring sight of the blind, or bringing back to life the dead.
Mary did not know Jesus would walk on water nor change water into wine. All she knew was Jesus is the Messiah. And she believed with all her heart that she followed him all throughout his ministry until his death on the Cross, one of the only three followers of Jesus who remained with him when the rest fled.
After the Ascension, Mary remained with the Apostles in praying and serving, being present with them during the coming of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost day.
Like the Blessed Mother Mary when Jesus was born, we know nothing at all of what will really happen to us this 2024. It is totally useless and insane – even sinful – to consult fortune tellers and go with all those superstitious practices every new year to make it a favorable and auspicious one for us.
Photo by author, Sacred Heart Novitiate, Novaliches, QC, March 2023.
Hence, we celebrate every January first not the New Year but the Motherhood of Mary to commemorate the Blessed Virgin’s role in cooperating with God’s plan in putting into action the mystery of salvation in the Incarnation of his Son Jesus Christ.
Like Mary as modern disciples of Christ, we are called first to cultivate within us that intimacy with Christ, of immersing ourselves in his words in a prayer life reflected in our lives. Luke said it perfectly:
And Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart.
Luke 2:19
It was not the first time that Mary “kept” things and words in her heart. First was at the Annunciation when she simply yes said to the angel and then at the Presentation when Simeon spoke of the coming mission of Jesus and her own suffering too as a consequence.
Mary remained silent and kept all those words in her heart. And when Jesus was 12 years old after he was lost and later found in the temple, Mary did not understand his words but simply kept them in her heart, reflecting very well on their meanings, trying to find God’s will and her role to play in the mission of Jesus.
“The Finding of the Savior at the Temple” painting by William Holman Hunt (1860) from en.wikipedia.org.
I love that expression of Luke, of Mary reflecting in her heart. In this age of modern technology like cellphones, we have forgotten the fact that our hearts are the best and most reliable “memory bank” in the world.
Instead of keeping pictures and videos and voices in our phones and other gadgets including iclouds, let us keep things in our hearts by savoring our experiences, reflecting on their meanings that will surely enrich us as persons and most of all as disciples of Christ.
No matter how big are the storage capacities of our gadgets, they are all prone to corruption and lost. But those stored in our hearts are guaranteed to stay, even if our brain cells suffer short circuits due to Alzheimer’s and other disorders that impair our memory because what can never be erased nor deleted in us are the memories of being loved.
We will never know everything in life ahead but we can all be assured we are loved by God. The more we experience Jesus Christ like Mary, the more we find God indeed is our loving Father – Abba as St. Paul said in the second reading. Again, please forgive me, for mentioning the movie Firefly.
From GMA Films & GMA Public Affairs.
Yesterday in the Feast of the Holy Family, I reflected on how the child named Tonton became the Christ-figure in that movie who showed the light of life and love to his three co-journeyers to the fantasy island; today let us reflect on his mother Elay played by Ms. Alessandra de Rossi.
After seeing her performance in Firefly, I am now convinced Ms. Rossi is in indeed an actress. A very good one.
I first saw her in the comedy romance Kita Kita about ten years ago maybe. In Firefly, Ms. Rossi’s performance was truly impressive that one could feel her presence in the whole story even in those parts of her narrations. It is amazing how the movie remained faithful to the story line and graphics of the award-winning children’s story book that made it so appealing.
Like Mary, Elay did not know everything from the very start, especially after she had killed in self-defense her abusive husband in their former home in the island when Tonton was still a child (sorry). They went to Tondo to begin anew in her life with Tonton in a place I believe we used to call when I was still a reporter as Isla Puting Bato, a protruding land into Manila Bay and home to thousands of informal settlers – the poorest of the poor who could not even afford electricity.
The genius and artistry of the film is found in how in the dark realities of the life of Elay and Tonton – she stricken with breast cancer, so poor in the slum area while he a favorite of the bullies – still looked so light, so promising not only with the great cinematography and effects but most of all of that deeply ingrained love of mother to her child.
Parang anak talaga ni Elay si Tonton sa Firefly kaya nakakaiyak.
From GMA Films & GMA Public Affairs.
She warned Tonton that in life, it is inevitable that separation could happen like death. But, what would keep us all together even after death is love. At the end of the film, when Tonton already an adult about to receive an award for his short story, a butterfly appeared, presumably his mother Elay. He then discarded of his prepared speech and spoke instead from his heart of the great love for him by his mother.
It is the kind of motherhood of Mary to Jesus and to us today, she still appearing to remind us of going back and being converted to her Son our Lord, of being faithful, of being loving.
In celebrating this Solemnity of Mary Mother of God at the start of the New Year, we are reminded to be like Mary to faithfully and lovingly bring forth Christ into this world so badly needed these days. In this celebration, may we imitate Mary in lovingly serving others, of being the face of God (first reading) especially to those who have never known him because they have never felt being loved at all.
Like Mary, we do not know what will happen this 2024 but we all know, and we are so sure, that God loves us that he had given us his Son Jesus Christ so that not one among us shall perish but gain eternal life. Amen. A blessed new year and still, a merry Christmas to you!
The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II Tuesday, Feast of St. Stephen, First Martyr of the Church, 26 December 2023 Acts 6:8-10, 7:54-59 <*{{{{>< + ><}}}}*> Matthew 10:17-22
Photo by author, December 2017.
Every year, dear Jesus, you remind us a day after your birthday to always remember the Cross looming behind your manger in Bethlehem with the feast of our first martyr, St. Stephen; you remind us how in your coming life will be more challenging for us as your disciples.
“You will be hated by all because of my name, but whoever endures to the end will be saved.”
Matthew 10:22
Every year also, dear Jesus, on this day we remember and reflect on the many times life has been so difficult for us, especially in witnessing your Gospel in words and in deeds; but so often, we forget how we ourselves your disciples cause so much pains and sufferings among other disciples when we ourselves are the ones who "hand over" or betray out loved ones with our infidelities, jealousies, and greed; so often we forget how we your disciples "hand over" or betray our own family members to so much agony when couples are unfaithful to each other, when parents disregard thier children for their various pursuits in the guise of loving them, when children quarrel with each other, when children disobey their parents, and so many other sins that make our loved ones not be merry at all especially this Christmas.
For all our sins, of running away from your Cross, dear Jesus, in making others Christmas not merry, forgive us and have mercy. Amen.
The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II Friday in the Second Week of Advent, 15 December 2023 Isaiah 48:17-19 ><]]]]'> + ><]]]]'> + ><]]]]'> Matthew 11:16-19
Photo by author, Dau, Mabalacat, Pampanga, November 2022.
How funny, O God, at this Season of Advent we listen to every Christmas carol over and over again and yet miss your Son Jesus Christ in the end?
Everyone loves the tune and the voice of Bing Crosby singing "Do you hear what I hear?" yet we refuse to listen to the Child born on that first Christmas day!
Jesus said to the crowds: ”To what shall I compare this generation? It is like children who sit in marketplaces and call to one another, ‘We played the flute for you, but you did not dance, we sang a dirge but you did not mourn.’ For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they said, ‘He is possessed by a demon.’ The Son of Man came eating and drinking and they said, ‘Look, he is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’ But wisdom is vindicated by her works.”
Matthew 11:16-19
Dear Jesus, please open our ears and our hearts to truly LISTEN to you, to HEAR you and follow you; forgive us for listening only to us, for hearing more the noise of the world than your voice right there in our hearts; let us listen to you, Lord, once and for all to experience "prosperity like a river, vindication like the waves of the sea" (Isaiah 48:18); harden not our hearts to follow you and imbibe your words in our lives. Amen.
The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II Thursday, Memorial of St. John of the Cross, Priest & Doctor of Church, 14 December 2023 Isaiah 41:13-20 <*((((>< + ><))))*> Matthew 11:11-15
Praise and glory to you, God our loving Father, for this wondrous day of Memorial of your great mystic and servant, St. John of the Cross; in his life and example attested by his great writings exuding with immense and intense love for you, he had shown us how true were the words of Jesus your Son:
Jesus said to the crowds: “Amen, I say to you, among those born of women there has been none greater than John the Baptist; yet the least in the Kingdom of heaven is greater than he.”
Matthew 11:11
Yes, dear God, almighty yet so gracious and merciful, you have blessed us to be witnesses of your love and power in Christ Jesus; let us listen to your words always, let them sink into our hearts so we may feel and nurture and share your love to one another; like St. John of the Cross who, after going through so much trials and sufferings in life asked, "Who has ever seen people persuaded to love God by harshness?" How great indeed is your power of love that despite the losses and pains we go through in life, the more we love, the more we feel stronger, the more we feel blessed!
You alone, O Lord, is our help, our life, our strength despite our being "worm" and "maggot" like Israel (Isaiah 41:14); let us accept our littleness before you so Christ may come and dwell in us to fill us with your love so we may imitate St. John of the Cross who taught us, "Where there is no love, put love - and you will find love" because "A soul that walks in love is never tired and never gets tried." Amen.
The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II Wednesday, Memorial of St. Lucy, Virgin & Martyr, 13 December 2023 Isaiah 40:25-31 ><]]]]'> + <'[[[[>< Matthew 11:11-15
Photo by author, Advent week II, Basic Education Department chapel, Our Lady of Fatima University, Valenzuela, 2021.
My dear Jesus: despite the cold weather and festive mood of this season, there is this feeling inside me of the world, even your church being so fragmented and broken, with so many divisions and competitions among us, the favoritisms and injustices by those above us that have spawned in us so many feelings of entitlement and privileges.
Why, O Jacob, do you say, and declare, O Israel, “My way is hidden from the Lord, and my right is disregarded by my God?” Do you not know or have you not heard? The Lord is eternal God, creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint nor grow weary, and his knowledge is beyond scrutiny. He gives strength to the fainting; for the weak he makes vigor abound.
Isaiah 40:27-29
Thank you, dear Jesus, for your coming to us, for your Advent; most of all, for your sublime gentleness, calling us all to "Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give your rest" (Matthew 11:28).
Heal our fragmented lives, our fragmented society, our fragmented Church; open our eyes, open our hearts and our arms to embrace you especially among those broken too so we may finally forge anew that bonding in you. Amen.
The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II Tuesday, Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, 12 December 2023 Zechariah 2:14-17 ><}}}}*> + <*{{{{>< Luke 1:26-38
The original “tilma” of St. Juan Diego at the New Basilica of the Our Lady of Guadalupe, Mexico City. Photo by Rev. Fr. Gerry Pascual of Diocese of Iba, Zambales, 2016.
What a joy for us, to have you, O Most Blessed Virgin Mary as our Mother too courtesy of your Son our Lord Jesus Christ; you who was the first welcome and receive him, you never had the season of Advent itself for you were an Advent in yourself.
And your advent never stopped.
Sing and rejoice, O daughter Zion! See, I am coming to dwell among you, says the Lord. silence, all mankind, in the presence of the Lord! For he stirs forth from his holy dwelling.
Zechariah 2:14, 17
How quick were you to appear in the New World at that great period of discoveries, appearing in Mexico to Juan Diego to proclaim Christ's coming; and they realized and experienced so soon through you Christ's coming and reign!
You have never stopped in reminding us of the presence and coming of Jesus in our own time; teach us to be like you, O Blessed Virgin Mary of Guadalupe, always humble and simple, one with us, looking like us, walking with us in our own time and milieu, carrying Jesus, sharing Jesus, showing Jesus. Amen.
The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II Monday in the Second Week of Advent, 11 December 2023 Isaiah 35:1-10 ><))))*> + ><))))*> + ><))))*> Luke 5:17-26
Photo by author, Advent Sunday II, 2021, Basic Education Department chapel of Our Lady of Fatima University, Valenzuela City.
Thank you, dear God, our loving Father for this Season of Advent, a season of our vindication in your Son Jesus Christ our Lord; what a joy to hear your words on this Monday of the Second Week in Advent through the Prophet Isaiah:
Strengthen the hands that are feeble, make firm the knees that are weak, say to those whose hearts are frightened: Be strong, fear not! Here is your God: he comes with vindication; with divine recompense he comes to save you.
Isaiah 35:3-4
Vindication, O God, is one word we miss so much these days, an experience we long for when finally we are proven right or true, and most of all, justified; it is a difficult mission from you, dear Father, to always walk in your ways, to follow your will especially in this world when being true and faithful, honest and kind, loving and caring are looked down upon as signs of weakness; it is so difficult to be good and holy, just like those men carrying that paralytic to enter the room to get near to Jesus Christ.
Teach us to persevere always, Lord Jesus like those men, to never give up on you, to always find ways even if we have to climb our way up just to go down to you to experience your healing and mercy. Most of all, your vindication. Amen.
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