Be surprised. Believe. Love.

A Wedding Homily for a Nephew, Raymond Immanuel Alonzo & Charlene Patricia Moya
The Manila Cathedral of the Basilica Minore of Immaculate Conception, 07 July 2023
Ephesians 5:25-31 ><]]]]'> + <'[[[[>< John 15:12-17

*Photo by PhotoMIX Company on Pexels.com*.

All praise and thanksgiving to God our loving Father for this day, Immi and Pat! This is the day God had set to be your wedding day. Not last year, not next month nor any other day except this seventh day of July 2023.

Jesus Christ said in our gospel today, “It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you” (John 15:16).

Surprised? Yes, Immi and Pat, you have both felt God surprising you many times since you met each other, mysteriously weaving your lives seamlessly together that today you are before him at his altar to pledge your love for each other.

*Photo by Ms. Jo Villafuerte, Atok, Benguet, 01 September 2019.*

That is what I wish to share with you this afternoon: keep that element of surprise in your lives together, Immi and Pat. Never lose that sense of wonder because it is when we are surprised that we start to believe; when we believe, we get closer and then we love. The more we love, the more we are surprised and the more we believe until that love matures into more than feelings but a decision and commitment to love until death.

Hindi ba, Immi and Pat, that is why you are here today because you have finally decided to grow together in this love because you believe in each other and most of all in God?

There were many occasions you were both surprised at the twists and turns in your lives as individuals, beginning at how you got to know each other in the office.

Hindi naman love at first sight iyon. Hindi nga kayo magka-type pareho kaya nag-aasaran kayo palagi.

You were opposites but the more you were surprised in discovering new things about each other, the more you gravitated to each other, the more you believe in each other, surprisingly realizing that actually, you are not opposites but share a lot in common.

That’s when you became good friends caring for each other, conversing more often with topics getting deeper like plans and views in life until one day, Pat had so much of these surprises as she juggled many things in her life and asked to speak with you, Immi, to avoid confusion and complicate things further in your friendship.

Wala pa siyang sinasabi maliban sa “mag-usap tayo” and you just told her, “Let’s go out on a date”. Iyon na yun! Kayo na! Dehins na hangout, date na. Wow, tamis!

The problem in our time is that everything, everyone is exposed. Even overexposed!

With social media all around us, everything is shown and displayed for all to see, leaving no room at all for surprises.

Many people these days want everything to be certain. Lahat segurista na ngayon.

No more surprises, no more faith because many of us have stopped believing. Remember, “Faith is the realization of what is hoped for and evidence of things not seen” (Heb. 11:1). That is why, when we are surprised, then we believe. Then as we believe more and get surprised more, we love.

Immi and Pat, always have faith, believe and be surprised with each other and with God.

The world tells us, “to see is to believe” but our faith teaches us, “believe so that we would see.” Remember when Jesus told Thomas a week after Easter, “Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed “(John 21:29b).

Keep that childlike attitude in you of being surprised always, of having that sense of awe and wonder. That is why kids believe and trust always.

*Photo by Ms. Jo Villafuerte in Atok, Benguet, 01 September 2019.*

Being surprised is being open with the simple realities of life, of the joys of being alive and sharing this life with a special someone in love. Being surprised is being open to getting hurt because we believe there is that special someone who would always take care of us, with whom we can be our true selves no matter what. Being surprised is being open to the realities and ecstasy of loving and of being loved in return. Being surprised is believing in God who is a God of surprises because he loves us so much.

In the Book of Genesis, we find Jacob falling asleep at Bethel with a stone as his pillow, dreaming of a stairway to heaven. It was so good because he saw God and his angels ascending and descending the stairway to heaven that upon waking up, Jacob had that sense of wonder and awe, “Truly the Lord is in this spot, although I did not know it!” (Gen.28:16). Jacob was surprised. Then he believed. And loved and served God. In 1971, we heard Jimmy Page and Robert Plant singing, “makes me wonder” over and over in their hit Stairway to Heaven.

But, Edith Piaf said it best in 1946, of how she was surprised in finding love with her classic song La vie en rose. No, I will not sing it but will just read it to remind you God’s many surprises for you, Immi and Pat.

I thought that love was just a word
They sang about in songs I heard
It took your kisses to reveal
That I was wrong, and love is real
 
Hold me close and hold me fast
The magic spell you cast
This is la vie en rose
 
When you kiss me heaven sighs
And though I close my eyes
I see la vie en rose
 
When you press me to your heart
I'm in a world apart
A world where roses bloom
And when you speak, angels sing from above
Everyday words seem to turn into love songs
 
Give your heart and soul to me
And life will always be
La vie en rose.

Immi and Pat, God has a lot of surprises for you. Remain faithful with each other, remain faithful to Jesus Christ who have called and chosen you. Have Christ always between you in your relationship. Pray, believe and have trust in him so you both would see more surprises, more life, more love in your married life. God bless you, Immi and Pat! Amen.

For those wishing to listen and perhaps use this classic piece, here is its English version.

From YouTube.com.

The grace of being surprised

The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Monday in the Fourteenth Week of Ordinary Time, Year I, 10 July 2023
Genesis 28:10-22 ><000'> + ><000'> + ><000'> Matthew 9:18-26

*Photo by author, Ubihan Island, Meycauayan, Bulacan, 31 December 2021.*

Surprise us, dear God,
surprise us with your loving presence
in the simplest things today
like Jacob in Bethel:

When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he exclaimed, “Truly, the Lord is in this spot, although I did not know it!” In solemn wonder he cried out: “How awesome is this shrine! This is nothing else but an abode of God, and that is the gateway to heaven!”
Genesis 28:16-17

In a world saturated in media
where everything and everyone is
exposed and shown, 
bared and revealed,
we have lost the sense of awe and wonder,
of being surprised because
we believe we have seen all;
we are no longer surprised with
little wonders and miracles that
happen daily in life like
the infectious smiles and laughter 
children, the thoughtfulness of a friend,
the warmth of a stranger,
or the flowers that color our paths.

We have lost our sense of awe
and wonder, of being surprised
because we no longer believe
in you, O God, nor in people, nor in nature.
Grant us, dear Father, the grace of
wonder and awe like the official and
the woman hemorrhaging in the gospel;
yes they have faith so great but also
have the sense of being surprised
that is why they came to Jesus;
what a surprise indeed, the official's
daughter was brought back to life
and the woman hemorrhaging was 
instantly healed when she touched 
the tassel of the Lord's cloak!

Forgive us, O God,
for not noticing your many
surprises to us daily;
open our eyes,
open our very selves
to life's many wonders
that point to you!
Amen.

God moves in mysterious ways

The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Friday in the Thirteenth Week of Ordinary Time, 07 July 2023
Genesis 23:1-4, 19; 24:1-8, 62-67 ><]]]'> + <'[[[>< Matthew 9:9-13

*Photo by Dra. Mylene A. Santos, MD, in France, 2022.*

O God our Father,
your words today are so
beautiful and amazing,
proving to us how you move
in so mysterious ways!

Open our eyes and
our hearts to your movements,
Lord, like Abraham and his steward:
make us trust in your ways and
instructions, to be patient and
persevering in your actions
even if it could take time
and would even involve
long distances to cover.

“Never take my son back there for any reason,” Abraham told him. “The Lord, the God of heaven, who took me from my father’s house and the land of my kin, and who confirmed by oath the promise he made to me… he will send his messenger before you, and you will obtain a wife for my son there.”
Genesis 24:6-7

Grant us the wisdom and prudence,
O God, to balance and find your
holy will and presence especially
in this age of relativism at one end
and fundamentalism at the other extreme;
let us heed your Son Jesus Christ's 
instruction, "Go and learn
the meaning of the words,
I desire mercy, not sacrifice.
I did not come to call the righteous
but sinners" (Mt. 9:13).

In everything,
may we bring your soothing
balm of solace and comfort
among those suffering and lost
for meaning in life like Matthew,
especially those grieving
like Isaac over the death
his mother Sarah.
Amen.

Giving up the best and most precious

The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Thursday in the Thirteenth Week in OrdinaryTime, 06 July 2023
Genesis 22:1-19 ><]]]]'> + ><]]]]'> + ><]]]]'> Matthew 9:1-8

*Photo by author, Sacred Heart Novitiate, Novaliches, Quezon City, 20 March 2023.*

God our loving Father,
teach me to offer to you,
to give up like Abraham
the most precious
and the best I have in life;
give me that same kind of
faith and trust in you, O God,
that in life, you are the only
most precious and best 
I have in life.

So many times in life,
dear Father, I always question
your will,
your plans,
your instructions
to me;
worst, many times,
I even question and doubt
your goodness to me
and to others like those scribes
who questioned Jesus Christ's
authority to forgive sins.

We have strayed so far from you,
O God; we have believed 
so much in ourselves, 
in our beliefs,
 in our technologies,
 in our strengths
and achievements
as if we are gods like you!

Forgive us, merciful Father;
help us find our way back to you
in your Son Jesus Christ.
Amen.

Praying for those driven away

The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Wednesday in the Thirteenth Week of Ordinary Time, Year I, 05 July 2023
Genesis 21:5, 8-20 ><]]]]'> + ><]]]]'> + ><]]]]'> Matthew 8:28-34

*Photo by author, sunset at Tagaytay City, 08 February 2023.*

God our loving Father,
today we continue to pray 
for those in great trials and 
sufferings in life,
those in the eye of the storm
especially those driven out
from their own homes,
from their country,
from their roots 
like the refugees and those
fleeing from wars and calamities;
those displaced due to economic 
reasons like poverty;
the victims of the inhuman practice
of human trafficking.

Take care of those people
driven away from their homes
especially the children who 
always suffer most;
look after the welfare of
those thrown into foreign 
lands and environment,
so alienated in language and culture;
sustain those forced to make 
ends meet after being 
led to somewhere else
not of their own choice
and decision.

Hear the cries of the many
and modern 
Hagar and Ishmael
of our time;
bless them too for
we all came from Abraham;
punish the human traffickers,
convert them,
take away their hearts of stone
and give them natural hearts
who respect and rejoice
humanity.

Your very own Son
and our Lord Jesus Christ
was also driven out by people
after he had exorcised two demoniacs
at the territory of Gadarenes;
how sad that until now it continues 
to happen among us when we drive
people out and away because we
value more things and animals than persons.
The whole planet,
the whole land is yours,
O Lord but until now,
so many are lording over
vast tracts of land
when all we really need 
at the end is a simple plot
of three-and-a-half feet wide
by eight feet in length,
six feet under.
Amen.

In the eye of the storm

The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Tuesday in the Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time, Year I, 04 July 2023
Genesis 19:15-29 <*(((>< <*(((>< + ><)))*> ><)))*> Matthew 8:23-27

Your words today, O God
our Father, are all about
chaos and destruction,
storms and calamities
in the sea and the land;
just like so many of us these days
who are in the "eye of the storm",
in the midst of great trials
and sufferings in life
due to their own making
or somebody else's sins and
wrongdoing, or simply
being in the wrong place
at the wrong time.

The whole world is yours,
O Lord; you have the whole world
in your hands and you know
everything that is happening.

Grant us the trust and confidence
in you of Jesus your Son 
and the deep faith of Abraham
as you kept your promise to save
his nephew Lot and family
from the catastrophe that fell on
Sodom and Gomorrah.

As Jesus got into a boat, is disciples followed him. Suddenly a violent storm came up on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by waves but he was asleep.
Matthew 8:23-24

When he (Lot) hesitated, the men, by the Lord’s mercy, seized his hand and the hands of his wife and his two daughter and led them to safety outside the city.
Genesis 19:16

Keep us strong, O God,
in the face of trials and tribulations of life;
calamities inevitably happen,
it is how we face and deal with these
that truly matter;
cleanse us of our impurities,
of our stubbornness,
of our sins,
never to needlessly look back 
like Lot's wife but instead move
forward in life learning your important
lessons of being morally upright and holy.
Amen.

*Photo by author, Katmon Nature Sanctuary & Beach Resort, Infanta, Quezon, 04 March 2023.*

The gift of doubts

The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Monday, Feast of St. Thomas, Apostle, 05 July 2023
Ephesians 2:19-22   <*((((>< +++ ><))))*>   John 20:24-29

*Caravaggio’s painting “The Incredulity of St. Thomas” (1602) from en.wikipedia.org.*

Praise and glory
to you, Lord Jesus Christ,
for always believing in us,
coming to us,
calling us to follow you
despite our doubts and weaknesses
like St. Thomas the Apostle.

Most of all,
thank you dear Lord Jesus
for blessing us who have not
seen you and yet believed in you!

Jesus said to him (Thomas), “Have you come to believe because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.”
John 20:29

Let me follow you, 
Jesus, for you are "the Way,
the Truth and the Life"
as you have told St. Thomas
at your Last Supper;
like St. Thomas,
comfort me with your presence
and understanding in times of 
insecurities when pains and
disappointments make me doubt;
like St. Thomas, 
give me the courage to conquer
my many doubts in life 
and lead them to outcomes 
brighter than any uncertainties
I often fear needlessly;
like St. Thomas,
let me persevere 
despite the difficulties
of deepening my faith in you
by keeping me close to you,
"my Lord and my God".
Amen.

Sharing the good news

The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Friday, Memorial of the First Martyrs of Rome, 30 June 2023
Genesis 17:1, 9-10, 15-22 ><]]]]'> + <'[[[[>< Matthew 8:1-4

*Photo by author, sunrise at Bolinao, Pangasinan 18 April 2022.*

Today we close the month of June,
the first half of 2023.
Praise and glory to you,
God our loving Father
for past six months,
grateful for the next 
six months coming
to finally close the year.

And then a leper approached, did him homage, and said, “Lord, if you wish, you can make me clean.” He stretched out his hand, touched him, and said, “I will do it. Be made clean.” His leprosy was cleansed immediately.
Matthew 8:2-3

Dear Father,
you will only good things
for us like to that leper
that is why you sent us 
your Son Jesus Christ;
both Jesus and the leper knew
his cleansing was very possible;
Jesus made no fanfare except
in asking the leper 
to fulfill the requirements
of the Law as the leper
simply believed him.

Lord, we are 
a "walking good news",
ourselves a blessing,
a grace from you;
there is no need for us
in trying so hard
in touching another person,
in making a difference in
this world so sick and so stressed;
many times we just have 
to smile and be extra nice
to someone, be kind and forgiving.

Let us share your good news
in the way we live, at least
not like the first martyrs 
of Rome
who were burned 
as living torches 
at evening banquets;
let us share your good news
like Abraham who walked 
in your presence blamelessly
by trusting you,
obeying you,
loving you.
Amen.

Finding Jesus in two unlikely partners

The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Thursday, Solemnity of Sts. Peter & Paul, Apostles, 29 June 2023
Acts 12:1-11 ><}}}}*> 2 Timothy 4:6-8, 17-18 ><}}}}*> Matthew 16:13-19

**The lithography of Sts. Peter and Paul in Missale Romanum by unknown artist with initials F.M.S (19. cent.) printed by Typis Friderici Pustet. (Renáta Sedmáková | us.fotolia.com)**

Praise and glory to you,
Lord Jesus Christ
for this Solemnity of your
two great Apostles,
Sts. Peter and Paul
whom you have both 
chosen to be the solid rock
on which your Church is built,
remaining forever her 
protectors and guides;
to them Rome owes her greatness
when you, O Lord, led them to
sanctify that capital of the 
ancient Empire
with their martyrdom 
to become the center of
the Christian world
until now.

In their great efforts
of fulfilling your mission,
there emerged a most unique
even unlikely partnership
in making you known,
O Lord, teaching us
that important lesson 
that discipleship is always
being together with others
being sent on a mission,
never alone nor simply a case 
of "me and Jesus"  
as we would always
insist.

Teach us, dear Jesus,
to be like Sts. Peter and Paul
focused only in you to overcome
our many differences in the Church; 
help us to set aside 
our biases and prejudices
to always find you 
as the very essence 
of our discipleship;
may we learn to
respect each other
by finding you in
each co-worker
and with everyone
we serve and meet.

May our lives
mirror your true person,
Lord Jesus, 
so that people are not
misled to who 
you really are.

How inspiring 
that both Sts. Peter and Paul 
were imprisoned for preaching
your name and yet, 
no bars nor chains not
even death held them captives
in spreading your good news;  
in fact, some of the finest 
parts of the New Testament
were composed when both
Apostles were in prison;
what a grace for us today 
their many letters 
still sound 
so true and relevant,
providing us compass
in charting our ways
in a world so divided
and so sick with
individualism, relativism,
and materialism. 

Help us, dear Jesus,
to break free from
the many prisons
that hold us from freely 
witnessing your loving service 
for others like Sts. Peter
and Paul; set us free, Lord, 
from the chains that hold us
and make us fearful
of standing by our faith 
and of your teachings
in this time of total disrespect
for life; most of all, free us, O Lord,
like St. Peter from our prison cells
of indifference in the face of 
continued erosion of 
marriage and family 
as envisioned by God
since creation.

Dear Jesus, 
make us realize
that every present moment
is the time of our departure;
may we live fully at your service
by keeping the faith in you
like Sts. Peter and Paul.
Amen.

Believing is the beginning

The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Wednesday, Memorial of St. Irenaeus, Bishop & Martyr, 28 June 2023
Genesis 15:1-12, 17-18 ><))))*> + ><))))*> + ><))))*> Matthew 7:15-20

Thank you very much, 
God our loving Father
for the grace of believing,
the beginning of everything
like what Abram experienced
in the first reading today,
"Abram put his faith in the Lord,
who credited it to him as an act
of righteousness" (Gen.15:6).

Only you, O Lord, 
would know 
what was going inside 
the mind and heart 
of Abram at that time
when he instantly believed and
trusted in your promise despite
his many questions and clarifications;
later on, St. Paul and St. James
including the author of the Letter
to the Hebrews would cite this
beautiful account of Abram's 
humble submission to you,
O God, as a model of faith
and believing in you.

Perhaps, Lord, the problem
with us is that we believe in
everything,
in everyone:
we profess to believe in
you, O God, 
the Father almighty
and yet we also believe
in luck,
in occults,
and in so many other things
and persons and yes,
powers and spirits;
we believe in you 
but do not
trust you completely;
many times we believe
in what or who would
accommodates us,
pleases us,
and go for us.

Teach us, dear Jesus,
like Abram and St. Irenaeus
who offered his life by standing
on what he truly believed in you;
keep us simple, Jesus,
in looking at the fruits
as the unmistakable proof
of believing in you.
Amen.