The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Monday, Memorial of Mary, Mother of the Church, 29 May 2023
Genesis 3:9-15, 20 ><)))*> + ><)))*> + ><)))*> John 2:1-11
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God our loving Father,
as we resume the Ordinary Time
this Monday, grant us the grace
your Son Jesus Christ had given
his Mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary,
to "face" you again,
to be sincere and true before your
holiness and perfection,
power and might.
How sad that despite
the graces of his Cross
and Resurrection, we remain
too far from you, O God, because
we are still ashamed like Adam and Eve
to "face" you as we constantly turn away from
you in sins.
Remind us how on that
first miracle of Jesus at the
wedding in Cana when Mary
interceded for the newly-wed couple
that they have ran out of wine,
our worthless selves marred with
sins and imperfections like water
have been transformed into beloved
children of the Father,
so beautiful,
so lovely,
so noble
like an excellent wine.
Amen.
The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Friday in the Seventh Week of Easter, Memorial of St. Philip Neri, Priest, 26 May 2023
Acts 25:13-21 ><}}}}*> + ><}}}}*> + ><}}}}*> John 21:15-19
Photo by author, sunrise at Anvaya Cove, Morong, Bataan, 19 May 2023.
On this final week of the
Easter Season while praying
the Scriptures, I am reminded
O Lord Jesus by your expression
"the finger of God" in Luke 11:20
when people were doubting your
healing powers.
Very clear in the lives of St. Paul
in the first reading, then in your
commissioning of St. Peter in the
Gospel as well as the wondrous works
by St. Philip Neri in Rome during his
time were clear manifestations of the
finger of God working.
In the life of St. Paul, there was
the finger of God working at his trial
that brought him to Rome to testify
for you; the same thing is true with
St. Peter who denied you thrice and yet,
it was the finger of God that brought
him back to you and to his fellow disciples;
in the life of St. Philip Neri, it was also
the finger of God that worked wonders
that he was able to gather followers
to continue his works of bringing
people closer to God through the
Eucharist and prayers.
As the Easter Season comes
to a close this Pentecost Sunday,
help us dear Jesus to recollect
and reflect our lives to see God's
finger in our life stories too;
open our eyes and our hearts
to find God's finger pulling things
together to make our lives a great
coherence so many times with
amusing and funny incidents,
comedies that make not only our lips
but also our hearts to smile
and experience deep joy
in you.
Amen.
The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Thursday in the Seventh Week of Easter, 25 May 2023
Acts 22:30, 23:6-11 ><))))*> + <*((((>< John 17:20-26
Photo by author, Anvaya Cove, 27 February 2023.
How wonderful and
so touching, Lord Jesus,
for you to call us
a gift from the Father.
“Father, they are your gift to me. I wish that where I am they also be with me, that they may see my glory that you gave me, because you loved me before the foundation of the world.”
John 17:24
Help me keep, dear Jesus,
that being of a gift to you
from the Father by being
a witness of your glory
which is standing by your
side at the Cross like St. Paul
whom you have called "to bear
witness to you in Jerusalem and
in Rome" (Acts 23:11).
May we always remember
this truth, our being a gift to
you dear Jesus, so that in moments
we feel so overburdened,
when we are losing hope,
when we feel like giving up,
we may forge on
and persevere
in bearing witness
to your Cross of suffering
so that eventually be one
in your glorious Resurrection.
Amen.
The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Wednesday in the Seventh Week of Easter, 24 May 2023
Acts 20:28-38 ><]]]'> + ><]]]'> + ><]]]'> John 17:11-19
Photo by author, sunset at Tagaytay Vista Hotel, 07 February 2023.
Lord Jesus Christ,
help us to pray and say
our goodbyes
just like you
and St. Paul
in today's readings.
How lovely to keep in mind
that the word "goodbye"
is from "God-be-with-you"!
Leaving and separation,
whether temporary or permanent
like death is the most painful part
of living and loving;
like you on that last supper
and St. Paul as he departed from Ephesus,
may we also pray for our loved ones
to be left behind; let us be realistic too
in our goodbyes so that they we leave
behind are not just warned of the
coming dangers but most of all,
be equipped in you.
“I know that after my departure savage wolves will come among you, and they will not spare the flock. And from your own group, men will come forward perverting the truth to draw the disciples away after them.”
Acts of the Apostles 20:29-30
Whenever we leave home,
whenever we leave a gathering,
may we leave the people with the
beautiful experience of your loving
presence in our giving than receiving,
in standing by your truth, rejecting
lies and dishonesty,
in relying more on you than in ourselves.
When we leave,
may they remember you more
than us.
Amen.
The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Tuesday in the Seventh Week of Easter, 23 May 2023
Acts 20:17-27 ><))))*> + ><))))*> + ><))))*> John 17:1-11
Photo by author, Anvaya Cove, Morong, Bataan, 19 May 2023.
Lord Jesus Christ,
give me the courage and
strength to choose what is
most difficult
in order for me to follow you
more closely.
It is in choosing
the most difficult
that we are able to
follow and do your
most holy will, Lord;
it is in the most difficult,
in the most painful,
and in the most trying
when we become truly selfless,
being able to give ourselves to you,
Lord,
through others
like your great apostle
St. Paul.
“But now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem. What will happen to me there I do not know, except that in one city after another the Holy Spirit has been warning me that imprisonment and hardships await me. Yet I consider life of no importance to me, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to bear witness to the Gospel of God’s grace.”
Acts of the Apostles 20:22-24
How ironic, dear Jesus
that in this age when
the instant and easy ways
are glorified and desired much
especially when they bring
fame and wealth,
the more our lives
have become empty
of meaning and
lacking directions.
Keep me close to you,
Jesus, especially
to your Cross
for it is through
your suffering and
death we also enter
eternal life in you.
Amen.
The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Monday after the Ascension, Memorial of St. Rita of Cascia, Religious, 22 May 2023
Acts 19:1-8 ><]]]]'> + ><]]]]'> + ><]]]]'> John 16:29-33
Photo by Mr. Mon Macatangga, 12 May 2023.
Thank you dear Jesus
for conquering the world for us
(John 16:33) in your Passion,
Death and Resurrection;
Your gift of the Holy Spirit
affirms each day in us your
conquest of the world.
Forgive us, dear Lord,
when so many times we refuse
to let your Holy Spirit
operate and work in us;
so many times we take your
Holy Spirit for granted
that we are easily
attracted and swayed by others
to leave our Catholic faith
when we see "the light" in other
Christian sects and other
modern beliefs.
Remind us, O Jesus,
that to live in the Holy Spirit
and conquer the world is to nurture
its dwelling in us in prayers and the
sacraments, particularly the Holy Eucharist
which animates and empowers us to come
in close contact with other faithful to form
your Body, your community of disciples;
Help us, O Christ,
to renew our commitment in Baptism
to proclaim your good news of salvation
in the context of a community of disciples
united and led by the Holy Spirit.
Like St. Rita de Cascia
whose memorial we celebrate today,
give us the courage to
affirm your victory in the world
by being more firm in our stance
for what is right and good,
fair and just and true
in the spirit of a community
and oneness.
Amen.
The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Friday in the Sixth Week of Easter, 19 May 2023
Acts 18:9-18 ><]]]]'> + ><]]]]'> + ><]]]]'> John 16:20-23
Photo by Mr. Mon Macatangga, 12 May 2023.
Dearest Lord Jesus,
thank you very much for this
week about to close,
thank you for this Friday
before the Solemnity of your
Ascension.
Your words today are very
encouraging, inviting us to
keep on working in your vineyard,
to keep your love alive amid the many
sufferings and trials in this life.
Jesus said to his disciples: “Amen, amen, I say to you, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices; you will grieve but your grief will become joy. When a woman is in labor, she is in anguish because her hour has arrived; but when she has given birth to a child, she no longer remembers the pain because of her joy that a child has been born into the world.”
John 16:20-22
What a lovely description of joy,
Lord Jesus!
So encouraging to keep us going
in your mission of proclaiming your gospel,
so encouraging even without you appearing
to us in a vision like with St. Paul
at Corinth to become witnesses
of your loving presence and service
to one another.
Remind us, dear Jesus,
to never look for numbers in measuring
the results of your mission;
true joy comes from the life
we bring forth into this world
like a mother giving birth to a child;
keep us simple in our goals today
in giving life, in keeping the love alive
through simple gestures of a smile,
a handshake, a pat on the shoulder,
a hi or hello to anyone,
a thank you and welcome,
a joke that tickles the bone.
Enable us to become your
loving presence to those grieving
today in silence while the world rejoices;
through us, may they experience
life and joy in you,
dear Jesus.
Amen.
The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Thursday in the Sixth Week of Easter, 18 May 2023
Acts 18:1-8 ><)))*> + ><)))*> + ><)))*> John 16:16-20
Photo by author, sunrise in Tagaytay, 08 February 2023.
Praise and glory to you,
Lord Jesus Christ!
You never fail to surprise us
with your goodness and
generosity as your invisible hand
guides us through this life.
How wonderful that
very often in life,
we find fulfillment and
realization of our dreams
and plans in places we never
find conducive for any kind
of success; but your invisible hand
proves us otherwise, like Paul
finding rejection and resistance
in the sophisticated city of Athens yesterday
only to find acceptance and affirmation
in the seedy and immoral
city of Corinth where ironically
your gospel took roots!
Many times, Jesus,
we are baffled with your ways
and your words like your
apostles in the gospel today;
like them, we are so afraid
to ask you even for clarifications
because we surely do not
know much!
There are times, Lord,
even the person we take for
granted turn out to be the
one who would help us
in our needs.
Indeed, your invisible hand
is always present guiding us,
leading us Lord to green pastures,
to fulfillment; many times
your invisible hand pats our
backs and shoulders to comfort
and assure us; sometimes,
your invisible hand spank
us, reprimanding us in times
we turn away from you;
let us remember that
whether you are patting our
shoulders or slapping us,
it is always your loving
and graceful
invisible hand,
Lord,
Amen.
The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Wednesday in the Sixth Week of Easter, 17 May 2023
Acts 17:15, 22-18:1 ><)))*> + <*(((>< John 16:12-15
Photo by author, Sacred Heart Novitiate, Novaliches, Quezon City, 20 March 2023.
Keep us attuned with you,
Lord Jesus in the Holy Spirit;
grant us the grace to cultivate
that deep and lively prayer life
making a specific time for us to
commune in you in prayers
so we may be enlightened always
in witnessing your gospel in this
world no different in the past wherein
we never learn from their mistakes,
merely continuing their errors.
How funny that just like before, Lord,
the cities and peoples we consider advanced and
sophisticated like Athens in the time of Paul
were also centers of superstitions and paganisms!
How funny that until now, the modern societies
professing to be progressive in their thoughts
with all arguments for pluralities and
inclusiveness are actually backwards and
primitive!
More funny, Lord, is how these modern and
sophisticated societies insist on their modern
thoughts and ideas are merely masks of
their being primitive, and arrogant as they
reject the God who revealed himself to us
definitively in Jesus Christ who rose from the dead;
what a shame at how they would hold on their
various esoteric beliefs than accept you,
O Lord, who is so true!
St. Paul said it so well,
"He (God) made from one the whole
human race to dwell on the entire surface
of the earth, and he fixed the ordered seasons
and boundaries of their regions so that
people might seek God, even perhaps grope
for him and find him, though indeed he is not
far from any one of us" (Acts 17:26-27).
Make us humble before you,
dear Jesus, accepting our own
limitations, admitting our weaknesses
that we need the Spirit of truth to
guide us always
in realizing and experiencing first hand
your truth so we too may preach you
to others, especially the simple ones.
Let us not be deceived by modern
thoughts and beliefs that have long been
debunked, disproved and discarded
as untrue
and baseless.
Amen.
The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Tuesday in the Sixth Week in Easter, 16 May 2023
Acts 16:22-34 ><]]]]'> + ><]]]]'> + ><]]]]'> John 16:5-11
Photo by author, Katmon Nature Sanctuary & Beach Resort, Infanta, Quezon, 04 March 2023.
Today dear Jesus we pray
for those going through
catastrophes in life:
victims of natural and man-made
calamities,
victims of wars and persecutions,
people going through everything
that is wrong in life, so to speak.
Teach us Lord to stay still
in you in times of catastrophe;
like St. Paul and Silas who remained
inside their prison cell when a powerful
earthquake struck Philippi:
About midnight, while Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God as the prisoners listened, there was suddenly such a severe earthquake that the foundations of the jail shook; all the doors flew open, and the chains of all were pulled loose. When the jailer woke up and saw the prison doors wide open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, thinking that the prisoners had escaped, But Paul shouted out in a loud voice, “Do not harm yourself; we are all here.”
Acts 16:25-28
Oh what a beautiful event
for that jailer, Lord!
Twice he faced situations with
catastrophic consequences that could
have cost his own life - first the severe
earthquake and second the possible escape
of Paul and Silas;
but you spared his life, Lord,
not only in making him survive
the earthquake but most of all
opening eternal life to him
in hearing your gospel from Paul
and eventually being baptized with
his whole family!
In the gospel, amid the
dangers lurking with your
impending arrest and pasch,
you told your disciples that it
is better for you to go and leave
so you could send the Holy Spirit,
the Advocate (Jn.16:7).
Teach us, Jesus,
to be still, to be not foolish
in rushing, to avoid panic
when catastrophes happen;
let us trust in you alone;
let us think clearly of avoiding
drastic steps that may put us
and others in harm's way;
let us cultivate a prayer life,
a relationship with you that
would keep us attuned with the
Holy Spirit in reading the signs
of the times so we may find you
always especially when uneventful
things happen to us.
Amen.
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