When Jesus is “stressed”

Lord My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul, 23 October 2025
Thursday in Twenty-Ninth Week of Ordinary Time, Year I
Romans 16:19-23     <'[[[[><  +  ><]]]]'>     Luke 12:49-53

*Photo by Dra. Mai B. Dela Peña, Japan, 2016.*

I may be struggling with
stress daily like most
people these days,
Lord Jesus,
but today's gospel made me
realize how you too experienced
"stress" like us because, 
after all , you are 
truly human
like us.

Jesus said to his disciples: “I have come to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already blazing! There is a baptism with which I must be baptized, and how great is my anguish until it is accomplished! Do you think that I have come to establish peace on the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division (Luke 12:49-51).

How good it is to realize
that you, Lord Jesus,
was also stressed -
"I have come to set the earth
on fire...
There is a baptism with which
I must be baptized...";
like you, we could feel
the weight of things to be done,
of mission to be accomplished;
like you, we too could feel
 the great responsibilities
on our shoulders.

Thank you,
Jesus,
thank you
for being one with us
in our stress.

Teach us Lord your
way of handling stress
so we can put these
challenges into good use,
into more evangelical in nature
by first accepting and embracing
 like you our mission and
 responsibilities when you said,
"how I wish it were already blazing"
and "how great is my anguish
until it is accomplished";
many times what we do
is as much as possible avoid
our mission and responsibilities
or, if not, delay acting on them
that eventually stress us further;
give us also the courage like you,
Jesus,
to face and deal with our
many divisions in life
that stress us,
of learning to bridge the many
gaps between the ideal
and the sad realities
we are into
as well as the many
limitations and handicaps
we have.

*Photo by Dra. Mai B. Dela Peña, Mt. Carmel, Israel, 2015.*

Make us whole,
Lord Jesus
in your love and 
kindness and peace
by claiming our 
blessedness in your
gift of salvation
and sanctification
as we pursue
holiness
according to
St. Paul's advice
in the first reading.
Amen.

Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Our Lady of Fatima University
Valenzuela City
(lordmychef@gmail.com)

Of rights & privileges, compassion & solidarity

Lord My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul, 11 August 2025
Monday, Memorial of St. Clare, Virgin
Deuteronomy 10:12-22     <*((((><  +  ><))))*>     Matthew 17:22-27

*Photo by author, Sonnen Berg Mountain View, Marilog, Davao City, August 2018.*

What a beautiful way 
to start our first day in school
and work this week 
examining our attitudes
with our rights and privileges
vis-a-vis your example of compassion
and solidarity,
Lord Jesus.

Moses said to the people: “For the Lord, your God, is the God of gods, the Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who has no favorites, accepts no bribes… So you too must befriend the alien, for you were once aliens yourselves in the land of Egypt” (Deuteronomy 10:12, 17,19).

You play no favorites,
indeed, Lord
but many times your love
and blessings get into our heads
that we not only forget others
but even you in the process;
we forget what we have gone through,
we disregard our wounds
especially how you saved us
that we think more
 of our rights and privileges
 than of our responsibilities
that come with every good gift
from you.

When they came to Capernaum, the collectors of the temple tax approached Peter and said, “Does not your teacher pay the temple tax?” “Yes,” he said. When he came into the house, before he had time to speak, Jesus asked him, “What is your opinion, Simon? From whom do the kings of the earth take tolls or census tax? From their subjects or from foreigners?” When he said, “From foreigners,” Jesus said to him, “Then the subjects are exempt. But that we may not offend them, go to the sea, drop in a hook, and take the first fish that comes up. Open its mouth and you will find a coin worth twice the temple tax. Give that to them for me and for you” (Matthew 17:24-27).

What a shame,
Lord Jesus!
In this world where
everyone insists on each one's
rights and privileges,
so many are maligned,
and much more are misled
by some people specially in media
with bloated egos;
in this world that had shrunk
into a global village,
many brains have shrunk too
with hearts turned into stone
without any compassion and 
sense of true solidarity at all!

Instruct me, 
dear Jesus, 
like Peter to drop in 
a hook to catch the
first fish that comes up
for surely,
many times
I have missed finding
a "coin" inside its mouth
worth than what we are required;
many times,
I see only myself,
my rights and my privileges
that I forget to be compassionate
and be one with others;
teach me to be like you:
totally "indifferent" in a positive
sense in whatever the world offers
choosing only the Father's will
for God's glory.
Amen.

Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Our Lady of Fatima University
Valenzuela City
(lordmychef@gmail.com)

Lent clarifies our priorities & responsibilities

40 Shades of Lent by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Thursday in the Second Week of Lent, 29 February 2024
Jeremiah 17:5-10   ><))))*> + ><))))*> + ><))))*>     Luke 16:19-31

*Photo by author in Tam-Awan Village, Baguio City, March 2018.*

Teach us, Father,
to realize anew our
priorities in life this Lent;
make us begin anew
in this holy season to 
prioritize on you and
spirituality than material
things especially wealth.

Probe our hearts, O God,
and remove our many attachments
to things that pass and fade,
that hinder us from growth
and maturity, preventing us
from experiencing fulfillment
in you.

Thus says the Lord: Cursed is the man who trusts in human beings, who seeks his strength in flesh, whose heart turns away from the Lord. He is like a barren bush in the desert that enjoys no change of season, but stands in a lava waste, a salt and empty earth. Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose hope is the Lord. He is like a tree planted beside the waters that stretches out its roots to the stream: It fears not the heat when it comes, its leaves stay green; in the year of drought it shows no distress, but still bears fruit.
Jeremiah 17:5-8

When you become the priority
in our lives, God,
then we become more responsible
with our neighbors too;
we become concerned with everyone,
especially the poor and those in need,
we become our brother's keeper,
thinking about the good of others
unlike the rich man
in today's parable;
grant us the grace
in Jesus Christ
to have a heart that feels
the hunger and thirst of the poor,
the pains and anguish of
 the sick and dying,
enabling us to do good
in others.
Amen.