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

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)