Advent is the light of Christ coming

Lord My Chef Simbang Gabi Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Wednesday, Simbang Gabi-XIX, 24 December 2025
2 Samuel 7:1-5, 8-12, 14, 16 <*((((>< + ><))))*> Luke 1:67-79

*Photo by author, sunrise at Lake of Galilee, the Holy Land, May 2019.*

Being an early riser or “madrugeño” in Spanish, I have always loved and preferred early morning Masses because churchgoers at that time are mostly silent, either still sleepy or simply truly reverent.

Though sunsets are more colorful and dramatic like a spectacular show – a palabas in Filipino -sunrise is different because it is more of paloob, of inside movement that is subtle yet intense when light steals into shadows as the sun isgradually breaking open the darkness to reveal what is unseen. Our local term for sunrise or breaking of dawn says it all, pagbubukang liwayway.

There lies the beauty of our Simbang Gabi especially on this final day of our novena when we are slowly seeing the light of Christ’s coming. It is hoped that in these nine days of prayers and reflections on the Sacred Scriptures, we have been enlightened about the the true meaning of Christmas, of how it continues to come and happen in our modern time so darkened by sin and evil.

On this final day of our Simbang Gabi, we reflect on the wonderful aftermath of the assertions by Elizabeth and later by her husband Zechariah on the name “John” meaning “God is gracious” being given to their child as instructed by God. Suddenly, Zechariah who was rendered deaf and mute following his unbelief in having a child, sang praises to God!

Zechariah his father, filled with the Holy Spirit, prophesied, saying: “Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; for he has come to his people and set them free. He has raised for us a mighty Savior, born of the house of his servant David… In the tender compassion of our God the dawn from on high shall break upon us, to shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death, and to guide our feet into the way of peace” (Luke 1:67-68, 78-79).

*Painting by Italian Riccardo Cessi in 1892 of Zechariah giving name to his son John;from commons.wikimedia.org.*

In singing the Benedictus, Zechariah affirmed and confirmed in himself the reality and truth of God being present in our lives.

Many times we are like Zechariah that even if we pray, celebrate the Masses, do all the devotions but still deep inside, doubt God’s reality that we simply do all this sacred rites and traditions just for the sake of doing them. Last week at the start of our Misa de Gallo, we have invited you to reassess and examine the reason why we are keeping this sacred tradition. Is it because of special favors we are asking from God or is it because we want to see God?

The late American Trappist monk Thomas Merton said in one of his writings that seeking God is not like searching for a “thing” or a lost object because God is more than an intellectual pursuit or a contemplative illumination of the mind. Merton explained that God reveals Himself to us in our hearts through our communion and fellowships in the Church.

*Photo by Ar. Philip Santiago, Benedictus on the wall of the patio of Church of St. John the Baptist in Ein-Karem where he was born.*

In singing the Benedictus, Zechariah realized God’s presence and His coming communion throughout Israel’s history, from the Patriarchs down to the birth of his son John who would prepare the way of Jesus Christ. The Benedictus describes to us the coming of the Christ as expected by the people of Israel in the Old Testament and that is why, unlike Mary’s Magnificat, it is in the future tense. While Zechariah mentions the mission of his son John, the main focus of the Benedictus is Jesus Christ who was about to be born six months later at that time.

Therefore, when we who believe in Jesus as the Christ or Messiah expected by the people of Israel in the Old Testament, the Benedictus becomes an affirmation of God’s presence in us and among us today and forever.

It is in this most sublime expression by Luke we find Christ’s coming like the breaking of dawn like shafts of light bursting forth, “In the tender compassion of our God the dawn from on high shall break upon us, to shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death, and to guide our feet into the way of peace.” It is in this breaking of dawn we find and experience the poetry of sunrise that is more of the heart than of the eyes we mentioned earlier.

After seeing the coming of the Christ in the birth of his son John, Zechariah now summarizes to us the very essence of Jesus our Savior, of God Himself: tender compassion or in the original Greek, splaghna or “tender mercy” of God.

It is not just compassion which is to suffer with us but at the same time be filled with tenderness that one is so moved to reach out, to do something by going down with the one suffering.

Like courage, mercy is a movement in the heart called misericordia in Spanish from the Latin mittere, meaning to be moved, to be stirred. It is something dynamic, not static. It is a deep feeling that moves toward someone in pain and suffering. An identification of Jesus with every person going through so much hardships and sufferings in life.

*Ar. Philip Santiago reverently kissing the very site of John’s birthplace in Ein-Karem, October 2025.*

See now the culmination of movements we have mentioned in Luke’s Christmas story: last Saturday at the Annunciation to Mary, the Angel mentioned the “overshadowing of Holy Spirit” on her in bearing our Savior; today in the Benedictus, there is the moving or stirring of the heart in Zechariah. Whenever we allow God to overshadow with His powers, our hearts are moved to love more, to be tender like God.

Zechariah’s heart is no longer hardened with negativity and cynicism – it was so stirred by God that he mentioned His tender mercy or compassion because he had personally felt it as he recovered his voice and speech. With the birth of John, he now believes that God’s love for his suffering people is deep and personal.

And that is perhaps one of the things we sorely lack in our history as a nation especially during the decadent years of the last Administration – the utter lack of tenderness by our officials and their kawatan in corruption. Wala silang awa at habag sa taong-bayan.

Recall the tender compassion, tender mercy of Jesus, how during His ministry all four evangelists would narrate Jesus was moved with pity and compassion to the people who were lost, tired and sick “like sheep without a shepherd” that no matter how tired He may be, He would always find time to teach them, heal their sick, and even feed them. That is the mercy of God that Jesus had brought forth to us in His coming, experienced by Zechariah himself that he could foresee its coming at the birth of John.

*Photo by Ar. Philip Santiago, Filipino translation of the Benedictus on the wall of the patio of Church of St. John the Baptist in Ein-Karem where he was born.*

That is the Benedictus, the song of every faithful disciple of Jesus introducing His coming, His birth. So many people have forgotten God, do not know God, refused to believe in God because many among us He had lavishly loved have refused to share His love with others, choosing to remain in the darkness of the night, thinking more of themselves and of their hurts and pains that they revenge with by stealing billions of money.

How lovely to think that God’s tenderness moves in us like the breaking of dawn, of shafts or streaks of lights slowly penetrating, bursting forth through cracks in the skies, in our homes and even right in our very selves. Bask in that light saw by Zechariah, shared by John the Baptist his son. Amen. Have a blessed and meaningful Christmas! Thank you for following our reflections. Share it and let it be shafts of light to somehow illumine the darkness in others.

Advent is asserting God’s plan

Lord My Chef Simbang Gabi Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Tuesday, Simbang Gabi-VIII, 23 December 2025
Malachi 3:1-4, 23-24     <*[[[[><  +  ><]]]]*>     Luke 1:57-66

*Photo by author, birthplace of John the Baptist under the Church of St. John the Baptist at Ein-Karem, the Holy Land, May 2019.*

As we near the completion of our Christmas novena, we hear today the birth and naming of John the Baptist that is still filled with drama just like in the announcement of his birth to his father Zechariah.

Recall how Zechariah not only doubted the good news but even challenged God at “how” his barren wife Elizabeth could still bear a child. All these come into fore when that promise is fulfilled in the birth of the old couple’s child. Such is the artistry of Luke in keeping our attention, hoping we could learn and realize how we can at this modern age still be a part of the Christmas story like Zechariah and Elizabeth.

When the time arrived for Elizabeth to have her child she gave birth to a son. Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown his great mercy toward her, and they rejoiced with her. When they came on the eighth day to circumcise the child, they were going to call him Zechariah after his father, but his mother said in reply, “No. He will be called John,” But they answered her, “There is no one among your relatives who has this name.” So they made signs, asking his father what he wished him to be called. He asked for a tablet and wrote, “John is his name,” and all were amazed. Immediately his mouth was opened, his tongue freed, and he spoke blessing God (Luke 1:57-64).

Everybody expected that this first-born’s naming would continue the family line by giving him his father’s name, Zechariah.

*Photo by Ar. Philip Santiago, altar at the very site of John’s birthplace also below the Church of St. John. the Baptist in Ein-Karem, October 2025.*

Imagine the sight narrated to us by Luke of everybody so happy, trying to take a piece of action while Zechariah, father of the new-born child, old, deaf, and mute was so silent like a nobody in a corner. In the Jewish society, it is the father who gives name to the children, especially to the son; but, due to Zechariah’s condition, nobody bothered to ask him so that their neighbors who were all epal as we call in Filipino, assumed that role.

However, keep in mind that up until that time it was only Elizabeth who clearly believed in what was God doing to them, having instructed that their son would be called “John”. Feel her firm stand when she insisted on everyone, “No. He will be called John.” Be with Elizabeth as her neighbors and relatives react with disbelief, “There is no one among your relatives who has this name.”

Like Elizabeth, has there been a time for you where God has invited you to do the unexpected or out of the ordinary? How was God with you through it?

*Photo by author, birthplace of John the Baptist, Church of St. John the Baptist at Ein-Karem, the Holy Land, May 2019.*

When I was growing up, I have heard from my father and then from some of my superiors and colleagues in media and now in the Church of how people are more inclined to believe foolish people than geniuses and more sane people.

Look at the kind of lawmakers and officials who get elected in our countryn from the barangay to the national levels – they are only famous or well-known ether because they are actors/actresses or members of political dynasties who are totally benighted beings bereft of any love for country and fellowmen. Tuwing matatapos ang halalan, nanghihinayang na lang tayo palagi sa mga hindi naboboto na gaya nina Heidi Mendoza at Chel Diokno na sa wakas nakapasok dahil sa party-list.

When I was still a seminarian until I became a priest, I have proven on many occasions as well as in many experimentations I conducted that indeed, when you speak the truth, be honest and sincere with people, they will doubt and even hate you; but, tell them lies and fake news, bolahin mo sila, they readily believe you, even will defend and support you!

And there lies the challenge to us today: are we willing to assert no matter how unpopular what is true and good like Elizabeth and Zechariah? Can we insist on the plan of God that is even contrary to the ways of the world like these the parents of the Lord’s precursor?

It was a crucial moment when Zechariah boldly made a stand about his faith in God, obeying the angel’s instruction to name his son “John” or Jehohanan in Hebrew that means “God is gracious” or “graciousness of God”.

How lovely is that scene Luke presents us today when amid all the noise, Zechariah made the bold move of writing on a tablet “John is his name” to confirm the name given by his wife Elizabeth that also reaffirmed the instruction to him by the Angel at his annunciation.

With a single stroke of hand, everyone felt God present among them as “fear came upon the neighbors for surely the hand of the Lord was with him” that they realized something very special with the child.

So amazing too as experienced by the people was when Zechariah asserted God’s plan by naming his son “John”, he was finally able to speak and hear again!

*Photo by author, Church of St. John the Baptist, Ein-Karem, the Holy Land, May 2019.*

Whenever we assert the plan of God in our lives, in our community, in our family and country, new possibilities open as we break free from all obstacles and hindrances that prevent us from growing and maturing, from being joyful and fulfilled.

Whenever we assert the plan of God in our lives, in our community, in our family and country, that is when Christmas happens because Jesus Christ comes when we become like John.

Whenever we obey and assert the plan of God in our lives, in our community, in our family and country, that is when we take that leap of faith, believe again and experience God again.

In the first reading, the Prophet Malachi spoke of how the Messiah’s precursor or messenger would be “like the refiner’s fire, or like the fuller’s lye” (3:2). Though he was referring to John, see it would be Zechariah his father who was first to be refined and purified by God by making him deaf and mute until John’s birth.

The imposed silence on Zechariah made him realize how he had been held prisoner by his disappointments and frustrations over a long period of time when God did not hear his prayers for a child. Imagine their shame being childless despite their being good persons and as husband and wife. At that time, childlessness was seen as a punishment from God, a curse. It must have been a strong blow too to Zechariah’s ego as a priest consulted by everyone for advise and prayers yet could not sire his wife with a child!

*Photo by Ar. Philip Santiago, site of John’s birthplace below the Church of St. John the Baptist, Ein-Karem, October 2025.*

Many times we have been like Zechariah, numb and even indifferent to the movements and works of God in our lives following our many failures in life. Though we may be praying with many devotions doing so many religious activities, we have actually become “spiritual dwarfs” who never grew and matured in faith. Our prayers and devotions have become mere “habits hard to break” that are empty and meaningless.

Today God is calling us to do a Zechariah, to take that bold step of asserting and insisting God’s plan like when Elizabeth and later Zechariah boldly declared in writing “John is his name”. How lovely to know too that Zechariah in Hebrew means “God remembers” while Elizabeth means “God has promised.” God remembers and keeps his promise always because he is gracious all the time. Amen. Have a blessed Christmas ahead!

Advent is conversion in the desert

Lord My Chef Sunday Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Second Sunday in Advent-A, 07 December 2025
Isaiah 11:1-10 ><}}}}*> Romans 15:4-9 ><}}}}*> Matthew 3:1-12

*Photo by author, The Deesis Mosaic in the Hagia Sophia, Istanbul, Turkiye, 01 November 2025.*

A few weeks before the Holy Father visited Turkiye recently, we were also in Istanbul and had the great chance of visiting the magnificent Hagia Sophia. And we wonder why Pope Leo XIV skipped the more historical and popular Hagia Sophia to visit instead the Blue Mosque just across.

The Hagia Sophia or “Holy Wisdom” was the largest church in the Eastern Roman Empire when Istanbul was called Constantinople until the Ottoman Turks conquered the city and converted the church into a mosque. More than a hundred years ago when Turkiye became a republic, the government made Hagia Sophia a museum until recently when it was reverted into a mosque again.

My initial feeling when I got inside Hagia Sophia was deep sadness. “Malaking panghihinayang” as in “sayang na sayang” in Filipino because it used to be ours but due to the Great Schism of 1054 when the Eastern Roman Church broke away from Rome, it fell into the hands of the Moslems who made it into a mosque, altering or hiding the many great works of art there that date back to the Byzantine era 1200 to 1400 years ago.

One of its many treasures you might be familiar found in history books and magazines is the “Deesis Mosaic” of Jesus flanked to his left by his Mother Mary and John the Baptist to his right.

From the Greek word “deesis” that means supplication or intercession, the mosaic features Mary and John beseeching Jesus to forgive mankind at his Second Coming. Though the three images have been badly deteriorated due to the elements passing through the window beside it, its beauty remains intact, especially the evocative faces of Mary, Jesus and John.

Seeing it personally, one could feel the pagsusumamo of John the Baptist and Mother Mary expressed in the softness of their face in earnestly asking Jesus to forgive mankind on the day of judgment. And it seems to be working so well as you could feel too the tender compassion of Jesus Christ’s look as he raised his right hand in a blessing position while holding with his other hand a thick book that is perhaps a Bible.

*Detail of John the Baptist from the Deesis Mosaic in his abbreviated Greek name Ionnes Prodromos; photo by author, Istanbul, 01 November 2025.*

The Deesis Mosaic is very Advent in character because it is about God’s mercy and forgiveness in Christ Jesus at his Second Coming at the end of time.

Here we find how early on in the ancient Church they have been preoccupied in this first aspect of Advent, the Second Coming of Christ at the end of time and of Advent’s essence – our conversion from sins. At the forefront of that call is the Lord’s Precursor, John the Baptist, that is why every second and third Sundays of Advent we hear in the gospel his ministry at Jordan.

John the Baptist appeared, preaching in the desert of Judea and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” It was of him that the prophet Isaiah had spoken when he said: A voice crying out in the desert, Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths. … At that time Jerusalem, all Judea, and the whole region aroun d the Jordan were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the Jordan River as they acknowledged their sins (Matthew 3:1-3, 5-6).

John the Baptist remains relevant in preparing for the Lord’s coming, whether at the end of time or in preparation for our Christmas celebration. Like him, we are all called to be an Advent person, vigilantly preparing ourselves for Christ’s coming at the end of time that happens in every here and now, right in our own desert in this modern time.

Yes, we are like John the Baptist living in our own desert, a world we describe as a global village wired and connected by the internet yet so apart from each other. Instead of bringing us closer with one another, all these modern inventions have actually grown us more detached from one another like when eating in a fast food. It is so alienating especially for us seniors to be placing our orders on those tall electronic boards programmed for us to order more food and drinks not healthy at all.

Or, take those TNVS or Transport Network Vehicle Services like Grab. We no longer travel in the real sense as we just move to destinations with that desert feeling when inside a Grab car with the driver too far from us passengers in front, following instructions from apps while we at the back sit silently scrolling our phones or pounding a laptop. See also how driving has become going in the wilderness with the horrendous traffic where humans turn into monsters in road rage while machines and CCTVs monitor who’s violating traffic rules and who gets through the RFID.

*Photo by author, Basic Education Department Chapel, Our Lady of Fatima University, Valenzuela City, December 2023.*

This Second Sunday in Advent, John the Baptist invites us to be aware of the desert we are living into where we have become less personal, less human as we move away from God that we have lost our sense of sin, acting more on impulses without much thinking its effects and consequences.

We think more of ourselves than of God and others, overextending our rights insisting on our ways that actually destroy lives through abortions and gender manipulations. We no longer speak of what is true and good by simply following trends and what is convenient. No more feelings, no more compassion. No more others. No more God nor heaven and eternity.

*“St. John the Baptist Preaching in the Wilderness” by German painter Anton Raphael Mengs (1728-1779) from commons.wikimedia.org.*

We do not have to dress on camel’s hair nor eat locusts and wild honey like John but simply make a space within us for God and for others.

We would be gravely wrong to think John was only speaking to the people of his time especially to the Pharisees and Sadducees; Matthew wrote his gospel account at that time to nourish the faith of early Christians facing persecutions and many challenges in life like in our own time when it is so tempting to follow the evil ways of the world.

John continues to warn us today of the sure return of the Christ when everyone shall face judgment which is not something to be feared like a sword of Damocles hanging above our heads ready to strike us anytime. It is a call and a demand for concrete actions of conversion, of leaving our sinful ways to follow Christ’s path of holiness.

“Even now the ax lies at the root of the trees. Therefore every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. I am baptizing you with water, for repentance, but the one who is coming after me is mightier than I. I am not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire” (Matthew 3:10-11).

Advent assures us of Christ’s Second Coming when he shall purify and renew us to fulfill Isaiah’s prophecy in the first reading when “the wolf shall be a guest of the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid… the calf and young lion shall browse together, with a little child to guide them… the cow and bear shall be neighbors, together their young shall rest, the lion shall eat hay like the ox… the baby shall play by the cobra’s den, and the child lay his hand on the adder’s lair”(Isaiah 11:6-8).

*“Peaceable Kingdom”, a painting based on Is.11:1-10 by American Edward Hicks, a Quaker pastor (1780-1849)* from wikimedia.org.

As we have reflected last Sunday, every coming of Jesus is a day of judgment but not a catastrophe. It becomes a disaster for those unprepared, living in sin. But for those like John the Baptist, striving to live the gospel amid the desert of this world, Christ’s coming is salvation and peace for Jesus is full of love and compassion and tenderness for his people.

Life is so difficult these days especially when we see our great disparities with the corrupt who simply steal our money and those we call “lumalaban ng patas sa buhay”. Imagine how in our country the world is like a desert, so hostile with the weak and the poor who have to wrestle with 500 pesos – if ever they have – to stretch it for a noche buena on Christmas Eve.

St. Paul reminds us in the second reading that in times like these, we look up to God and his Sacred Words, to keep hoping, trusting and believing in Christ’s coming already happening especially in the Sunday Eucharist. Let us gather together as one community, encouraging each other in Christ like John in Jordan while awaiting the Lord’s coming, rejoicing like the psalmist today who sang, “Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace forever” (Ps. 72:7). Amen. A blessed Second Week in Advent everyone!

Resist, insist (Ang Solstice, Part 2)

Lord My Chef Daily Recipe, Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Sacred Heart Novena Day 7, 24 June 2025
Solemnity of the Birth of John the Baptist

*Detalye ng painting ng Sacred Heart of Jesus sa Visitation Monastery, Marclaz, France mula sa godongphoto / Shutterstock.*

Sikapin nating pag-ugnayin ating Nobena sa Sacred Heart at ang Dakilang Kapistahan ng Pagsilang ni Juan Bautista sa liwanag ng ating pagninilay kahapong bisperas nito ukol sa “summer solstice”.

Sa paglalahad ng personalidad at misyon ng Panginoong Jesus, palaging naroon si Juan Bautista bilang kanyang tagapaghanda ng daraanan gaya ng ating narinig sa propesiya ni Isaias sa unang pagbasa. Kaya naman maging sa kanilang kapanganakan ay hindi maiwasan ang ugnayang ito: isinilang sa petsang ito si Juan Bautista panahon ng “summer solstice” habang ang Pasko ng Pagsilang ni Jesus ay panahon ng “winter solstice”.

Mula sa wikang Latin ang salitang solstice na pinagsamang sol o araw/sun at sistere o paghinto na sa Ingles ay to stop o to stand still. Kapag mayroong solstice, humahaba ang araw dahil tumitigil pansamantala sa pag-inog ang daigdig upang tumutokn sa araw kaya kapag summer, ito ang pinaka-maliwanag habang kung taglamig, ito pinaka-madilim.

Kaya kagabi sabi natin, pinaaalalahan tayo na tumigil din upang katagpo muli ang Diyos. Mula sa salitang sistere nagbuhat ang Ingles na desist – stop o tigil.

Ngayong Dakilang Kapistahan ng Pagsilang ni Juan Bautista, tinatawagan tayo ng ebanghelyo at maging ng Kamahal-Mahalang Puso ni Jesus na tayo ay mag-resist ,”lumaban” o “tumutol” at mag-insist, magpilit.

Nang ikawalong araw, dumalo sila sa pagtutuli ng sanggol. Zacarias sana ang ipangangalan sa kanya – gaya ng kanyang ama – nugnit sinabi ng kanyang ina, “Hindi! Juan ang ipapangalan sa kanya.” “Subalit wala isa man sa iyong mga kamag-anak ang may ganyang pangalan,” wika nila. Kaya’t hinudyatan nila ang kanyang ama at itinanong kung ano ang ibig niyang itawag sa sanggol. Humingi siya ng masusulatan at sumulat ng ganito: “Juan ang kanyang pangalan.” At namangha silang lahat (Lukas 1:59-63).

*Larawan kuha ng may-akda, St. Scholastica, Tagaytay, Agosto 2024.*

Hindi sapat na tayo ay tumigil sa mga gawain natin o mag-desist upang makatagpo ang Diyos. Katulad nina Elizabeth at Zacarias, kailangan nating mag-resist upang labanan ang mga salungat sa plano ng Diyos at mag-insist sa ebanghelyo at mga turo ni Jesus.

Lalo na sa ating panahon ngayon na laganap ang kasamaan at kasalanan na tila baga inaayunan na ng lahat dahil sa social media. Normal na ngayon ang magmura at magsalita ng mga kalaswaan. Hindi lamang iyon, dahil sa internet at AI, talamak na rin ang mga kabastusang usapan at larawan na madaling makita ng lahat lalo ng mga bata. Higit sa lahat, dahil sa laganap at mabilis na pagkalat ng mga larawan at impormasyon, marami ang nahahalina na tanggapin at sang-ayunan mga kaisipang banyaga na tinuturing makabago gayong malinaw na mga mali at salungat sa kabutihan at mga turo ni Jesus tulad ng abortion at diborsiyo at same sex marriage.

Pagmasdan ang mariing resistance – pagtutol – ni Elizabeth nang makialam mga tao nakisaya sa kanila na pangalanang “Zacarias” ang kanyang sanggol: “Hindi! Juan ang ipapangalan sa kanya.”

*Painting ni Anton Raphael, pangangaral ni San Juan Bautista sa ilang; mula sa wikipedia.org.*

Kaya ba nating sumagot nang gayon sa mga paglapastangan sa Diyos at pagbatikos sa Mahal na Birheng Maria? Isa sa mga palaging sinasambit sa nobena sa Sacred Heart ay ang paglapastangan ng marami sa Banal na Eukaristiya at sa Kamahal-Mahalang Puso ni Jesus. Naipaglalaban ba natin sa pamamagitan ng mahinahong pagtutuwid. Nakakalungkot madalas nahihiya tayong magdasal lalo na bago kumain sa mga restaurant at fastfood! Kay gandang namnamin ang conviction ni Elizabeth kaya mariin siyang tumutol sa panukalang Zacarias ipangalan kay Juan.

Ang pagtutol o resistance ay mabuti kung ang ating tinututulan ay kasamaan at kasalanan. Nang lumaki na si Juan Bautista, palagi siyang tumitigil (desist) sa ilang upang manalangin at mamuhay ng payak di tulad ng gawi ng maraming tao noon maging ngayon. Katulad ng kanyang ina, mariin ding tinutulan ni Juan Bautista mga kamalian at kasamaan noon. Kaya siya nakulong ay dahil tahasan niyang sinabihan si Herodes na mali ang ginawa nitong pag-agaw at pagsama sa dating asawa ng kapatid niyang si Felipe. Sa kanyang pangangaral, hindi natakot si Juan Bautista na tawaging mga lahi ng ulupong kanyang kababayang namumuhay sa kasalanan bilang tanda ng kanyang pagtutol at paglaban sa mga kalabisan ng lahat.

Gayon din naman, napaka-halaga na mayroon din tayong pag-insist – pagpipilit, paninindigan baga – para sa tama at mabuti katulad nina Elizabeth at Zacarias. Ito ang halimbawa ni Zacartias nang isulat niya bilang pagsang-ayon di lamang kay Elizabeth kungdi sa Diyos mismo na “Juan ang ipapangalan” sa anak nila.

Nang mangaral si Juan Bautista sa ilang, pinanindigan niya lahat ng tama at mabuti kaya naman sa siya man ang unang naghandog ng kanyang buhay sa katotohanan katulad ni Jesus nang papugutan siya ng ulo ni Herodes sa salang pagsasabi ng totoo. Sa panahon natin hindi pa umaabot sa mga pagpaparusa maliban sa panlalait ang ating hinaharap sa paninindigan sa tama at mabuti tila hirap na hirap na tayo. Bumoto lang ng tama sa pagwawaksi sa mga corrupt at mamamatay tao, hindi natin magawa. Paano pa ang manindigan sa ibang turo ni Kristo?

*Larawan kuha ng may-akda, Angels HIlls Retreat House, Tagaytay, Abril 2025.*

Pagmasdan natin. Sa isang simpleng pagsusulat lamang, nabago si Zacarias at muling nakapag-salita nang kanyang ipagpilitan kalooban ng Diyos na Juan ang ipangalan sa sanggol. Higit pa roon, nabago ang kasaysayan ng mundo dahil sa pagpipilit niya sa pangalang Juan sa kanyang anak, natupad lahat ng propesiya sa tagapaghanda ng darating na Kristo.

Sa tuwing tayo at nagdedesist, resist at insist ng tama at mabuti laban sa kasamaan at kasalanan, tayo ay nagiging pagpapala ng Diyos na siyang kahulugan ng pangalang Juan. Kapag nagkakagayon, tunay nga nating naihahatid sa pagdating sa mundo ngayon si Jesus na pilit binubura, inaalis ng marami sa buhay sa mundo ngayon na pinapanginoon ay salapi at kapangyarihan.

Ngayong ika-pitong araw ng nobena sa Sacred Heart at Dakilang Kapistahan ng Pagsilang ni Juan Bautista, hinahamon tayo ni Jesus na huwag maging bantilawan – indifferent – o sala sa init, sala sa lamig sa ating pagiging alagad niya. Ating i-resist ang masasama at kasalanang laganap at mag-insist di lamang sa pagtuturo kungdi sa halimbawa sa ating pamumuhay ng ebanghelyo ni Kristo.

O Jesus na mayroong
maamo at mapagkumbabang Puso,
Gawin Mong ang puso nami'y
matulad sa Puso Mo!
Amen.

*Ang ideya ng SOLSTICE ay aking hinalaw mula sa pagninilay naman sa mga panahon ni Sr. Renee Yann, RSM sa kanyang blog na aking sinusundan; napakaganda ng kanyang mga lathalain at bakas ang kanyang kabanalan at karunungan. Tingnan sa link na ito: http://lavishmercy.wordpress.com

Tag-Araw, Tag-Ulan (Ang Solstice)

Lord My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Sacred Heart Novena Day 6, 23 June 2025

Sigurado, sasabihin ninyo ako ay kumakanta na naman sa pagninilay dahil sa ating pamagat na “Tag-Araw, Tag-Ulan” mula sa awitin ng yumaong si Haji Alejandro noong aming kabataan ng 1977.

Bata pa lamang po ako ay mahilig na ako sa radyo at tugtugin kaya hindi ko maiwasang maugnay palagi maski sa pagdarasal ang maraming awiting aking nagisnan.

At heto na nga po ang titik ng awit ni Haji na noon ay tinaguriang “kilabot ng mga kolehiyala” di lamang sa kanyang porma kungdi sa ganda ng boses at mga tema ng pag-ibig sa kanyang musika katulad ng “Tag-Araw, Tag-Ulan”:

Tag-araw, sa may dagat namasyal
At pagdilim, sa may baybay humimlay
At nagyakap, sabay sa pagsabog ng alon
Sabay sa paghuni ng ibon, saksi ay liwanag ng buwan
'Di ba sabi mo pa, na wala pang iba
Na ako ang una sa pagmamahal mo, sinta?

At ang buhay nating dal'wa ay nagbunga
Ng makulay na pag-ibig na dakila
Ngunit, bakit ngayong umuugong ang hangi't ulan
'Sing lamig ng gabi ang mga halik mo?
Ni wala nang apoy, titig mo sa akin
Naglaho ba ang pagmamahal mo, sinta?

*Larawan kuha ng may-akda, La Trinidad, Benguet, 12 Hulyo 2023.*

Hanapin na lamang po ninyo sa YouTube.com ang awit ni Haji na “Tag-Araw, Tag-Ulan” dahil ngayong ika-anim na araw ng ating Nobena sa Kamahal-Mahalang Puso ni Jesus ay bisperas din ng Dakilang Kapistahan ng Pagsilang ni San Juan Bautista, ang tagapaghanda ng Kristo.

Bukod tanging siya lamang at si Jesus ang ipinagdiriwang natin ang kaarawan ng pagsilang bilang Dakilang Kapistahan o Solemnity, ang pinaka-mataas na antas ng selebrasyon sa Simbahan. Palaging pinag-ugnay ng mga ebanghelista lalo ni San Lukas ang buhay at misyon nina San Juan Bautista at Panginoong Jesus na magpinsang makalawa.

Bagama’t ating ipinagdiriwang din ang pagsilang ng Mahal na Birheng Maria tuwing ika-walo ng Setyembre, ito ay Kapistahan lamang o Feast. Kaya kung inyong napapansin, ang kapistahan kadalasan ng mga Santo at Santa ay petsa ng kanilang kamatayan dahild doon sila pumasok sa buhay na walang hanggan.

Marahil sa bahaging ito nagtataka na kayo nasaan ang kaugnayan ng ating introduction na awitin ni Haji na “Tag-Araw, Tag-Ulan” at nina Jua Bautista at Jesu-Kristo at ng Kanyang Kamahal-Mahalang Puso? Heto po mga kaugnayang iyon:

Isinilang si Juan Bautista panahon ng summer solstice, ang pinakamahaba at pinaka-maliwanag na araw sa buong taon tuwing Hunyo habang si Jesus naman ay isinilang ng winter solstice, pinaka-mahaba at pinaka-madilim na araw tuwing Disyembre upang ipakita kanilang ugnayan: dala ni Juan Bautista ang liwanag ni Kristo na siyang liwanag sa gitna ng malaking kadiliman ng mundo.
Ang salitang “SOLSTICE” ay mula sa wikang Latin ng pinagsamang mga kataga na “SOL” (araw o sun) at “SISTERE” (tigil o hinto, stop o stand still gaya ng “to desist/resist” sa Ingles) na kung saan pansamantalang tumitigil o humihinto ang mundo at tumututok sa araw kaya pinaka-maliwanag din ang araw na iyon. Ayon sa PAGASA, naganap ang summer solstice ng 2025 sa bansa noong Sabado, ika-21 ng Hunyo bandang alas-10:42 ng umaga;magaganap ang winter solstice naman sa ika-21 ng Disyembre, 2025 ganap na alas-11:03 ng gabi na siyang pinakamahaba at madilim na araw naman.
Yung awit ni Haji ay “summer solstice” sa Pilipinas na kung saan ating nararanasan ang tag-ulan sa tag-araw, hindi ba? Sa awit ni Haji, nagtataka siya bakit huminto ang kanilang pagmamahalan na tila lumalabo na kanilang samahan katulad ng malakas na ulan sa gitna ng sikat ng araw.

*Larawan kuha ng may-akda sa St. Paul Spirituality Center, La Trinidad, Benguet, 06 Enero 2025.*

Ang ganda ng larawan, hindi ba?

Subalit, hindi ba ganyan din kadalasan ugnayan natin sa Diyos, parang malabo na di maintindihan? Alalaong-baga, itinakda ng Diyos na natural na tumigil (sistere) pansamanatala ang mundo sa harap ng araw (sol) upang magkaroon ng SOLSTICE upang pahabain at paliwanagin ang araw minsan kada Hunyo at dagdagan ang dilim ng gabi minsan kapag Disyembre upang mabalanse ang init at lamig sa daigdig. Kapag walang solstice, maaring masunog at matusta siguro ang mundo! Kaya mahalaga ang solstice na siya ring panawagan ng Diyos sa ating lahat ngayon.

Dumating si Juan Bautista upang magkaroon ng sosltice kung baga upang tumigil at magisis ng mga kasalanan at magsuri ng sarili upang magbalik sa Diyos sa pamamagitan ng pagkilala at pagmamalasakit sa kapwa.

Ito rin ang kailangan natin sa buhay ngayon, ang pagtigil at pananahimik. Tingnang paanong pinatahimik ng anghel si Zacarias na ama ni Juan Bautista. Katulad niya tayong mga tao ngayon. Puro tayo mema – memasabi lang. Puro kuda ika ng mga bata. Lahat iniisip natin maski problema ng Diyos, problema ng mga kung sinu-sino.

Napansin ko sa aking pagiging chaplain dito sa unibersidad, maraming mga bata ngayon ang “over-thinker” pero hindi na man “critical-thinker”.

Senyales ng kawalan ng pagtitiwala maging ng pananampalatay ang pagiging overthinker – lahat kasi inaalala at kinatatakutan. Madalas mga overthinker ay manipulator at control freak din. Wala kasing tiwala katulad ni Zacarias na ang lakas ng loob hamunin ang angel sa tanong niya kung paano niya matitiyak na totoo ang mabuting balita sa kanya ng pagkakaroon ng anak gayong baog at matanda na si Elizabeth na kanyang may-bahay?

Sa kabilang dako naman, pagmasdan ang kusang pananahimik o pagtigil (sistere) ni Elizabeth sa loob ng kanilang tahanan ng anim na buwan nang siya ay magdalantao kay Juan Bautista. Puno siya ng tiwala at pananampalatay sa Diyos katulad ng kanyang pinsang si Maria na pagkaraan ng anim na buwan ay babalitaan din ng anghel ng pagsilang niya sa Kristo.

Katulad din niya si Jeremias na tinawag at hinirang ng Diyos sa unang pagbasa upang maging kanyang propeta. Bagaman ipinakikita ng tagpo ng unang pagbasa ang pagkakahalintulad ng misyon nina Jeremias at Juan Bautista bilang tagapagsalita ng Diyos, ipinakikita rin sa atin ang attitude niya na tumigil at tumalima sa atas ng Diyos.

*Larawan kuha ng may-akda, Cabo de Roca, Pundaquit, San Antonio, Zambales, 14 Mayo 2025.*

Sa kuwento ng pagsilang ni Juan Bautista, ipinakikita sa atin kung paanong ang Diyos ay pumapasok sa ating panahon at buhay upang isagawa ang kanyang pagliligtas. Subalit malinaw din sa kuwentong ito ang pakikipag-isa ng tao tulad nina Zacarias at Elizabeth maging ni Jeremias upang maganap plano ng Diyos kay Jesu-Kristo.

Ito ang misyon na ipinagpapatuloy ng Simbahan gaya ng pagninilay at paliwanag ni San Pedro sa ikalawang pagbasa. Kung titingnan natin, madalas parang malabo ang Diyos, parang tag-ulan sa tag-araw na tinatawag tayo sa misyon kay Kristo gayong kay rumi natin sa kasalanan, kay daming kapintasan. Madalas pa nga ay tumatanggi tayo o naghahamon gaya ni Zacarias.

Subalit isang bagay ang malinaw: hindi titigil ang Diyos hanggat hindi tayo napapatigil din upang makinig at sumunod sa kanya. Sa araw na ito, hiling sa ating ng Sacred Heart ay magkaroon ng solstice – huminto at tumigil pansamantala at itutok ating tuon at sarili sa alab ng apoy ng pag-ibig ni Jesus sa atin.

O Jesus na mayroong
maamo at mapagkumbabang Puso,
Gawin Mong ang puso nami'y
matulad sa Puso Mo!
Amen.

*And ideya ng SOLSTICE ay aking hinalaw mula sa pagninilay naman sa mga panahon ni Sr. Renee Yann, RSM sa kanyang blog na aking sinusundan; napakaganda ng kanyang mga lathalain at bakas ang kanyang kabanalan at karunungan. Tingnan sa link na ito: http://lavishmercy.wordpress.com

Expect the unexpected

The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Monday, Solemnity of the Birth of John the Baptist, 24 June 2024
Isaiah 49:1-6 ><}}}}*> Acts 13:22-26 ><}}}}*> Luke 1:57-66.80

*Photo from Wikipedia, mosaic of Jesus with Mary and John the Baptist at the Hagia Sophia in Turkey.*

Praise and glory to You,
God our loving Father
in sending us John the Baptist
as Precursor of your Son
Jesus Christ our Savior;
on this Solemnity of his birth
six months before Christmas
during the summer solstice to
remind us of John's vocation,
"a burning and shining lamp"
(John 5:35) set to decrease 
when the Light that illuminates
the world appeared in December,
the winter solstice.

Everything about John pointed 
to the unexpected - his conception
in the womb of his old, barren mother
Elizabeth, his being named not after
his father Zechariah, and his life being
spent in the wilderness, not in the
temple to follow the footsteps of
his father; most of all, his "manifestation
to Israel"  (Lk.1:80) was not about himself 
but pointed to the Christ, Jesus our Lord
and Savior.

What is not unexpected, dear Father,
is the connection between John and
Jesus and the salvific events that have
everyone filled with joy and fear at the
same time for "surely your hand hand
was with him" (Lk.1:66).

*Photo by author, Binuangan Is., Meycauayan, Bulacan, 31 December 2021.*

Open our eyes and our hearts, 
merciful Father, to always expect 
the unexpected in this life and mission,
to learn to withdraw in the wilderness 
of our lives like John 
to realize that our whole being 
like his is directed to our relationship
with Jesus the Christ.

Let us decrease
so that Jesus may increase!
Let us strive to go to the wilderness
to empty ourselves to be filled
by the Holy Spirit;
most of all,
let your words comfort us
when life becomes so difficult
in being a herald of Jesus by proclaiming
repentance and conversion (Acts 13:24):

“You are my servant, he said to me, Israel, through whom I show my glory. Though I thought I had toiled in vain, and for nothing, uselessly, spent my strength, yet my reward is with the Lord, my recompense is with my God” (Isaiah 49:3,4).

How wonderful
that when I learn to expect
the unexpected from You,
O God,
that is when I am less,
Jesus becomes more in me,
then truly,
You are most gracious,
 Father through me,
like John.
Amen.

*Photo by author, birthplace of St. John the Baptist beneath the church in his honor in Ein Karem, Israel, May 2019*

Advent is making Christmas happen

The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Saturday, Misa De Gallo VIII, 23 December 2023
Malachi 3:1-4, 23-24 <'[[[[>< + ><]]]]'> Luke 1:57-66

*Photo by author, Church of St. John the Baptist (birthplace) also in Ein Kerem, other side of Church of Visitation, May 2019.*

We Filipinos always thought prophets are “fortune-tellers” who predict the future because “prophecy” is wrongly translated as “hula”; thus, when somebody says something would happen and becomes fulfilled, it is often described as “prophetic” because “nahulaan niya”.

But a prophet is neither a fortune teller nor someone who sees the future: a prophet is first of all a spokesman of God. The great prophets of Israel like Isaiah, Jeremiah, Daniel, Elijah even Moses all spoke for God. It was in their task of speaking for God that they seemed like seers when everything they have spoken happened – but not because they saw the future but more because they made God’s words happened.

Being a prophet or prophetic is making things happen not seeing what is going to happen. This is the meaning of our sharing in the prophetic ministry of Jesus as baptized Christians when in our speaking and standing for the truth of the Gospel, we make Jesus present in the world.

Hence, in that sense, advent is actually making Christmas happen! And that is why John the Baptist is considered a prophet because in preparing the way of the Lord, he already made Jesus present in his time that he was mistaken to be the Christ.

When the time arrived for Elizabeth to have her child she gave birth to a son. When they came on the eighth day to circumcise the child, they were going to call him Zechariah after his father, but his mother said in reply, “No. He will be called John.” So they made signs, asking his father what he wished him to be called. He asked for a tablet and wrote, “John is his name,” and all were amazed. Immediately his mouth was opened, his tongue freed, and he spoke blessing God. All who heard these things took them to heart, saying, “What, then, will this child be?” For surely the hand of the Lord was with him.
Luke 1:57, 59-60, 62-64, 66

*Photo by author, apse of Church of St. John the Baptist also in Ein Kerem, other side of Church of Visitation, May 2019.*

In our first reading, we have heard the prophet Malachi declaring the coming of the great prophet Elijah, later understood in the time of Jesus as a reference to John the Baptist, with all the functions of a precursor of the Christ.

Malachi is the last of the prophets in the Old Testament who showed us the transition into the New Testament through John the Baptist that Luke beautifully employed in presenting Zechariah and Elizabeth as links from the Old Testament like the patriarch Abraham and Sarah as well as Elkanah and Hannah, parents of another great prophet, Samuel.

Recall the annunciation of John’s birth that was reminiscent of the annunciation of the birth of Isaac to Abraham and Sarah while the Temple setting was very similar to the annunciation of Samuel’s birth to Elkanah and Hannah who then prayed in the Lord’s tent who was mistaken for a drunk by the chief priest of that time, Eli.

That is the artistry of Luke who portrayed to us this Old Testament links of John the Baptist so that in some Eastern churches until now you find above their entrance doors murals of the Baptist followed by the Blessed Virgin Mary at the middle and then Jesus to show how St. John marked the end of the Old Testament leading to the New Testament that started with Mama Mary when she accepted Jesus in her womb. It is the reason Jesus himself acknowledged John the Baptist as the greatest person ever born by a woman.

*Photo by author, altar of Church of St. John the Baptist in Ein Kerem, shortly before its closure for restoration, May 2019.*

We today are prophets too when we link the past with the present by continuing the work of Jesus Christ, making him present in this world. We are all bridges, linking and linked with one another in Christ.

Furthermore, the naming of John in itself was very prophetic because his parents made it happened to be fulfilled as God planned it wherein Elizabeth insisted to her neighbors “John” would be his name while Zechariah who was mute at that time affirmed his wife by writing “John is his name.”

That is our mission in this world – to be a prophet who makes things happen by fulfilling God’s plans for us. As prophets, we must be open always to God’s work among us, to always listen to his words in people and events so that we make his words realized. When we become prophetic, we shall hear people say what Luke noted at the end of our gospel today, All who heard these things took them to heart, saying, “What, then, will this child be?” For surely the hand of the Lord was with him (Lk.1:66).

As we move closer to Christmas Day, the birth of John the Baptist reminds us of our prophetic role in this world of making that future a present reality by fulfilling God’s words and holy will in us.

If we would just persevere in our prayer life, of immersing ourselves in prayer, the more we become sensitive not only of God’s presence but also of everyone like this very short story I recently found on my friend’s wall in Facebook shared by a certain Therese Williams Hudson last December 15, 2023. She wrote….

"I heard my mother ask the neighbors for salt. 
But we had salt at home. 
I asked her why she asked the neighbors for salt. 
And she replied: "Because our neighbors don't have much money 
and they often ask us for something. From time to time 
I also ask them for something small and economical, 
so that they feel that we need them too. 
That way, they will feel more comfortable 
and it will be easier to keep asking us for everything they need.

And that's what I learned from my mother."

*Photo by author, Fatima Avenue, Valenzuela City, 08 December 2023.*

Lovely, is it not? The author added at the end of her story these words: “Let’s build empathetic, humble, supportive children”. Let’s join her but not just to have emphatic, humble, supportive children but most of all, prophetic ones, those with heightened sensitivity of God and of others made possible only by a deep prayer life where we can all be a “JOHN”, a graciousness of God who makes his divine plans realized. Amen.

“Switching on” the grace of God

The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Friday, Homily on Solemnity of the Birth of John the Baptist, 23 June 2023
Isaiah 49:1-6 ><}}}}*> Acts 13:22-26 ><}}}}*> Luke 1:57-66.80

*Painting of Zechariah giving name to his son John by Italian painter Riccardo Cessi (1892) from commons.wikimedia.org.*

You must have heard a lot of “Dad jokes” from Instagram. Let me now share with you a “Father joke” or priest joke. The world’s first techie was the Jewish priest Zechariah, father of St. John the Baptist because he “asked for a tablet and wrote, ‘John is his name'”.

Ok. It is corny and dry but may I invite you, friends, on something wonderful about this gospel scene in celebration today of the Solemnity of the Birth of St. John the Baptist, the precursor of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Remember how Zechariah was punished by Archangel Gabriel by becoming deaf and mute after he had doubted the good news that he and his wife Elizabeth would soon have a son to be named John. Actually, Zechariah not only doubted but even questioned “how” his barren wife could still bear a child at an old age. As a result, he was forced into silence by the Lord’s angel until everything he had announced was fulfilled.

*Photo by author, May 2019, Church of St. John the Baptist, Ein Karem, Israel.*

When the time arrived for Elizabeth to have her child she gave birth to a son. Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown his great mercy toward her, and they rejoiced with her. When they came on the eighth day to circumcise the child, they were going to call him Zechariah after his father, but his mother said in reply, “No. He will be called John,” But they answered her, “There is no one among your relatives who has this name.” So they made signs, asking his father what he wished him to be called. He asked for a tablet and wrote, “John is his name,” and all were amazed. Immediately his mouth was opened, his tongue freed, and he spoke blessing God.
Luke 1:57-64

Imagine the sight narrated to us by St. Luke: everybody so happy, trying to take a piece of action while Zechariah, father of the new-born child, old and deaf and mute was so silent like a nobody in a corner. In the Jewish society, it is the father who gives name to the children, especially to the son; but, due to Zechariah’s condition, nobody bothered to ask him so that their neighbors, like the typical epal or pakialamera we call in Filipino, assumed the role.

But Elizabeth the mother who had gone into a self-imposed silence upon bearing her child, declared their son would be called “John” or Jehohanan that means “God is gracious” or “graciousness of God” in Hebrew.

Finally amid all the noise and talk, Zechariah made the bold move by writing on a tablet “John is his name” to confirm and reaffirm the name given by his wife Elizabeth. It was a crucial moment when Zechariah boldly made a stand about his faith in God, obeying the angel’s instruction to name his son “John”.

*Photo by author of the site believed to be the birthplace of St. John the Baptist at the side of the Church of St. John the Baptist in Ein Karem, Israel, May 2019.*

What really happened was the assertion of the plan of God when Zechariah faithfully wrote “John is his name”. That’s what amazed the people so that “fear came upon the neighbors for surely the hand of the Lord was with him” (Lk.1:65, 66).

With a single stroke of hand, everyone felt God present among them as they realized something very special with the child. So amazing too as experienced by the people was when Zechariah asserted God’s plan by naming his son “John”, he was finally able to speak and hear again!

Whenever we assert the plan of God in our lives, in our community, in our family and country, that is when we “switch on” the grace of God, when we make God’s blessings operable among us and thus we become like John, a precursor of the Lord whose name means “God is gracious”.

Whenever we obey and assert the plan of God in our lives, in our community, in our family and country, that is when we take that leap of faith, believe again and experience God again.

Many times we could not see nor experience nor realize God’s blessings around us and within us because we do not actually believe and trust him. God’s grace is like a “switch” we have to turn on to operate like the electric light or any appliance and gadget. And the good news is, that grace and “switch” is in us already! We just have to switch it on.

Here we find anew the importance of silent, deep prayer.

*Photo by author, Anvaya Cove, 19 May 2023.*

All those negative feelings of humiliation and dejection could have caused Zechariah’s trust and faith in God to wane that even his priestly duties have become perfunctory that he never saw the tremendous grace and blessing of incensing the Holy of Holies of the temple. Such duty was a pure grace in itself because it happens only once a year during the holiest celebration of the Jewish of Yom Kippur or Day of Atonement. Priests went through a long process of drawing lots on who among them would incense the Holy of Holies because they were so many in number.

*Photo by author taken in May 2022, Parish of St. John the Baptist in Calumpit, the oldest church in Bulacan province.*

Today God is calling us to do a Zechariah, to take that bold step of asserting and insisting God’s plan like when Zechariah boldly declared in writing “John is his name”. The first reading beautifully reminds us of one reality we all go through by wrongly thinking God does not care at all for us when nothing seems to happen with our prayers and efforts in life, in our ministry and mission.

Hear me, O coastlands; listen, O distant peoples. The Lord called me from birth; from my mother’s womb he gave me my name. Though I thought I had toiled in vain, and for nothing, uselessly, spent my strength, yet my reward is with the Lord, my recompense is with my God.
Isaiah 49:1, 4

We cannot be another John – a graciousness of God within us and for others unless we rediscover the courage and clarity to do a Zechariah by asserting God’s command and plans entrusted specifically to us.

See also that upon regaining his sense of hearing and ability to speak, Zechariah “spoke blessing God” by singing the Benedictus in the following verses. The Benedictus is the morning hymn of praise to God we priest sing or recite daily in praying the Liturgy of the Hours. It mentions the blessedness of God and his many blessings to Israel while towards its end, we find Zechariah sending forth his son John to fulfill his mission from God in preparing the way of Jesus Christ. It is prayed in the morning to make us aware of our mission to prepare the way of the Lord Jesus.

Let us be patient, never lose hope and enthusiasm in doing the works of God even if nothing seems to happen at all. Everything we do matters a lot with God and with those around us as St. Paul explained in the second reading on the role of St. John the Baptist in salvation history.

Let us keep in mind that God remembers and keeps his promise always because he is gracious all the time. The name Zechariah in Hebrew means “God remembers” while Elizabeth is “God has promised”. John, as we have earlier said, means “God is gracious.” Let us do our part to bring Jesus into this world so fragmented and tired. Have a grace-filled weekend! Amen.

*Photo by author taken in May 2022, altar of the Parish of St. John the Baptist in Calumpit, the oldest church in Bulacan province.*

Benedict XVI, the modern John the Baptist

The Lord Is My Chef Christmas Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Tuesday in the Christmas Weekday, Memorial of the Holy Name of Jesus, 03 January 2022
1 John 2:29-3:6 ><000'> + ><000'> + ><000'> John 1:29-34

Keep me true to you,
God our loving Father,
and most of all true to myself
as your beloved child so I would
always recognize Jesus Christ
in our midst like John the Baptist.

See what love the Father has bestowed on us that we may be called the children of God. Yet so we are. The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.
1 John 3:1

How did John recognize Jesus
coming to him for baptism in 
today's gospel?

I am sure that it was because
of this truth, of being your child,
loving Father;
indeed, beautiful souls
recognize beautiful souls;
John was so genuine and
Jesus was the purest
because he is truth himself
that John could boldly claim
Jesus is the lamb of God,
the one he had said as coming
though he did not know him
(cf. Jn.1:29-31).
What a beautiful scene of two
genuine souls
recognizing each other!
If we could just replicate it daily
in our lives too,
beginning in our home!

In our modern time that
is so very much like the time of Jesus
when people have turned away from you, God
including those who claim to be Christians
yet promoting abortion and same sex union
as well as priests and bishops
supposed to be the light of reason,
decency, and morality but are not,
we are so blessed with your humble servant,
Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI.
His was a genuine soul,
a most genteel person so maligned
by many especially the Western press
 and some clergymen
for his fidelity to the Lord's teachings,
truly a John the Baptist who pointed us all
to go back to Jesus Christ especially
in the light of the sex scams that have rocked
the Church;
his writings are simply the best,
in itself like the gospel exposing your
truth in words so understandable;
most of all,
he lived in all simplicity and humility
that he was able to see
eternity.

Most dearest Jesus,
grant me the grace you gave
Pope Benedict XVI:
may I also say before my death
in all sincerity and truth,
"Lord, I love you".
Let these words be
impressed on my soul
and be my guide
in life.
Amen.

The “hand of the Lord”

The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Thursday, Solemnity of the Nativity of John the Baptist, 23 June 2022
Isaiah 49:1-6 ><]]]]'> Acts 13:22-26 ><]]]]'> Luke 1:57-66, 80

*Photo by author, the Church of St. John the Baptist at Ein Karem, Israel, 2019.*

All who heard these things took them to heart, saying, “What, then, will this child be?” For surely the hand of the Lord was with him.
Luke 1:66-67

The term “hand of the Lord” is a description of God’s presence and power in the Old Testament, a vivid way of presenting God “intervening” in the daily lives of his people, saving them from all kinds of dangers like the prophets.

There was Elijah who was hunted by the soldiers of Jezebel and the “hand of the Lord was on Elijah” (1 Kgs. 18:46) that he was spared from their murderous plots. Then there was also Ezekiel who saw “the hand of the Lord” (Ez. 37:1) upon him at the vision of a valley of dry bones coming back to life.

Sometimes, the “hand the Lord” referred to God’s judgment like when King David had sinned against God in not trusting him when he ordered a census of soldiers before a battle. It angered God who asked David to choose which punishment he preferred: natural disaster or victory by his enemies or God’s judgment. David chose the third option, saying, “Let me fall into the hand of the Lord for his mercy is great…” (1 Chr. 21:13).

In narrating to us the events that transpired at the birth and circumcision of John, Luke merged the two meanings of the expression “hand of the Lord” to show that every moment of judgment is also a moment of grace as seen in the life of John the Baptist who “grew and became strong in spirit, and he was in the desert until the day of his manifestation to Israel” (Lk.1:80).

If we go back to Luke’s account of the annunciation of John’s birth, we also find the hand of God clearly at him with Elizabeth feeling vindicated with her pregnancy specially when visited by Mary. Most of all, the hand of the Lord was strongly felt at the birth, circumcision and naming of John in the most unique manner not only because no one among their relatives have such name (Lk.1:61) but most of all when Zechariah his father wrote “John is his name” and “Immediately his mouth was opened, his tongue freed, and he spoke blessing God” (Lk.1:63).

*Photo by author, site of John’s birthplace underneath the Church of St. John the Baptist at Ein Karem, Israel, 2019.*

What a beautiful scene of Zechariah and Elizabeth wrapped in the arms of God, basking in his tremendous blessings with the people so amazed for evidently God was present among them, working in the most special ways albeit in silence that after looking back to the past and the present moment, they wondered what more good things God has in store for the three.

The same scene happens daily in our lives as individuals, as families and communities and as a nation – of how the hand of God saving us in so many occasions like during this pandemic and recent disasters through generous people coming to our side. There lies the greatness of Zechariah and Elizabeth – through them despite their weaknesses, the hand of the Lord worked wonders not only for them but for everyone including us in this time.

We are invited today to be like John’s parents who, despite their weaknesses and shortcomings, they allowed the hand of God to work in them and manifest in them. The name Zechariah means “God remembers” while Elizabeth means “God promised”, a beautiful combination of names of a couple who tell us how God remembered his promise to them and gave them John which means “graciousness of God.”

In this age when we act as though God does not exist with our emphases on the wrong notions of freedom and the “dictatorship of relativism” along with materialism and consumerism, we celebrate this Solemnity of John’s nativity to remember our calling to be prophets and precursors of Jesus like Isaiah in the Old Testament who voiced dissensions to the wrong ways of the people like “a sharp-edged sword” and “polished arrow” (Is. 49:2) even to the point of offering one’s life, truly a precursor of the coming Christ.

John’s testimony still resounds today as proclaimed by Paul in our second reading, urging everyone to repent ones sins to go back to God, always ensuring we are not the Christ but merely his messengers not worthy to unfasten his sandals.

Today is also the eve of another Solemnity, that of the Sacred Heart of Jesus as we come to close the first half of 2022. Let us not forget the COVID-19 pandemic is still with us, that we must not let our guards down lest all our gains this year go to waste. Are we willing to be used as expressions of the “hand of the Lord”?

May we keep “the hand of the Lord” with us, allowing ourselves to be used by God like Zechariah, Elizabeth, and John the Baptist in meditating where Jesus is leading us in the second half of 2022. It is enough that we lead others to Jesus. In fact, that is the only joy we have in this mission and once others have met Christ, then, like John the Baptist, we begin to disappear, leaving only the hand of the Lord. Amen.