Lord My Chef Daily Recipe by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II Thursday in the Third Week of Easter, 08 May 2025 Acts 8:26-40 ><]]]]'> + ><]]]]'> + ><]]]]'> John 6:44-51
God our loving Father, our Cardinals have started their election process for the successor of Peter, the Vicar of Christ your Son here on Earth; send them your Holy Spirit to enlighten their minds and their hearts to seek and follow your will in Christ Jesus.
Help them choose a good shepherd who is also a good teacher like your Son Jesus Christ imitated so well by the deacon Philip with the help of the Holy Spirit.
Now there was an Ethiopian eunuch, a court official of the Candace, that is, the queen of Ethiopians, in charge of her entire treasury, who had come to Jerusalem to worship, and was returning home. Seated in his chariot, he was reading the prophet Isaiah. Philip ran up and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and said, “Do you understand what you are reading?” He replied, “How can I, unless someone instructs me?” So he invited Philip to get in and sit with him (Acts 8:27-28, 30-31).
Your Servant, himself a former Pope too St. Paul VI wrote us in December 1975 "Modern man listens more willingly to witnesses than teachers, and if he does listen to teachers, it is because they are witnesses" (Evangelii Nuntiandi, #41); send us true and good, teachers who are witnesses of the Gospel; give us more teachers like Philip who taught clearly of the essential truth in this life which is about Jesus the Christ.
Next week we shall choose our new leaders to govern us; take away our blindness as teachers ourselves that we may elect into office who are also good teachers who stand for what is true and just, not corrupt and liars; send us more teachers who will awaken in us your Divine Presence to bring out in everyone each one's own giftedness as a person.
At the same time, we pray for our professional teachers from the public school who will work at the polling places next week; give them strength not only in body but also in mind, heart, and soul to keep our elections clean and honest, not to be swayed by corrupt candidates who poison the society and keep people away from Christ and one another.
Let us not forget, Lord Jesus that as we share in your prophetic mission, we are all teachers like you; keep our hearts and minds open to the promptings of the Holy Spirit to go wherever we are needed most for your greater glory. Amen.
Quiet Storm by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II, 24 October 2024
Photo by Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News, 27 July 2024.
Classes are still suspended due to severe tropical storm Kristine. While scrolling through Facebook, I chanced upon a funny post supposed to be the cry of many employees. And teachers as well:
"We are trained to work under pressure but, please, not in low pressure."
As we come to close October dedicated worldwide as “Teachers’ Month”, my thoughts are into this most noble profession of teaching during these two days of the storm, of how blessed I am to have been taught by selfless teachers and mentors now also a teacher myself being assigned 26 years ago in a school, now as a chaplain in the university.
I never dreamt of becoming a teacher for I am not the studious type – always the certified crammer, forever classified as “under-achiever” from elementary to graduate school. The only subjects I really loved were literature, social studies, and history.
But what a tremendous blessing from God my being assigned in a school and now a university, of meeting and working with teachers who have taught me so many valuable lessons in life and my ministry. Many of them have become some of my truest friends. Most of all, the academe opened my eyes to the wonderful ministry of teaching, of forming young people, of finding Jesus, bringing Jesus in the classroom.
Photo from wikipediacommons.org of Christ’s washing of feet of Apostles at Monreale Cathedral in Palermo, Italy.
Every time I give talks and recollections/retreats to teachers, I first remind them of the fact that when Jesus Christ came to the world more than 2000 years ago, He chose to be a teacher.
Jesus was never born to the class of priests and scholars of the scriptures nor any other professions like the physicians and accountants of His time except for a while, He worked with His foster-father St. Joseph as a carpenter. This alone is every teacher’s primary source of pride and honor in being called by Jesus to teach like Him.
From Gettyimages.com.
So when he had washed their feet and put his garments back on and reclined at the table again, he said to them, “Do you realize what I have done for you? You call me ‘teacher’ and ‘master,’ and rightly so, for indeed I am. If I, therefore, the master and teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash one another’s feet. I have given you a model to follow, so that as I have done for you, you should also do” (John 13:12-15).
Unlike the teachers of His time, Jesus as a teacher was not for “hire” who got paid for His teachings. Jesus taught not for money but in fulfillment of His mission. He taught more than lessons in life but gave His very life to others.
And that is where the nobility of the teaching profession lies.
The best teachers are the ones who teach life by giving and sharing their very lives like Jesus Christ, our Good and Model Teacher. Teaching is both a mission and a vocation, a call. That is why there can never be a “pay” or “compensation” enough for teachers because they share life. What they teach cannot be quantified nor measured like in number of sales or length of roads built. Like Jesus, teachers give everything, never apiece. When a teacher repeats or elaborates a lesson, he/she cannot charge it as overtime or get an extra pay for their extra efforts in guiding students.
Jesus teaching his disciples, a painting by James Tissot from commons.wikimedia.org.
The true reward of every teacher is to find one’s students so fruitful in life! The more fruitful and successful they are, the more rewarding for us teachers. Now I know the feeling of parents having a son growing into a fine gentleman or a daughter blooming into a fine lady and woman.
For me, I feel so proud when I learn my students reaching great heights in life and in their careers like reading their works published here and abroad, even speaking other languages as professors and lecturers, diplomats, OFW’s and responsible parents raising great children with hobbies so varied making me wish I could be young again to join them. Our greatest joy as teachers is when our students are most joyful. They do not have to be rich and famous. Basta joyful with a loving wife or husband, lovely kids, fruitful life.
Photo from amazon.com.
During the fourth century in Carthage, a Deacon and catechist named Deogratias asked St. Augustine for some tips on teaching catechumens or people being prepared for Baptism.
A very talented teacher himself, St. Augustine wrote at length the methods and many other tips of teaching to Deogratias that these were compiled into a book now a Christian classic called “De Catechizandis de Rudibus” (On Instructing Beginners in Faith).
St. Augustine gave practical tips like first identifying the kind of audience or students so that the catechist and teacher may adjust his/her approach in teaching. He then told Deogratias to always narrate stories from the Bible, especially the creation, the lives of the great men and women in the Old Testament, and most of all, the many gospel scenes of Jesus Christ’s own teachings and parables.
At the end of the very long book of instructions, St. Augustine reminded Deogratias that the “catechist/teacher is always the lesson himself/herself.”
So true and beautiful!
The teacher is the lesson himself/herself because no book nor experiment nor equation will suffice to open the mind and heart of any student when the very person of the teacher is closed or worst, incongruent with wisdom and knowledge, virtues and life.
A true teacher is a witness of Jesus Christ, of how the Lord had transformed him/her into a better person now teaching others to grow and mature in life. A teacher is one who walks the talks, exactly what St. Pope Paul VI wrote in 1975, “Modern man listens more willingly to witnesses than to teachers, and if he does listen to teachers, it is because they are witnesses” (Evangelii Nuntiandi #41).
A true teacher as a lesson himself/herself is one who does not complicate but simplifies life, one who knows when to stop and be contented with what we have.
A true teacher is one who opens the minds and hearts of students to have that drive and passion to learn and find not just answer to questions but also to explore possibilities of finding meaning in life amid the many mysteries and unsolved problems that surround us.
A true teacher is one who does not compete with his/her students but journeys with them as companion, someone who breaks “bread” – life – with them.
A true teacher is one who sets students free from their many fears in life, showing them courage to tackle problems and situations, one who is not afraid to cry when sad and hurt, but always ready to smile and laugh with life’s simple joys and pleasures or kababawan.
A true teacher is one who shows students the realities of life such as failures and mistakes not as obstacles but launching pads for new lessons in life.
Photo by author, September 2024.
The teacher as the lesson himself/herself is one who brings out the giftedness of every student as a beautiful lesson in themselves too for others to learn.
The teacher as a lesson himself/herself need not be perfect, does not need to know an answer to all questions nor everything but someone who celebrates life, values life as a gift from God meant to be shared with others.
Think of your favorite teacher or unforgettable teacher. Most likely, she or he is the one who shares life with you. Thank a teacher today in sharing us, giving us his/her life especially during storms, when we are under low pressure areas. God bless all the teachers!
The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Wednesday in the Fourth Week of Easter, 11 May 2022
Acts 12:24-13:5 ><}}}}*> + <*{{{{>< John 12:44-50
Photo by author, Bolinao, Pangasinan, 19 April 2022.
God our loving Father,
give us the stamina to continue
in this life's journey, most especially
to fulfill your mission; do not let us
to be sidetracked by failures and
disappointments; most of all,
"reset" our buttons to refresh us
in your Son Jesus Christ
so that we may do your work anew
than insist on doing our work for you.
We have been working so hard for you
without truly asking you what work you
want us to do for you; we have forgotten
to await your mission task in true prayers
and discernment, relying mostly in our
good intentions when all mission is yours.
Now there were in the Church at Antioch prophets and teachers… Then, completing their fasting and prayer, they laid hands on Barnabas and Saul and sent them off. So they, sent forth by the Holy Spirit, went down to Seleucia and from there sailed to Cyprus.
Acts 13:1, 3-4
Enlighten our minds and our hearts,
Lord Jesus; shout or cry out again
so we may listen and believe in you
that we may do your work as teachers
and prophets among your people.
Let us return to you, dear Jesus,
and be rooted in you so we may have
a deeper insight into where you are
calling us to serve as your prophets,
following you to find new ways in
proclaiming your gospel in these times.
Let us be converted in you, dear Jesus,
to remain rooted in you, giving only you,
teaching you solely to the people,
conserving and handing on to them
your teachings, not ours.
Let us come to your words, Lord Jesus,
to be led anew in doing your work,
fulfilling your mission. Amen.
Photo by author, Bolinao, Pangasinan, 19 April 2022.
The Lord Is My Chef Breakfast Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Thursday in the Third Week of Easter, 22 April 2021
Acts 8:26-40 ><)))'> + ><)))'> + ><)))'> John 6:44-51
From Facebook, 04 April 2021: “There is an urgency to announce the Joy, the joy of the Risen Lord.”
Now there was an Ethiopian eunuch,
a court official of the Candace, that is, the queen of Ethiopians,
in charge of her entire treasury, who had come to Jerusalem to worship,
and was returning home. Seated in his chariot,
he was reading the prophet Isaiah.
Philip ran up and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and said,
"Do you understand what you are reading?"
He replied, "How can I, unless someone instructs me?"
So he invited Philip to get in and sit with him.
(Acts 8:27-28, 30-31)
Today, O Lord, I pray for teachers. For true and good, honest teachers who are also witnesses of your gospel. Give us more teachers like your deacon Philip who can teach to clear and clarify in the minds of the people the essential truth of this life which is about you, Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
And we pray for good teachers, for witnesses of your gospel, so unlike of the other teachers today especially our officials in government and the military who continuously peddle lies, maligning people without any qualms at all.
Send us teachers who will reawaken in us your presence among one another like Ms. Ana Patricia Non and all the others who have followed her witnessing in setting up community pantries that not only help those in need but also teach others to share.
In their witnessing as good teachers, they have brought out the innate goodness of so many people, rich and poor alike, men and women, young and old all over the country.
In their witnessing as good teachers, they have drawn so many people closer to you, dear Jesus Christ, our good Teacher!
At the same time, we pray for our professional teachers who continue to labor with love and dedication in forming young minds and hearts not only with modern knowledge but with wisdom based on fear of the Lord as they themselves struggle amid the many challenges of this COVID-19 pandemic.
Keep their minds and their hearts open in the promptings of the Holy Spirit so they may go wherever they are needed most for your greater glory. Amen.
Ms. Ana Patricia Non, the angel behind the community pantry movement now sweeping across the nation, giving us a fresh breath of hope after a year in the pandemic.
Modern man listens more willingly to witnesses than to teachers, and if he does listen to teachers, it is because they are witnesses.
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