Lord My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II Friday in the Fourteenth Week of Ordinary Time, Year II, 10 July 2026 Hosea 14:2-10 ><))))*> + ><))))*> + ><))))*> Matthew 10:16-23
Photo by author, Jerusalem, May 2017.
Another week is closing, let me not collapse in sin, O Lord.
Thus says the Lord: Return, O Israel, to the Lord, your God; you have collapsed through your guilt (Hosea 14:2).
Forgive me, Lord, for the times I have been like Israel, your beloved Ephraim yet so far from you, trusting myself, trusting other gods and idols, so drowned in sin.
"Have mercy on me, O God. in your goodness; in the greatness of your compassion wipe out my sin. Thoroughly wash me from my guilt and of my sin cleanse me" (Psalm 51:3-4).
Keep me strongly anchored in you, Jesus as you send me like sheep in the midst of wolves doing your work, speaking and fighting for what is true and just and good; in times of persecution, let me not collapse when handed over, come and speedily rescue me. Amen.
Lord My Chef Daily Recipe for Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II Tuesday in the Fourteenth Week of Ordinary Time, Year II Hosea 8:4-7, 11-13 ><))))*> + ><))))*> + ><))))*> Matthew 9:32-38
Daily scene of commuters in Metro Manila; photo by Veejay Villafranca/Bloomberg via Getty Images, 2024.
Your words today, O Lord are very inspiring and challenging, inviting me to get involved with those in the margins, with those suffering, for those "troubled and abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd" (Matthew 9:36).
Give me the wisdom and charity to be involved with the voiceless in your holy name, Jesus, for the sake of your Kingdom and not for any self-interests like those in Israel in the first reading who "appointed kings without God's approval, making idols out of their gold and silver, making altars that became occasions for their sins" (Hosea 8:4, 11).
Grant me courage, Jesus to get involved with your poor little ones who sometimes would even reject our efforts but most especially when others brand us as rebels, as diabolic.
But the Pharisees said, “He drives out demons by the prince of demons” (Matthew 9:34).
Teach me, Jesus, the proper way to respond to your invitation to get involved with the poor and suffering, that I may grow in love and compassion for those in need. Amen.
Lord My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II Tuesday in the Thirteenth Week of Ordinary Time, Year II Memorial of the First Martyrs of Rome, 30 June 2026
Rembrandt’s famous painting “The Storm on the Sea of Galilee” (1633) stolen from a museum in Boston in 1990 and still has not been found yet. From en.wikipedia.org.
For the longest time, Lord Jesus, I cannot understand this episode in the gospel today:
As Jesus got into a boat, his disciples followed him. Suddenly a violent storm came up on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by waves; but he was asleep. They came and woke him, saying, “Lord, save us! We are perishing!” He said to them, “Why are you terrified, O you of little faith” Then he got up, rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was great calm (Matthew 8:23-26).
You were more surprised perhaps even astonished, Jesus, with your disciples' fears than with the storm; and it continues to happen these days of so many storms that siege us endlessly not only as a Church but also as individuals; You are more surprised, Jesus, with our reactions to every danger and terror that come our way because those are the moments we drift away from you, when we distrust you, when we rely more on our selves or on others than with you.
What must terrify us most are not the violent storms that hit us but when we doubt your presence in our midst, Lord Jesus; the most terrifying thing in this life, in this world is when we play gods, when we turn to other gods, when we turn away from you in sin and evil like what Amos lamented in the first reading: "I brought upon you such upheaval as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah: you were like a brand plucked from the fire; yet you returned not to me, says the Lord" (Amos 4:11).
Like the first martyrs of the Church in Rome, may we remain faithful to you, Jesus even to the point of death for indeed, the saddest plight and worst tragedy that can happen to anyone is to turn away from you who is life and fulfillment. Amen.
Painting of the First Martyrs of Rome executed on orders by Roman Emperor Nero in year 64 AD; image from Pinterest.com
Lord My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II Monday in the Thirteenth Week of Ordinary Time, Year II Solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul, Apostles, 29 June 2026 Acts 12:1-11 ><}}}}*> 2 Timothy 4:6-8, 17-18 ><}}}}*> Matthew 16:13-19
Photo by Dra. Mylene A. Santos, MD, in Ericeira, Portugal, 16 June 2026.
Our readings today are a parable of the Church, of what we should be as the Body of Christ celebrating the Solemnity of St. Peter and St. Paul, the pillars of the Church. Most of all, both speak of that reality in our lives that life is a daily exodus from our selfish self.
We celebrate St. Peter and St. Paul together as pillars of the Church because they were able to overcome their great differences in personalities as well as their diverse cultural and social backgrounds to be won over by Jesus Christ in proclaiming his good news of salvation. Both eventually died as martyrs like Jesus.
Photo by author, Our Lady of Fatima University, Valenzuela City, 10 June 2026.
They displayed deep trust in the Lord whom they have come to know on a personal basis following a series of deep personal exodus through their daily conversion. Saints Peter and Paul did not become saints overnight; they went through a series of personal conversions, of abandonment of selves to God.
The churches in Europe need a lot of this exodus process like in Germany where some clergymen and laypeople refuse to accept the Vatican decision that homily is reserved only for the ordained ministers while a traditionalist group are threatening to ordain bishops and priests without Vatican approval. These are so unlike in the Church before when men and women who eventually became saints chose to suffer in silence than defy Church decisions that eventually through time were accepted.
There is always darkness and uncertainties in the Church, a kind of exodus we need to cross like in the experiences of Sts. Peter and Paul we heard in our first two readings today.
On the very night before Herod was to bring him to trial, Peter, secured by double chains, was sleeping between two soldiers, while outside the door guards kept watch on the prison. Suddenly the angel of the Lord stood by him and a light shone in the cell. He tapped Peter on the side and awakened him, saying, “Get up quickly.” The chains fell from his wrists. The angel said to him, “Put on your belt and your sandals.” He did so. Then he said to him, “Put on your cloak and follow me.” So he followed him out, not realizing that what was happening through the angel was real; he thought he was seeing a vision (Acts 12:6-9).
Photo by Mr. Lorenzo Atienza of the bass relief of St. Peter by artist Nick Lugue at the Malolos Cathedral, 12 June 2019.
How could Peter sleep soundly after being arrested and thrown into prison with two soldiers sandwiching him inside his cell while a host of other guards secured the area outside?
It is a very amusing story about our “prince of the Apostles” sleeping soundly so similar with St. Joseph who slept soundly too in a similar critical situation when he decided to silently leave Mary who was found pregnant with a child before they were married.
Both Joseph and Peter slept soundly under critical situations because of their complete trust and faith in God, of their abandonment of selves to God. We find it difficult to sleep when we have problems because we cannot decide decisively as we lack trust and faith in God, unlike Peter and Joseph.
But, Peter shows us another dimension of his trust in God – his total trust also in the Church, believing that they were all praying for him.
It is a beautiful imagery of the Church then and now, always in darkness during night time when Peter was imprisoned. And that is the parable of this scene: it is always a time of Exodus for us in the Church, of passing over from every trials and difficulties, always trusting our leaders, trusting our faithful and most of all, entrusting everything to God!
If there is one thing most needed these days in our Church especially in the Philippines is this attitude of being in an Exodus, of exiting from our imprisonment in partisan politics so that we can go back to our true mission and mandate of preaching Jesus Christ not only with our words but with our lives. We in the Church can be political without being partisan; the moment we become partisan, most likely we are no longer preaching Christ because we are already rooting for somebody else instead of God.
May we imitate Peter by abandoning everything to God in deep prayers, following God not our plans as symbolized by his putting on his belt and sandals as commanded by the angel.
Photo by Mr. Lorenzo Atienza of the bass relief of St. Paul by artist Nick Lugue at the Malolos Cathedral, 12 June 2019.
Life can only become a daily exodus when we learn to trust and abandon ourselves to God like St. Peter and St. Paul as we see also in his letter to Timothy:
I, Paul, am already being poured out like a libation, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have competed well; I have finished the race; I have kept the faith. The Lord stood by me and gave me strength, so that through me the proclamation might be completed and all the Gentiles might hear it. The Lord will rescue me from every evil threat and will bring me safe to his heavenly kingdom. To him be glory forever and ever. Amen. (2 Timothy 4:6-7, 17, 18)
Imagine the stress of being in prison but without any hint of duress on Paul while awaiting death as seen with his incomparable eloquence in writing, something very evident in all his letters where he always expressed his total abandonment of self to Christ, of his faith in God.
In this beautiful portion of his letter to Timothy, Paul reminds us that life as a daily exodus is to live our lives as a worship to God expressed in that opening line am already being poured out like a libation. A libation is a drink offered to gods in ancient Greece and Rome; as he approached death, Paul summarized here his entire life as an offering to God that we also see in his other writings.
That is the challenge of this solemnity to us, that we live our lives as a form of worship to God. Our very lives in itself are a prayer, always centered on God, something so foolish when we go by the standards of the world today that is all show – palabas – with nothing substantial inside because only money and fame matter. Paul was very much like Peter who lived their lives as prayers that like Christ in the end, both offered the highest offering of all, martyrdom.
Second thing we find in this excerpt from Paul’s letter to Timothy is the deeper meaning of death as a passage to heaven, an exodus: “The Lord will rescue me from every evil threat and will bring me safe to his heavenly kingdom” (v.18). Paul freely accepts his death, making it a blessing for others that we must emulate. Instead of having those bucket lists of things to do before dying, Paul is teaching us death comes in every present moment that we must always prepare for its happening so that the next generation may continue the good things we have started.
The lithography of Sts. Peter and Paul in Missale Romanum by unknown artist with initials F.M.S (19. cent.) printed by Typis Friderici Pustet. (Renáta Sedmáková | us.fotolia.com)
The key to unlocking how Peter and Paul achieved so much for God and for the Church lies in their personal relationship with Jesus Christ mirrored in their lives.
Many Christians are losing their faith and interest in the Church, leaving in great numbers because of the mixed signals we give them on what do we say who Jesus is. The Church grew in leaps and bounds during the time of Peter and Paul because both apostles shared the true Jesus Christ not only in their words but also in their deeds. They trustingly and humbly went through daily exodus beginning in their very selves in knowing Jesus Christ more clearly, loving him dearly, following him closely and witnessing him daily. May your Monday lead you a fulfilling exodus. Amen.
Lord My Chef Sunday Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle A, 28 June 2026 2 Kings 4:8-11, 14-16 ><}}}}*> Romans 6:3-4, 8-11 ><}}}}*> Matthew 10:37-42
Photo by author, Kennon Road, January 2020.
Recent news in our country had gone worst this week, from dismal to very disturbing with that school shooting incident in Tacloban City leaving three dead, two critically wounded and about 20 others injured. It was the third school violence to have happened in the country in just seven days with two stabbing incidents in two different schools in Cavite province earlier.
And this Friday night while we were working on this blog, we saw raw videos uploaded in social media by some witnesses of a shooting incident at the Bocaue Toll Plaza southbound involving a white van and several police officers.
Photo by Mr. Jim Marpa, 2018.
What is happening in our country, to our people especially to our youth, and to our much admired Filipino hospitality known worldwide?
The word hospitality is from the Latin hospes that means to welcome; hence, hospital where the sick are welcomed or hospitality business referring to hotels that welcome guests.
Very close in sound is its opposite word also in Latin – hostis which is to reject and turn away from which came our words hostile, hostility and hostage. It is the opposite of to welcome.
Discipleship is being hospitable, welcoming others in Jesus Christ. It is showing Christ to others and finding Christ in others too.
Jesus said to his disciples: “Whoever receives you, receives me, and whoever receives me, receives the one who sent me… And whoever gives only a cup of cold water to one of these little ones to drink because heis a disciple – amen, I say to you, he will surely not lose his reward” (Matthew 10:40, 42).
Remember two Sundays ago (11th Sunday, June 14) how Jesus was moved with pity upon seeing the crowds following him, describing them like sheep without a shepherd, declaring “The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; so ask the master of harvest to send out laborers for his harvest” (Mt. 9:37-38). After that, he called his Twelve Apostles and sent them on their first mission with specific instructions on discipleship which continues this Sunday in our gospel.
We have to go back to that background where Jesus laid down one of the foundations of discipleship which is to care for people. Jesus never asked us to pray for more money or food or medicines; he said pray for more laborers, for more people who are person-oriented, people who take every person as a subject to be loved and cherished, not an object to be possessed or controlled.
We need people who welcome people, hospitable people. Not hostile ones.
Our Lady of Fatima University students in their outreach for special children, February 2025.
But, the opposite is happening made worse by social media that fan the hostilities among us with the spread of fake news. Due to its algorithm, we are not only divided but polarized too that we are grouped as alike in thinking and everything that we could no longer see the whole picture of the situation we are into.
Not until tragedies struck. First were the deaths in drowning of two athletes in basketball training held in a treacherous beach resort, then we have the school stabbings and shooting this week.
The more we give more importance and emphasis on material and created goods, the more we disregard God and everything spiritual that eventually leads to our disregard for humans and persons.
Thus, the world has become inhospitable. Lifestyle has replaced life with algorithms manipulating our lives to consume more for more profits, more honor, more votes – more of everything except of love and care, kindness and openness for others.
Photo by author, Los Banos, Laguna, June 2022.
See the beautiful story of the Prophet Elisha welcomed by a woman of influence in Shunem. At first he was merely invited to dine with the woman and her husband whenever he would pass by until eventually he was given a room where he could stay – complete with bed, table, chair, and lamp (2 Kgs.4:8-11).
The hospitable woman saw Elisha as a “holy man of God” that is why she welcomed him into her home. We are not given her name but she foreshadowed the women in the gospels who supported Jesus and his disciples with their generous hospitality. And that continues to these days with so many other people generously helping priests and lay missionaries.
Generosity as a hospitality in Christ is like a two-way traffic: first is the integrity and holiness of the disciples like priests and bishops. Are we like Elisha the prophet who witness the love of Christ above all?
Photo by author, Morong, Bataan, June 2023.
So sad when we hear complaints by parishioners of priests and bishops living in luxury – frequent trips abroad with some traveling business class, dining at expensive restaurants, driving high-end cars, so deep into gambling or so vain in clothing. Not to mention some having luxurious residences. Most embarrassing is how they flaunt these in social media, relishing their ties and closeness with the rich and powerful, even corrupt government officials.
Times have changed when people so eager to welcome their pastors whenever they came to visit because today, it means handing of envelops for endless donations for various projects. What’s the use of having beautiful churches and facilities with no good relationships among priests and parishioners?
See the attitude of Elisha: his simplicity in knowing that all those hospitality accorded to him is because of his being a man of God; his discretion to the private life of his hosts, maintaining a safe distance, no trace of abusive behavior at all; and his desire to express his gratitude to the generosity of the woman and her husband. Hindi puro kabig at the expense of liturgical practices.
On the other hand, we find also the other side of discipleship as hospitality in Christ with the woman of Shunem: her discretion to be not too “rubbing” or insisting on Elisha that she never overwhelmed the prophet with her admiration, her excessive attention, and other personal concerns that could lead to precarious and scandalous situations. Many times, lay people forget that they are also to be blamed when priests and bishops become abusive when parishioners have become “enablers” of clerical excesses. The truly hospitable parishioners are those who help their priests become holy and faithful in ministry by giving them the space and time to pray and rest.
Discipleship as a hospitality in Christ means having the love of Jesus taking possession of us in our dealing with one another. It is sharing the Christ in me, finding the Christ in you. It is what St. Paul is telling us in the second reading: we are called to the highest moral standards of witnessing the gospel by being “dead to sin and living for God in Christ Jesus” (Rom.6:11). Of course, we are all weak and still sinful but being a Christian is to have the love of Christ before all else which is what forgetting one’s mother and father or son and daughter by taking our cross is all about.
Hospitality in Christ is thinking more of God in Jesus than of one’s self so that others may have the space and chance to find and bring out Christ in them. Amen. Have a blessed, safe week ahead.
Photo by author, St. Michael Retreat House, Antipolo City, 16 June 2026.
Lord My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II Wednesday in the Eleventh Week of Ordinary Time, Year II, 17 June 2026 2 Kings 2:1, 16-14 ><))))*> + ><))))*> + ><))))*> Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18
Photo by author, St. Michael Retreat House, Antipolo City, 16 June 2026.
Your words today, O Lord, are lovely paradoxes expressed in the two readings: from the second book of Kings, you invite us to walk with Elijah and Elisha to experience both being a mentor and a student, a companion in life's journey, comfortable in conversation and silence, most especially in doing your will.
Elijah said to Elisha, “Please stay here; the Lord has sent me on to the Jordan.” As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you,” Elisha replied (2Kings 2:6).
And that is how life is, people come like family and friends but eventually we part ways and in every separation, there remains God who keeps our bonds together, even getting stronger after death, the ultimate separation. Here you call us, Lord, to witness to others your loving presence as part of our mission, not for our own glory. May we have the same courage of Elisha to show to everyone your power not for personal gain but for mission to continue the works of Elijah.
But before we can go out witnessing your loving presence and power, dear Jesus, teach us first to remain hidden in doing what is right, what is just, and what is good as expressed in your gospel today; let us realize that despite life is now lived in social media, the more essential things in life are still and will remain best kept hidden; it is in that hiddenness where we must remain and stay like Elisha to truly witness your great power not for our own sake and vanity but for your mission and glory so that at the end of our daily journey, we may find you always, Lord Jesus, in every "Jordan" we cross like Elijah and Elisha. Amen.
Photo by author, sunset at the RISE Tower, Our Lady of Fatima University, Valenzuela City, 10 June 2026.
Lord My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II Tuesday, Tenth Week in Ordinary Time, Year II, 09 June 2026 1 Kings 17:7-16 ><)))*> + ><)))*> + ><)))*> Matthew 5:13-16
Photo by author, Taal Lake from St. Anthony de Padua Chapel, D’Alta Tagaytay, 02 June 2026.
God our loving Father, we thank you for the gift of this brand new day especially for our brothers and sisters in GenSan and other parts of Mindanao struck by a powerful quake yesterday; may this calamity bring out the best among us as we try to rebuild lives and cities anew.
Your words today, dear God speak about "bringing out" - when Elijah came to Zarephath, he asked your "designated widow" to bring out for him "a cupful of water to drink... along a bit of bread" while in the midst of a widespread drought.
She left and did as Elijah had said. She was able to eat for a year, and he and her son as well; the jar of flour did not go empty, nor the jug of oil run dry, as the Lord had foretold through Elijah (1 Kings 17:15-16).
Teach us to trust you more in Jesus Christ your Son who calls us today "salt of the earth" and "light of the world" - how lovely that both things are so commonly found in every home then and now that also do the same what the widow of Zarephath did in bringing out water and bread to Elijah; may we be like the salt that brings out the taste and flavor of food that brings delight and nourishment to everyone; likewise, may we be like the light that dispels darkness to bring out realities and things into sight.
God our loving Father, may we never lose the saltiness of the salt, the luminance of light we already have but have taken for granted, even traded for lesser things that have severely affected our relationships, work, and inner life; your Son Jesus Christ clearly called us to make our light "shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father" (Matthew 5:16).
May we be clarified always that being salt of the earth and light of the world is not self-promotion so common these days but God's glory exactly what Elijah and the widow of Zarephath did. Amen.
Photo by author, St. Anthony de Padua Chapel, D’Alta Tagaytay, 02 June 2026.
Lord My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II Tuesday in the Fourth Week of Easter, 28 April 2026 Acts 11:19-26 ><]]]]'> + ><]]]]'> + ><]]]]'> John 10:22-30
Photo by author, Fatih Square, Istanbul, Turkiye, November 2025.
Easter is about movements: of moving in Jesus, moving with Jesus, moving to Jesus.
Those who had been scattered by the persecution that arose because of Stephen went as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, preaching the word to no one but Jews. There were some Cypriots and Cyrenians among them, however, who came to Antioch and began to speak to the Greeks as well, proclaiming the Lord Jesus. The hand of the Lord was with them and great number who believed turned to the Lord (Acts 11:19-21).
How lovely, dear Jesus to hear that despite the fears due to the martyrdom of Stephen in Jerusalem, your disciples moved north to Antioch now part of Turkiye not to hide but to proclaim your good news!
Strengthen my faith in you, Jesus that when things get tough, when the Gospel is challenged and dismissed, let me move boldly in upholding your message of truth of a loving God we call Father calling us to a life of holiness and freedom from sin and evil.
Photo by author, St. Anthony de Padua Church, Taksim Square, Istanbul, Turkiye, November 2025.
Let me move in your Spirit, dear Jesus like Barnabas filled with joy not suspicion, encouraging others to remain faithful in your teachings; most of all, let me move in compassion and brotherly love like Barnabas to search for those shy and ashamed of their sinful past like Saul who later came to be known as Paul; may our movements be more of gathering than scattering to unite and bring together other believers as one body, one community witnessing your gospel that others may know us your disciples, Christians like in Antioch.
In this world with so many voices shouting and screaming for our attention to be famous, to be rich, to be powerful, teach us to be silent to distinguish your voice and call, Lord Jesus, our Good Shepherd whom we must follow in poverty, simplicity, and humility. Amen.
Photo by author, Bosphorus River cruise, Istanbul, Turkiye, November 2025.
Lord My Chef Sunday Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle A, 08 February 2026 Isaiah 58:7-10 ><}}}}*> 1 Corinthians 2:1-5 ><}}}}*> Matthew 5:13-16
Photo by author, Carmelite Monastery, Guiguinto, Bulacan, 22 January 2026.
We continue today Jesus Christ’s Sermon on the Mount that started last Sunday when he called “Blessed” are the poor in spirt, those who mourn, the meek, the hungry and thirsty for righteousness, the merciful, the clean of heart, the peacemakers, those persecuted and insulted falsely.
These blessed ones are not different kinds of persons but every disciple of Jesus Christ who is the truly Blessed One who is poor and meek, hungry and thirsty, merciful and clean of heart. Blessedness is an inner disposition, a being than doing.
And so this Sunday, Jesus reminds his disciples that include us today, of our dignity and responsibility in being blessed, as if telling us, “Blessed are you… You are the salt of the earth… You are the light of the world.”
We whom Jesus called “blessed” already possess the kingdom but in a hidden manner; that is why we as his disciples must make it shine upon the world in our lives, in our witnessing especially in this age that has turned away from God and holiness.
Jesus said to his disciples: “You are the salt of the earth… You are the light of the world. A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and then put it under a bushel basket; it is set on a lampstand, where it gives light to all in the house. Just so, your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father” (Matthew 5:13, 14-16).
Last February two we celebrated the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord at the Temple that is also known as Candlemass or Candelaria where Simeon recognized the Child Jesus as the “light of the nations”.
It is one of the beautiful feasts we have with the blessing and lighting of candles outside the church; then, led by the priest, the people enter the church with lighted candles to signify Jesus Christ as our only light and fulfillment in this life.
Jesus asserts that this Sunday. The Bible itself teems with so many references of God being the source of light with Israel as bearer of that light. This explains our first reading today from the Prophet Isaiah:
Then your light shall break forth like the dawn, and your wound shall quickly be healed; your vindication shall go before you, and the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard. Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer, you shall cry for help, and he will say: Here I am! If you remove from your midst oppression, false accusations and malicious speech; if you bestow your bread on the hungry and satisfy the afflicted; then light shall rise for you in the darkness, and the gloom shall become for you like midday” (Isaiah 58:8-10).
So beautiful! And what a prophecy fulfilled in Christ that continues to happen today among us, his blessed ones as disciples!
To be a Christian especially nowadays is to be the bearer of the light of Christ, to illumine the darkness among us especially in this world that has become so fascinated with artificial lights like studio lights that emphasize and focus on men and women, on their fame and glory and wealth. How ironic that the more artificial lights we flood the world these days, the darker life becomes with more crimes, more abuses, and more emptiness and meaninglessness within us.
Photo by author, Mt. St. Paul ?Retreat House, La Trinidad, Benguet, January 2025.
Bringing the light of Christ, sharing his light is being holy, being good, being a blessed one, doing what is right, what is true, what is good as Isaiah reminded the people in the first reading.
Bringing the light of Christ, sharing his light is sharing Jesus to the world that we become the God’s answer to the cries and pleas of his people for mercy and justice, for healing and comfort.
Hence, bringing the light of Christ, sharing his light is actually to bring out Jesus within us who had come to us sacramentally in Baptism and continues to come to us in the Sacraments especially the Holy Eucharist we celebrate on Sundays.
Problem is we keep on hiding Jesus within us. This is why he calls us not to hide him like a lamp placed under a bushel basket but let him be like a lampstand that illumines the house.
We are the light of Jesus Christ who shines before others with our good deeds that make God known to others. Not the other way around. Young people call them as “performative” like performative couple, performative student or performative employee. They are all performance, all for the show or the content. Puro palabas, walang paloob kaya walang laman. These are the very ones that Jesus warned to “take care not to perform righteous deeds in order that people may see them” (Mt. 6:1) which we shall hear soon in Lent.
How sad that many people today have become “performative” – pakitang-tao as we say in Filipino who would go to great extent of publicizing everything they say and do like many of the so-called content creators and vloggers. This is most painfully true in the Church of priests and laypeople posting in social media everything they do or “perform” that are always empty of meaning and any sense at all.
Bringing the light of Christ, sharing his light always leads to God’s glory, not to us humans.
Let us keep in our hearts the words of St. Paul today in our second reading:
When I came to you, brothers and sisters, proclaiming the mystery of God, I did not come with sublimity of words or of wisdom. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ, and him crucified (1 Corinthians 2:1-2).
Photo by Architect Philip C. Santiago, Basilica of the Annunciation, Nazareth, Israel, October 2025.
Being the light of Christ in the world is to bring Jesus Christ himself, not ourselves. It is being one in Jesus in his Cross where there is more of inner fulfillment and joy than mere success and happiness.
Being the light of Christ in the world is more than having all those quotable quotes and lofty proses and poetry nor of those grand plans and visions and programs left on paper but never materialized in reality.
Bringing the light of Christ in the world is being wounded and scarred by the Cross, always fading from the light so that only Jesus remains.
Like John the Baptist his Precursor, may his words be our prayer always: “Jesus must increase and I must decrease. Amen. Have an enlightening and illumining week ahead brothers and sisters in Christ!
Lord My Chef Simbang Gabi Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II Monday, Simbang Gabi-VII, 22 December 2025 1 Samuel 1:24-28 <*((((>< + ><))))*> Luke 1:46-56
Photo by author, Church of Visitation, Ein-Karem, Israel, 2017.
One of the most beautiful and touching sites in the Holy Land I have always loved is the Church of the Visitation at Ein-Karem outside Jerusalem where Mary visited her cousin Elizabeth.
It sits atop of a hill and there’s no other way to get there except by foot due to the narrow road but, it is worth all the effort for anyone going up there with the beautiful scenes all the way with cool breeze soothing your face and lovely flowers delighting your eyes and senses. It somehow gives every pilgrim a taste of the great love and joy of Mary pregnant with out Lord Jesus Christ visiting her cousin Elizabeth on the sixth month of her pregnancy with John the Baptist.
Photo by Ar. Philip Santiago, Church of Visitation, the Holy Land, October 2025.
Perhaps we could say the Visitation was the first Christmas party in history as Luke tells us today how Mary rejoiced in God singing the Magnificat after Elizabeth praised her:
“My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, my spirit rejoices in God my savior. For he has looked upon his lowly servant. From this day, all generations will call me blessed: the Almighty has done great things for me, and holy is his Name. He has mercy on those who fear him in every generation. He has shown the strength of his arm, and has scattered the proud in their conceit. He has cast down the mighty from their thrones and has lifted up the lowly. He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty. He has come to the help of servant Israel, for he has remembered his promise of mercy, the promise he made to our fathers, to Abraham and to his children forever” (Luke 1:46-55).
Aside from this beautiful bronze statues of Mary and Elizabeth at the patio of the Church of the Visitation are the translations of the Magnificat in different languages, including in our very own Filipino which is one of the most popular songs we often sing in our Masses.
Photo by Ar. Philip Santiago, Church of Visitation, the Holy Land, October 2025.
But, do we really realize the meaning of this song of Mary?
Actually, the Magnificat was composed by Luke that he placed on the lips of Mama Mary. It is part of his artistry, of putting songs on the lips of some of his Christmas characters like Zechariah after John’s circumcision (the Benedictus) and later on Simeon (Nunc Dimittis) at the Presentation of Jesus in the temple.
Why? Because singing, like dancing, is the highest expression of our feelings to the one we love. Mothers sing lullabies to their infants, suitors compose and sing songs to their beloved, and we Filipinos sing and dance in whatever mood we are wherever we may be! There is always music in us from the simple gesture of washing the dishes, ironing of clothes to driving and taking a shower. When we sing and dance, we not only show what’s inside us but most of all who we are!
Photo by Ar. Philip Santiago, Church of Visitation, the Holy Land, October 2025.
In singing the Magnificat which St. Luke patterned after a similar song by Hannah at the birth of her son the Prophet Samuel who’s story we heard in the first reading, Mother Mary expressed her joy and gratitude in the nearness of God among us not only with the coming birth of her Son Jesus Christ but also through her!
The late Fr. Raymond Brown, one of the great biblical scholars of our time noted in his classic “Birth of the Messiah” that Mary as the first Christian is teaching us in her Magnificat the essential task of every disciple of the Lord which is, after hearing the word of God and accepting it, we must share it with others, not by simply repeating it but by interpreting it so that people can see it truly as the good news.
Here we wish to mention something we have read recently about singing and dancing that the best singer or best dancer is one who can listen or hear – and fill the silent gaps in every piece of music. That’s amazing because singing and dancing are not about having super beautiful voice or precise steps. Singing and dancing are more of attitude, of claiming and owning a piece of music as yours. That’s why it is called an interpretation or as young people these days refer to as “cover”.
As we have mentioned earlier, one of the most popular Mass songs in the country is Mary’s Magnificat called Ang Puso Ko’y Nagpupuri but does it reflect our spirituality as a Christian nation?
Photo by Ar. Philip Santiago, Church of Visitation, the Holy Land, October 2025.
Have you noticed how this 2025 that we heard so little of Mr. Jose Mari Chan his Christmas in Our Hearts?
I feel sorry for Mr. Chan when suddenly this 2025 he is more heard and seen in the McDonald’s commercial shouting “George!” to a fellow senior citizen. We as a nation momentarily forgot about Mr. Chan’s classic line “whenever I see girls and boys selling lanterns” because we as a nation is so disgusted with the ghost project scams of flood controls. We could not even emphatize with the family of the former Undesecretary of DPWH who had died of an apparent suicide because of the “breadth and depth and height” of their corruption running into trillions of pesos. They have cheated on us big time and we really wonder why the big “congtractors” and senators are not yet in jail?
But God has been so good to us this Christmas that we can all sing with conviction the Magnificat for indeed, “the Almighty has done great things for us” like putting into jail in a far away land the former president who called God as stupid not once nor twice but multiple times on television. That is aside from ordering the bloodiest anti-drug campaign he shamelessly likened to Hitler’s Holocaust of Jews in World War II.
The Lord invites us to make this 2025 as the last Christmas we allow corrupt and inept people get elected, that we finally put an end to political dynasty, and stop the stupidity and callousness of people in government who set a budget of 500pesos for people to enjoy noche buena.
Photo by Ar. Philip Santiago, Church of Visitation, the Holy Land, October 2025.
This Christmas let us sing like Mary, as faithful disciple of Christ, sharing Jesus, always Jesus and only Jesus in singing the Magnificat in our daily witnessing to the Gospel, making Jesus come in our life of loving service to everyone especially those in need. Let us actively cooperate with Jesus like Mary his Mother to make these lines a living reality in our midst – “he has mercy on those who fear him in every generation, showing the strength of his arm by scattering the proud in their conceit, casting down the mighty from their thrones, lifting up the lowly, filling the hungry with good things, sending the rich away empty, coming to the help of Israel, for he has remembered his promise of mercy”.
More than a song and hymn, the Magnificat reveals us as the signs of the Christ, the Emmanuel, God-is-with-us! Amen. A blessed week ahead of everyone!
lordmychef.com 