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!
Lord My Chef Sunday Recipe for the Soul, 16 November 2025 Thirty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle C Malachi 3:19-20 >><}}}}*> 2 Thessalonians 3:7-12 ><}}}}*> Luke 21:5-19
Photo by author, Bosphrus Strait, Istanbul, Turkiye, 02 November 2025.
We are now in the penultimate Sunday of our church calendar that is why our readings remind us of the Lord’s Second Coming at the end of the world.
While some people were speaking about how the temple was adorned with costly stones and votive offerings, Jesus said, “All that you see here – the days will come when there will not be left a stone upon another stone that will not be thrown down.” Then they asked him, “Teacher, when will this happen? And what sign will there be when all these things are about to happen?” He answered, “See that you not be deceived, for many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he,’ and ‘The time has come.’ Do not follow them. When you hear of wars and insurrections, do not be terrified; for such things must happen first, but it will not immediately be the end” (Luke 21:5-9).
Imagine the scene. See that tinge of humor of Jesus in dousing his disciples with cold water as they marveled at the beauty and magnificence of the Jerusalem Temple only to tell them all shall perish. It reminded me of our recent pilgrimage to the home of the Blessed Mother and St. John the Beloved in Ephesus, Turkiye recently.
Ephesus was a coastal city in Turkiye founded by the Greek colonists hundreds of years before the birth of Christ and was later annexed by the Romans into their empire. It was a very prosperous city with a huge amphitheater that could seat 24,000 people. During the time of early Christianity, Ephesus was already a major city that is why St. Paul founded a Christian community there whom he later sent a letter now part of the New Testament. It was also in that city where the Church held its Council of Ephesus in the fifth century that defined Mary as the Mother of God because Jesus remained true God and true Man in his conception and birth.
Photo by author, original marble stone floors of Ephesus.
But, everything is now in ruins after Ephesus was overran by barbarians in year 600 and struck by massive earthquakes through the following years that literally pushed it farther away from the sea. Almost abandoned except for some locals selling good to tourists and pilgrims who come to visit this lovely ancient city designated in 2015 as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Jerusalem suffered the same fate minus the earthquakes that have kept it inhabited for thousands of years when it fell into the hands of the Romans in year 70AD, then to the Moslems and other invaders until 1948 when the state of Israel declared independence from British Mandate.
Countries and cities come and go along with their civilizations due to varied reasons. It is the normal course of life. This is what Jesus was trying to tell his disciples and us today with the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple.
But of course, there was more.
Christ’s coming is not a spectacle like a show that the world is so addicted with; Christ’s coming is a presence felt and experienced day in, day out right in our hearts. It is a movement of grace upon grace within our very selves that often go unnoticed because we are so obsessed with physical things seen and heard. Jesus reminds us to see beyond, to have vision not just sight. To pray more, to feel more of God, of his truth and justice not only in ourselves but also in others by witnessing his gospel more than ever.
Earthquake survivor Jesiel Malinao sits beside the coffins of her two sons on Thursday, Oct. 2, 2025 after a strong earthquake on Tuesday caused a landslide that toppled their hillside homes in Bogo city, Cebu Province, Central Philippines. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)
This Sunday is designated by the Church as World Day of the Poor who are the ones who suffer most during calamities and man-made disasters as well as conflicts that abound where the powerful play and manipulate peoples for their own selfish ends.
For the poor, every day seems an end – last meal, last breath, last hope. For the poor, living is more of survival because so many of us have not only forgotten them but have totally disregarded them. They are the ones often used and fooled by the powerful like the corrupt politicians with some masquerading as religious leaders like in the aftermath of the ghost-project scam. See how those involved are now playing victims, diverting attention and misleading many of the poor with their calls for transparency and good-governance. It is to them that the words of Jesus are directed today – “Do not be deceived… Do not follow them!”
Let us heed the calls of Abp. Soc Villegas of Lingayen-Dagupan for us to be guided by “wisdom, vigilance, and virtue” in these times when our nation is deeply in crisis in almost every aspect of life. Here we find in the warnings and reminders of Jesus that the end of time with its destruction is not something we have to resign ourselves with. We have to take a more active role to play in the course of history by making the right choices always.
Photo by author, Cantacuzino Castle, Romania, 06 November 2025.
And that is choosing Christ by being truthful, just, and charitable.
These are the calls of the Prophet Malachi and St. Paul in the first and second readings respectively today. For them, every day is the day of the Lord, a day of salvation, a day of thanksgiving. It is not a call for alarm nor cause us to fear but a call for active waiting for the Lord wherein we must remain responsible with our duties as followers of Christ, not falling into doubts and discouragement especially when things are getting rough and tough. These are precisely what the Psalms speak too this Sunday:
Let the sea and what fills it resound, the world and those who dwell in it; let the rivers clap their hands, the mountains shout with them for joy (Psalm 98:7-8).
To let the rivers clap their hands, the mountains shout with them for joy is for us to witness Christ, to give testimony to him and his gospel. Nothing is permanent in this world and life except God. As such, every ending is also a beginning in God. We are not only preparing for the end but also embarking on a new journey in Jesus we must persevere to follow especially in this time of our nation’s history to secure our lives and better future for the next generation.
Our liturgical calendar is about to end next Sunday with the Solemnity of Christ the King; like our Psalm, we embark this Sunday on a new journey in Jesus by witnessing his presence in this world so confused, so noisy, so dark. Amen. Have a blessed week ahead and keep cool! Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II, Our Lady of Fatima University, Valenzuela City.
Photo by author, Bucharest, Romania, 05 November 2025.
Lord My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul, 28 October 2025 Tuesday, Feast of St. Simon & St. Jude, Apostles Ephesians 2:19-22 ><))))*> + ><))))*> + ><))))*> Luke 6:12-16
Photo by author, Sacred Heart Novitiate, Novaliches, QC, 20 March 2025.
Brothers and sisters: You are no longer strangers and sojourners, but you are fellow citizens with the holy ones and members of the household of God built upon the foundation of the Apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the capstone. Through him the whole structure is held together and grows into a temple sacred in the Lord; in him you are also being built together into a dwelling place of God in the Spirit (Ephesians 2:19-22).
How lovely to hear those words of St. Paul in these times of great divisions among us not only in politics but in almost every topic! What is most painful, O Lord Jesus Christ is how some among us have become numb and callous of each other, unmindful of things they say especially of those suffering and in pain; with the little cellphone each of us holding so addictively the whole day, we have created our own self-centered world totally unmindful of others.
On this Feast of your two great Apostles, St. Simon and St. Jude who were poles apart in their differences as persons and backgrounds, may we realize that we are not "strangers and sojourners" but are" fellow citizens", and "members of the household of God" in you, Jesus Christ who is at the center of this household as cornerstone.
Help us, Lord Jesus, to imitate Sts. Simon and Jude who built up your Church, your household of God here on earth; fill our hearts with the zeal and ardent love for you and your Church like Simon called the Zealot: in this time when Catholics in the country are declining in numbers as well as in professing their faith, may we have the enthusiasm to make you known, Jesus, in our loving actions of witnessing; grant us also the strength, clarity and courage like that of St. Jude Thaddeus in dealing with the many contradictions of the world we live in today as Catholics and Christians: "But you, beloved, build yourselves up on your most holy faith; pray in the Holy Spirit; keep yourselves in the love of God; wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. And convince some, who doubt..." (Jude 20-22).
Bless us, dearest Jesus, through the help St. Simon and St. Jude, to rediscover the beauty of our Christian faith and of our Catholic Church by working hard to build it up without tiring through our silent and peaceful witnessing of the Gospel. Amen. Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II Our Lady of Fatima University Valenzuela City
Lawiswis ng Salita ni P. Nicanor F. Lalog II, Ika-22 ng Oktubre 2025
Larawan nina San Juan Pablo II at San Juan XXIII kasama isa sa mga matandang imahen ng aming Patron San Juan Apostol at Ebanghelista sa likuran ng simbahan ng dati kong parokya sa Bagbaguin, Santa Maria, Bulacan.
PANALANGIN KAY SAN JUAN APOSTOL AT EBANGHELISTA KAUGNAY NG MGA BAGONG SANTO NG SIMBAHAN: PAPA JUAN PABLO II at PAPA JUAN XXIII
Mula Hunyo 2011 hanggang Pebrero 2021 ay naglingkod ako bilang kura paroko ng Parokya ni San Juan Apostol at Ebanghelista sa Bagbaguin, Santa Maria, Bulacan bago nalipat bilang chaplain ng Our Lady of Fatima University (OLFU) at Fatima University Medical Center (FUMC) dito sa Valenzuela City.
Iyon ang una at marahil huli ko nang assignment na parokya sa loob ng dalawamput-pitong taon ko sa pagkapari. Masaya ako at fulfilled sa lahat ng aking mga assignment ngunit mayroong kakaibang karanasan sa parokya di tulad sa mga paaralan na dalawang ulit ko nang napupuntahan.
Ibig ko noong mahalin at pahalagahan ng mga taga-Bagbaguin ang kanilang Patron na sabi ko nga ang siyang minamahal na alagad din ng Panginoon. Noon namin sinimulan araw ng debosyon kay San Juan Apostol tuwing araw ng Martes.
Noong 27 Abril 2014 na isang Divine Mercy Sunday, ginanap sa Roma ang canonization ng dalawang makabagong Santo Papa na kapwa kapangalan ng aming Patron, sina San Juan XXIII at San Juan Pablo II. Kaya minabuti ko na sumulat noon ng panalangin aming dinarasal tuwing araw ng Sabado upang maranasan ng mga mananampalataya ang bisa ng pananalangin ng tatlong San Juan para sa kanila: San Juan Apostol na kapistahan ay tuwing Disyembre 27, San Juan XXIII tuwing Oktubre 11 at San Juan Pablo II tuwing Oktubre 22.
Para sa mga ibig magkaroon ng debosyon sa tatlong San Juan ng Simbahan, narito aking panalangin:
Minamahal naming Patron na Banal, Juan Apostol at Ebanghelista po ang inyong ngalan! Ngayo'y aming ipinagdiriwang sa buong Simbahan dalawang bagong Banal: Kapwa sila pastol ng kawan, nang manungkula'y pangalan mo ang hiniram.
San Juan Beinte-tres nang sa kanyang katandaan tulad mo, Sinikap maging makabuluhan at buhay na palatandaan ng Diyos sa gitna ng makabagong panahon itong Inang Simbahan nang kanyang simulan ang Ikalawang Konsilyo sa Vatican.
Kasabay niyang tinanghal bilang Banal ang tinaguriang Dakilang San Juan-Pablo Ikalawa; Labis na pagtitiis ang kinamit sa kanyang sakit, Krus ay sinapit, katulad mo’y naging malapit sa Ina ni Hesus kaya’t “Totus Tuus” ang kanyang awit.
Itulot mo aming Mahal na San Juan Apostol at Ebanghelista, kaming iyong mga anak sana’y matularan, pinagsikapan ng dalawang bagong San Juan: pamilya’t sambayanan mabuklod sa nagkakaisang pag-ibig katulad ng dalangin ni Hesus doon sa Huling Hapunan. AMEN.
San Juan Ebanghelista, ipanalangin mo kami. San Juan Beinte-tres, ipanalangin mo kami. San Juan-Pablo Ikalawa, ipanalangin mo kami.
Larawan ng dati kong parokya kuha noong Enero 2020 ng dati naming choir na si G. Gelo Carpio.
Lord My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul, 21 October 2025 Tuesday, Feast of St. Pedro Calungsod, Martyr Romans 5:12, 15, 17-19, 20-21 <*((((>< + ><))))*> Luke 12:35-38
Where sin increased, grace overflowed all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through justification for eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord (Romans 5:20-21).
Your words today, O Lord Jesus Christ are so inspiring so reassuring and edifying in these most troubled times of our lives; everywhere we look or turn, there is an anomaly, a corruption happening or unearthed that sadly hurt most the poor and marginalized.
Yet, despite our many trials and hardships in life these days, we never run out of good people going out of their ways to help, to care, to guide those in need; most wonderful to hear most of these great stories of love and care are by simple folks, so unlike those supposed to be more educated, more upward and mobile!
It was the same situation of persecution when St. Pedro Calungsod kept his lamp lighted with good works among the locals in Guam where he met his martyrdom. Keep us faithful, Jesus overflow us with your grace while awaiting your daily coming especially during the most trying times. Amen.
Lord My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul, 26 September 2025 Friday, Memorial of Sts. Cosmas & Damian, Martyrs Haggai 2:1-9 ><]]]]'> + ><]]]]'> + ><]]]]'> Luke 9:18-22
Photo by author, the wailing wall of Jerusalem, May 2017.
God our loving Father, we praise and thank you for the magnificent places of worship we have for you, churches so beautiful, so wide to accommodate us especially on Sundays to praise and worship you; but, dear God, forgive us when we forget so often that its glory is not in us nor because of us but from your divine presence, in the presence of Jesus Christ not only in the Tabernacle but among the people as you have told us through Haggai your prophet.
For thus says the Lord of hosts: One moment yet, a little while, and I will shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land. I will shake all the nations, and the treasures of all the nations will come in, and I will fill this house with with glory, says the Lord of hosts (Haggai 2:6-7).
That prophecy has been fulfilled in Jesus Christ your Son, our Savior who now asks us daily with his same question to the Twelve: "Who do the crowds say that I am?"
Grant us the courage and strength you gave Peter as well as the early Christians to acknowledge Jesus as the Christ - something so subversive at that time, so dangerous as it disregarded the earthly rulers especially the Roman emperor; so much have changed, Lord in our time when the church has become so elaborately decorated like our faith but deep inside is hollow that no wonder we can't even profess your being Lord just before every meal especially in public places; grant us the same courage you gave the brothers Cosmas and Damian who treated the sick for free in your name, who dared the powers and stood firm in their faith in you. Amen.
Photo by author, Chapel of the Angel of Peace, Our Lady of Fatima University, Valenzuela City, March 2025
Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II Our Lady of Fatima University Valenzuela City (lordmychef@gmail.com)
Lord My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul, 16 September 2025 Tuesday, Memorial of Sts. Cornelius, Pope & Cyprian, Bishop, Martyrs 1 Timothy 3:1-13 <*((((>< +. ><))))*> Luke 7:11-17
Beloved, this saying is trustworthy: whoever aspires to the office of bishop desires a noble task (1 Timothy 3:1).
How timely
are your words today,
Lord Jesus:
definitely it is about your
servants in the church;
but, it applies very much
with all other leaders
in the government
and civil society
who have pledged
to serve the poor
and needy.
Give us a prophetic bishop
who is most in touch with
our humanity,
not merely concerned
with one's self
and ego.
We pray, dear Jesus for bishops and government leaders who are decisive with what is true and good and what is just most of all; give us bishops who act decisively as a father, a teacher, and disciplinarian not those concerned with their status and ego.
Jesus journeyed to a city called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd accompanied him. As he drew near to the gate of the city, a man who had died was being carried our, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. A large crowd from the city was with her (Luke 7:11-12).
How amazing, dear Jesus, that despite the "large crowd" you were still able to spot the grieving widow at the funeral of her only son because you are so in touch with our humanity unlike with some bishops and most leaders in government; grant us prophetic leaders who are in touch and amazed with the dignity and honor of persons as image and likeness of God that like you, Lord, they could feel and be one in the sorrow of those in pain and sufferings.
In this point in our nation's history, we need so badly, dearest Lord Jesus, a prophetic bishop, even just one who could rally the other bishops and priests with the many faithful to effect change, to speak of the truth so people would be shaken and realize like the crowd in Nain who exclaimed after you have raised the dead boy to life, "A great prophet has arisen in our midst." Amen.
Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II Our Lady of Fatima University Valenzuela City (lordmychef@gmail.com)
Lord My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul, 27 August 2025 Wednesday, Memorial of St. Monica, Married Woman 1 Thessalonians 2:9-13 <*[[[[>< + ><]]]]*> Matthew 23:27-32
Image of St. Monica from grunge.com
Praise and glory to you, Lord Jesus Christ for another set of beautiful words from your great Apostle Paul of being like a "father", a parent to the Thessalonians like St. Monica whose feast we celebrate today in her diligence and patience to her son St. Augustine whose feast comes tomorrow.
As you know, we treated each one of you as a father treats his children, exhorting and encouraging you and insisting that you walk in a manner worthy of the God who calls you into his kingdom and glory (1Thessalonians 2:11-12).
In this time of great trial and crisis in our country when we are literally deep in floods of evil and sin, a deluge of apocalyptic proportion that have submerged all three branches of government - the executive, legislative and judiciary that have severely dampened and loosened the morals of our society, teach us Jesus to be like the mother of St. Augustine, the ever patient and prayerful St. Monica to exhort and encourage everyone to still walk in a manner worthy of God who calls us to be fair and just, tenacious with our faith and hope in you and your gospel minus the trappings of the Pharisees and scribes of your time who were like "whitewashed tombs who appear beautiful on the outside, but inside are full of dead men's bones and every kind of filth" (Matthew 23:27); may the prayers of St. Monica with her tears cleanse us of everything wrong in our selves. Amen.
Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II Our Lady of Fatima University Valenzuela City (lordmychef@gmail.com)
lordmychef.com 