The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II Wednesday, Memorial of Sts. Joachim & Anne, Parents of the BVM, 26 July 2023 Exodus 16:1-5, 9-15 <*(((>< + ><)))*> + <*(((>< + ><)))*> Matthew 13:1-9
God our loving Father, I have just noticed how we all love seeing and watching the sun set, even capturing it in our photos and yet, we tend to forget, sometimes neglect the people in the sunset of their lives. Our grandparents and elderlies. The seniors among us.
On this Memorial of Saints Joachim and Anne, the parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary, grandparents of the Lord Jesus Christ, we pray for all our seniors today. Grant them the patience of the sower in the gospel, to continue sowing us with your seeds of faith and valuable lessons learned in life from their experience of you, O Lord. Like Sts. Joachim and Anne, may we never lose hope in life even in our old age in fulfilling our dreams and aspirations in life; keep us faithful to you and to one another, always listening and obeying them as Aaron had taught your people in the desert and as Jesus admonished, "Whoever has ears ought to hear" (Matthew 13:9).
Teach us, dear Father, to honor older people not only today on their feast but everyday by welcoming them, helping them, and making good use of their qualities as expounded by St. John Paul II in his Letter to the Elderly, #12. Most of all, let our young remain close to the elderly with great love and generosity because older people can give them with much more than they can imagine with their "wisdom of heart". Amen.
