The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II Monday in the Twenty-fourth Week of Ordinary Time, Year I, 18 September 2023 1 Timothy 2:1-8 ><]]]]'> _ ><]]]]'> _ ><]]]]'> Luke 7:1-10
Blessed be you, O God our loving Father for always hearing our prayers! As I get older and hopefully mature in life, I have realized dear Lord that the most beautiful thing with prayer is how you have mellowed us as persons, of how we have become more personal with each other, caring for each other, accepting one another as unique and a gift.
Indeed, prayer changes more the person than the situation; thus, prayer changes too the way we relate with each other, dissipating the anger and mistrust among us, bringing about more peace and harmony among us. Oh how difficult it is to hate a person we are continually praying!
Beloved: First of all, I ask that supplications, prayers, petitions, and thanksgiving be offered for everyone, for kings and for all in authority, that we may lead a quiet and tranquil life in all devotion and dignity.
1 Timothy 2:1-2
How lovely is the gospel scene, dear Jesus, when your fellow Jews sort of "prayed" for the centurion that you may come to heal his servant for he "deserves to have you do this to him" because he "loves our nation and he built a synagogue for us" (Lk.7:4-5); despite his being a pagan, your fellow Jews highly regarded him that was quite a rarity at that time!
Dearest Lord Jesus, may we learn to pray specifically for some people by naming them for those we personally know and at least mentioning or identifying the kinds of people we are praying for. You know them all, Lord, but when we name them, when we identify them, the more we know them and find our relationships with them as brothers and sisters to love and respect always. Amen.
