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Lord My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul, 11 August 2025 Monday, Memorial of St. Clare, Virgin Deuteronomy 10:12-22 <*((((>< + ><))))*> Matthew 17:22-27
What a beautiful way to start our first day in school and work this week examining our attitudes with our rights and privileges vis-a-vis your example of compassion and solidarity, Lord Jesus.
Moses said to the people: “For the Lord, your God, is the God of gods, the Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who has no favorites, accepts no bribes… So you too must befriend the alien, for you were once aliens yourselves in the land of Egypt” (Deuteronomy 10:12, 17,19).
You play no favorites, indeed, Lord but many times your love and blessings get into our heads that we not only forget others but even you in the process; we forget what we have gone through, we disregard our wounds especially how you saved us that we think more of our rights and privileges than of our responsibilities that come with every good gift from you.
When they came to Capernaum, the collectors of the temple tax approached Peter and said, “Does not your teacher pay the temple tax?” “Yes,” he said. When he came into the house, before he had time to speak, Jesus asked him, “What is your opinion, Simon? From whom do the kings of the earth take tolls or census tax? From their subjects or from foreigners?” When he said, “From foreigners,” Jesus said to him, “Then the subjects are exempt. But that we may not offend them, go to the sea, drop in a hook, and take the first fish that comes up. Open its mouth and you will find a coin worth twice the temple tax. Give that to them for me and for you” (Matthew 17:24-27).
What a shame, Lord Jesus! In this world where everyone insists on each one's rights and privileges, so many are maligned, and much more are misled by some people specially in media with bloated egos; in this world that had shrunk into a global village, many brains have shrunk too with hearts turned into stone without any compassion and sense of true solidarity at all!
Instruct me, dear Jesus, like Peter to drop in a hook to catch the first fish that comes up for surely, many times I have missed finding a "coin" inside its mouth worth than what we are required; many times, I see only myself, my rights and my privileges that I forget to be compassionate and be one with others; teach me to be like you: totally "indifferent" in a positive sense in whatever the world offers choosing only the Father's will for God's glory. Amen. Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II Our Lady of Fatima University Valenzuela City ([email protected])
