Like a father, like a mother

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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

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
([email protected])