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Lord My Chef Daily Recipe for Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II Friday in the Fifteenth Week of Ordinary Time, Year II, 17 July 2026 Isaiah 38:1-6, 21-22, 7-8; 38:10-12, 16 <*((((>< + ><))))*> Matthew 12:1-8
God our loving Father, I thank you for this wonderful Friday and most of all, for your moving words from King Hezekiah, the very same words in our hearts especially for those like me who have reached senior year, or may be going through many difficulties in life that make us all realize our mortality and finiteness.
Father, we are all afraid of death, of dying, of the pain of getting sick, of the process so hurtful in all aspects; but, like King Hezekiah in the first reading, what really makes us worry with death is the unfinished work you have given us, the sadness of what shall happen to those we shall leave behind not because we believe so much in ourselves but more because we know we have not finished your work; forgive us for those moments we have procrastinated your work, for those times we balked and dilly dallied to your commands, or to those times we refused to follow you; hear our pleas like your faithful King Hezekiah knocking at heaven’s door:
Once I said: “In the noontime of life I must depart! To the gates of the nether world I shall be consigned for the rest of my years… Like a swallow I utter shrill cries; I moan like a dove. My eyes grow weak, gazing heavenward: O Lord, I am in straits; be my surety” (Isaiah 38:10, 14).
O Lord our God most loving, our life and meaning who desires most mercy than sacrifice for you are the Lord of sabbath (Matthew 12:7-8), like King Hezekiah and Bob Dylan in this modern time we "knock at heaven's door" for those in great need at these very moment like the disciples of Jesus so hungry while crossing a field of grain on a sabbath and picked the heads of grain and ate them; heal those so sick not only in body but also in mind, heart and soul; ease their pains and sorrows; and should we reach the final end, welcome us into your heavenly kingdom; but still, as we hope against hope, heal us by turning back the clock of time for us to fulfill your assigned task and mission. Amen.
*While praying last night, we remembered Bob Dylan’s iconic “Knocking At Heaven’s Door” that he wrote as soundtrack of the 1973 film “Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid”. It became a worldwide hit after its release and had been covered by other artists like Eric Clapton, Randy Crawford and Guns N’ Roses.
“Knocking At Heaven’s Door” is praying hard to God when at the point of death. Like Hezekiah in the first reading, it is the baring of one’s soul to God, begging for his mercy that if possible be allowed to live a little longer. In this song, we find the lyrics and music elegantly and nobly simple, so characteristic of Dylan’s songs that earned him awards outside the music circle like journalism’s Pulitzer Prize special citation in 2008 and the recent Nobel Prize in Literature in 2016 “for having created new poetic expressions within the great American music tradition” (wikipedia).
In our prayer last night, we realized as we age that we fear death and its other daily manifestations like separation and other lifestyle shifts because of being sorry for not having done much in life that if given another chance, we might after all finish our mission like King Hezekiah in the first reading today. Knocking at heaven’s door is one of life’s most powerful prayer as it always “moves” God in the sense he grants our prayers not because he changes his mind but because we have finally surrendered to him and his Divine Will. Likewise, it reminds us to be faithful to our calling always so that when God calls us to death, we can let go easily.
Bob Dylan captured this so well citing the final scene of the movie for which he composed “Knocking At Heaven’s Door” when the frontier lawman was about to die, he gave or “surrendered” to his wife – Mama – his badge and gun because he had finished his job.
[Intro] Ooh, ooh Ooh, ooh [Verse 1] Mama, take this badge off of me I can’t use it anymore It’s getting dark, too dark to see I feel I’m knockin' on heaven’s door [Chorus] Knock, knock, knockin' on heaven’s door Knock, knock, knockin' on heaven’s door Knock, knock, knockin' on heaven’s door Knock, knock, knockin' on heaven's door [Verse 2] Mama, put my guns in the ground I can’t shoot them anymore That long black cloud is coming down I feel I’m knockin' on heaven’s door [Chorus] Knock, knock, knockin' on heaven’s door Knock, knock, knockin' on heaven’s door Knock, knock, knockin' on heaven’s door Knock, knock, knockin' on heaven's door
A blessed weekend everyone. Handle life with prayer always.
