Christ the King, the face of suffering

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Lord My Chef Sunday Recipe for the Soul, 23 November 2025
Solemnity of Christ the King, Cycle C
2 Samuel 5:1-3 ><}}}}*> Colossians 1:12-20 ><}}}}*> Luke 23:35-43

Iwas teasing our campus ministry head for communication last Tuesday after he had presented to me this announcement for our Christ the King celebration today. “Para namang malnourished si Jesus diyan,” I told Darwin as he scratched his head laughing during our meeting.

But, that evening after praying our gospel, I changed my mind the following Wednesday and told Darwin to go ahead with his original artwork because I have realized that the face of Christ the King is also the face of us suffering.

Are you not surprised that on this final Sunday of the liturgical year, we are not presented with an image of a victorious Jesus like that Cristo Rey found in every Catholic home but the gospel scene of Jesus suffering in excruciating pain there on the Cross on Good Friday?

Above him there was an inscription that read, “This is the King of the Jews.” Now one of the criminals hanging there reviled Jesus, saying, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us.” The other, however, rebuking him, said in reply, “Have you no fear of God, for you are subject to the same condemnation? And indeed, we have been condemned justly, for the sentence we received corresponds to our crimes, but this man has done nothing criminal.” Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” He replied to him, “Amen, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise” (Luke 23:38-43).

On this Solemnity of Christ the King, St. Luke invites us for the last time we hear his gospel this year to look at the face and into the face of Jesus crucified.

What do you see and feel in him?

Ever wondered what the rulers and soldiers saw on the face of Jesus crucified that they sneered and jeered him from below? They were so filled with pride in finally putting into shame and silence Jesus who had always spoken the truth and exposed their lies and hypocrisies.

What do we see when people are put on the spot and shamed like Jesus crucified or like the woman caught committing adultery Jesus forgave and saved from being stoned by the angry crowd? So sad that in this age of social media, public trials and condemnation have become a hobby for many without even checking the accusations are true or not.

Let us move closer to Jesus on the Cross like those two thieves hanging at each of his side: what do you see and feel about him?

Why did the other thief joined those below in deriding and insulting Jesus crucified? Now one of the criminals hanging there reviled Jesus, saying, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us” (Lk.23:39).

Have you ever found yourself in the ER or waiting for your turn at the doctor’s clinic with other patients also in pain and suffering? How do you see the other patients and sick people like you? Is there in your mind any tinge of suspicion why or how they got sick? The best and the worst in us come out in such times when we are so down beside another suffering brother or sister.

Or, do we choose the path of humility and sincerity of Dimas, the good thief? What did he see in Jesus there on the Cross? The other, however, rebuking him, said in reply, “Have you no fear of God, for you are subject to the same condemnation? And indeed, we have been condemned justly, for the sentence we received corresponds to our crimes, but this man has done nothing criminal” (Lk.23:40-41).

Most likely, Dimas must have heard a lot about the teachings and healings by Jesus but he felt something so unique and liberating, so personal during those dark moments of excruciating pains when he finally recognized Christ his Savior, the only true King that is why he asked to be remembered in his kingdom!

Finally, somebody greater than him there beside him, saying nothing to judge nor condemn him nor irritate him like his fellow criminal at the other side. In recognizing Jesus, Dimas also found himself as truly human, weak and finite who can only be whole and complete – saved and redeemed – in Christ who chose to be there on the Cross with him exactly as St. Paul had written in our second reading.

He is before all thing, and in him all things hold together. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things he himself might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness was pleased to dwell, and through him reconcile all things for him, making peace by the blood of his cross through him, whether those on earth or those in heaven (Colossians 1:17, 18-20).

Here we find the beauty of the Cross, of how God so perfect without any need to suffer and experience pain yet chose to go through it to express his solidarity and love for us humans.

It is on the cross when we are most able to identify and be one in Jesus Christ. That is why it is also on the Cross that we enter heaven with Jesus amid suffering and death. Jesus said today you shall be with me in Paradise – not later when we die or after three days at Easter. How lovely that Jesus never promised heaven when he was strong and freely moving around but when he was there on the cross, nailed and dying.

Jesus Christ is the King of the Universe not because of his powers and might but primarily of his being one of us in sufferings and death. It was the very feeling the tribes of Israel were telling David when they came to him in Hebron to reaffirm their allegiance to him as their king, “Here we are, your bone and your flesh” (2 Sm. 5:1).

The people we admire most are not always the best nor most powerful nor talented because often we envy them. On the other hand, we are more drawn with those down and burdened because we see in them our own brokenness, too, that it is part of life and of being human. That is why we easily empathize with those grieving or sad than with those happy or rejoicing.

Our humanity reaches its highest point and beauty when broken and weak as we realize our mortality and similarity with others in suffering needing for a Savior. We are most inhuman whenever we enjoy inflicting or causing pains on others or when rejoicing in their agonies. To proclaim Christ is the King of the Universe is to always see him in our sufferings and among those suffering too like us. Amen. A blessed week ahead of you!

Hollowed, then hallowed

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Lord My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Friday, Memorial of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, 21 November 2025
1 Maccabees 4:36-37, 52-59     <*{{{{>< + ><}}}}*>     Luke 19:45-48

God our loving Father,
today I praise and thank you again
for the recent chance to travel
and experience your majesty
and beauty abroad
and among other peoples
of different culture;
most of all,
I am grateful to have been
to the home of the Blessed
Virgin Mary in Ephesus;
until now, 
I am savoring,
"masticating" the blessed
experience.

Jesus entered the temple area and proceeded to drive out those who were selling things, saying to them, “It is written, My house shall be a house of prayer, but you have made it a den of thieves” (Luke 19:45-46).

As I recall 
that brief moment of stay
inside the Ephesus home of Mary,
I felt my whole being emptied - hollowed -
and as I knelt and prayed
without any distractions,
no worries about pictures nor of time,
slowly I felt being filled within
by you, O God: from hollowedness
to holiness or hallowed;
that is why Jesus drove away
the merchants out of temple:
every temple,
every place of worship
including our very selves
is a home and dwelling place of God;
the chief priests, scribes
and leader of the people
felt under attack by Jesus
because they were empty of God,
filled of the world and its things;
the people were spellbound
on the other hand because
they have realized that
truly, we are the indwelling
of God; therefore, let us cleanse
ourselves always within
not only of sin but also of
so many things that distract
us away from God 
to dwell in us
like social media.

O Blessed Virgin Mary,
from the very start you have
been reserved by God from any stain
of sin to be the Mother of the Christ
but it was also fulfilled because 
of human cooperation: of your parents
dedicating you to God and most of all,
of your fiat to God.
Pray for us, Mama Mary
that we may cultivate a prayer life
that shall make us a home
to God; let us express our
fiat to him daily by presenting
ourselves to him like you.
Amen.

Coming together to God

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Lord My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul, 20 November 2025
Thursday in the Thirty-Third Week of Ordinary Time, Year I
1 Maccabees 2:15-29     ><]]]]'> + ><]]]]'> + ><]]]]'>     Luke 19:41-44

God the Lord has spoken and summoned the earth… “Gather my faithful ones before me, those who have made a covenant with me by sacrifice” … “Offer to God praise as your sacrifice and fulfill your vows to the Most High; Then call upon me in time of distress; I will rescue you and you shall glorify me” (Psalm 50:1, 5, 14-15).

Yes, God our loving Father,
I could hear your call
and here I am before you,
coming to you
to praise
and worship you
not only with gifts
but with my total self
to serve you;
thank you in calling me
among your "faithful ones"
despite my sins and weaknesses.

Give me the courage
and strength, O God,
 of Mattathias
and his brothers
and followers
to not only stand for what
is true and good in your eyes
but even for a time,
to flee to the mountains
to retreat into my self
to find you by leaving everything
in order to live according
to your will and plans;
let me not be stubborn
like your old city of Jerusalem
who rejected your Son Jesus Christ
that he wept over her coming
destruction.

Let me come today
with your other faithful ones
to glorify your name,
O God our Father
in Christ Jesus.
Amen.

Womanly heart, manly courage

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Lord My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul, 19 November 2025
Wednesday in the Thirty-Third Week of Ordinary Time, Year I
2 Maccabees 7:1, 20-31     ><))))*> + ><))))*> + ><))))*>     Luke 19:11-28

What a lovely phrase,
dear Jesus for today
for us all 
especially mothers
and all women:
"womanly heart,
manly courage."

At this time when
a wayward daughter
and sister viciously attacks
her own brother in total
disregard of our family values
and tradition, not to mention
the need for decency and respect
as well as a little sanity too,
here comes out in the open
the nobility of many women and
mothers as well as men still intact;
in this time like during the
Maccabean Revolt when many
sold their souls to evil for the price
of comfort and ease, there are
still more like that mother who dare
to go against the tide of insanity
and folly, indecency and disrespect,
most of all, of idolatrous worship
through religious leaders of the many 
sects and cults who use God's name
in vain and shameful profit too.

Keep us strong inside,
Jesus, to be not afraid in
venturing into finding ways of
serving you most than being idle
in keeping your gifts and talents;
teach us anew the virtue of
obedience, of docility
to authority
whether at home and family or
in the society in general
and in other civil institutions.

Lastly,
we pray dear Jesus
for all mothers crying in silence
these days for the many pains
they bear inside their hearts
especially those who have lost a child,
those betrayed by their own husband
or children,
those separated from their families
due to work and employment,
those nursing a sick loved one,
those forgotten even by families
and societies; grant them 
a "womanly heart" filled with faith
in God and a "manly courage"
trusting in you alone.
Amen.

Something’s got to give

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Lord My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul, 18 November 2025
Tuesday in the Thirty-Third Week of Ordinary Time, Year I
Memorial of the Dedication of the Basilicas of Sts. Peter & Paul, Apostles
2 Maccabees 16:18-31     ><))))*> + ><))))*> + ><))))*>     Luke 19:1-10

What a most blessed day today,
Lord Jesus Christ for you
to teach us today of that
most essential teaching of yours -
of forgetting one's self
to the point of giving up one's
life and reputation to gain you
and eternal life:

Eleazar in the Old Testament,
Zacchaeus in the gospel
plus today's memorial of the
dedication of the basilicas in honor
of the two pillars of your church,
the Apostles
St. Peter and St. Paul.

They all gave up themselves
for you by standing for what is 
true and good and just:
despite his old age of 90,
Eleazar chose to face torture
and death than defile himself
by pretending before the people
of eating pork as ordered their
pagan occupiers; Zacchaeus, 
on the other hand, disregarded
what others would say about him
despite his being "small in stature"
as a sinner that he climbed a sycamore
tree to see Jesus.

Eleazar, one of the foremost scribes, a man of advanced age and noble appearance, was being forced to open his mouth to eat pork… He told them to send him at once to the abode of the dead, explaining, “At our age it would be unbecoming to make such a pretense… should I thus pretend for the sake of a brief moment of life, they would be led astray by me, while I would bring shame and dishonor on my old age” (2 Maccabees 6:18, 24, 25).

At that time Jesus came to Jericho and intended to pass through the town. Now a man there named Zacchaeus, who was a chief tax collector and also a wealthy man, was seeking to see who Jesus was…so he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree in order to see Jesus, who was about to pass that way. When he reached the place, Jesus looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down quickly for today I must stay at your house… When they all saw this, they began to grumlbe, saying, “He has gone to stay at the house of a sinner.” But Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, “Behold, half of my possessions, Lord, I shall give to the poor, and if I have extorted anything from anyone I shall repay it four times over” (Luke 19:1-2, 4-5, 7-8).

As we celebrate today
the memorial of the dedication
of the Basilicas of your Apostles
St. Peter and St. Paul,
teach us to have their courage
for standing for what is true:
like Eleazar, let us never think
even of committing sin "for a brief
moment" and mislead others
into evil; like Zacchaeus, teach us
to forget about what others may
say about us but what you would 
tell us.

Let us realize, Lord,
that in this life,
something's gotta give -
possessions and things,
pride and ego,
sin and addictions -
to be truly free
and fulfilled in you.
Amen.

When things are not clear with us

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Lord My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul, 17 November 2025
Monday in the Thirty-Third Week of Ordinary Time, Year I
Memorial of St. Elizabeth of Hungary, Religious
1 Maccabees 1:10-15, 41-43, 54-57, 62-63   <*(((>< + ><)))*>   Luke 16:35-43

Jesus asked him,
"What do you want me
to do for you?"
He replied, 
"Lord, please let me see."
Jesus told him,
"Have sight;
your faith has saved you"
(Luke 18:40-42).

What a touching story
for this Monday
as we quickly approach
the end of our liturgical
calendar,
when Jesus likewise
in the gospel is on his final
journey before his Passion
to Jerusalem.

"What do you want me
to do for you?"

Honestly,
Lord Jesus,
I do not know
 what I really want
in life;
as I get older,
it seems the
more I get confused
and afraid of many things
as I start to feel my body
ageing, getting weaker,
forgetting a lot of things,
feeling desperate at times
like that blind man at the roadside.

And so,
I cry out to you too
like him with
"Jesus, Son of David,
have pity on me!"
This time I know what I want
from you:
like him,
let me have sight;
clear my mind
and my heart
and my soul
of all doubts and fears,
hesitations
and mistrust
that I too may leave
the "roadside"
to follow you closer on
the road to Jerusalem
like St. Elizabeth of Hungary,
praying more,
believing more,
giving up more,
and giving more
of myself to you
through others.
Amen.

Today we also pray
in a special way to all
those having problems
with their in-laws,
those grieving the lost
of a child,
and widows:
O St. Elizabeth of Hungary,
you went all through
these pains and sufferings,
please pray for the many 
wives and mothers 
and widows going thrugh
these. Amen.

Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Our Lady of Fatima University
Valenzuela City

Every ending a beginning

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Lord My Chef Sunday Recipe for the Soul, 16 November 2025
Thirty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle C
Malachi 3:19-20 >><}}}}*> 2 Thessalonians 3:7-12 ><}}}}*> Luke 21:5-19

We are now in the penultimate Sunday of our church calendar that is why our readings remind us of the Lord’s Second Coming at the end of the world.

While some people were speaking about how the temple was adorned with costly stones and votive offerings, Jesus said, “All that you see here – the days will come when there will not be left a stone upon another stone that will not be thrown down.” Then they asked him, “Teacher, when will this happen? And what sign will there be when all these things are about to happen?” He answered, “See that you not be deceived, for many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he,’ and ‘The time has come.’ Do not follow them. When you hear of wars and insurrections, do not be terrified; for such things must happen first, but it will not immediately be the end” (Luke 21:5-9).

Imagine the scene. See that tinge of humor of Jesus in dousing his disciples with cold water as they marveled at the beauty and magnificence of the Jerusalem Temple only to tell them all shall perish. It reminded me of our recent pilgrimage to the home of the Blessed Mother and St. John the Beloved in Ephesus, Turkiye recently.

Ephesus was a coastal city in Turkiye founded by the Greek colonists hundreds of years before the birth of Christ and was later annexed by the Romans into their empire. It was a very prosperous city with a huge amphitheater that could seat 24,000 people. During the time of early Christianity, Ephesus was already a major city that is why St. Paul founded a Christian community there whom he later sent a letter now part of the New Testament. It was also in that city where the Church held its Council of Ephesus in the fifth century that defined Mary as the Mother of God because Jesus remained true God and true Man in his conception and birth.

But, everything is now in ruins after Ephesus was overran by barbarians in year 600 and struck by massive earthquakes through the following years that literally pushed it farther away from the sea. Almost abandoned except for some locals selling good to tourists and pilgrims who come to visit this lovely ancient city designated in 2015 as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Jerusalem suffered the same fate minus the earthquakes that have kept it inhabited for thousands of years when it fell into the hands of the Romans in year 70AD, then to the Moslems and other invaders until 1948 when the state of Israel declared independence from British Mandate.

Countries and cities come and go along with their civilizations due to varied reasons. It is the normal course of life. This is what Jesus was trying to tell his disciples and us today with the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple.

But of course, there was more.

Christ’s coming is not a spectacle like a show that the world is so addicted with; Christ’s coming is a presence felt and experienced day in, day out right in our hearts. It is a movement of grace upon grace within our very selves that often go unnoticed because we are so obsessed with physical things seen and heard. Jesus reminds us to see beyond, to have vision not just sight. To pray more, to feel more of God, of his truth and justice not only in ourselves but also in others by witnessing his gospel more than ever.

This Sunday is designated by the Church as World Day of the Poor who are the ones who suffer most during calamities and man-made disasters as well as conflicts that abound where the powerful play and manipulate peoples for their own selfish ends.

For the poor, every day seems an end – last meal, last breath, last hope. For the poor, living is more of survival because so many of us have not only forgotten them but have totally disregarded them. They are the ones often used and fooled by the powerful like the corrupt politicians with some masquerading as religious leaders like in the aftermath of the ghost-project scam. See how those involved are now playing victims, diverting attention and misleading many of the poor with their calls for transparency and good-governance. It is to them that the words of Jesus are directed today – “Do not be deceived… Do not follow them!”

Let us heed the calls of Abp. Soc Villegas of Lingayen-Dagupan for us to be guided by “wisdom, vigilance, and virtue” in these times when our nation is deeply in crisis in almost every aspect of life. Here we find in the warnings and reminders of Jesus that the end of time with its destruction is not something we have to resign ourselves with. We have to take a more active role to play in the course of history by making the right choices always.

And that is choosing Christ by being truthful, just, and charitable.

These are the calls of the Prophet Malachi and St. Paul in the first and second readings respectively today. For them, every day is the day of the Lord, a day of salvation, a day of thanksgiving. It is not a call for alarm nor cause us to fear but a call for active waiting for the Lord wherein we must remain responsible with our duties as followers of Christ, not falling into doubts and discouragement especially when things are getting rough and tough. These are precisely what the Psalms speak too this Sunday:

Let the sea and what fills it resound, the world and those who dwell in it; let the rivers clap their hands, the mountains shout with them for joy (Psalm 98:7-8).

To let the rivers clap their hands, the mountains shout with them for joy is for us to witness Christ, to give testimony to him and his gospel. Nothing is permanent in this world and life except God. As such, every ending is also a beginning in God. We are not only preparing for the end but also embarking on a new journey in Jesus we must persevere to follow especially in this time of our nation’s history to secure our lives and better future for the next generation.

Our liturgical calendar is about to end next Sunday with the Solemnity of Christ the King; like our Psalm, we embark this Sunday on a new journey in Jesus by witnessing his presence in this world so confused, so noisy, so dark. Amen. Have a blessed week ahead and keep cool! Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II, Our Lady of Fatima University, Valenzuela City.

Spiritual “myopia”

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Lord My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul, 14 November 2025
Friday in the Thirty-Second Week of Ordinary Time, Year I
Wisdom 13:1-9     ><]]]]'> + ><]]]]'> + ><]]]]'>     Luke 17:26-37

How true are your words
today, God our loving Father,
when we admire the beauty and
power of the natural world like
the sun, moon, stars, fire, wind
including our very selves -
and yet fail to find you, O Lord,
in the process.

All men were by nature foolish who were in ignorance of God, and who from the good things seen did not succeed in knowing him who is, and from studying the works did not discern the artisan… For from the greatness and the beauty of created things tyeir original author, by analoogy, is seen. But yet, for these the blame is less; for they indeed have gone astray perhaps, though they seek God and wish to find him. For they search busily among his works, but are distracted by what they see, because the things seen are fair (Wisdom 13:1, 5-7).

Heal me, O Lord,
of my spiritual nearsightedness,
when I choose to be myopic in
looking at things and self that I fail
to see beyond to find you;
awaken my awareness of your
presence in silence and emptiness;
let me go beyond the marvels of
nature and take them into my heart
to find you,
to hear you,
to experience you;
heal my spiritual myopia,
of looking not beyond what
is in front of me so as not to be
"As it was in the days of Noah...
they were eating and drinking,
marrying and giving in marriage
up to the day Noah entered the ark,
and the flood came
and destroyed them all"
(Luke 17:26, 27);
dear Jesus,
send me your Holy Spirit
to open my eyes 
to where God 
our Father is present
in my life today.
Amen.

Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Our Lady of Fatima University
Valenzuela City

God’s kingdom is a presence, not a spectacle

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Lord My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul, 13 November 2025
Thursday in the Thirty-Second Week of Ordinary Time, Year I
Wisdom 7:22-8:1     <*((((><  +  >><))))*>     Luke 17:20-25

Fill me with your Wisdom,
Lord that I may find
and experience you
within me; fill me with 
Wisdom, Lord, that I may be
"not baneful, loving the good,
keen, unhampered" 
(Wisdom 7:22) in realizing
and living your very presence
within me; fill me with Wisdom,
Lord, so I may not seek you
in spectacle but feel you more
in your presence.

Asked by the Pharisees when the Kingdom of God would come, Jesus said in reply, “The coming of the Kingdom of God cannot be observed, and no one will announce, ‘Look, here it is,’ or, ‘There it is.’ For behold, the Kingdom of God is among you” (Luke 17:20-21).

Guide me, Jesus
with your Holy Spirit
to be open and sensitive
with God's hidden ways of working
in our lives,
in our communities,
in our history;
let me continue to seek
God in all things
especially in my life where
the hidden presence of 
God's Kingdom is most felt
but often unnoticed
because it happens
in silence
even emptiness
"For Wisdom is mobile
beyond all motion,
and she penetrates
and pervades all things
by reason of her purity"
(Wisdom 7:24).

Help me realize
and treasure the reality
of God's kingdom 
not a spectacle 
like a dazzling show
the world so loved 
that is momentary and empty;
let me realize that 
God's kingdom is presence,
a movement of grace
after grace
after grace.
Amen. 

Blessedness of mourning

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Lord My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul, 01 November 2025
Saturday, Solemnity of All Saints
Revelation 7:2-4, 9-24 ><]]]'> 1 John 3:1-3 ><]]]'> Matthew 5:1-12

Many are amused even some of us Filipinos why all roads lead to cemeteries during this time of the year to celebrate the Solemnity of All Saints when remembering our departed loved ones actually falls on the following day, November 2.

There’s nothing wrong with this tradition except that people forget celebrating Mass on All Saints’ Day which is the essence of the feast ranked as a Solemnity, the highest in our liturgy. Offer a Mass first for your departed loved ones on November 1 before going to the cemetery!

More than the close connections of All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day in its theology and tradition, our celebration of these two feasts collectively referred to as Undas is the classic tension of our experiences of heaven on earth, of the here and not yet, of the mixture of joy and sadness within us when we remember our dead best expressed in our grief and mourning.

When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain, and after he had sat down, his disciples came to him. He began to teach them, saying: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted” (Matthew 5:1-4).

In a world that thrives and promotes so much fun and merry-making, our second beatitude is difficult to understand or even grasp in this time of faith in a mass-mediated culture.

What is “blessed” with grieving and mourning or crying when you have lost a loved one, like a parent or a child or a friend?

Pope Benedict XVI explained in his book “Jesus of Nazareth” there are two kinds of mourning that the gospels offer us exemplified by the two most extreme of the Apostles, Judas Iscariot who betrayed Jesus and, Simon Peter who denied the Lord thrice (pp.86-89).

This first kind of mourning as shown by Judas Iscariot is when one has lost hope, succumbing to the miseries of losing a beloved and becomes mistrustful of love that leads to self-destruction. It is the worst kind of mourning that eats away and destroys man within just like Judas Iscariot who hanged himself (see Matt. 27:3-5).

The second kind of mourning according to Pope Benedict XVI that Jesus must be referring to as “blessed” in his Beatitudes which leads to salvation is when the mourning is caused by an encounter with the truth that leads to conversion like what happened to Simon Peter when he was struck by the gaze of Jesus that he burst into healing tears and cleansed his soul to enable him to begin anew in his life in the Lord (see Lk.22:60-61,62).

This will have its lovely conclusion eight days after Easter before Jesus ascended into heaven when he asked Simon Peter thrice, “Do you love me?” (Jn.21:15ff.) to remind him of that episode that eventually pushed him to follow Christ unreservedly “by taking care of his sheep”. Guided by these thoughts of Pope Benedict XVI, let us see reflect the blessedness of weeping…

Blessed are those who weep because that means they have love in their hearts. Deaths and bad news that befall our loved ones sadden us, even jolt us with deep pain that move us to console them, to suffer with them, and to be one with them by reconnecting with them and their loved ones like when we go to a funeral or a wake.

This did not happen with Judas Iscariot. The little love he had in his heart when he realized his sin was completely wiped out when he chose to surrender totally to evil, finding no more hope for forgiveness and reconciliation with Jesus.

Never lose hope in Jesus. Seek that love in your heart. Seek Jesus in that tiny voice telling you to always come home to him. Do not be shy nor ashamed of your loss and failure. Keep that fire of love in Jesus burning.

Do not let grief overcome and consume you, wiping out the embers of love left in your heart with the loss of a loved one. Life goes on in Jesus and in that same love we have in our hearts that surprisingly even grows deeper as we move on after the death of a loved one.

In the recent ghost projects scam by government and elected officials, we too felt the pain of loss too in the billions of pesos stolen from us. We are deeply affected because we love the Philippines; let us keep that love for the country burning within us by taking concrete steps against corruption while preventing opportunists from plunging us into chaos.

Blessed are those who weep because more than the love they have in their hearts, they have been loved first of all. We weep and grieve the death of a beloved family member or relative or friend because of the love they have given us, of the kindness they have shown us, and the care they have lavished upon us.

Simon Peter did not merely have love in his heart; he was so loved by Christ!

Luke dramatically described to us how Peter’s eyes met the merciful and loving eyes of Jesus while he was denying the Lord. It must have struck him so hard that immediately he felt contrition for his sin, feeling strongly the need to reform himself and reconnect with the Lord. He could not let the imperfect love he has in his heart to just go to waste that is why when he wept bitterly on that Holy Thursday evening, it was not the end but the beginning of another chapter in his beautiful story of love for Jesus. It was precisely what he meant when he told Jesus at Tiberias, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you” (Jn.21:17) – that despite his weaknesses and failures, he loves Jesus, he tries so hard to love Jesus in his little ways.

There’s a saying that “If you have love in your heart, you have been blessed by God; if you have been loved, you have been touched by God.” We are blessed in mourning our departed loved ones because through them, we felt being touched by God. That is why we have to move on after every death – so we may love more those left around us for them to feel God’s loving touch too!

Blessed are those who mourn because that is when we actually stand for what is true and good, for what is just and right.

When we weep, it does not mean we have lost; in fact, even in the face of apparent loss like Jesus on the Cross, mourning is the most firm expression of our belief in what is right and just, and what is true and good.

According to Pope Benedict, this blessed mourning that leads to salvation is found at the death of Jesus Christ where his Mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary stood by the foot of his Cross with the beloved disciple and other women (Ibid.,p. 87). At the Cross, Mary showed us that mourning is blessed because it is the strongest expression of our solidarity with Christ, of our going against evil and sin.

In this world when conformity to whatever “everyone is doing” is the rule of the game like corruption, dishonesty, infidelity, and lies, mourning and weeping with the victims of oppression and persecution and corruption too can be our strongest signs of protest and resistance against the prevailing evils of our time. When we weep and mourn for victims of violence and evil, that is when we become God’s instruments of his comfort to his people, when we strengthen them in their pains and sufferings.

To comfort means “to strengthen” – from the Latin cum fortis, “with strength”. When we mourn and stand by those weeping and suffering, we are blessed because that is when we resolve to live and love more like Christ on the Cross.

What are your griefs today?

Blessed are you in your weeping not only in having love in your heart but most of all, for being loved. Dwell in the love of God in Jesus Christ like the saints who have gone ahead of us, resisting all evils and temptations to sin for the Lord comforts us his people always. Amen. A blessed All Saints’ Day to you! Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II, Our Lady of Fatima University, Valenzuela City

*This is based on our previous blog in 2022. Salamuch.

The Love of Christ

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Lord My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul, 30 October 2025
Thursday in the Thirtieth Week of Ordinary Time, Year I
Romans 8:31-39     ><))))*> + ><))))*> + ><))))*>     Luke 13:31-35

Brothers and sisters: If God is for us, who can be against us? What will separate us from the love of Christ? Will angusih, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or the sword? As it is written: For your sake we are being slain all the day; we are looked upon as a sheep to be slaughtered. No, in all these things we conquer overwhelmingly through him who loved us (Romans 8:31, 35-37).

What else can I say
to these profound words
by St. Paul?

They are so true even
with us until now 
with a new kind of paganism 
hostile to the official teachings
of the Church as they prefer to
worship self in their body and
in their thoughts,
overextending their rights,
redefining even gender and
other natural institutions,
glorifying wealth and fame,
protecting animal rights
and environment without 
any regard for persons especially
in their weakest stages in the
womb and old age...
the list goes on, Lord
but what's most sad,
even tragic
the attacks and hostilities
are not really from unbelievers
but from those who claim to be
Christians and Catholics.

Keep us strong
and faithful, Lord Jesus,
never let us separate from you;
fill us with courage too
to remain steadfast 
in your ways and teachings,
to speak the truth,
to protect fellow believers
and defenders of faith
and most of all,
to keep loving your
beloved Body,
the Church.
Amen.

When prayer & everything seem beyond us

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Lord My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul, 29 October 2025
Wednesday in the Thirtieth Week of Ordinary Time, Year I
Romans 8:26-30     <*[[[[><  +  ><]]]]*>     Luke 13:22-30

Brothers and sisters: The Spirit comes to the aid of our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes with inexpressible groanings (Romans 8:26).

Just like now,
dear Jesus,
so many things are
in my heart,
in my mind;
there are times
I like to pray on things
I feel too difficult to express
as if too deep for words;
even my writing
could not work except
to feel assuredly of your
loving presence,
of your warm company;
there are people
and situations too
I just hold in my hands
before you because
I can't find words to tell you
about them...
there are times lately 
I not only forget things
and persons but sometimes
can't even figure out what's
going on in my life
that has become like a vast 
expanse of ocean or field
with dark clouds overlapping 
with lights of the setting sun;
O Jesus, you know
what's in my heart:
just let me feel you,
your joy and fullness and life!

“We know all things work for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28).

If there is one thing
I pray now,
let me know you more,
Jesus so I can love you more
and follow you more
closely; you know everything,
Lord Jesus while I know nothing
at all!

Keep searching my heart
so I may find you
among those I take
for granted,
find you in simple persons
and things that do not
interest me,
most especially
find you in 
everyone
in order to find my way
to you!
Amen.

Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Our Lady of Fatima University
Valenzuela City

Household of God

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Lord My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul, 28 October 2025
Tuesday, Feast of St. Simon & St. Jude, Apostles
Ephesians 2:19-22   ><))))*> + ><))))*> + ><))))*>   Luke 6:12-16

Brothers and sisters: You are no longer strangers and sojourners, but you are fellow citizens with the holy ones and members of the household of God built upon the foundation of the Apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the capstone. Through him the whole structure is held together and grows into a temple sacred in the Lord; in him you are also being built together into a dwelling place of God in the Spirit (Ephesians 2:19-22).

How lovely to hear
those words of St. Paul
in these times of great divisions
among us not only in politics
but in almost every topic!
What is most painful,
O Lord Jesus Christ is how
some among us have become
numb and callous of each other,
unmindful of things they say
especially of those suffering 
and in pain; with the little cellphone
each of us holding so addictively
the whole day, we have created our
own self-centered world
totally unmindful of others.

On this Feast of your
two great Apostles,
St. Simon and St. Jude 
who were poles apart 
in their differences
as persons and backgrounds,
may we realize that we are not 
"strangers and sojourners" 
but are" fellow citizens",
and "members of the 
household of God" in you,
Jesus Christ who is at the center
of this household as cornerstone.

Help us, Lord Jesus,
to imitate Sts. Simon and Jude 
who built up your Church, 
your household of God here on earth;
fill our hearts with the zeal 
and ardent love for you 
and your Church like Simon 
called the Zealot:
in this time when Catholics 
in the country are declining
in numbers as well as in professing
their faith, may we have the enthusiasm 
to make you known, Jesus,
in our loving actions of witnessing;
grant us also the strength,
clarity and courage like that of
St. Jude Thaddeus in dealing with
the many contradictions of the world
we live in today as Catholics and 
Christians:  
"But you, beloved, 
build yourselves up on your 
most holy faith; pray in the Holy Spirit;
keep yourselves in the love of God;
wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus
Christ unto eternal life.
And convince some,
who doubt..." (Jude 20-22).

Bless us, dearest Jesus,
through the help St. Simon and
St. Jude, to rediscover
the beauty of our Christian
faith and of our Catholic Church
by working hard to build it up
without tiring through our silent 
and peaceful witnessing
of the Gospel.
Amen.
Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Our Lady of Fatima University
Valenzuela City

Pride of Place

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Lord My Chef Sunday Recipe for the Soul, 26 October 2025
Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle C
Sirach 35:12-14, 16-18 ><}}}}*> 2 Timothy 4:6-8, 16-18 ><}}}}*> Luke 18:9-14

We got our inspiration anew for this Sunday’s reflection from the blog of Sr. Renee Yann, RSM whom we follow at WordPress (https://lavishmercy.com/2025/10/18/pride-of-place-2/). Her blogs are so wonderfully written with reflections so deep, inspiring and uplifting.

In her recent blog, Sr. Renee tells of their parishioner they fondly called “Mamie” who sat on the same seat in their church they called “Pride of Place” for forty years until her death. And for a good reason. Despite her many trials and sufferings in life, Mamie never failed in helping those in need in their community.

As told by Sr. Renee’s dad, Mamie had always sat in the same pew through the Depression as she struggled to keep her grocery opened; after the death of her husband in an accident, Mamie never missed their Sunday Masses seated at the same spot – in fact, she was at the same pew on a Sunday Mass when her son was killed at Pearl Harbor. It was actually their community who “proudly awarded” the seat as a “pride of place” to Mamie following her life of Christian witnessing.

“Pride of Place” isn’t always something physical like a pew in church. More often it’s a moral or spiritual position that’s granted to us by others after we pay moral dues. These dues include trustworthiness, sacrifice, contribution, and wisdom…“Pride of Place” doesn’t come automatically with power or position.  It comes with respect. Unfortunately, not every parent, boss, teacher, pastor, elder, president, or champion deserves it.  It must be earned and kept as a trust. (https://lavishmercy.com/2025/10/18/pride-of-place-2/).

The story reminded me of our own “pride of place” in the church, of people always occupying the same pew or spot during the Mass that they are amazed how we priests get to know them simply with their “seating arrangement” like their coming late or being absent!

But, what struck me most with Sr. Renee’s piece is the spiritual meaning of “pride of place” which refers actually not to where we sit but where we stand. That standing is more than physical but spiritual and moral in nature. Where we stand is about our stance or conviction not only on issues but about our faith and relationship with God expressed in our dealings with others exactly what our gospel tells us this Sunday.

“Two people went to the temple area to pray; one was a Pharisee and the other was a tax collector. The Pharisee took up his position and spoke this prayer to himself, ‘O God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of humanity — greedy, dishonest, adulterous —- or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week, and I pay tithes on my whole income.’ But the tax collector stood off at a distance and would not even raise his eyes to heaven but beat his breast and prayed, ‘O God, be merciful to me a sinner.’ I tell you, the latter went home justified, not the former; for whomever exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted” (Luke 18:10-14).

For the second straight Sunday, we hear another teaching of Jesus about faith expressed in prayers in another parable only Luke has.

Last Sunday we reflected that to persist in prayer is not about wearing God down but of allowing our hearts to clarify our desires until we silently surrender to what God knows is best for us which is salvation or “justification”. See how we find that word again – justified – as the key to this parable at its end when Jesus declared that it was the prayer of the publican that was heard for “he went home justified”.

The object of every prayer is God because prayer is a relationship, not just a ritual. To be filled with God is what holiness is, not being sinless. In fact, holiness is finding our sinfulness before God. And that is the essence of our parable this Sunday.

That is why Jesus directs our attention in the “where” when we pray – not just the location when we pray but our “place” in that relationship with God who is our very foundation. When all we see is our self in prayer like in any relationship, it means it is a monologue, a one-way street. Worst, it is an indication of the absence of God, even of others because the pray-er is so preoccupied with his or her very self!

The Pharisee was clearly not in God even if he were in front of the temple. His very self was very far from God and all he had was his bloated ego. He may be a very pious person but not really good at all for he has no space for God and for others. He is a very closed man without any room for others. Remember, Luke said that “Jesus addressed this parable to those who were convinced of their own righteousness and despised everyone else” (Lk.18:9).

The tax collector, on the other hand, may be physically far outside the temple but was the one actually nearest to God with his self-acceptance and admission of sins, of his need for God. He was closest to God because he was more open with God and with others by admitting his true self.

Prayer is more than entering a church or a prayer room, or finding our most suitable spot or space to pray. Prayer is being one with God, one in God. Prayer is losing our very self in God. The question now is, “where are we when we pray?

First, we become one with God in prayer when we admit our sinfulness, when we confess our sins to him, and own them without any “ifs” and “buts”. God always comes to those who truly open themselves to him by emptying themselves of their sins and inadequacies.

The tax collector was justified in his prayer more than the Pharisee because in confessing his sins, he admitted his need for God. He knew very well his place, so unlike the Pharisee who felt God owes him so much!

Second, we are in God in prayer when we are humble and have the conviction to leave everything behind and go down with God into the lowest point because one is so confident of the efficacy of prayer like what Ben Sirach tells us in the first reading.

The one who serves God willingly is heard; his petition reaches the heaven. The prayer of the lowly pierces the clouds; it does not rest till it reaches its goal (Sirach 35:16-17).

Most often in life, friendships and relationships are kept when we are willing to take the lower stance, not necessarily admitting fault or guilt in any misunderstanding because being lowly indicates the person’s need for the other person and of one’s love to work on that relationship despite its fragility. I tell couples that when they quarrel, the first who must first make the move to greet the other person is not the guilty one but the one with most love and self to give.

Third, we are in God in prayer when there is an offering daily of one’s self to God. It is not enough to be lowly and sorry for our sins in prayer. It has to be sustained because prayer is a discipline like any sport as St. Paul tells us in the second reading, calling us to persevere and endure until the end for Jesus Christ “who shall award us with the crown of righteousness in heaven.”

We are all sinners forgiven and beloved by God. When we find our right place in God in prayer, then we also find him. And meet him. Amen. Have a blessed week ahead into November! Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II, Our Lady of Fatima University, Valenzuela City ([email protected])

Befriending my inner self

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Lord My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul, 24 October 2025
Friday in Twenty-Ninth Week of Ordinary Time, Year I
Romans 7:18-25     <*((((><  +  ><))))*>     Luke 12:54-59

Lord Jesus Christ,
today I join St. Paul 
in his cry,
“Miserable one 
that I am!"
for deep in my heart 
I am your slave 
O Lord,
of righteousness,
of what is good
but what I do
and follow is sin
like your warning
in the gospel,
"the spirit is willing
but the flesh is weak".

So, then, I discover the principle that when I want to do right, evil is at hand. For I take delight in the law of God, in my inner self, but I see in my members another principle at war with the law of my mind, taking me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members (Romans 7:21-23).

Not only every day
but so many times each day
I experience this inner clash
within me, sometimes good prevails
and there are times sin prevails.

How I wish I could sit 
with St. Paul to discuss this
as I imagine his own agony
in fighting sin and evil desires
within; how reassuring
and inspiring to learn
how everyone goes through
this internal warfare.

Like St. Paul,
may I have the courage
to recognize and embrace,
accept and own this internal
strife between good and evil;
reconcile me, dear Jesus
in you who dwells within me;
let me recognize and 
read your signs of presence,
of salvation,
of integration
within me and through
my community so that
in the end, 
like St. Paul I may 
declare, "It is no longer
I who live, but Christ
who lives in me" 
(Galatians 2:20).
Amen.