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The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II Monday in the Twenty-third Week of Ordinary Time, Year I, 11 September 2023 Colossians 1:24-2:3 ><]]]]'> + ><]]]]'> + ><]]]]'> Luke 6:6-11
Dearest Father in heaven: Is there really being at the wrong place at a wrong time?
It has been 22 years since 9/11 when so many lives were lost, many families and relationships were broken by those terrorist attacks; recently, over 2000 people perished in a massive earthquake in Morocco; everywhere, bad things happen to many people because they were at the wrong place at the wrong time, Father? I know, dear God, life is not that simple or simplistic, of being at the wrong place at the wrong time; if you are everywhere, Father, how could there be a wrong place and a wrong time?
Brothers and sisters: I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ on behalf of his Body, which is the Church…
Colossians 1:24
But as I prayed with St. Paul, I realize something more deep, more profound, even mysterious, than our common excuse of being at the wrong place at the wrong time: every here and now is always a right place and right time in you, O God our loving Father! St. Paul was at the right place and right time on that day on his way to Damascus to persecute the Christians to meet Jesus Christ; all throughout his life, as he completely surrendered to Jesus, St. Paul found everything falling into its right place in you, O God.
Many times, people and nature may seem to put us at the wrong place and the wrong time, but you always ensure, O God, in Christ Jesus that everything will work out in our favor like that man with a withered hand planted by the scribes and Pharisees at the synagogue on a sabbath to see if Jesus would heal him.
But he realized their intentions and said to the man with the withered hand, “Come up and stand before us.” And he rose and stood there. Then Jesus said to them, “I ask you, is it lawful to do good on the sabbath rather than do evil, to save life rather than destroy it?” Looking around at them all, he then said to him, “Stretch out your hand.” He did so and his hand was restored.
Luke 6:8-10
There are many ways of looking at every situation in life, either as a blessing or a curse or a bad luck as some would usually say; but with you, dear Jesus who had come to bring God closest to us, every time, every place is always the right one, a blessed one. Open our hearts to your loving presence, Father, in Jesus Christ who suffered and died to rise again for us to experience life amid death, joy amid sufferings, and light in darkness. Amen.
