The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Tuesday, Memorial of St. Ignaitus of Antioch, Bishop & Martyr, 17 October 2023
Romans 1:16-25 ><}}}}*> + <*{{{{>< Luke 11:37-41
God our Father, today I felt you tickled my bone in prayer as your words reminded me of one of Aesop's famous fable, "The goose that laid the golden egg", of how often we are like the husband and wife owners of that Goose who foolishly slaughtered the poor bird only to find its inside was just like any other other without any gold at all inside! In killing the Goose, they have deprived themselves of their fortune. Is it not the same thing St. Paul is telling us today as he had told the Romans before?
While claiming to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of immortal God for the likeness of a mortal man or of birds or of four-legged animals of snakes. Therefore, God handed them over to impurity through the lusts of their hearts for the mutual degradation of their bodies. They exchanged the truth of God for a lie and revered and worshipped the creature rather than the creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.
Romans 1:22-25
Forgive us, dear Father, in "killing" you so often in our unconscious subscription to that most untrue and foolish statement that "God is dead"; in continuously "crucifying" Jesus your Son in exchange of our perceived good like these new, liberal thoughts about sexuality and genders, freedom and morals, science and technology that we so worship these days than you!
We are like that Pharisee in today's gospel who pretend to always invite Jesus into our lives only to test him, to catch lapses in his words and teachings so we can lead our lives the way we want it; forgive us, dear Lord for being so foolish! Grant us the enlightenment and courage you bestowed upon St. Ignatius of Antioch to remain faithful to you and your Cross, Lord Jesus Christ, bearing all pains and sacrifices for the sake of your church unity and for charity; let us heed his words to the Romans before dying at the Colosseum to "Do not talk about Jesus Christ as long as you love this world." Amen. St. Ignatius of Antioch, Pray for us!
