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The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II Thursday in the Twenty-Ninth Week of Ordinary Time, Year II, 20 November 2022 Ephesians 3:14-21 ><000'> + <'000>< = ><000'> + <'000>< Luke 12:49-53
Dearest Jesus, Help me imitate St. Paul's beautiful prayer for the Ephesians: may the Holy Spirit strengthen my "inner self" so that you may dwell in my heart that is "rooted in faith" and "grounded in love"; grant me the "strength to comprehend" - not just understand but embrace totally "the breadth and length and height and depth" of your love that "surpasses knowledge" by entering into a communion in you, an intimacy "with all the fullness of God" (Ephesians 3:16-19).
This can only happen to me, Lord Jesus Christ, if I allow myself to lose my soul to you in order to gain it by allowing your fire to purify me of my sins and self-centeredness (Luke 12:49-51).
Set me on fire, Jesus, as you have declared in the gospel: lit me with courage and joy in witnessing your Cross in this time of darkness when everybody follows the artificial lights of the world that lead to emptiness; let me be immersed into your paschal mystery of Passion, Death and Resurrection, of bearing all the pains that lead to conversion and to true peace as you have promised at the Last Supper that is the fruit of love and sacrifices, not of compromises as the peace of the world offers.
Dearest Lord, let me see everything in your love even if it seems so impossible like your victory over death; seduce me, O Lord, dupe me like Jeremiah to join you in your adventure, to go beyond my limits even if it may be fatal for that is the only way to lose myself in order to gain you, Jesus Christ our Lord!
"Now to him who is able to accomplish far more than all we ask or imagine, by the power at work within us, to him be glory in the Church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen." (Ephesians 3:20-21)
