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The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II Thursday, Memorial of St. Leo the Great, Pope & Doctor of the Church, 10 November 2022 Philemon 7-20 ><]]]'> + <'[[[>< ---+--- ><]]]'> + <'[[[>< Luke 17:20-25
Your words today are so lovely, dear Jesus, spoken through St. Paul in his letter to Philemon asking him to take back his former slave Onesimus: "I, Paul, write this in my own hand: I will pay. May I not tell you that you owe me your very self. Yes, brother, may I profit from you in the Lord. Refresh my heart in Christ" (Philemon 19-20).
So nice of St. Paul to ask Philemon to "refresh my heart in Christ"... but, can we refresh one's heart in you, Lord? Are you not the only one who can refresh our hearts?
Dearest Jesus, many times in life like St. Paul when we face so much difficulties, we seek rest and affirmations that you are still with us, that you have never left us not because we doubt you but because we feel tired, we feel weak, our spirits sag; but when we hear people doing your work, expressing their faith, hope and love in you in the most extraordinary ways like doing the almost impossible, our hearts are renewed, our hearts are refreshed in you! Like Philemon who had been cheated or placed on the losing end when his slave Onesimus fled from him; it must be so difficult for him to take back Onesimus, to forgive and forget his transgressions, most of all, to regard him as a brother without casting any doubts on his conversion and reason for being a Christian.
So many hearts must have also been refreshed in you, O Jesus Christ, by the saints like St. Leo the Great in his great works explaining your mystery of Incarnation, in his touching homilies, and handling of the barbarians attacking Rome at that time; his zeal and faith in you in achieving so much feats as a pastor and administrator refreshed many hearts in Christ in those dark times following the fall of Rome that until now upon learning his story others continue to strive to be holy; The Good Nurse is another notable disciple you have used to refresh our tired hearts in setting things right even if the big bosses could not stand up against systematic evil in their organizations.
Indeed, Lord Jesus, "the Kingdom of God is among us" not outside observable things as you explained to the Pharisees its coming in today's gospel (Lk.17:20-21); touch us and fill us with your grace to do your works, to be more loving and kind, merciful and forgiving so that in our witnessing, in our apostolate and ministry, in our daily living of your Gospel we may refresh the hearts of those with sagging spirits and joy in making you present in the world. Amen.
