Way of God, way of man

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The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Friday, Memorial of St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, Martyr, 09 August 2024
Nahum 2:1, 3; 3:1-3, 6-7     <*((((><  +  ><))))*>     Matthew 16:24-28

Lord Jesus Christ,
yesterday You reprimanded Peter
for "thinking not as God does,
but as human beings do";
today, You tell us what is to
think as God does by choosing
your path of the Cross:

Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it” (Matthew 16:24-25).

Forgive us, dear Jesus,
for always choosing the path of
humans, thinking of one's self,
taking and grabbing whatever
is available, unmindful of others;
give us the courage of St. Teresa
Benedicta of the Cross known as
the philosopher Edith Stein:
born to a family of means
and comfort, one of the first women
to study and teach in university 
before World War II in Europe
who became an atheist
only to discover the truth of God
upon meeting a good friend filled with joy
despite the death of her husband;
she eventually converted to Catholic faith
and when war was raging in Europe 
as Hitler ordered the extermination of Jews,
St. Benedicta remained despite her many
chances of leaving safely to Switzerland or
South America only to be imprisoned 
later at Auschwitz where she died 
a martyr in 1942, described by one survivor 
of the Holcaust as a "Pieta without the Christ."

In this life of affluence,
of noise and glamor,
St. Benedicta of the Cross taught
as of the beauty of poverty,
of silence and of simplicity,
of choosing your ways, O Lord Jesus
for indeed, "what would there be 
for one to gain the whole world
and forfeit his life?"

Sadly, it is happening now, Lord,
it is happening: families so divided
because of fame and wealth,
friendships destroyed because of ideologies,
a nation, a culture going down the drain
because of modern thoughts
so far from your ways, Jesus.

St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross,
Pray for us to see and follow
the light of Jesus Christ.
Amen.