Salt for the Ultimate Chef

What would be food without salt? Salt, what an amazing ingredient. Can you imagine your favourite adobo without any salt? Salt is even added to caramel to give it a rounded rich flavour, don't believe me? Get a salted caramel ice cream or tart they're the craze nowadays, I've had an amazing, can't get enough of it popcorn that was so sweet and salty. It was sold in this huge, plastic pillow case size bags and people where queueing up to buy not just one bag but two!

Salt, what an amazing ingredient indeed. 

Ever wondered what it meant to be salt? In Mt. 5:13 Jesus told us " You are salt of the earth but if salt loses its taste it cannot be made salty again. It is good for nothing. It must be thrown out of people to walk on." 

One of the functions of salt is that it helps preserve food. I know, I'm thinking of tuyo (salted pilchard or anchovies), dried squid and I know this writing is making me hungry. 

What salt does is that it prevents the growth of food spoiling bacteria or nasties that can harm us. You see those nasties need moisture to grow and what salt does is to absorb the moisture in the nasties. No moisture, dead nasties. 

So salt does not only have what it takes to preserve the good stuff, it also what it needs to go on the offensive against the nasties. 

It's like spiritual warfare, we need not only have the right stuff for depending but  also the weapons to go on the offensive against spiritual nasties.

In Ephesians 6:10-18, St. Paul wrote:

" Finally, draw your strength from the Lord and from His mighty power.  Put on the armor of God so that you may able to stand firm against the tactics of the devil. For our struggle is not with the flesh and blood but with the principalities, with the power, with the world rulers of this present darkness, with the evil spirits in the heavens. Therefore, put on the armour of God, that you may be able to resist on the evil day and have done everything, to hold your ground. So stand fast with your loins girded in truth, clothed with righteousness as a breastplate, and your feet shod in readiness for the gospel of peace. In all circumstances, hold faith as a shield, to quench all arrows of the evil one.  And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. With all prayer and supplication, pray at every opportunity in the Spirit. To that end be watchful with all perseverance and supplication for all the holy ones."

We need those spiritual defences and weapons, to be the salt of the earth and only God can provide these. 

With these we can stand firm, preserving what is good, eliminating what nasties we have and helping others to do the same. 

The other function of salt is for seasoning, salt enhances the flavour of food. It is worthy to note that when salt is added to a dish, it dissolves and is transformed  and at the same time enhancing the flavours, enhancing what is good. 

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It is transformed in a way that you no longer see it but only know and taste it. In a way it has given itself up for the greater good. 

We are also called to do the same, in whatever dish of life we are called to serve and be a part of. We are called to die from ones self for the greater transforming enhancing the dish of life around us.

 Ever notices how someone describes a good dish? "It has hint of nuttiness and red wine, caramelized onion, the vegetables cooked to perfection not raw but still crispy, compliments to the chef.....ya di da di da....hey, what happned to salty?

Salt is rare the centre piece of any dish, yet it can make or break a dish. Not enough and the dish is bland, too much and it is ruined. 

Same with us and our service if we are lukewarm, we are ineffective and bland, too much or to full of ourselves and we leave a bad taste in someone's mouth. Our service should always seek to glorify the one and only Master (Chef), not us.

A well seasoned dish is when the ingredients are in harmony with one another, 

allowing the chef's intended expression to come through. 

So it should be with our life and service, we should allow the ultimate Master (Chef) to express Himself through us. Humble, obedient and ever sensitive to the Master's leading, less our will be done and not His.

Salt, who would have thought; Jesus of course.

May you always keep your saltiness, ever ready to serve the Ultimate Master (Chef).

Guest Writer: 

Ed Canilao

CFC Melbourne Head

                                      Thanks a lot Ed for the inspiration

                                                

Person-Centered Care

          As Australia is an ageing population and many of the old people did come here during the time of the World War, there is a big challenge for those persons who are tasked to accompany them to fully understand them and provide their appropriate needs and wants. Hence it is very important that those carers taking care of them know exactly how to provide a person-centered care to them.

                 

         What then is a person-centered care? It is satisfied when the carer focuses his care plan on the client himself and not on his disease. Let him understand that on the first place, he is a human being that needs full understanding of his age,stage, culture, preferences and everything about him. Furthermore, this is satisfied when the carer will try to know exactly who the client is, to entrust him a genuine value as a human being and to offer him empathy.

       The older people especially those who are in the stage of dementia need to be comforted and loved thus for any carer or person giving them company, he needs to talk to them in a very calm way and to give them reassurance that he is just there to listen to them. He should also learn how to touch the client appropriately then give him empathy by establishing an eye contact with them, and try to ask them how they are and listen attentively to them. 

 All of these would extend to the older people, the clients, that they are still special and important in spite of the stage that they have now. Therefore, being loved and comforted are but very basic needs that anybody have in their entire life. One should be generous enough to share them to others most notably to the older members of our society.

                                       
                                      

LOve and Fidelity

          While listening to the preacher this evening time during our gathering, what struck me most out of his sharing was his mentioning about two qualities that every person must possess so that he will become successful in his relationship with others and these are LOVE and FIDELITY.

          These two comprise the whole package in any positive dealing with one's neighbour. While listening to him talking about those two points, as much as I can, I tried to recall back concrete instances of my life to show those two qualities in my life. Looking around, I could also see affirming faces on the preacher's highlights. 

imagecredit:  Ed Gregory

          Anyway, you and me could identify certain relationships that we have in our lifetime. First and foremost, we have this significant relationship with those persons so dear to us like spouses, siblings, etc. Then next comes our relationship with people outside of our primary space like relatives, friends, co-workers, team members etc. Moreover, we also have this relationship with our environment- all those creatures around us including plants, trees, animals and the like. Finally, we have this grand relationship with someone whom we called our Creator- no matter what name we try to attribute to this one yet He remains the same to you and me- He is the source of everything.

         Thus,  how then could you apply or even experience those two qualities in all those relationships? Love then comes in when we prioritise the welfare of those dear people in our life- sacrificing everything even our own satisfaction, desires, needs and wants. However, on this very complicated and modern world we have now, expressing love becomes such a very challenging one for if we are not that keen and careful, the latest  innovations especially on matters like communication will most probably interfere in our interactions with people primary to our care like spouses and children. 

imagecredit: Ed Gregory

         On the other hand, in order for us to check how loving we are to them and to others, let us confront ourselves with such questions as: Are we ready and willing to be interfered in our other affairs so as to give attention to our spouses and children? Are we willing to offer precious and quality time to them disregarding our other priorities and appointments? Do we go beyond all conditions in our loving of them meaning do we still accept them even if they present their negative qualities to us like failings and weaknesses?

      

    Moreover, fidelity comes in when we concretely manifest loyalty to our pledge to these precious people in our life. That in spite of all our limitations and weaknesses, we are still able to hold on to our promises to them that we constantly regard them everyday and every moment with extra special and remarkable attention as well as care. Such world that we have now could be at times a tricky one engulfed with various stumbling blocks such as temptations and greediness, yet in spite of their presence, we express our fidelity to our partners by overwhelming those stumbling blocks and returning back to our significant others' loving embrace.

         Finally, if we then are able to sustain LOVE and FIDELITY in our relationships with others, we allow ourselves to be positive contributors to their  life and growth. 

                                        

Life: A Wonderful Gift

          LIFE- what is it anyway? There have been so many meanings and attributions to it yet personally, I claim it as a gift --a very precious gift from somebody up there. Hence for being as such, I am also called to positively extend it with others. Every single day, countless world events unfold, both good and bad, and as I take notice of them, I could not help myself but be reflective on them specifically with the negative events that struck our great world nowadays.

imagecredit:By Matt Banks, published on 13 March 2010

While I could not contain myself from feeling pity to all those helpless victims above, the more that I become appreciative to my own life that I have the privilege to wake up everyday. The unfolding of each new day bears personal memories so worthy to cherish. This day is parallel to a great day- the outstanding weather, such fresh air, clean environment, the serenity of the place-they usher me to treasure any day. 

          On the other hand, this day further develops into another occasion for me to exchange laughters and joy with people, both significant and ordinary, in my life. As it is, I am aware that life would never be the same from one person to the other and I can fully understand that there might be people out there who are not that enthusiastic about today due to illness, problems, stress, poverty, disillusionment and other reasons like natural calamities.

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           With this reality in hand, my heart goes along with them on their plight and on their struggles in their journey. Thus far, what is noteworthy in all of these, both for them and for me, is the sensibility that we are still alive this day---that is one great reason for us to be grateful each day.

A BEAUTIFUL DAY

          What a beautiful day for me today----everything became a sort of a blessing.... From the moment I woke up, went to work and came back home, everything was on its proper place. My mates were mostly energetic as well hence I also received that positive vibes from them. Experience would tell me that when I and those people around me are  showing positive vibrations, tasks and relationships tend to become light.

          It's true that when we radiate positive aura to others, we will also receive positive aura in return. Moreover I believe that being positive goes along with one's ability to stay focus in all things to be fulfilled.

          Being constantly focus in everything we do is not an easy thing to fulfill. It entails such rich resources of patience and stability. Patience in the sense that as human as we are, we tend to overdo things- we like to accomplish multiple tasks at the same time. I'm not saying that it is wrong or it is not possible. Many gifted and trained people are able to accomplish such task yet  a large number also including myself are at times lost since the sense of being focus is absent. Can you recall concretely any event in your life wherein you are trying so hard to fulfill a certain task when suddenly a separate and unrelated thing popped up? Or you are at the verge of making it to the finish line of your work when suddenly your mind wanders so very far away? These are frustrating moments in our life yet they are also very true to you and me.

     

          Thus, it is with such gratitude that I thank my Divine Creator for allowing me to stay focus each day in my tasks and in my relationships. Somehow, somewhere the road towards the end of each of our journeys seems  so overwhelming, tricky, challenging yet certain factors like determination and focus can assist us to reach it at the peak. 

REMEMBERING in our HEARTS OUR LOVED ONES

          Significant people are ones who can give us comfort and strength when things are getting rough and tough...when everything seems so blurred, they come to our rescue and offer us a sense of perspective. Thus, it is but fitting to remember them always in our hearts including those who are away from us anymore-our faithful departed.

          Their memories and legacy will constantly remind us of their presence. They are merely physically absent from us yet their examples and good deeds guide us in choosing what is best for us. We always have 24 hours in a day and how great it is when we appropriate a part of these 24 hours to offer our prayers for these significant people for they would always be present in our life.

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          Physically absent yet their love would always be our source of inspiration. I remember concretely  my mother who died many years ago. Ever since I  was  a kid, she was my mentor in my prayer life. She everyday initiated us into good deeds especially to prayer by reciting the holy rosary. Every Sunday is always a day of obligation. When everybody seemed to be enjoying their rest on Sundays, she constantly became the first person to wake us all up and prepared ourselves for mass.

          Hence, I offer my daily prayers for my beloved Mama and for other faithful departed and this allows me to continue my connections with them. Do you also keep in your hearts and prayers your own departed loved ones?...


 
                        

THANKS GOD FOR THIS NEW DAY

It's SATURDAY and almost at the end of the week. I wake up with so much energy thinking that this day is a complete manifestation of God's undying love  for me- another new day, another new gift, another new blessing from HIM above. I have so many reasons to be grateful to HIM since I am blessed with a family of wonderful and loving people- my wife Yanyan and my son Kurt. They are the main reasons why everyday is such a wonderful and a fresh beginning for me.

           They are my main motivations that give me strength to face squarely every day's challenges and trials. Like any ordinary human being, I come face to face as well with life's trivialities- at times, my conviction to life is tested, at times my goal in life which is to be a constant God fearing individual is put into test by plenty difficult situations YET with my own faith and the LOVE that I receive from these two significant persons in my life, everything seems to be so light.

          Thus, I am very thankful to God above for giving me these gifts in life- my family. How about you, have you learned to embrace deep in your heart the presence of the other people in your life?
THANKS GOD FOR THIS NEW DAY