Tenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
June 10, 2018 – Year B
Readings: Gn 3:9-15 / Ps 130 / 2 Cor 4:13-5:1 / Mt 3:20-35
by Rev. Salvador Añonuevo, Pastor

When we gather together here in Holy Name of Mary, we know that we are not in the company of strangers. We pray with the rest of our brothers and sisters who are also members of the mystical body of Christ, the Church, of which we are all a part.

In the gospel that we have just heard, Jesus, while looking at the people around Him, said, “Here are my mother and my brothers.” As we celebrate together this holy sacrifice of the Mass, the Lord is giving us an assurance of these same words, for we are all members of His family.

Just like any human family, while we are all on the journey towards God’s eternal kingdom, we will have trials, problems, difficulties, but we continue to hold onto our faith that the Lord Jesus, as He promised, will be with us. When in doubt, may we always ask the Holy Spirit to strengthen and enlighten us, so we can say along with St. Peter, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life and we have come to believe and come to know that you are the holy one of God.”

In chapter seventeen of the book of the prophet Jeremiah, God’s words tell us, “Blest is he who trusts in the Lord. He is like a tree planted by the water that sends its roots by the stream and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.” The prophet Jeremiah is talking about life in the desert, which is brutal. The desert in the sacred scriptures is a place of death. There is no water, no food, and it is full of poisonous snakes. It is a place where your faith will be tested.

Life’s challenges in this world can sometimes bring us to a spiritual desert. We will sometimes have doubts, but this is the time that we should remind ourselves and each other that God is always with us. The fact that we are all here inside the sanctuary of Holy Name of Mary at this very moment, is a very good sign. This means that the Lord God has given us the gift of faith.

Jesus said, “Come to Me, all you who are weary and find life burdensome, and I will give you rest.” As we offer the bread and wine, which will become the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of our Lord Jesus Christ to give us nourishment and strength, during the preparation of the gifts we will be singing the song, “We Walk by Faith and Not by Sight.” This song is inspired by the words of St. Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians, which we have heard in today’s second reading. Paul said, “We are not discouraged, for this momentary affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, for we look not to what is seen but to what is unseen; for what is seen is transitory, but what is unseen is eternal.”