Invite God Into Your Relationships

Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time
October 6, 2024 — Year B
Readings: Gn 2:18-24 / Ps 128 / Heb 2:9-11 / Mk 10:2-16
by Rev. Nixon Negparanon, Pastor

Today’s readings show us a common theme, which is the sanctity and unity of marriage rooted in God’s divine plan for humanity.  They also highlight the importance of relationships, God’s original plan for marriage, particularly the covenant of marriage, and how God is central to forming and sustaining those bonds.

The first reading, from the book of Genesis, helps to recall the main idea that marriage is the creation of God.  When God was forming man, He said, “It is not good for man to be alone.”  So, He made a woman to be with him and join him.  This is not an affiliation or mutual understanding between individuals.  It is a sacred covenant, established by God Himself.  Marital affection is supposed to resemble the love of God toward humanity:  loyal, productive, and eternal.

Today we have a culture that does not sanctify marriage and often questions its indissolubility.  The divorce rates are high, and the culture is learning to shift towards the thought of marriage as something that can be undone if it becomes uncomfortable.  This is far from what Jesus expects from all of us.  Jesus calls us to a higher standard.  He reminds us that marriage is a reflection of God’s covenant, which is unbreakable.

Venerable Fulton Sheen, in his wisdom once said, “It takes three to make love, not two:  you, your spouse, and God. Without God, people only succeed in bringing out the worst in one another.  Lovers with nothing else to do but love each other soon find there is nothing else.  Without a central loyalty, life is unfinished.”

Sheen’s statement is a powerful reminder that true love is not just a bond between two people, but a bond that includes God.  When we place God in the center of our lives and in the center of our marriage, He sustains it, nurtures it, and strengthens it.  If God is absent, however, marriage becomes fragile and can easily fracture under the pressures of life.  As Sheen points out, without God the relationship becomes empty, and people begin to bring out the worst in each other rather than the best.

This is why it is so essential for couples to keep God at the center of their lives, not just at the wedding ceremony, but throughout their marriage.   Praying together, seeking God’s guidance, and entrusting the relationship to His care, make all the difference.  The sacrament of marriage is not just about romantic love, but about a shared mission to reflect God’s love to each other and to the world.

In the second reading, we hear that Jesus was made a little lower than the angels and became like us in all things, suffered with us and triumphed over death to bring us salvation.  The best form of love is when one is willing to give himself over to protecting, providing, and caring for another person.  That is Jesus’ act of self-giving on behalf of humanity.  Marriage, also, requires such a love:  the love that is self-giving, the love which seeks the good of the other.  This is the love required from us in regard to our marriages, families, and friendships.  It is a love that follows the example of Christ, the greatest love that was ever demonstrated.

In order to understand the relationship between marriage and divorce, Jesus talks about it in today’s gospel.  Pharisees approach Jesus to test Him, by asking what He says about the matter of divorce between a man and his wife.  Jesus, however, does not just answer the question on the surface.  Instead, He drills down to the fundamentals, to the basic plan of creation, to the institution of marriage.

He says, “From the beginning of creation, God made them male and female.  The two shall become one flesh.  Hence, they are no more two, but one and the same.  What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate” (Mk 10:6-9).  This teaching may not be easy to comprehend in the world we live in now that presents relationships based on conditions that are temporary.  Still, Jesus invites us to look at marriage with faith, as a joining in God’s creative act.  In marriage, two people merge into one, and therefore reflect unity, vowed commitment, and reciprocal self-giving.

Just as God loved us first with an unconditional, full, and lifelong love, so too is marriage intended to be an unswerving love.  But Jesus doesn’t stop with the ideal.  He acknowledges human weakness and the brokenness that can enter into relationships.  The law of Moses allowed for divorce because of the hardness of hearts, but Jesus invites us to a higher calling, one rooted in forgiveness, patience, and the healing grace of God.

We are reminded that, while God’s design for marriage is beautiful, living it requires grace.  It is not easy, but with God’s help, married couples can live their vocation with joy and fidelity, even in the face of difficulties.

After this challenging discourse, the gospel takes on a new subject, which is children.  Jesus says, “Let the little children come to Me.  Do not stop them, for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs” (Mark 10:14).  This passage is a word of comfort to those who have childlike faith, faith being that which is simple and innocent, without doubt.  The combination of marriage and children in this gospel is not accidental.  It serves as a reminder that the values of humility, trust, and innocence are essential in all relationships.  Like the child who needs the parents, we too, are called to go to God to offer our struggles, our brokenness, and our hopes.

Let us remember, whether we are married or not, that we are called to live out the same principles of love and self-sacrifice in our relationships.  We must continually invite God into our relationships.  Take time to pray together as a couple or as a family, asking for His grace and guidance.

For those who are married, today’s gospel is a call to reflect on the gift of your marriage.  Are you nurturing the love and unity between you and your spouse?  How can you invite Christ into the heart of your relationship to strengthen and sustain it?

For those who are not married, this is an opportunity to consider how you are living out your relationships with your family, friends, and community.  Do you approach them with the faithfulness and love that Jesus calls us to?

Finally, the image of a child is a reminder to all of us to approach God with humility and trust, recognizing that in Him we can find the strength to live out the radical call to love in both marriage and all other aspects of life.  Let us pray for the grace to model our lives on Christ’s example of love, faithfulness, and mercy, in marriage and every other relationship we hold dear.  May we always remain like children before God, open to His will and eager to receive His blessing.

The Invitation

Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time
October 15, 2023 — Year A
Readings: Is 25:6-10a / Ps 23 / Phil 4:12-14, 19-20 / Mt 22:1-14
by Rev. Nixon Negparanon, Pastor

The world is full of opportunities knocking on our doors, just waiting for us to open them.  It is full of opportunities for us to live life to the fullest.  However, they are not always present.  We must seize the opportunity while we still have the time and the opportunity, or else we will end up blaming ourselves, not others.

An invitation is an example of an opportunity knocking on our door, waiting to be opened.  But rather than getting up to open the door, we sometimes whine about the noise.

There was a story of a young man who went away to other places in search of fortune.  A few years later, he returned to his home with trucks loaded with riches. “Now I’m going to play a trick on my relatives and friends,” he said to himself.  He donned some ragged clothes and went to see his cousin Mike first.  “I’m your long lost cousin,” he said.  “I’m back home after several years in other places.  Just look at me, how miserable I am.  May I stay with you for a while?” he said.  Mike said, “I’m sorry, but there’s no room here for you.”

The man visited some more of his relatives and friends, but he was not accepted by any of them.  So he decided to return to where he had left his riches, dressed himself in luxurious clothes, rode through this place with a large entourage of servants, purchased all the businesses about to close down, and began to build a majestic mansion.  After only a few days, the news of his riches had spread all over the place.

“Who could have imagined it?” asked one of the relatives and friends who had rejected him.  “If we had only known, we would have acted differently.  But it is too late now; we’ve missed the riches.”

The readings today show us what joy there is in accepting God’s invitation and what sorrow there is in refusing.  The word of God challenges us to examine our own response to His call.  God extends to us the greatest invitation we will ever receive:  Come to the feast.  Come to the banquet of eternal life.  Sooner or later, each of us has to give Him an answer.  Our RSVP can either be “Yes, I’m coming,” or “No, I will not come.”  The choice is ours and it has eternal consequences.

In today’s gospel reading, Jesus tells a parable directed to the chief priest and the elders.  A king arranges a wedding banquet for his son, and sends out his servants to call the guests.  Strangely, the invited guests flatly refuse to come.  When the king tries again, those being invited treat the servants shamefully, even violently.

When we first read this, it may sound absurd.  People simply don’t act that way when they are invited to a royal feast.  Why would anyone respond so negatively when being invited to something so wonderful?  But the parable is not about an earthly wedding feast.  It is about the Kingdom of God.  Jesus is exposing the disgraceful ways in which we respond to Him.  Like the invited guests, sometimes we simply refuse for no logical reason.  We do not want to be bothered.  When we hear God’s call, His words, His commandments, His prompting in the heart, we reject it, without even considering it.  Other times, we consider other things more important right now:  our farm or business, or any number of high priority matters.  God’s will is simply not that important to us.

Then there are times when we have an outrageous reaction to God’s invitation.  We do not literally kill the messenger, but the word of truth can make us hostile and defensive.  When we are called to repentance, we get angry.  We act as if we have been imposed upon, or insulted, or threatened.  Interiorly, we fight, complain, ridicule, resist.  What at first seems to be a rather absurd reaction by some strange people in a parable becomes, upon closer inspection, a disconcerting reflection of our own hearts.

God truly is like a king who wants to fill His banquet hall with guests.  The blessings He has in mind for us are symbolized by the glorious feast so beautifully described in the first reading.  The prophet Isaiah foretells a feast of rich foods and choice wines, which the Lord of Hosts will provide for all peoples.

There is more to this feast than good food.  This is a prophecy of eternal life.  God promises that He will destroy death forever.  The veil of mourning that enshrouds all peoples and nations, the tears that are shed by every generation, the wave of death that ensnares every person will be destroyed.

What God is inviting us to is a victory celebration: a feast of everlasting rejoicing, a life without tears, or mourning, or death; everything we mean by the word Heaven.

In our Lord’s time, wedding invitations went out well in advance, and were accepted definitively.  The final call just before the event occurred was a mere formality.  It would be an unspeakable insult to decline when the final call arrived.  They had already accepted and had made their firm commitment.  And so the master in the parable sends out messengers to the highways and byways, that is, to everyone, respectable or not.  All are invited.  From now on the invitation is being made, not to a select and exclusive minority of privileged people, but to the wider public forum, to all people.  All who respond are welcome.  There is no special preference anymore.  Sinners, outcasts, gentiles—and you—are all invited.

Those accepting the invitation are not any better than those who declined.  It’s just that the poor and the outcasts, not having any other options and seeing what a rare gift this was, accepted and attended.  Again, it reminds us not to be complacent or superior, as all of us are truly blessed to be invited.

This parable reminds us that this invitation is for all of us.  But the invitation can be refused.  The kingdom is open to all, but guaranteed to none.  We don’t earn the kingdom, but we sadly can decline it, which would be madness.

One final thought:  The waifs and strays enter the banquet, but then one gets kicked out for not wearing a wedding garment.  It seems unfair at first glance.  Consider, however, that although the invitation is for all, acceptance means a change of standards and values.  These are symbolized by being clothed in the garment that resembles and represents the baptismal garment of goodness and Christ-like living.  We must wear this robe with devotion and humility, keeping the Gospel values of Christ in our hearts, very central and very safe.

The Matter of Sacraments

Fourth Sunday of Lent
March 19, 2023 — Year A
Readings: 1 Sm 16:1b, 6-7, 10-13a / Ps 23 / Eph 5:8-14 / Jn 9:1-41
by Rev. Nixon Negparanon, Pastor

Our gospel today is about a man who was born blind.  What a privilege for the blind man to have met Jesus and be healed by Him!  What a privilege for him to have Jesus touch his eyes and bring him sight!  Yet who would think that a paste of clay put on one’s eyes and then washing in the Pool of Siloam would restore the blind man’s sight?  But Jesus worked through clay and water.  Jesus used ordinary elements around us in nature to convey his healing power.  Jesus gave the gift of sight by using matter.  The blind man could feel the paste of clay on his eyes; he could feel Jesus touching his eyes; he could hear Jesus.  He could feel the water washing off the clay.  He could not see Jesus, but Jesus came to him through touch and hearing.

In the first reading God works in a similar way.  Samuel, under instructions from God, anointed David with oil, and when he did so, the spirit of the Lord came mightily upon David from that day forward.  In the first reading and gospel, God’s power and healing were conveyed through elements of nature applied to the body and were conveyed through matter.

So, when Jesus comes to us, how does He come?  Every time we receive the sacraments, Jesus comes to us, and there is a visible sign of Jesus coming to us invisibly through His sacrament.  Just as the Holy Spirit came mightily upon David when he was anointed with oil by Samuel, and just as Jesus used matter of clay and water for the healing of the blind man, Jesus comes to us in each sacrament with matter used together with prayer, and we call the prayer “the form.”  So the matter and form of every sacrament is the visible sign of Jesus coming to us invisibly, but powerfully, in the sacrament.

In the Sacrament of Baptism, the matter is water, which is poured over the head to baptize and symbolizes washing.  And the form is that the priest will say the name of the person or the baby, and then continue by saying, “I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit,” which is prayed at the same time as the water is poured.

In the Sacrament of Confirmation, the matter is the bishop using his thumb to anoint the forehead with Oil of Chrism.  And the form is that he says the name of the person and says, “Be sealed with the gift of the Holy Spirit.”

In the Sacrament of the Eucharist, the matter is bread made from wheat and wine fermented from grapes.  The form is the words of the Consecration at Mass over the bread and wine.  “Take this, all of you, and eat it.  This is my body which will be given up for you.  Take this, all of you, and drink from it.  This is the cup of my blood, the blood of the new and everlasting covenant.”

In the Sacrament of Reconciliation, the matter is not something that we can see as in the other Sacraments, or something that touches our senses.  Instead, it is our sorrow and repentance and the penance we perform after receiving the absolution.  The form is the words of absolution prayed over us by the priest, which conclude, “And I absolve you from your sins in the name of the Father (the priest makes the sign of the cross), and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.”

In the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick, the matter is the anointing with the Oil of the Sick on the forehead and on the palms of the hands.  The form is a prayer prayed by the priest at the same time, when he says, “Through this Holy Anointing, may the Lord, in His love and mercy, help you through the grace of the Holy Spirit.”  Then he anoints the forehead, and he continues by saying, “May the Lord who frees you from sin save you and raise you up.”  Then he anoints the palms.

In the Sacrament of Holy Orders, in which deacons, priests, and bishops are ordained, the matter is the laying on of hands by the bishop on the head of the man being ordained.  The form, the prayer of consecration immediately following the laying on of hands, differs on whether it is a deacon, priest, or bishop who is being ordained.

In the Sacrament of Matrimony, the matter and form of the Sacrament is the mutual self-giving and self-acceptance by the couple as they hold each other’s right hand.

When David was chosen by God as King, the spirit of the Lord came mightily upon him when he was anointed by Samuel with oil.  When the blind man was healed by Jesus, the healing of Jesus came to him through being anointed with a paste of clay and washed in the Pool of Siloam.  He could feel the paste of clay on his eyes, he could feel Jesus touching his eyes, he could hear Jesus, he could feel the water washing off the clay.  He could not see Jesus, but Jesus came to him through touch and hearing.

Every time we receive the sacraments, Jesus comes to us by touching our senses, and there is a visible sign of Jesus coming to us invisibly in these sacraments.  Who would think that anointing with oil would be the signal for the spirit of the Lord to fall mightily on David?  Who would think that anointing with a paste of clay and washing would restore sight?

But God uses ordinary elements of nature to convey His power and healing to us in the sacraments, and in every sacrament, Jesus comes to us invisibly, but powerfully.  So, as you receive the sacraments, you hear Jesus and Jesus touches you.  Jesus touched the blind man and Jesus touches you when you receive the sacraments.

What God Has Joined Together

Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time
October 3, 2021 — Year B
Readings: Gn 2:18-24 / Ps 128 / Heb 2:9-11 / Mk 10:2-16
by Rev. Nixon Negparanon, Pastor

Someone once said that, when a person gets into deep trouble, he or she is surrounded by close friends and family.  And he continued by saying, “If you don’t believe this, just take a look at your wedding pictures.”

Brothers and sisters, from time to time, we tell jokes about married couples, but that is not at all to belittle the sanctity and permanence of marriage.  In today’s gospel, Jesus is very clear and emphatic: “Therefore, what God has joined together, no human being must separate.”  Marriage is forever and for always. (more…)

Living in the Kingdom

Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time
October 11, 2020 – Year A
Readings: Is 25:6-10A / Ps 23 / Phil 4:12-14, 19-20 / Mt 22:1-14
by Rev. Mr. Eddie Craig, Permanent Deacon

Today’s gospel comes from the twenty-second chapter of Matthew. Just a little bit earlier, in chapter twenty-one, Jesus arrives in Jerusalem and promptly cleanses the temple. What follows is a series of confrontations with the Jewish leaders. Today, in a parable, Jesus likened the Kingdom of Heaven to a wedding banquet. (more…)

Marriage and the Church

Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time
October 7, 2018 – Year B
Readings: Gn 2:18-24 / Ps 128 / Heb 2:9-11 / Mk 10:2-16
by Rev. Mr. Eddie Craig, Permanent Deacon

Today’s talk will be less a homily and more a catechetical teaching. I will be pulling most of the information from “The Catechism of the Catholic Church.” If you don’t have one of these, you need to get one. This is a brilliant piece of work. Any question you have about the Faith is covered in this book. It’s very well written and easy to understand.

As I was trying to think how to condense the Sacrament of Marriage down into the length of a homily, I decided to narrow it down to three different points. These are the three things that you need to understand in order to understand the Church’s teaching on marriage. This is not exhaustive; this is just the tip of the iceberg. (more…)

It Is Wise To Eat

Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time
August 19, 2018 – Year B
Readings: Prv 9:1-6 / Ps 34 / Eph 5:15-20 / Jn 6:51-58
by Rev. Salvador Añonuevo, Pastor

Yesterday, fifteen couples renewed their marriage vows at the five o’clock Mass in our sister parish, Resurrection, and one couple was Bud and Alice Siess, who are celebrating their sixty-eighth wedding anniversary this year. Six eight. About half of the couples who stood in front of the altar, renewing their pledge to love and to hold until death, have been married for more than sixty years.

Before yesterday’s Mass, I googled the question, “How to live happily ever after.” And I discovered that there is actually an article with that title. It is supposed to be the result of a scientific study on what works and what doesn’t in marriage. (more…)

Powerful Words

The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ
June 3, 2018 – Year B
Readings: Ex 24:3-8 / Ps 116 / Heb 9:11-15 / Mk 14:12-16, 22-26
by Rev. Mr. Eddie Craig, Permanent Deacon

You’ve heard Father and me talk about the Exodus 90 program that a group of us in our parish did. It’s a ninety-day program, and during that time you’re supposed to refrain from any kind of social media. You’re not supposed to use the Internet except for work or school.

Over that period I stopped using Facebook (except to keep tabs on the parish’s Facebook page) and YouTube. I would typically browse the Internet during lunch at work, so the first day, I thought, Okay, what do I do? And so I started reading. It was very spiritually beneficial and a great change. (more…)

God’s Way

First Sunday of Lent
February 14, 2016 – Year C
Readings: Dt 26:4-10 / Ps 91 / Rom 10:8-13 / Lk 4:1-13
by Rev. Salvador Añonuevo, Pastor

During the season of Lent we remind ourselves that our prayers are most effective when they are accompanied by sacrifice.  At fourteen degrees outside, it’s surely a sacrifice to be here this morning.  If somebody tells you that he or she is tempted to walk to church this morning instead of driving, you will find difficulty in believing it.  But if you say that you are tempted to sleep in instead of coming to Mass, everybody will easily believe you.

This is what temptation is all about: taking life the easy way. (more…)

To Whom Shall We Go?

21st Sunday in Ordinary Time
August 23, 2015 – Year B
Readings:  Jos 24:1-2a, 15-17, 18b / Psalm 34 / Eph 5:2a, 25-32 / Jn 6:60-69
by Rev. Salvador Añonuevo, Pastor

Yesterday, the Holy Name of Mary Men’s Breakfast Group had a very enlightening spiritual discussion on the sacrament of marriage. They based their reflections on today’s second reading, which is taken from the letter of St. Paul to the Ephesians, part of which says, “Husbands should love their wives, as their own bodies.” This biblical passage implies that wives should also love their husbands in the same way, even as Christ loves His Church. (more…)