In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Welcome, dear brothers and sisters, as we gather to listen to God’s holy word and draw comfort from His eternal promise.
Lord Jesus, you are the divine Potter who shapes our lives with love: Lord, have mercy. Christ Jesus, you bring forth treasures of joy and grace from your Kingdom: Christ, have mercy. Lord Jesus, you hold us tenderly in the palm of your hand: Lord, have mercy.
Look at the image Jeremiah gives us today. The prophet goes down to the potter’s house and watches him at work. Clay on the wheel, yielding under gentle hands… "Indeed, like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand."
What a profound reminder of how deeply God knows us and shapes us! God does not manufacture us on an assembly line. He crafts each soul individually, infusing each one with unique gifts, creativity, and light.
And in the Gospel, Jesus tells us that one instructed in the Kingdom brings out from his storeroom "both the new and the old." Faith is not static; it is a living treasure of joy, wonder, and sacred memories.
When we think of Benjamin Vo, we see the exquisite work of the Divine Potter. God fashioned in Benjamin a mind overflowing with wonder and a joyful, creative spirit.
How could anyone forget his delightful imagination? Ben loved coding, creating games, and looking up at the sky. He would giggle and smile with pure delight whenever he talked about his dream of starting a company called "con chim airlines." That spark of innocence, that laughter, that bright creative spark—that was the clay shaped by God’s own loving hands.
It has been six weeks now since Ben was called home. Six weeks since his voice filled the room. For his dear parents, Alan and Thao, and his brother Ryan, the pain remains so deep.
If you are feeling overwhelmed, look back at the potter’s wheel. The God who molded Benjamin holds you right now… holding your broken hearts with the same tenderness with which He created the stars. You are not alone in this silence.
To Alan and Thao: keep going for Ryan. Surround him with that same joy Ben shared. Live for the love that holds your family together.
And to his aunts, uncles, everyone watching from afar, and every family carrying a silent cross today: God’s hands have not slipped. Ben is safe with his Heavenly Father, his joy whole and unending.
May Our Lady Mary wrap you in her mantle today, and may Jesus, our hope, grant you peace.
For the intentions entrusted to Ben on our prayer wall:
At the Savior’s command and formed by divine teaching, we dare to say:
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.
May the Lord bless us, protect us from all evil, and bring us to everlasting life. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
✝ May almighty God bless you: the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.