Memorial of Saint Maximilian Kolbe, Priest and Martyr

My dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

Today's readings speak powerfully of God's enduring, covenant love for us. In the First Reading, the prophet Ezekiel paints a vivid picture of Jerusalem, abandoned and helpless at birth, covered in blood. But then, God passes by and sees her. And what does He do? He doesn’t turn away. He says: 'Live in your blood and grow like a plant in the field.' He covers her, cleanses her, clothes her in splendor, and enters into a covenant with her, declaring: 'You became mine, says the Lord GOD.'

This is the heart of our God. A God who finds us in our most vulnerable state, in our deepest need, and claims us as His own. A God who doesn't just tolerate us, but adorns us, provides for us, and delights in us. His love is not conditional; it is a covenant, an unbreakable promise.

And in the Gospel, Jesus speaks of another covenant, the sacred bond of marriage, reminding the Pharisees that 'from the beginning the Creator made them male and female and said, For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.' What God has joined, He intends to be inseparable. This, too, speaks to the depth and permanence of God’s design for love and relationship.

Eight weeks ago, our beloved Benjamin Vo was called home to the Lord. Eight weeks where the silence can feel profound, and the longing for his presence can weigh heavily on our hearts. Yet, Ben’s life, even in its brevity, was a beautiful testament to the enduring love of God. Benjamin was a boy of such gentle warmth and profound empathy. Someone who loved him shared how at just 12 years old, Ben wept at his father’s 40th birthday out of a premature fear of losing him. What a heart! What a capacity for love and connection, even at such a young age.

This gentle spirit, this deep capacity for love, is a reflection of the God who first loved us. Just as God covered Jerusalem with His cloak and made her His own, He covered Benjamin with His grace from the moment of his birth, claiming him as His beloved son. And He claims each of us, too. His love is the very splendor Ezekiel speaks of, bestowed upon us, making us beautiful in His eyes.

To Alan, Thao, and dear Ryan: in the quiet moments, remember that Benjamin is forever held in that divine covenant, forever adorned in God's splendor. His gentle spirit, his deep love, continues to shine, a light that no earthly darkness can extinguish. Lean into the everlasting covenant of God's love, hold fast to one another, and continue to live with courage and hope for Ryan.

To Ben’s aunts and uncles, to everyone joining us from afar, especially other children who are suffering, and every family carrying a heavy cross: God sees your pain, and He covers you with His compassionate love. He does not abandon you in your sorrow. He draws near, just as He did for Jerusalem, binding you to Himself with an everlasting covenant of love.

Benjamin Vo rests peacefully in the arms of the God who said, 'You became mine.' He is forever cherished, forever loved, and forever alive in Christ.