God created them male and female and He created them unto His own image and likeness. (Genesis 1:27)
“I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you.” (Genesis 17:7)
Covenant is an agreement between two unequal parties, i.e. God and men, while contract is an agreement between two equal parties.
On the third day there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus also was invited to the wedding with his disciples. When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.” And Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come.” His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”
This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory. And his disciples believed in him. (John 2:2-11)
John and Cherry celebrate silver jubilee in the Sacrament of Marriage turning their contract into a covenant.
“Jubilare” is a Latin word to mean “to let out joyful shouts”. Jubilee therefore is a day to celebrate and rejoice.
John and Cherry or “JC” celebrated their wedding jubilee, with “JC” to mean Jesus Christ in the sacrament of marriage.
John and Cherry celebrated their 25 years of faithfulness and fruitfulness in work, relationship, and as a family and yet they felt the need for God to intervene and to bless the relationship.
“We want to offer this church wedding to our parents. Mommy Norma may have gone ahead to heaven but she will be very happy with our decision. Likewise, to Cherry’s parents, dad Ernesto and mommy Juanita, who are both in the heavenly realms. We want too that our family will be blessed more by God.”
It was in January 1998 when John and Cherry started their beautiful love story at Baguio PilTel. Indeed, communication matters and it was the same communication that managed the 25 years of faithfulness (Hesed).
As they offered their love to the Lord on the jubilee of their civil marriage, they promised to have more communication modes and quality time with the Lord as a Christian couple.
On April 21, 1999, John and Cherry were married civilly and had their first born, now 25 years old.
Providentially, April 21 was also the day of my ordination as a deacon. I am happy to be invited to preside their church wedding. God is indeed a God of happy surprises. It’s indeed a jubilee.
In 2015, the couple left for Canada. Cherry practiced her profession as a nurse while John as a business professional.
John and Cherry are blessed with two children and now grown-ups at 25 and 21.
Cherry will always affirm the first values and qualities of John as persevering, caring, loving, and “malambing” aside from the physical quality of being handsome.
John, on the other hand, is always inspired by Cherry because of her beautiful traits – being responsible, “maasikaso,” “maalaga,” God-fearing, and religious, aside from being beautiful.
I was struck by the religious foundation of John and Cherry. John admired the God-fearing and religious attitude of Cherry. Cherry is a sweet rounded fruit to mean the relationship must bear more fruit.
The cultural and religious values kept them together amidst the materialistic culture of this generation, living in a well-developed country but ironically, spirituality and morality are eroding.
On April 22, John and Cherry Rillorta are now officially called a Christian couple and a Christian family.
It’s a silver jubilee in Christ. Christ renewed the communication and turned the contract into a covenant.
There is a great need for Jesus Christ to bless marital relationships in order to remove it from the fallen state of man and woman stained by sin.
Jesus Christ is the new covenant that purifies marital relationships. Marital relationship must be consecrated by Jesus in the Sacrament of Marriage. Civil marriage is not enough.
Reach me at [email protected].
May 17, 2024
