The Third Party

Although physical attraction plays an important part in most relationships,those that are founded entirely on it often fail. Relationships that reallylast are those in which other factors have come to build upon and support thefoundation laid by the initial attraction. These can include many things suchas common interests, shared life goals and emotive bearings. All good andproper factors that can help a relationship prosper. One thing that many of usforget to take into account though is the place of God in the relationship.

Our first reading from the book of Tobit demonstrates not only how importantthis is, but how powerful it is. We have come to know from the readings ofyesterday and today about the plague on Sarah, how her seven previous potentialhusbands died on their very first night. As Regina mentioned, such a cursewould have utterly destroyed a woman. Who would have wanted to even try to getto know her? And yet we have Tobit, who not only asked for her hand, but did soin a such a confident and sure manner. What gave him the strength andconviction to put his life on the line was the knowledge of the sacred natureof a relationship. God has a place in the union between the man and a womanthat stems from the creation story. Tobit and Sarah not only deferred to God'splace in their own union but embraced it by blessing Him though it and askingfor His blessings. And so they did get that happy ending they asked for.The place of God in our relationships is not only relevant to romantic ones butholds through for every single encounter in our lives. We hear the words ofChrist in the Gospel passage. The two greatest commandments are to utterly loveGod and to selflessly love your neighbour. They go hand in hand since thepurest love both comes from and leads to God. So then, a relationship with Godhaving a prime place is really akin to the Trinity, with all members in harmonyand acting for the good of one another and everyone else. The best thing that two people can do with each other is to pray and so bringGod into the relationship.

Let us then, my brothers and sisters, together seekto bless the Lord in our daily encounters and relationships and ask Him tobless us in these as well.

(Today's OXYGEN by Aloysius Ting)