CELERY
The 50th Wedding Anniversary celebration of Victor & Malyn Yenko was on April 11, 2023, at the Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish in Muntinlupa City. It seemed like any other 50th wedding celebration – nothing unique or extraordinary.
Then why am I writing about it? What message does it have for White Butterfly readers? And why did it remind me, basing the title of this article on the Wedding Feast at Cana in the gospels, where Jesus and his mother were present and where Jesus performed his first miracle?
All the worst elements of a disastrous and broken marriage were present in the relationship of Victor and Malyn as a couple. And like any other marriage, it would have ended early in divorce or annulment. However, the five officiating priests, family, friends, and many of the guests at the wedding celebration of Victor and Malyn knew and recognized its significance, victory, and praiseworthiness.
Throughout the couple’s struggles and marital difficulties over the years, God actively showed up and did not give up on them even though they had already lost hope and given up so many times. God’s grace and mercy were sufficient. And because of the couple’s growing faith and continued response to his grace, it sustained them. God intervened, transformed them in the process, and saved their marriage.
VICTOR: It was God who kept us together in all 50 years. He told me to go back my family where I belong, and I said YES to God.
MALYN: God’s word is so powerful. He told me, “What I have put together, let no man separate.”
This became a beacon of light that guided us throughout the 50 years.
One of Malyn’s favorite quotations comes from Anthony Lilies of Spiritual Direction:
“Marriage offered to God with trust and openness, even when all human affection has failed, provide the Lord the space he needs to do something beautiful. How the Lord raises up what has died is always surprising… When it comes to his subtle work in the mystery of married love, he constantly surpasses our shallow expectations and accomplishes his greatest works in the most hidden ways only faith can see!”
Dietrich Bonhoeffer aptly described what Victor and Malyn experienced together:
“God never promises to soothe every pain, resolve every difficulty, heal every heartache, and fill every void in our lives. The unresolved issues in our lives become the opportunity for us to pray, persevere, adjust, and grow to become more open, caring, patient, and giving. And when there is no resolution, the delicate plant of hope can grow.”
Here is a beautiful story and example of a couple – the renewed faith, hope, and love of Victor and Malyn in God and each other.
Let God be praised!
MALYN wrote a book in 2017 called, BEYOND THE CROSS…A NEW LIFE, published by St. Pauls Publishing. Several copies are still available.
