Wedding Homily

Matt and Dawn this is a wonderful moment in your lives. We are honoured to share this day with you. All the time and energy you put into this ceremony has come to fruition. If you choke up or tear up its okay, it’s what makes this moment real. I am honoured to have the best seat in the house.
As a single male, I feel like a Catholic Priest trying to give you marriage advice. I will have to defer to your parents and other couples to give you some of the relationship pointers. I hope you will seek out some mentors who can be a support and bring you inspiration. We hope to see you grow old together. We want you to be one those cute elderly couples walking through the park, holding hands. Your walk together will have a new meaning after today.
For those of you who are married, I hope this ceremony is a renewal of your vows. May you feel a rekindling of your love for one another. God continues to bless this union you have made. The unity candle you lit years ago is still burning. God will always give you the wax and oxygen you need to keep your flame of love burning.
We can all benefit from Paul’s pearls of wisdom of what true love is. Paul’s definition of love is a tall bill for us to measure up to. Love is more than just a feeling. You will have your ups and downs. You will have arguments and rough patches. When you get bogged down you can look back at this day and the covenant you have made to each other. For better or worse, in sickness and health. In a world where people don’t seem to keep their word , I charge you to remember your vows. Remember these words from Paul and strive to love each other even when “you have lost that loving feeling.” Love is something you have to work at. We need God’s love to sustain our efforts.
Many of us heard someone say, “This is not the person I married.” You are stepping out on faith and there will be new things that you learn about each other. I was moved by one of my elder mentors and his faithful caregiving for his wife as she resided in a convalescent hospital with Alzheimers. Every day he was losing a piece of her. After fifty years of marriage, he was pretty confident he knew who she was. While he was going through one of their closets he found a shoe box of poetry she had written. This opened a new view of his wife. On the last day of our class, he brought some of her poems to share with the class.
Matt and Dawn, as you live and grow together, be open to the mystery. Your life together will be dynamic and evolving. God’s love will give you the eyes and ears you need to be a compassionate witnesses for one another. In time, you will have a very unique perspectives. When other people only seem to see mistakes and shortcomings, you know each other more for who you truly are. A key part of your relationship is serving as this loving reminder when life gets you down.
We look forward to the day when you start a family and we baptize your baby from this font. We gather at this chancel to commemorate key moments in our life journey. God was present in a special way the day your parents brought you home from the hospital. Their hearts overflowed with love. This is a special day when they entrust their precious one into a new family. You are not just marrying one another you are entering a union with each other’s families. God’s love is here for you in these extended families. God moves in these relationships to help you grow in your union.
As you say I do, God’s Spirit anoints your commitment. As witnesses we make a commitment to support you and encourage you. This journey will take a lot of effort, patience and compassion. But this will be one the most precious vocations of your life. God’s love has brought you together, and God’s love will hold and keep you for the years to come. Love one another the way God loves you unconditionally, with mercy and forgiveness.