It takes a Community of Faith

The readings from SacrosanctumConcilium this week recommend that both Matrimonial vows and religious profession be made “during Mass” (Ch. 3:78, 80).  It is fitting that our friends and family are witness to the most important events of our life.  In their book, Christian Symbol and Ritual, Cook and Macy maintain that “there is nothing more meaningful in our lives than the relationships we have to others” (57), after all, “the particular relationships we have had and have and how we have reacted to them determine who we are” (57).  Those in the community, usually friends and family members who gather to witness the sacramental ceremonies, whether it is ordination or matrimony have walked with us for a time and made an impact on our life, helping to shape the person that we have become.  The added gift of celebrating during Eucharist is a great blessing.  As someone who was married first in a civil ceremony and then later had my wedding blessed in the Catholic tradition at Mass, I can tell you that the two experiences were worlds apart.  The civil ceremony was over in 10 minutes and it left me feeling cheated, not because there was no hoopla or big wedding, but because it did not seem sacred or special to me. At our Catholic ceremony, when my husband and I stood before God, surrounded by friends and family members who supported and loved us, our commitment to one another was solidified and made holy.  I felt strengthened by the presence of friends and family and by the knowledge that God had blessed our union.   When marriage is celebrated “during a Christian Eucharist – there is a sense of divine approval and support along with an implicit awareness that the ritual of human love reflects the greater mystery of divine care and concern” (65).

After 44 years of marriage, my husband and I have certainly been through a lot of change, some good and some not so good.  As Cook and Macy point out, “marriage should be a public witness to the self-sacrifice that transforms people” (66). True love makes you want to give yourself away to the other; true love binds you together.  “The relationship between Christian spouses is sacramental, revelatory, of the continuing self-gift of the risen Christ to his followers” (61).

image credit: christianmarriagehq.com