James and Megan Foley married at St Boniface Church in St Bonifacius, Minnesota, on Saturday, June 30, 2016. The groom's grandmother and my mother are sisters. Not for nothing did the Lord liken the Kingdom to a great wedding banquet. It was a blessing to be there. Below are notes from the homily.
***
Not what the priest said...
That was a beautiful wedding...
That was the last time I saw so and so...
I suspect you will remember that you said something, you made a promise, and a bunch of people who love you were there to celebrate that with you...
You might ask why people come, from so far? And those of us who came, might ask why we did so.
Even if we cannot put words on it, deep inside we realize it is important what happens here.
In some inarticulate way our gut tells us we need to witness what you do, because it affects us all.
Families and friends are part of the promise you make to each other. We get that
But we also come to be renewed in our deepest hope in life: that love can still say "forever"
***
Promises are not much in favor these days
Mostly because we live in a cynical time.
Where even love is suspected of being only a temporary thing, or even a game
You stand at the height of your humanness today, your dignity in full form:
Saying before God and us, professing that love is a mystery of freedom that allows you to say the one word that inspires both fear and hope in every heart: "forever"
You say: I don't know what tomorrow brings but I know with whom I wish to live it.
You seal your commitment
within the mystery of a vulnerable God, who became flesh, willing to love, though it pierce his heart
Your faith and your gut tells you that this is where it belongs; this is where such a promise as you make fits. Near to Christ, near his altar.
I call you friends Jesus said. You know what he is about. Greater love hath no man than to give up his life for his friends.
What a wild and beautiful thing it is to be Catholic: we are the ones who believe in the love at the heart of all things because of a God who, by taking the Cross, turned it into the unbreakable sign of a love that reaches beyond forever.
***
Your promise to each other is an extension of what the Lord did and does
You enact in life what the Lord did and does for us
Take this, this is my body.. My whole self, not a part of me, nothing held back.
Your promise is based on a gift you offer: Take this, you say to each other: my whole self, not just a part.
Given up for you. A surrender, a gift, that is given in the hope that it will be received gratefully, cherished, guarded as a treasure.
The gift you give reaches magnificence when you publicly receive it from one another and return it with the offer of yourself back.
Your vows are simply and profoundly this: I give myself to you, will you accept the gift? Love and cherish it? and by speaking the promises to each other, you each say, yes, I will.
Like the Church cherishes the Eucharist itself, so you cherish each other in the gift given and received in your promises today.
You give yourself as a gift to each other every day. Love is a dynamic that only falters if there is no one there on the other side to receive it, cherish it, protect it, respond to it.
Do this in memory of me: that is, give yourselves and receive each other every day, in good times and bad, sickness and health,
When there are dirty socks on the floor, and pots unwashed, and I'm tired you do it, .. Then you remember, it's all a gift. Even the fatigue, and "you're not hearing me" is a gift.
All a sign to our little world that promises are possible because love is still possible, and love can thrive when the gift is at the center.
And should God grant you children, pull them into the promise, of gift and response that cherishes what is given. Children are always a gift that enrich the promise.
When you can put the smelly diaper to your nose, and say "Thank you, Lord, what a gift",... You will be living the grace of the Kingdom.
***
What will we remember? That you both gave us a gift of hope, even as you stand here and make your profession of love. You are not afraid to say "forever"
What will you remember? That within the Eucharistic gift of Christ, your love finds its place: the total gift, given, received, responded to, and sealed.
Our hope is sure; for Christ makes our flesh capable of bearing the enduring triumph of life and love; in him we know the promise is still at the heart of life.
And the "forever" that love longs to say is true.
God bless you both, and us through you.
Amen
(Sunrise near St Bonifacius, Minnesota)
+df
No comments:
Post a Comment