Homily at the wedding of Virginia and Andy

We have gathered here in a church, where generations have come to pray and have made this place holy. Something is different about this place, if only we could see it, taking us into another dimension.

Virginia and Andy have wanted to come to this sacred place and declare their love publicly here, for love is sacred. Their love is a sacrament for them and for us, a window onto another world, making our minds spin.

We live in a world where reason plays an important part, and rightly so, but their marriage is not just a reasonable thing, for love is passionate and overwhelming. “The heart has its reasons which reason does not understand.” Industry uses many things, but Andy and Virginia have undertaken never to exploit each other, rather to serve and cherish, giving way to each other in all gentleness. People are fiercely competitive but Ginny and Andy undertake to show respect and affection for each other. Control and assessment are part of modern life but not part of love.

In a few moments Andy and Virginia will declare each other as husband and wife. I do not do this; they pronounce each other as husband and wife. They will take each other by the hand, willingly taking and willingly being taken, holding tightly onto each other, relaxing into each other. They will declare that they do not take each other for granted but take each other again and again in freedom as long as each shall live. These are bold and confident words. They give themselves to each other as husband and wife without reservation. They declare their readiness, if children should be given to them, to accept them lovingly and to educate them in the Christian faith whose principal teaching is to love God with all one’s heart, soul, mind and strength; and to love one’s neighbour as oneself. Love is the beginning and the end of all our purposes.

In this way Virginia and Andy are opening a window onto another world, the only one that can fully satisfy, making the heart leap with a joy that never ends. Andy and Virginia are to be a sacrament to us, showing the invisible God to each other and to us, showing what heaven is like.

We thank you, Virginia and Andy, for your love and for the outpouring of joy that will flow from you to us.

Let us now witness their public commitment to each other as husband and wife.

Celebrant: Fr John Dupuche