Homily at the wedding of

Xavier Vandame and Kendra Dugay

Our Lady of Lourdes,

Armadale,

19 February, 2000

Fr John Dupuche PP

Celebrant

Kendra and Xavier, you have invited us to come to your wedding and to share in your joy since you look forward to a marvelous future. There will be moments of such intensity and such unity that you will come to a knowledge that is altogether unique. You will cry out with your whole mind and even with your voice, ‘Yet, yes!’, for you will have come to the heart of the universe, the great furnace from which all things come and to which all is destined. A person lives for this knowledge, a person is willing to die for this knowledge, since it is the key to life.

Xavier and Kendra, you cry out for union, heart to heart, mind to mind, body to body, memory to memory, sorrow to sorrow, joy to joy. We too need your union. We need to bask in the sunlight of your love. So let us see your eyes bright with knowledge, your steps light with pleasure, your words invested with truth.

In the Gospel today, Jesus speaks to his disciples. The text is taken from the discourse at the Last Supper shortly before Jesus goes knowingly and willingly to his death. He speaks at length above love and invites his disciples to dwell his love just as he dwells in his Father’s love. Both of you, Xavier and Kendra, are echoing his words. In a few moments, Kendra, you will invite this young Frenchman, Xavier, to dwell in your love, to make his home there, to find his stability, his high adventure, his meaning and purpose, his taste of eternity in your love. And Xavier, you will invite Kendra to dwell in your love, to find her truth in you, her peace, even her whole being in you. Both of you desire to dwell in each other all the days of your life and so you will suddenly find yourselves wrapped in a love which has existed since the beginning, the love of our Father, and your joy will be complete.

On traverse le monde, on voyage sur la mer, on examine, on travaille, on vit, on meurt et on se demande quel en est le sens, quel est le propos qui justifie un tel effort. C’est ici, en cette église, maintenant, que nous en trouvons le secret, c’est-à-dire, votre amour, Kendra et Xavier. Je ne veux pas dire les sentiments passagers mais ce moment d’unité que vous allez connaitre, ce moment intense ou tout votre être s’écrie, ‘Qui, oui, je le veux, je te veux!’, le moment exquis ou, avec un même cœur, un même esprit, vous allez connaitre la raison même de cet univers. Vous allez connaitre en votre amour cette fournaise de l’amour qui est l’origine et le destin de ce monde en évolution. Vivez pour ces instants. Soyez prêts a tout sacrifier pour ce bonheur éblouissant.

En votre amour sans limite vous allez connaitre l’amour infini dont Jésus parle dans l’Évangile. Il dit à ses disciples: « Demeurez dans mon amour comme moi je demeure dans l’amour du Père. » Xavier, tes amis et ta famille sont venus de bien loin pour t’entendre inviter Kendra à demeurer dans ton amour, à y trouver sa paix et sa joie, son éternité et même son Dieu. De même, Kendra, on t’écoutera inviter Xavier à demeurer en ton amour pour lui – après tous ses voyages par l’air et par la mer a revenir au port de ton amour.

Écoutons maintenant ces mots d’invitation et le secret qui explique