First Reading: Song of Songs 2:8-10,14,16a; 8:6-7a
8 The voice of my beloved!
Look, he comes,
leaping upon the mountains,
bounding over the hills.
9 My beloved is like a gazelle
or a young stag.
Look, there he stands
behind our wall,
gazing in at the windows,
looking through the lattice.
10 My beloved speaks and says to me:
‘Arise, my love, my fair one,
and come away;
14 O my dove, in the clefts of the rock,
in the covert of the cliff,
let me see your face,
let me hear your voice;
for your voice is sweet,
and your face is lovely.
16 My beloved is mine and I am his;
he pastures his flock among the lilies.
6 Set me as a seal upon your heart,
as a seal upon your arm;
for love is strong as death,
passion fierce as the grave.
Its flashes are flashes of fire,
a raging flame.
7 Many waters cannot quench love,
neither can floods drown it.
If one offered for love
all the wealth of one’s house,
it would be utterly scorned.
I would choose this as my first reading at my wedding. This passage describes how love conquers all. Nothing is grater than love, and nothing can take the place of it. The love a husband and wife have for each other is worth more than any riches in the world. It explains how much a person's spouse should mean to them. This is a meaningful explanation of the strength and power of love.
Look, he comes,
leaping upon the mountains,
bounding over the hills.
9 My beloved is like a gazelle
or a young stag.
Look, there he stands
behind our wall,
gazing in at the windows,
looking through the lattice.
10 My beloved speaks and says to me:
‘Arise, my love, my fair one,
and come away;
14 O my dove, in the clefts of the rock,
in the covert of the cliff,
let me see your face,
let me hear your voice;
for your voice is sweet,
and your face is lovely.
16 My beloved is mine and I am his;
he pastures his flock among the lilies.
6 Set me as a seal upon your heart,
as a seal upon your arm;
for love is strong as death,
passion fierce as the grave.
Its flashes are flashes of fire,
a raging flame.
7 Many waters cannot quench love,
neither can floods drown it.
If one offered for love
all the wealth of one’s house,
it would be utterly scorned.
I would choose this as my first reading at my wedding. This passage describes how love conquers all. Nothing is grater than love, and nothing can take the place of it. The love a husband and wife have for each other is worth more than any riches in the world. It explains how much a person's spouse should mean to them. This is a meaningful explanation of the strength and power of love.
Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 13:8-13
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror, then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part, then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.
And now these three remain: Faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
I would choose this as the second reading at my wedding. It is a very traditional passage, and I would like my wedding to be one of many that it is read at. It is a beautiful description of love, and everything I hope to one day have. Love provides the basis for a marriage, and this is a reminder of the true meaning of love. It lists every component love should have, and how love is the greatest virtue of all.
Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror, then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part, then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.
And now these three remain: Faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
I would choose this as the second reading at my wedding. It is a very traditional passage, and I would like my wedding to be one of many that it is read at. It is a beautiful description of love, and everything I hope to one day have. Love provides the basis for a marriage, and this is a reminder of the true meaning of love. It lists every component love should have, and how love is the greatest virtue of all.
Gospel: John 2:1-11
There was a wedding at Cana in Galilee. The mother of Jesus was there, and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited. When they ran out of wine, since the wine provided for the wedding was all finished, the mother of Jesus said to him, 'They have no wine.' Jesus said, 'Woman why turn to me? My hour has not come yet.' His mother said to the servants, 'Do whatever he tells you.' There were six stone water jars standing there, meant for the ablutions that are customary among the Jews: each could hold twenty or thirty gallons. Jesus said to the servants, 'Fill the jars with water,' and they filled them to the brim. 'Draw some out now,' he told them, 'and take it to the steward.' They did this; the steward tasted the water, and it had turned into wine. Having no idea where it came from - only the servants who had drawn the water knew - the steward called the bridegroom and said, 'People generally serve the best wine first, and keep the cheaper sort till the guests have had plenty to drink, but you have kept the best wine till now.'
This was the first of the signs given by Jesus: it was given at Cana in Galilee. He let his glory be seen, and his disciples believed in him.
The Wedding at Cana is the gospel story I would choose to be read at my wedding. This was Jesus' first miracle in the gospel of John. He performed this miracle because Mary told Him to. He was not ready to begin His mission yet, but it was Mary that pushed Him. In this same way, being married is strengthening your vocation, and beginning your mission to serve your spouse and children. Jesus let His glory be seen by friends and family in this story, and on your wedding day you let your love show with friends and family to witness it. This also serves as a reminder to keep Jesus in your marriage and to believe in Him. I know I can count on Jesus to provide for me, even on my wedding day.
This was the first of the signs given by Jesus: it was given at Cana in Galilee. He let his glory be seen, and his disciples believed in him.
The Wedding at Cana is the gospel story I would choose to be read at my wedding. This was Jesus' first miracle in the gospel of John. He performed this miracle because Mary told Him to. He was not ready to begin His mission yet, but it was Mary that pushed Him. In this same way, being married is strengthening your vocation, and beginning your mission to serve your spouse and children. Jesus let His glory be seen by friends and family in this story, and on your wedding day you let your love show with friends and family to witness it. This also serves as a reminder to keep Jesus in your marriage and to believe in Him. I know I can count on Jesus to provide for me, even on my wedding day.