Marriage Homily By Fr James
My dear brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus,
Today, as Annoj and Annabelle stand before God, before their families, and before all of us, I would like to take you back – not simply to the beginning of their love story, but to the beginning of every human love story.
Back to Genesis.
In the beginning, everything was formless.
And God began to create.
“Let there be light.”
And there was light.
The land, the waters, the trees, the birds, the animals…
Again and again, God looked at what He had made, and Scripture tells us:
“God saw that it was good.”
And finally:
“God saw everything that he had made, and indeed, it was very good.”
Genesis 1:31
But then, as Genesis tells the story of Adam, something extraordinary happens.
For the first time, we hear God say:
“It is not good.”
What was not good?
Was there something wrong with the world?
No.
God looked at Adam and said:
“It is not good that the man should be alone.”
Genesis 2:18
That is such a beautiful sentence for a wedding.
Adam had the whole world around him.
He had creation.
He had beauty.
He had everything necessary for life.
But God saw something deeper.
He had nobody with whom to share that life.
So God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam.
And from his side, God formed the woman.
When Adam wakes up and sees Eve, listen to his words.
For me, this is almost the first love poem of the Bible:
“This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh.”
Genesis 2:23
Imagine Adam saying:
“At last!
Someone beside me.
Someone with whom I can share myself.
Someone who is part of me.”
And there is something beautiful about this image of the rib – the side.
A traditional reflection says that woman was not formed from Adam’s head, to rule over him, nor from his feet, to be beneath him.
But from his side.
To stand beside him.
Close to his heart.
And Annoj and Annabelle, think about what the ribs do.
They protect the heart.
They protect the lungs.
They protect the places of life and breath.
In marriage, you become protectors of one another.
Protect each other’s heart.
Protect each other’s dignity.
Protect each other’s dreams.
Be gentle with each other’s weaknesses.
What your husband tells you in vulnerability – protect it.
What your wife entrusts to you in tenderness – protect it.
Never use against one another what was given to you in love.
Because Jesus takes this Genesis story and says:
“They are no longer two, but one flesh.”
Matthew 19:6
Annoj and Annabelle, today God begins another creation story.
Your creation story.
And like every creation, it will take time.
You will build it day by day.
A home.
A friendship.
A family.
A life.
There will be beautiful days.
There will also be challenging days.
But on every day, come back to this:
Bone of my bones.
Flesh of my flesh.
Heart beside heart.
Life beside life.
May people who encounter the two of you experience something of God’s love.
And many years from today, may God look upon everything you have built together –
your joys,
your struggles,
your forgiveness,
your faithfulness,
your love –
and say once again:
“It is very good.”
Amen.