Wedding Mass (Kevin & Heather Corkran)

“The best way to remember your wife's birthday is to forget it once.” A little boy asked his father, "Daddy, how much does it cost to get married?" And the father replied, "I don't know, son, I'm still paying for it." Confused he went to his mom and asked the same question. To his surprise she said the same thing. He went to his granny as to why she didn’t help his parents. She said “Your grandpa and I are still paying ours still.”

We are here to thank God for joining Kevin and Heather and continue to pray for their efforts to be permanently and exclusively united to each other in bonds of love. This is only a ceremony but marriage is not a word! It is a sentence; a paragraph or a book. Sacrament of Matrimony and Sacrament of Ordination are the only 2 sacraments that emphasize intimacy and demand our vows in public to be permanent and exclusive in our relationship. Both the vows are so human and no human promise is perfect.

There is an old saying, “If you want to make God laugh, tell God your plans for the future!” How do we make such huge promises when we don’t know who we will become in the future? People always change, so how can a couple know that they will hold on to their promises? There is no guarantee that life will turn out as we plan. We don’t live with car battery to have guarantee. This is an adventure into the unknown. That surety is the result of your love and commitment. Strong, lasting relationships require as ‘raw material’ two strong individuals. Only a person who knows how to love himself or herself responsibly would know and love another person.

The word ‘Respect’ literally means ‘to look again’. Respect in marriage is the readiness and the ability to notice and appreciate the qualities of one’s spouse what others don’t or can’t notice. Only in the permanent relationship can a person experience ‘Trust’ and dependability and reliability follow. Many people misunderstand when we speak of marriage as exclusive: it doesn’t mean forsaking all others or giving up of others rather it implies that one’s primary energy, one’s basic focus, will remain exclusively on one’s wife or husband.

As Marriage covenant is a serious commitment we should never forget the counsel of professionals. Many marriage experts note that good marriages are usually seasoned with a sense of humor that allows couples to laugh at themselves. There used to be sign offices WORK MORE TALK LESS! That doesn’t work for marriage. Talk more and spend time together: TV and Internet are not the only recreations!

The quality or the worth of a good citizen doesn’t necessarily be that he or she has to serve the military rather one’s ability to live and raise a good family since families make societies and good families make good societies. That is the reason the vows are made public that the public play a big part in the success of marriages. Every marriage in the society increases the quality level and responsibility level of the people who witness the marriage. Kevin and Heather look up to you for guidance and direction as you are married and committed to your marriage vows. Make sure your lesson to this new couple is one of support and encouragement.