Wedding Bells

Last weekend, my sister-in-law got married.  She had asked my husband (her brother) and I to do the homily.  We were both a little overwhelmed by the prospect of it, neither of us ever having given a homily.   As we delved into it, I think we both found inspiration.  The homily, for those of you unfamiliar with Catholic weddings, is "the talk" that usually the priest gives after the Bible readings.  It's typically a reflection of the Gospel reading and how it relates to marriage.  The priest performing the marriage told the bride and groom that in Native American tradition, a lay person gives the homily.  We were honored and humbled to be chosen.  The homily has great significance, and we wanted to be sure the words were right for these two we love dearly. 
As we began looking into the particular Gospel reading and it's meaning, we found it all boiled down to faith.  I came across a quote from St. Augustine that spoke to me, something along the lines of "faith is to believe in things you can not see and the reward of faith is to see what you believe."   We could all use a little faith, could we not?  People basically live up or down to our expectations of them and when you believe in people, their goodness, their potential, more often than not, you are pleasantly surprised.  We both put a lot of thought in to the homily into what we would say.  Looking at the sacrament of marriage and it's meaning, made me hopeful.  We don't always live up to our commitments in marriage, but we continue to hold that ideal out there in hopes that one day we will.  Sure, we live up to parts of it, but am I always gracious in my relationship with my husband?  No...definitely not.  Am I always kind, patient, generous?  Again, the answer is no.  I do believe that I can be though, and so I keep working at it, drawing upon a source greater than myself, when I can't muster up the grace myself to do or say the right thing.
So, the wedding.  Everything about it was perfect.  It was truly a community effort.  There were 20 or so people around the house at all times, working to make the event come off without a hitch.  Everyone had such a positive attitude, happy to part of the exciting day, willing to help in whatever way was useful.  I felt like I was part of the tribe again.  I think the bride and groom were able to relax and enjoy the days leading up to and the day of the wedding, resting softly in the knowing that everything would be taken care of.  I envy them a little in this way.  I've always lived with the mentality that if you want something done, you better do it yourself.  In fact, it drives my husband crazy because I will ask him to do something for me and than do it myself, too impatient to wait or because I think I just better do it myself.  Who knows why I do that?? But, I could see that it was easy for them to let go, to trust that someone else would take care of any details they hadn't already.  They had done the hard work preparing, getting ready and now it was their time to enjoy themselves and their company.  (They might have a different take on this, but they both seemed very calm and at ease.)
The wedding was beautiful, special.  My sister-in-law's 2 young daughters, ages 7 and 4, were very much a part of the ceremony.  You could feel the 4 of them become 1 family.  I left that church, listening to the wedding bells of this little old Catholic Church ringing out fiercely over the country side.  I felt filled with great hope for the future of this new little family.  They are wrapped in love,  held by many, many people, committed to their new life, to supporting them as they make their way on this journey.    The celebration that followed was a reflection of just that...lots of lively conversation, laughter, dancing, good food and happiness.