Denver Catholic

32 FEB-MAR 2024 | DENVER CATHOLIC Interestingly, the Catholic Church has always asked that couples seeking the Sacrament of Marriage forgo this growing trend, and marry inside of a church. When this has admittedly become less common, one wonders: is there a good reason why the Church asks this? When you could have your choice of any venue, why hold your wed- ding ceremony at a local parish? We read in the Catechism of the Catholic Church that "the celebration of marriage between two Catholic faithful normally takes place during Holy Mass, because of the connection of all the sacraments with the Paschal mystery of Christ…It is therefore fitting that the spouses should seal their consent to give themselves to each other through the offering of their own lives by uniting it to the offering of Christ for his Church made present in the Eucharistic sacrifice, and by receiving the Eucharist so that, communicating in the same Body and the same Blood of Christ, they may form but 'one body' in Christ" (CCC 1621.) Put simply, a wedding that occurs during the Mass, in the sacred space of a church, is particularly, deeply and spiritually meaningful. It not only signals that a sacrament is being conferred (and divine grace imparted!), but that the Sacrament of Marriage belongs to God, and is a holy, good and honorable thing that involves not only the spouses but also Jesus Christ and his Church. The bride and groom, as they offer themselves fully to one another in the sacrament, unite this self-gift to Jesus' own total self-gift to the Church in the Eucharist. A church wed- ding testifies that Our Lord is the ultimate bridegroom, and the Church his bride. The Nuptial Mass will, like any Mass, include the Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist — and nestled in between the two will be the Celebration of Marriage, in which vows and rings are exchanged and the Sacrament of Marriage conferred. What an incred- ible way to begin your life together as husband and wife! The wedding ceremony itself ought to highlight a "path- way to holiness," for both the marrying couple and everyone else present. Both the reading of scripture and the celebra- tion of the Eucharist serve to do this. And when you consider how Jesus gives life to the Church through his total self-gift in the Eucharist, you can see why it is so very fitting to receive the Sacrament of Marriage within a Nuptial Mass, in a church, where the Sacraments of Baptism and Holy Communion are also received. A church wedding with its path to holiness is an 32 FEB-MAR 2024 | DENVER CATHOLIC The wedding ceremony itself ought to highlight a 'pathway to holiness,' for both the marrying couple and everyone else present." Wedding at Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, Denver, CO. Photo by Lena Hall Photography.

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