The ‘quiet’ homily of marriage is one that truly shouts out loud.
On Saturday 8th June at 3pm Cardinal Vincent will celebrate the Annual Mass of Thanksgiving for couples marking significant wedding anniversaries at Westminster Cathedral. This year we are welcoming over 600 couples from different parts of the diocese to share their joy with us. These couples are celebrating significant anniversaries from five years to 71 years. Over a quarter of the couples will be celebrating 50+ years of marriage.
Each couple in their different ways is a quiet and unassuming expression, a living homily, to their families, friends and society of the ‘Good News’ of marriage. This Good News is newsworthy as their commitment in marriage is much more than words, it is a way of living.
As the Cardinal explains in his introduction, this Mass ‘is an opportunity to reflect on your marriage and to rekindle the joys of your wedding day and life together. It is a time to remember and celebrate what the Lord has done for you in your marriage.’
There are two key moments in this day. The first is when the couples renew their marriage vows before God and reconnect to their first ‘I do’. What is the ‘quiet’ homily of their lived marriages suddenly becomes a united ‘Yes’, or more accurately a resounding ‘We are in love’.
The second moment is more intimate and personal as Cardinal Nichol’s joins them on the piazza, talking to each couple, hearing their stories and sharing in the sorrows and joys.
Please keep these and all married couples in your prayers.
