It seemed to me last weekend that suddenly there were more, newer small people at Mass than I had seen previously. It’s hard to get a count, but distributing Holy Communion and greeting folks at the doors, I saw more babies in bundles, or in buckets, some of whom were not bigger than a loaf of bread.
When
visitors come to our church, it is rare that they do not marvel at the number
of children and young families here. Even regular parishioners often find occasion
to remark on how loud it was at Mass on a particular Sunday, what Fr. Nick used
to call the “chirping” of our small parishioners.
In our
day there are few public places left where entire families mingle freely with
people of every age and state of life.
Our society has specialized, and stratified, in a way that make it rare
for people to rejoice together in the full spectrum of human life in all its rambunctious
glory. Spaces are set aside for kids just like parks are
designated for dogs, though perhaps not as many; and more and more other places
and events operate on the expectation of “adults only.”
This
weekend, Jesus presents yet another of his parables that involves a wedding, in
this case, the King’s wedding feast for his son. Like in last week’s Gospel, there is much
drama and even violence to distract us from the setting of the feast in
question. But over and over, from the
time of His first miracle at the wedding feast in Cana in Galilee, Jesus
associates Himself and what He brings, the Kingdom of God, with a wedding. Both
indirectly and directly, He repeatedly refers to Himself as “the Bridegroom.” Who, then is His bride? And I
saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband
(Rev 21:2). His bride is the Church!
Christian
marriage is a microcosm of the reality of salvation through Christ in the
Church. Saint Paul states it plainly
that when a man and woman undertake marriage, they are giving their flesh to
the loving exchange of the Bridegroom Christ and His bride. For
this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife,
and the two shall become one flesh." This is a great mystery, and I mean
in reference to Christ and the church (Eph 5:31-32). Marriage is not simply one of the seven
sacraments, but is in fact foundational to the Church herself. In some ways, a timeline could be so
constructed that the sacrament of Matrimony precede
Baptism, as the Christian family formed when a man and woman freely and mutually
promise one another permanent love, forms the necessary home for the new life,
both earthly and eternal, that their physical union brings about.
Every
once in a while, somebody shows up on the grounds of the parish and asks whether
they can get married in our church. Under
some circumstances, that can work out.
But our church is not just another “venue” for somebody’s “special day.” Rather, it is the banquet hall for the
Wedding Feast of the Lamb, to which Christ Himself alludes this weekend, and at
which He provides His very flesh as food for the feast.
So
it has been a source of delight for me this year that we have seen an unusual number
of weddings here for parishioners who have grown up here, or spent significant
portions of their lives here, participating in this holy and glorious banquet. Some of the bridal couples have included people
I have known since childhood; perhaps not since their parents brought them here
in bundles, but a very long time nonetheless.
This
why we, Catholics, marry in the “banquet hall of the Lamb;” in the church, and not on a beach
or on a cliff or in our backyard or in a courthouse or in a garden or while
skydiving or under water. God who
created us and called us to be made new, that is, re-created by the life-giving
sacrifice of His Son, also calls us to offer the sacrifice of our lives to our
life partners, our spouses, before Him in His dwelling place.
It
is no wonder young parents can be a little self-conscious about the squawks and
cries of their little ones! But no, it
is not inappropriate for them to be here in the Holy Place, to be frolicking
under the tables at the King’s banquet.
Marriage makes possible new life.
As our heavenly marriage to Christ the Bridegroom in His bride the
Church gives us eternal life in the Spirit, so do our earthly espousals bring
about new life in the flesh.
So
it is true, good, and beautiful for couples who have already marked their 40th,
50th, or even 60th wedding anniversary to worship close
by folks who are still waiting to reach their 60th day of fresh air and sunshine. In fact, both groups have much to offer one
another in this life, and on the path to glory, where we all hope to be
together in the same “hall filled with guests.” For that is no ordinary wedding reception, and
this is not just another “venue;” our King’s wedding feast for His son is not for “adults only.”
Monsignor Smith
