As strange as this might sound, the most important element of a Catholic wedding is actually the wedding itself. That may bear some explaining because it sounds redundant, but the truth is that the Church doesn’t recognize secular marriages or those held outside the Church. Marriage is one of the Seven Sacraments and as such, every element within the wedding itself and the post-ceremony reception are integral matters of faith. With that said, let’s start with the reception so you can understand how and why those hours following the ceremony are a sacred symbol of Holy Matrimony.
1. Catholic Wedding Favors
One of the most important scripture readings within the Church is the Wedding Feast at Cana (John 2: 1-11) where Jesus’ mother, Mary, told Him that there was no wine. Jesus turned water to wine and throughout Christian history this held significance on several levels. The first is obviously in the miracle itself, but also this reading hints at the Lord’s blessing on marriages. It is in understanding the depth of this miracle that many Catholic wedding favors are holy cards with the Scripture reading printed on one side and the reverse side an artist’s rendition of Jesus changing the water to wine, or the people gathered at the wedding feast. No Catholic wedding reception is complete without reference to the Wedding Feast at Cana.
2. A Threefold Wedding Mass Perspective
Getting married in the Church has special meaning in that there are actually three main elements central to the Catholic faith. The first is obviously the sacrament of Holy Matrimony in which the priest blesses them and joins them as one in the power vested in him by God and in extension, the Church. However, there are two liturgical elements as well and those would be the Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of Eucharist, where the wine becomes the blood of Christ and the unleavened bread, His body. The wine, however, at this point is important in that it directly corresponds to the Wedding Feast at Cana. Two miracles are referenced within one liturgical celebration.
3. Recognition of the Sanctity of Marriage
It seems as though this is something contemporary secular society has left behind. The number of couples parting ways in divorce is staggering and something the Church frowns upon. In fact, to the Church, divorce isn’t a recognized dissolution of those vows. There is an entire process whereby a couple must petition a tribunal to nullify the marriage in order to be in union with the Church and able to participate in sacraments, the most important being receiving Holy Communion, Eucharist, at masses.
While every element within a Catholic wedding is important, these three elements show just how important marriage is and why the emphasis is on ‘what God has joined, let no man separate.’ Marriage is a lifelong commitment and everything about a Catholic wedding should center on that sacramental understanding of those vows the happy couple just recited. They are now joined as one in the eyes of the Church, so let the celebration of this first day of the rest of their lives together begin.
