PC: Katzie & Ben
I find myself tearing up every time during the Nuptial Mass at one part ... The Nuptial Blessing. This beautiful moment in the Catholic wedding ceremony occurs after the couples have exchanged vows and become husband and wife. The celebrant prays for the couple in a personal way by adding in their names to this ancient prayer of the Church. Going back to the book of Genesis, this prayer reminds couples of the beginning of humanity and God's purpose for our lives. As he brought the first man and woman together, so he unites the couple in their marital union.
The words of this blessing can be a powerful prayer for couples as they prepare to enter into the Sacrament. I encourage you to read through this prayer multiple times and ask the Lord to fill your hearts with the graces of the Sacrament of Matrimony in abundance!
The Nuptial Blessing
taken from the Order of Celebrating Matrimony
O God, who by your mighty power
created all things out of nothing,
and, when you had set in place
the beginnings of the universe,
formed man and woman in your own image,
making the woman an inseparable helpmate to the man,
that they might be no longer two, but one flesh,
and taught that what you were pleased to make one
must never be divided;
O God, who consecrated the bond of Marriage
by so great a mystery
that in the wedding covenant you foreshadowed
the Sacrament of Christ and his Church;
O God, by whom woman is joined to man
and the companionship they had in the beginning
is endowed with the one blessing
not forfeited by original sinn
or washed away by the flood.
Look now with favor on these your servants,
joined together in Marriage,
who ask to be strengthened by your blessing.
Send down on them the grace of the Holy Spirit
and pour your love into their hearts,
that they may remain faithful in the Marriage covenant.
May the grace of love and peace
abide in your daughter [name],
and let her always follow the example of those holy women
whose praises are sung in the Scriptures.
May her husband entrust his heart to her,
so that, acknowledging her as his equal
and his joint heir to the life of grace,
he may show her due honor
and cherish her always
with the love that Christ has for his Church.
And now, Lord, we implore you:may these your servants
hold fast to the faith and keep your commandments;
made one in the flesh,
may they be blameless in all they do;
and with the strength that comes from the Gospel,
may they bear true witness to Christ before all;
may they be blessed with children,
and prove themselves virtuous parents,
who live to see their children’s children.
And grant that,
reaching at last together the fullness of years
for which they hope,
they may come to the life of the blessed
in the Kingdom of Heaven.
Through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
xoxo,
E