Wedding Readings

A reading from the book of Genesis.

Then God said,
"Let us make humankind in our image,
according to our likeness;
and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea,
and over the birds of the air,
and over the cattle,
and over all the wild animals of the earth,
and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth."
So God created humankind in his image,
in the image of God he created them;
male and female he created them.
God blessed them, and God said to them,
"Be fruitful and multiply,
and fill the earth and subdue it;
and have dominion over the fish of the sea
and over the birds of the air
and over every living thing that moves upon the earth."
God saw everything that he had made,
and indeed, it was very good.
And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.

The Word of the Lord.

(Psalm to accompany FIRST READING #1)

Response: The Lord fills the earth with his love.

Happy is the nation whose God is the Lord,
the people whom he has chosen as his heritage.
Truly the eye of the Lord is on those who fear him,
on those who hope in his steadfast love. R.

Our soul waits for the Lord.
he is our help and shield.
Our heart is glad in him,
because we trust in his holy name. R.

Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us,
even as we hope in you. R.

A reading from the book of Genesis.

The Lord God said,
"It is not good that the man should be alone;
I will make him a helper as his partner."
So out of the ground the Lord God formed every animal of the field
and every bird of the air,
and brought them to the man to see what he would call them;
and whatever the man called every living creature,
that was its name.
The man gave names to all cattle,
and to the birds of the air,
and to every animal of the field;
but for the man there was not found a helper as his partner.
So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man,
and he slept;
then he took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh.
And the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man
he made into a woman and brought her to the man.
Then the man said,
"This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh;
this one shall be called Woman,
for out of Man this one was taken."
Therefore a man leaves his father and his mother and clings to his wife,
and they become one flesh.

The Word of the Lord.

(Psalm to accompany FIRST READING #2)

Response: Let them praise the name of the Lord.

Praise the Lord from the heavens;
praise him in the heights!
Praise him, all his angels;
praise him, all his host! R.

Praise him, sun and moon;
praise him, all you shining stars!
Praise him, you highest heavens,
and you waters above the heavens! R.

Mountains and all hills,
fruit trees and all cedars!
Wild animals and all cattle,
creeping things and flying birds! R.

Kings of the earth and all peoples,
princes and all rulers of the earth!
Young men and women alike,
old and young together! R.

Let them praise the name of the Lord,
for his name alone is exalted;
his glory is above earth and heaven. R.

A reading from the book of Genesis.

Abraham's servant said to Laban, brother of Rebecca:
"I bowed my head and worshipped the Lord,
and blessed the Lord, the God of my master Abraham,
who had led me by the right way
to obtain the daughter of my master's kinsman for his son.
Now then, if you will deal loyally and truly with my master, tell me;
and if not, tell me, so that I may turn either to the right hand or to the left."
Then Laban and Bethuel answered, "The thing comes from the Lord;
we cannot speak to you anything bad or good.
Look, Rebekah is before you, take her and go,
and let her be the wife of your master's son, as the Lord has spoken."
And they called Rebekah, and said to her, "Will you go with this man?"
She said, "I will." So they sent away their sister Rebekah and her nurse
along with Abraham's servant and his men.
And they blessed Rebekah and said to her,
"May you, our sister, become thousands of myriads;
may your offspring gain possession of the gates of their foes."
Then Rebekah and her maids rose up, mounted the camels, and followed the man;
thus the servant took Rebekah, and went his way.
Now Isaac had come from Beer-lahai-roi, and was settled in the Negeb.
Isaac went out in the evening to walk in the field;
and looking up, he saw camels coming. And Rebekah looked up, and when she saw Isaac,
she slipped quickly from the camel, and said to the servant,
"Who is the man over there, walking in the field to meet us?"
The servant said, "It is my master." So she took her veil and covered herself.
And the servant told Isaac all the things that he had done.
Then Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah's tent.
He took Rebekah, and she became his wife; and he loved her.
So Isaac was comforted after his mother's death.

The Word of the Lord.

(Psalm to accompany FIRST READING #3)

Response: The Lord is good to all.

The Lord is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
The Lord is good to all,
and his compassion is over all that he has made. R.

All your works shall give thanks to you, O Lord,
and all your faithful shall bless you.
The eyes of all look to you,
and you give them their food in due season. R.

The Lord is just in all his ways,
and kind in all his doings.
The Lord is near to all who call on him,
to all who call on him in truth. R.

A reading from the book of Tobit

Then Raguel slaughtered a ram from the flock and received them very warmly.
When they had bathed and washed themselves and had reclined to dine, Tobias said to Raphael,
"Brother Azariah, ask Raguel to give me my kinswoman Sarah."
But Raguel overheard it and said to the lad,
"Eat and drink, and be merry tonight.
For no one except you, brother, has the right to marry my daughter Sarah.
She is given to you from today and forever.
May the Lord of heaven, my child,
guide and prosper you both this night and grant you mercy and peace."
Then Raguel summoned his daughter Sarah.
When she came to him he took her by the hand and gave her to Tobias, saying,
"Take her to be your wife in accordance with the law and decree
written in the book of Moses.
Take her and bring her safely to your father.
And may the God of heaven prosper your journey with his peace."
Then he called her mother and told her to bring writing material;
and he wrote out a copy of a marriage contract,
to the effect that he gave her to him as wife
according to the decree of the law of Moses.
Then they began to eat and drink.

The Word of the Lord.

(Psalm to accompany FIRST READING #4)

Response: The Lord fills the earth with his love.

Happy is the nation whose God is the Lord,
the people whom he has chosen as his heritage.
Truly the eye of the Lord is on those who fear him,
on those who hope in his steadfast love. R.

Our soul waits for the Lord.
he is our help and shield.
Our heart is glad in him,
because we trust in his holy name. R.

Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us,
even as we hope in you. R.

A reading from the book of Tobit

On the wedding night Sarah got up,
and she and Tobias began to pray and implore that they might be kept safe.
Tobias began by saying,
"Blessed are you, O God of our ancestors,
and blessed is your name in all generations forever.
Let the heavens and the whole creation bless you forever.
You made Adam, and for him you made his wife Eve as a helper and support.
From the two of them the human race has sprung.
You said, "It is not good that the man should be alone;
let us make a helper for him like himself.'
I now am taking this kinswoman of mine,
not because of lust, but with sincerity.
Grant that she and I may find mercy and that we may grow old together."

The Word of the Lord.

(Psalm to accompany FIRST READING #5)

Response: The Lord is compassion and love.

OR

The love of the Lord is everlasting
upon those who hold him in fear.

Bless the Lord, O my soul,
and all that is within me, bless his holy name.
Bless the Lord, O my soul,
and do not forget all his benefits. R.

The Lord is merciful and gracious,
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
As a father has compassion for his children,
so the Lord has compassion for those who fear him. R.

But the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting
v on those who fear him,
and his righteousness to children's children,
to those who keep his covenant. R.

A reading from the Song of Songs

The voice of my beloved!
Look, he comes, leaping upon the mountains,
bounding over the hills.
My beloved is like a gazelle or a young stag.
Look, there he stands behind our wall,
gazing in at the windows,
looking through the lattice.
O my dove, in the clefts of the rock,
in the covert of the cliff, let me see your face,
let me hear your voice;
for your voice is sweet, and your face is lovely.
My beloved is mine and I am his.
Set me as a seal upon your heart, as a seal upon your arm;
for love is strong as death, passion fierce as the grave.
Its flashes are flashes of fire, a raging flame.
Many waters cannot quench love, neither can floods drown it.

The Word of the Lord.

(Psalm to accompany FIRST READING #6)

Response: Indeed thus shall be blessed the man who fears the Lord.

Happy is everyone who fears the Lord,
who walks in his ways.
You shall eat the fruit of the labour of your hands;
you shall be happy, and it shall go well with you. R.

Your wife will be like a fruitful vine
within your house;
your children will be like olive shoots
around your table. R.

Thus shall the man be blessed
who fears the Lord.
The Lord bless you from Zion.
May you see the prosperity of Jerusalem
all the days of your life. R.

A reading from the book of Sirach

Happy is the husband of a good wife;
the number of his days will be doubled.
A loyal wife brings joy to her husband,
and he will complete his years in peace.
A good wife is a great blessing;
she will be granted among the blessings of the man who fears the Lord.
Whether rich or poor, his heart is content, and at all times his face is cheerful.
A wife's charm delights her husband,
and her skill puts flesh on his bones.
A silent wife is a gift from the Lord,
and nothing is so precious as her self-discipline.
A modest wife adds charm to charm,
and no scales can weigh the value of her chastity.
Like the sun rising in the heights of the Lord,
so is the beauty of a good wife in her well-ordered home.

The Word of the Lord.

(Psalm to accompany FIRST READING #7)

Response: I will bless the Lord at all times.

I will bless the Lord at all times;
his praise shall continually be in my mouth.
My soul makes its boast in the Lord;
let the humble hear and be glad. R.

O magnify the Lord with me,
and let us exalt his name together.
I sought the Lord, and he answered me,
and delivered me from all my fears. R.

Look to him, and be radiant;
so your faces shall never be ashamed.
This poor soul cried, and was heard by the Lord,
and was saved from every trouble. R.

The angel of the Lord encamps
around those who fear him, and delivers them.
O taste and see that the Lord is good;
happy are those who take refuge in him. R.

A reading from the book of Jeremiah

The days are surely coming, says the Lord,
when I will make a new covenant
with the house of Israel and the house of Judah.
It will not be like the covenant that I made with their ancestors
when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt -
a covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, says the Lord.
But this is the covenant that I will make
with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord:
I will put my law within them,
and I will write it on their hearts;
and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
No longer shall they teach one another, or say to each other, "Know the Lord,"
for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest,
says the Lord; for I will forgive their iniquity,
and remember their sin no more.

The Word of the Lord.

(Psalm to accompany FIRST READING #8)

Response: Happy the man who takes delight in the Lord’s commands.

Happy are those who fear the Lord,
who greatly delight in his commandments.
Their descendants will be mighty in the land;
the generation of the upright will be blessed. R.

Wealth and riches are in their houses,
and their righteousness endures forever.
They rise in the darkness as a light for the upright;
they are gracious, merciful, and righteous. R.

It is well with those who deal generously and lend,
who conduct their affairs with justice.
For the righteous will never be moved;
they will be remembered forever. R.

They are not afraid of evil tidings;
their hearts are firm, secure in the Lord.
Their hearts are steady, they will not be afraid;
in the end they will look in triumph on their foes. R.

They have distributed freely, they have given to the poor;
their righteousness endures forever;
their horn is exalted in honour. R.

A reading from the letter of Paul to the Romans

What then are we to say about these thingsÉ
If God is for us, who is against us?
He who did not withhold his own Son,
but gave him up for all of us,
will he not with him also give us everything else?
Who will bring any charge against God's elect?
It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn?
It is Christ Jesus, who died, yes, who was raised,
who is at the right hand of God, who indeed intercedes for us.
Who will separate us from the love of Christ?
Will hardship, or distress, or persecution, or famine,
or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors
through him who loved us.
For I am convinced that neither death, nor life,
nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come,
nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation,
will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

The Word of the Lord.

A reading from the letter of Paul to the Romans

I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God,
to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God,
which is your spiritual worship.
Do not be conformed to this world,
but be transformed by the renewing of your minds,
so that you may discern what is the will of God -
what is good and acceptable and perfect.
Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good;
love one another with mutual affection;
outdo one another in showing honour.
Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord.
Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer.
Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers.
Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them.
Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.
Live in harmony with one another;
do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly;
do not claim to be wiser than you are.
Do not repay anyone evil for evil,
but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all.
If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.

The Word of the Lord.

A reading from the first letter of Paul to the Corinthians

The body is for the Lord, and the Lord for the body.
And God raised the Lord and will also raise us by his power.
Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ?
But anyone united to the Lord becomes one spirit with him.
Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you,
which you have from God, and that you are not your own?
For you were bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body.

The Word of the Lord.

A reading from the first letter of Paul to the Corinthians

Strive for the greater gifts.
And I will show you a still more excellent way.
If I speak in the tongues of mortals and of angels,
but do not have love,
I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.
And if I have prophetic powers,
and understand all mysteries and all knowledge,
and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains,
but do not have love, I am nothing.
If I give away all my possessions,
and if I hand over my body so that I may boast,
but do not have love, I gain nothing.
Love is patient;
love is kind;
love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude.
It does not insist on its own way;
it is not irritable or resentful;
it does not rejoice in wrongdoing,
but rejoices in the truth.
It bears all things, believes all things,
hopes all things, endures all things.
Love never ends.

The Word of the Lord.

A reading from the letter of Paul to the Ephesians

Live in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us.
Be subject to one another out of reverence for Christ.
Wives, be subject to your husbands as you are to the Lord.
For the husband is the head of the wife just as Christ is the head of the church,
the body of which he is the Saviour.
Just as the church is subject to Christ,
so also wives ought to be, in everything, to their husbands.
Husbands, love your wives,
just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her,
in order to make her holy by cleansing her with the washing of water by the word,
so as to present the church to himself in splendour,
without a spot or wrinkle or anything of the kind -
yes, so that she may be holy and without blemish.
In the same way, husbands should love their wives as they do their own bodies.
He who loves his wife loves himself.
For no one ever hates his own body,
but he nourishes and tenderly cares for it,
just as Christ does for the church, because we are members of his body.
"For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife,
and the two will become one flesh."
This is a great mystery, and I am applying it to Christ and the church.
Each of you, however, should love his wife as himself,
and a wife should respect her husband.

The Word of the Lord.

A reading from the letter of Paul to the Colossians

As God's chosen ones, holy and beloved,
clothe yourselves with compassion,
kindness, humility, meekness, and patience.
Bear with one another and, if anyone has a complaint against another,
forgive each other;
just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.
Above all, clothe yourselves with love,
which binds everything together in perfect harmony.
And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts,
to which indeed you were called in the one body.
And be thankful.
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly;
teach and admonish one another in all wisdom;
and with gratitude in your hearts sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God.
And whatever you do, in word or deed,
do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus,
giving thanks to God the Father through him.

The Word of the Lord.

A reading from the first letter of Peter

Wives, in the same way, accept the authority of your husbands,
so that, even if some of them do not obey the word,
they may be won over without a word by their wives' conduct,
when they see the purity and reverence of your lives.
Do not adorn yourselves outwardly by braiding your hair,
and by wearing gold ornaments or fine clothing;
rather, let your adornment be the inner self
with the lasting beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit,
which is very precious in God's sight.
It was in this way long ago that the holy women who hoped in God
used to adorn themselves by accepting the authority of their husbands.
Thus Sarah obeyed Abraham and called him lord.
You have become her daughters as long as you do what is good
and never let fears alarm you.
Husbands, in the same way,
show consideration for your wives in your life together,
paying honor to the woman as the weaker sex,
since they too are also heirs of the gracious gift of life -
so that nothing may hinder your prayers.
Finally, all of you have unity of spirit, sympathy,
love for one another, a tender heart, and a humble mind.
Do not repay evil for evil or abuse for abuse;
but, on the contrary, repay with a blessing.
It is for this that you were called - that you might inherit a blessing.

The Word of the Lord.

A reading from the first letter of John

Little children, let us love,
not in word or speech,
but in truth and action.
And by this we will know that we are from the truth
and will reassure our hearts before him whenever our hearts condemn us;
for God is greater than our hearts,
and he knows everything.
Beloved, if our hearts do not condemn us,
we have boldness before God;
and we receive from him whatever we ask,
because we obey his commandments and do what pleases him.
And this is his commandment,
that we should believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ
and love one another, just as he has commanded us.
All who obey his commandments abide in him,
and he abides in them.
And by this we know that he abides in us,
by the Spirit that he has given us.

The Word of the Lord.

A reading from the first letter of John

Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God;
everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.
Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love.
God's love was revealed among us in this way:
God sent his only Son into the world so that we might live through him.
In this is love,
not that we loved God but that he loved us
and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins.
Beloved, since God loved us so much,
we also ought to love one another.
No one has ever seen God;
if we love one another, God lives in us, and his love is perfected in us.

The Word of the Lord.

A Reading from the Holy Gospel according to Matthew

When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain;
and after he sat down, his disciples came to him.

Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying:

"Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.
Blessed are the merciful,
for they will receive mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God.
Blessed are those who are per­secuted for righteousness' sake,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when people re­vile you
and persecute youand utter all kinds of evil
against you falsely on my account.
Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven.”

The Gospel of the Lord

A reading from the holy gospel according to Matthew

Jesus said to his disciples:
"You are the salt of the earth;
but if salt has lost its taste,
how can its saltiness be restored?
It is no longer good for anything,
but is thrown out and trampled under foot.
"You are the light of the world.
A city built on a hill cannot be hid.
No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket,
but on the lampstand,
and it gives light to all in the house.
In the same way, let your light shine before others,
so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven."

The Gospel of the Lord.

A reading from the holy gospel according to Matthew

Jesus said to his disciples:
"Not everyone who says to me, "Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven,
but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.
"Everyone then who hears these words of mine and acts on them
will be like a wise man who built his house on rock.
The rain fell, the floods came,
and the winds blew and beat on that house,
but it did not fall,
because it had been founded on rock.
And everyone who hears these words of mine
and does not act on them
will be like a foolish man who built his house on sand.
The rain fell, and the floods came,
and the winds blew and beat against that house,
and it fell - and great was its fall!"
Now when Jesus had finished saying these things,
the crowds were astounded at his teaching,
for he taught them as one having authority, and not as their scribes.

The Gospel of the Lord.

A reading from the holy gospel according to Matthew

Some Pharisees came to him, and to test him they asked,
"Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any cause?"
He answered,
"Have you not read that the one who made them at the beginning
"made them male and female,' and said,
"For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife,
and the two shall become one flesh'?
So they are no longer two, but one flesh.
Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate."

The Gospel of the Lord.

A reading from the holy gospel according to Matthew

When the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees,
they gathered together, and one of them, a lawyer,
asked him a question to test him.
"Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?"
He said to him,
" 'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart,
and with all your soul, and with all your mind.'
This is the greatest and first commandment.
And a second is like it:
"You shall love your neighbour as yourself.'
On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets."

The Gospel of the Lord.

A reading from the holy gospel according to Mark

Jesus said:
"From the beginning of creation, "God made them male and female.'
"For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother
and be joined to his wife,
and the two shall become one flesh.'
So they are no longer two, but one flesh.
Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate."

The Gospel of the Lord.

A reading from the holy gospel according to John

There was a wedding in Cana of Galilee,
and the mother of Jesus was there.
Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding.
When the wine gave out, the mother of Jesus said to him, "They have no wine."
And Jesus said to her, "Woman, what concern is that to you and to me?
My hour has not yet come."
His mother said to the servants, "Do whatever he tells you."
Now standing there were six stone water jars for the Jewish rites of purification,
each holding twenty or thirty gallons.
Jesus said to them, "Fill the jars with water."
And they filled them up to the brim.
He said to them, "Now draw some out, and take it to the chief steward."
So they took it.
When the steward tasted the water that had become wine,
and did not know where it came from
(though the servants who had drawn the water knew),
the steward called the bridegroom and said to him,
"Everyone serves the good wine first,
and then the inferior wine after the guests have become drunk.
But you have kept the good wine until now."
Jesus did this, the first of his signs, in Cana of Galilee,
and revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.

The Gospel of the Lord.

A reading from the holy gospel according to John

Jesus said to his disciples:
"As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you;
abide in my love.
If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love,
just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love.
I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you,
and that your joy may be complete.
"This is my commandment,
that you love one another as I have loved you."

The Gospel of the Lord.

A reading from the holy gospel according to John

Jesus said to his disciples:
"This is my commandment,
that you love one another as I have loved you.
No one has greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends.
You are my friends if you do what I command you.
I do not call you servants any longer,
because the servant does not know what the master is doing;
but I have called you friends,
because I have made known to you everything that I have heard from my Father.
You did not choose me but I chose you.
And I appointed you to go and bear fruit,
fruit that will last,
so that the Father will give you whatever you ask him in my name.

The Gospel of the Lord.

A reading from the holy gospel according to John

When the hour came for him to pass from this world to the Father,
Jesus raised his eyes to heaven and prayed, saying:
"I ask not only on behalf of these,
but also on behalf of those who will believe in me through their word,
that they may all be one.
As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be in us,
so that the world may believe that you have sent me.
The glory that you have given me I have given them,
so that they may be one, as we are one,
I in them and you in me,
that they may become completely one,
so that the world may know that you have sent me
and have loved them even as you have loved me.
Father, I desire that those also, whom you have given me,
may be with me where I am, to see my glory,
which you have given me because you loved me
before the foundation of the world.
"Righteous Father, the world does not know you, but I know you;
and these know that you have sent me.
I made your name known to them, and I will make it known,
so that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them."

The Gospel of the Lord.

Section A: For the newly-married couple

1. For _________ and _________ now united in marriage, and for their salvation, let us pray to the Lord.

2. That God will make _________ and _________ rejoice in mutual love that is faithful to the end, let us pray to the Lord.

3. That every day of their lives, _________ and _________ may renew their desire to grow in love for each other and the gift they make today of their very selves, let us pray to the Lord.

4. That _________ and _________ may persevere in love, maintain their resolve to support each other and come together to an ever greater knowledge of God, let us pray to the Lord.

5. That our brother and sister may turn to Christ in all their joys and sorrows, and help each other throughout life to discover their personal gifts and use them to serve God, let us pray to the Lord.

6. That the gifts of the Holy Spirit will be given to _________ and _________ in abundance and make of their union an ever more powerful sign of Christ's love for the Church, let us pray to the Lord.

Section B: For all married people

1. For all married couples present, that they may renew their commitment to love and to share with the world the mystery of God's friendship, let us pray to the Lord.

2. For all who are married in the Lord, that God will help them grow in love and sustain them in their efforts to give of themselves to others, let us pray to the Lord.

Section C: For the Church

1. For the Church of God, that we may be more aware of our vocation as the bride of Christ, let us pray to the Lord.

2. For God's holy people, that through this celebration we may grow in our desire to serve and love the world, let us pray to the Lord.

Section D: For the world

1. For the world, that in its hunger for love it may turn to Christ and acknowledge him as Lord, let us pray to the Lord.

2. That the world we live in and are called to serve may be enlivened by the presence of God shown forth in the love of men and women, let us pray to the Lord.

Section E: For the assembly and particular needs

1. For ourselves united here in God's name, that the Word of god may sustain us all in our vocation to love, let us pray to the Lord.

2. For our community, for ourselves and for each other, that we may accept the challenge placed before us today and make love our way of life, let us pray to the Lord.

Section F: Other intercessions

1. For _________ and _________ on this day of great joy: for the grace to persevere in love, cherish each other in all things, and share their love generously with all those whom they encounter, let us pray to the Lord.

2. For _________ and _________’s families, as they rejoice in this newly married couple’s happiness, and welcome new family members, let us pray to the Lord.

3. For a world of peace and justice for all, the best gift we can give to our children, let us pray to the Lord.

4. For all married couples, called to show to the world God’s faithfulness in their love and tenderness for each other, and for couples who are struggling to love each other, let us pray to the Lord.

5. For children – those who are well-loved, and those who hunger for love, let us pray to the Lord.

6. For the safety of travellers and hospitality for all who seek refuge, let us pray to the Lord.

7. For all of us gathered here, called to grow in love for the human community and use our gifts to build a better world, let us pray to the Lord.

8. For the members of _________ and _________’s families who have died, and for those who feel their absence most keenly at this time of joy, let us pray to the Lord.