Sunday, December 14, 2008

Nuptial Blessing

Let us pray. -- O God, who by Thy mighty power hast made all things out of nothing: and who, having established the first beginnings of the world, didst in the woman provide for the man, made after the likeness of God, a helpmate to be so inseparably bound to him, that Thou didst give to her body its beginning from his body--thus teaching us, that it should never be lawful to sever that which it had pleased Thee to form out of one substance: O God, who by so excellent a mystery consecrated the union between man and wife, as in this nuptial bond to prefigure the sacred union of Christ with His Church; O God, by whom woman is joined to man, and this primal partnership is enriched with a blessing, such as alone of blessings was not withdrawn either in the punishment of sin, or in the sentence of the Deluge: do Thou graciously look down upon this Thy handmaid, who, about to be joined in wedlock, seeketh the guarantee of Thy protection.

May this be to her a yoke of love and peace! May she, faithful and chaste, be wedded in Christ, and ever be an imitator of the holy women! May she please her husband, as did Rachel; be prudent, as was Rebecca; long-lived and faithful, like Sara! Let not the author of evil usurp the least share in any of her actions! May she live on, knit closely to the Faith and to the Commandments! Bound to one husband, may she fly all illicit connections! May she protect her weakness by the vigor of discipline! May she be sedate in her behavior, respected for her modesty, versed in heavenly doctrine! May she be fruitful in offspring: be approved and innocent: and to attain to the heavenly realms and to the rest of the Blessed! And may both she and her husband see their children's children, even to the third and fourth generations, and attain a happy old age! Through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.

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Is there anything to add to this? This is the blessing that will be said at our wedding. I could not ask for a blessing that begs God for more of what I already ask of Him.

5 comments:

Warren said...

Getting married? Congratulations and may God bless you both!

I really love the old "preface" that priests gave at the old pre-1962 weddings. I've been looking around for it. I think it's called the "charge to the couple". Have you ever seen that around? I'm asking since you might have run into it.

Warren

Sheila said...

I think you might mean this:

http://www.sanctamissa.org/en/resources/books-1962/rituale-romanum/66-matrimony-instruction.html

That's the only one I've found.

Seraphic Single said...

Yes, it's very lovely. I wish my fiance and I were being married by a Trid-positive priest. Sigh....

Warren said...

Thanks! I have been searching about for that for a while.

Warren

Meredith said...

Ah!

::tears::