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Thursday 28 March |
Holy Thursday of the Supper of the Lord
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A groom on the morning of his wedding: “It will all be a gift”

Deacon Greg Kandra - published on 08/10/13

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This guy understands that finding the love of your life is an answer to a prayer:  

So I’m getting married today. It’s about 1:00am and, as I imagine most soon-to-be grooms experience, I’m having trouble sleeping. In about thirteen hours, Jackie Francois will be walking down the aisle towards me—me, a bum from Florida. Man, oh man. I’m also aware that it will likely be a day of mourning for all single, male Catholics ages 14 to 44. I may even have a bounty or two on my head. Guys, all I know is that I must have done something right! Years ago I grew a beard and tried to give up my life to the Lord, as best as I could. The journey has been long and winding, with plenty of selfish decisions, failures, and re-committing myself to God. Tonight, after our rehearsal dinner, Jackie and I were surrounded by family and friends, resting in a beautiful, beautiful hour of adoration and worship of our Lord, who was present in the sacrament of the Eucharist, and one thought came over and over into my mind: He is faithful. He is faithful. He is faithful. I’ve watched some friends grow cynical over the years, leaving their faith as if belief in God were something childish or something we simply “graduate” from after middle school. I’ve watched other friends grow lukewarm or numb in their souls, forgetting our call into a divine romance with the Author of life itself. How the Lord wants to pour out every bit of abundant life into our souls! If only we knew! God is faithful! I have no doubt that I will be a hot mess when Jackie walks down that aisle today. I’m a crier. I pretend not to be, of course. I work at an all-boys Catholic high school, so I hesitate to admit this (they sometimes call me “Mr. Leonidas”)(it’s the beard). But I know that this wedding Mass will be such an experience of divine generosity and the explosion of love in that Church will likely break my heart. It will all be a gift—a free, total, undeservedly radiant gift. So yeah. I’m gonna cry.

Read it all.  And see if you don’t cry, too.

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