LOVE, Kloudiia

I witnessed something nice, and sweet.

Not only was it the first Catholic church wedding I’ve attended, it was also a union of two people who came from different religion, culture and background.

The bride is a Catholic, Singaporean.

The groom is not a Catholic, Japanese.

The priest started the homily with this short statement “Love is a mystery”

Love is a mystery! You don’t know when it starts to work for you, and when will its arms stretch out and spread all over you like tentacles, wrapping you up in that sweet pink bubble.

When he married the couple, Father Joe said this “What God unites, man cannot divide”.

That’s it. It’s sealed. The couple has come together in the presence of Jesus Christ our Lord who will bless them with love, patience, understanding and acceptance throughout their marriage.

In what symbolises this communion, the bride and the groom each held a burning candle and used that to light a third one, one that was much bigger, fatter and taller than the one they were holding. That was when two became one.

Love transcends any differences. Look at this couple. Not only was it an interfaith marriage, it also went beyond our shores, chartering into Asia Pacific and vice-versa. In the eyes of love, everyone is equal, and everyone stands a chance to love and be loved.

If love transcends any difference, then why aren’t all of us allowing ourselves to be completely touched by love? To put ourselves in the presence of this bliss and joy?

Because while we yearn for such happiness, at the same time, we’re also afraid. The worry that it may not last. The concern that your partner will take your love for granted. The anguish of a possible heartache after the magic has gone with the years.

This fear cripples us from taking one step further.

The step that is sticking between the current stage of your relationship and the unlimited amount of love you can experience as you two progress together. 

Therefore, we see a woman bowing away when a man five years younger than her refuses to lift his gaze off her face. We hear a woman’s sign as she loves a man who is afraid of giving and loving too much and allowed their relationship to remain stagnant.

My dear friends and readers, if you must fear, then feel the fear. Take it as just another emotion. You only need to feel it and acknowledge that it is present.

Have you realised that you can still act in spite of fear? If you haven’t, then test it out.

Think of something that you know you are fearful of. Then act upon it. You may not get an astounding result on the first shot due to the fear, but you surely would have experienced something else besides the fear. Take that emotion away with you, and build it up. In time to come, you will grow to love the idea of acting in spite of your fear as you learn to use that as a means to spur you on rather than deterring you from achieving greatness in life, including love.

As the wedding mass came to an end, the couple marched out of the church, smiling radiantly and waving to their friends and relatives who attended this special occasion to give them their best wishings.

Thereafter was lots of phototaking with the couple, congratulations and cheers going around. I took photos too during the mass, but out of respect for the couple’s privacy, I don’t think it’s polite to publish them on a public domain for all eyes to see. Suffice to know the groom is dashing while the bride is sweet and lovely. (Actually, these are all excuses really, cos I had conveniently forgotten to mention I was a gate-crasher. I don’t know the couple! Oops!)

Oh yes, and both are so in love.

While all were in high spirits with the celebration of a pair of newly-wed, the candle was still burning…

[tags]catholic wedding, church wedding, marriage, God, Jesus Christ, communion, union, husband and wife, love and marriage, fear[/tags]