I
humbly told him that I am not a professional. My usual spot for weddings is
behind the altar where I’m pointing out to the wedding photographer when to get
ready for a “Kodak moment” during the ceremony. Roberto, our groom, said that I
would work fine and that the service would begin about 7.
I
arrived at 6:30 and to my surprise the fire hall was empty. The minister and
his wife arrived ten minutes to seven, but there were no guests or wedding
party in sight. Roberto said there would be a slight delay since many of his
friends work at the others barns and they had to go home and change.
It was
now eight o’clock and I strolled outside to scout for the bride who I found
standing next to a pick up truck in her bridal gown. At about 8:15, a crisis
occurred. The bride slipped and her ring fell on the ground under the truck
with millions of tiny pebbles. “Oh my God,” she scream, “I lost my ring.”
Now
while the wedding guests are inside the hall wondering when will the ceremony
begin, we have her godfather in his tuxedo on his knees searching for the ring.
Then the bride’s maid of honor comes running out the door to join in the
search. Yes, I’m looking right behind them when the Holy Spirit came to the
rescue when the maid of honor found the ring amidst the stones. It was a
miracle. Mind you, it is now 8:30 and the wedding guests are inside the fire
hall wondering when will the bride make her entrance.
As the
wedding service finally began, the bride’s son was running around the hall playing
with a pink balloon. I gently pushed the balloon behind me so that I could
focus on the couple, but he got mad and ran to his mommy who was standing in
front of the minister. At that very moment, the bride and groom were exchanging
their vows. This little boy wrapped his hands around the hands of his mom and
new step-dad. It was the shot of a lifetime. It was a sacred moment when this family
was united as one in their vows of marriage.
Today’s
feast of the Blessed Trinity can be rather vague and mysterious, but this
sacred moment at the wedding gives us a glimpse about the meaning of the
Trinity. Imagine: the bride is the mother (Creator of life), the groom is the
Son (Savior who redeemed us by his love) and the child who holds his mom and
his step-dad hands is the Spirit that unites them together.
Lord,
I pray for all my Sonshine Friends who are waiting for a sign that God is
present in their life. In our sorrows and our joys, may we know that God is as
near as the touch of a child who holds his parents in the palms of his hands.
