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Wedding Readings and Intercessions

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Readings from the Old Testament

*Genesis 1:26-28, 31a
*Genesis 2:18-24
*Genesis 24:48-51, 58-67
*Tobit 7:6-14
*Tobit 8:4b-8
*Proverbs 31:10-13, 19-20,30-31
Song of Songs 2:8-10, 14, 16a; 8:6-7a
*Sirach 26:1-4, 13-16(Vg. 26:1-4, 16-21)
Jeremiah 31:31-32a, 33-34a

Readings from the New Testament

Romans 8:31b-35, 37-39
Romans 12:1-2, 9-18
(Short form) Romans 12:1-2, 9-13
Romans 15:1b-3a, 5-7, 13
1 Corinthians 6:13c-15a, 17-20
1 Corinthians 12:31-13:8a
Ephesians 4:1-6
*Ephesians: 5:2a, 21-33
(Short form) Ephesians 5:2a, 25-32
Philippians 4:4-9
Colossians 3:12-17
Hebrews 13:1-4a, 5-6b
*1 Peter 3:1-9
Please note: choose one reading from the Old Testament, and one from the New Testament. One of those readings must specifically reference marriage (these readings have an asterisk). Also choose either version one or two of the intercessions.
readings from the old testament

1.*
A reading from the Book of Genesis
1:26-28, 31a

Then God said:
“Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.
Let them have dominion over the fish of the sea,
     the birds of the air, and the cattle,
     and over all the wild animals
     and all the creatures that crawl on the ground.”

God created man in his image;
          in the image of God he created him;
          male and female he created them.

God blessed them, saying:
     “Be fertile and multiply;
     fill the earth and subdue it.
Have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air,
     and all the living things that move on the earth.”
God looked at everything he had made, and he found it very good.

The word of the Lord.

2.*
A reading from the Book of Genesis
2:18-24

The LORD God said: “It is not good for the man to be alone.
I will make a suitable partner for him.”
So the LORD God formed out of the ground
     various wild animals and various birds of the air,
     and he brought them to the man to see what he would call them;
     whatever the man called each of them would be its name.
The man gave names to all the cattle,
     all the birds of the air, and all wild animals;
     but none proved to be the suitable partner for the man.
So the LORD God cast a deep sleep on the man,
     and while he was asleep,
     he took out one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh.
The LORD God then built up into a woman the rib
     that he had taken from the man.
When he brought her to the man, the man said:
     “This one, at last, is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh;
     This one shall be called ‘woman,’
          for out of ‘her man’ this one has been taken.”
That is why a man leaves his father and mother
    and clings to his wife,
     and the two of them become one body.

The word of the Lord.

3.*
A reading from the Book of Genesis
24:48-51, 58-67

The servant of Abraham said to Laban:
“I bowed down in worship to the LORD,
     blessing the LORD, the God of my master Abraham,
     who had led me on the right road
     to obtain the daughter of my master’s kinsman for his son.
If, therefore, you have in mind to show true loyalty to my master,
     let me know;
     but if not, let me know that, too.
I can then proceed accordingly.”

Laban and his household said in reply:
     “This thing comes from the LORD;
     we can say nothing to you either for or against it.
Here is Rebekah, ready for you;
     take her with you,
     that she may become the wife of your master’s son,
     as the LORD has said.”

So they called Rebekah and asked her,
     “Do you wish to go with this man?”
She answered, “I do.”
At this they allowed their sister Rebekah and her nurse to take leave,
     along with Abraham’s servant and his men.
Invoking a blessing on Rebekah, they said:

     “Sister, may you grow into thousands of myriads;
     And may your descendants gain possession
          of the gates of their enemies!”

Then Rebekah and her maids started out;
     they mounted their camels and followed the man.
So the servant took Rebekah and went on his way.

Meanwhile Isaac had gone from Beer-lahai-roi
     and was living in the region of the Negeb.
One day toward evening he went out . . . in the field,
     and as he looked around, he noticed that camels were approaching.
Rebekah, too, was looking about, and when she saw him,
     she alighted from her camel and asked the servant,
     “Who is the man out there, walking through the fields toward us?”
“That is my master,” replied the servant.
Then she covered herself with her veil.

The servant recounted to Isaac all the things he had done.
Then Isaac took Rebekah into his tent;
     he married her, and thus she became his wife.
In his love for her Isaac found solace after the death of his mother Sarah.

The word of the Lord.

4.*
A reading from the Book of Tobit
7:6-14

Raphael and Tobiah entered the house of Raguel and greeted him.
Raguel sprang up and kissed Tobiah, shedding tears of joy.
But when he heard that Tobit had lost his eyesight, he was grieved and wept aloud.
He said to Tobiah:
     “My child, God bless you! You are the son of a noble and good father. But what a terrible misfortune that such a righteous and charitable man should be afflicted with blindness!”
He continued to weep in the arms of his kinsman Tobiah.
His wife Edna also wept for Tobit; and even their daughter Sarah began to weep.

Afterward, Raguel slaughtered a ram from the flock
     and gave them a cordial reception.
When they had bathed and reclined to eat,
     Tobiah said to Raphael, “Brother Azariah,
     ask Raguel to let me marry my kinswoman Sarah.”
Raguel overheard the words;
     so he said to the boy:
     “Eat and drink and be merry tonight,
     for no man is more entitled to marry my daughter Sarah than you, brother.
Besides, not even I have the right to give her to anyone but you,
     because you are my closest relative.
But I will explain the situation to you very frankly.
I have given her in marriage to seven men,
     all of whom were kinsmen of ours,
     and all died on the very night they approached her.
But now, son, eat and drink. I am sure the Lord will look after you both.”
Tobiah answered, “I will eat or drink nothing
     until you set aside what belongs to me.”

Raguel said to him: “I will do it.
She is yours according to the decree of the Book of Moses.
Your marriage to her has been decided in heaven! Take your kinswoman from now on you are her love, and she is your beloved. She is yours today and ever after.
And tonight, son, may the Lord of heaven prosper you both.
May he grant you mercy and peace.”
Then Raguel called his daughter Sarah, and she came to him.
He took her by the hand and gave her to Tobiah with the words:
     “Take her according to the law.
According to the decree written in the Book of Moses she is your wife.
Take her and bring her back safely to your father.
And may the God of heaven grant both of you peace and prosperity.”
He then called her mother and told her to bring a scroll, so that he might draw up a marriage contract stating that he gave Sarah to Tobiah as his wife according to the decree of the Mosaic law. Her mother brought the scroll, and he drew up the contract, to which they affixed their seals.

Afterward they began to eat and drink.

The word of the Lord.

5.*
A reading from the Book of Tobit
8:4b-8

On their wedding night Tobiah arose from bed and said to his wife,
     “Sister, get up. Let us pray and beg our Lord
     to have mercy on us and to grant us deliverance.”
Sarah got up, and they started to pray
     and beg that deliverance might be theirs.
They began with these words:

     “Blessed are you, O God of our fathers;
          praised be your name forever and ever.
     Let the heavens and all your creation praise you forever.
     You made Adam and you gave him his wife Eve
          to be his help and support;
          and from these two the human race descended.
     You said, ‘It is not good for the man to be alone;
          let us make him a partner like himself.’
     Now, Lord, you know that I take this wife of mine
          not because of lust, but for a noble purpose.
     Call down your mercy on me and on her,
          and allow us to live together to a happy old age.”

They said together, “Amen, amen.”

The word of the Lord.

6.*
A reading from the Book of Proverbs
31:10-13, 19-20, 30-31

When one finds a worthy wife,
     her value is far beyond pearls.
Her husband, entrusting his heart to her,
     has an unfailing prize.
She brings him good, and not evil,
     all the days of her life.
She obtains wool and flax
     and makes cloth with skillful hands.
She puts her hands to the distaff,
     and her fingers ply the spindle.
She reaches out her hands to the poor,
     and extends her arms to the needy.
Charm is deceptive and beauty fleeting;
     the woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.
Give her a reward of her labors,
     and let her works praise her at the city gates.

The word of the Lord.

7.
A reading from the Song of Songs
2:8-10, 14, 16a; 8:6-7a

Hark! my lover–here he comes
     springing across the mountains, leaping across the hills.
My lover is like a gazelle or a young stag.
Here he stands behind our wall,
     gazing through the windows, peering through the lattices.
My lover speaks; he says to me,
     “Arise, my beloved, my dove, my beautiful one, and come!

“O my dove in the clefts of the rock,
     in the secret recesses of the cliff,
Let me see you, let me hear your voice,
For your voice is sweet, and you are lovely.”

My lover belongs to me and I to him.
     He says to me:

“Set me as a seal on your heart, as a seal on your arm;
For stern as death is love, relentless as the nether world is devotion;
     its flames are a blazing fire.
Deep waters cannot quench love, nor floods sweep it away.”

The word of the Lord.

8.*
A reading from the Book of Sirach
26:1-4, 13-16

Blessed the husband of a good wife,
     twice-lengthened are his days;
A worthy wife brings joy to her husband,
     peaceful and full is his life.
A good wife is a generous gift
     bestowed upon him who fears the LORD;
Be he rich or poor, his heart is content,
     and a smile is ever on his face.

A gracious wife delights her husband,
     her thoughtfulness puts flesh on his bones;
A gift from the LORD is her governed speech,
     and her firm virtue is of surpassing worth.
Choicest of blessings is a modest wife,
     priceless her chaste soul.
A holy and decent woman adds grace upon grace;
     indeed, no price is worthy of her temperate soul.
Like the sun rising in the LORD’s heavens,
     the beauty of a virtuous wife is the radiance of her home.

The word of the Lord.

9.
A reading from the Book of the Prophet Jeremiah
31:31-32a, 33-34a

The days are 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 I made with their fathers:
     the day I took them by the hand
     to lead them forth from the land of Egypt.
But this is the covenant which I will make
     with the house of Israelafter those days, says the LORD.
I will place my law within them, and write it upon their hearts;
     I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
No longer will they have need to teach their friends and relatives
     how to know the LORD.
All, from least to greatest, shall know me, says the LORD.

The word of the Lord.
readings from the new testament

1.
A reading from the Letter of Saint Paul to the Romans
8:31b-35, 37-39

Brothers and sisters:
If God is for us, who can be against us?
He did not spare his own Son but handed him over for us all,
     how will he not also give us everything else along with him?
Who will bring a charge against God’s chosen ones?
It is God who acquits us. Who will condemn?
It is Christ Jesus who died, rather, was raised,
     who also is at the right hand of God, who indeed intercedes for us.
What will separate us from the love of Christ?
Will anguish, or distress, or persecution, or famine,
     or nakedness, or peril, or the sword?

No, in all these things, we conquer overwhelmingly through him who loved us.
For I am convinced that neither death, nor life,
     nor angels, nor principalities,
     nor present things, nor future things,
     nor powers, nor height, nor depth,
     nor any other creature will be able to separate us
     from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

The word of the Lord.

2.Long Form
A reading from the Letter of Saint Paul to the Romans
12:1-2, 9-18

I urge you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God, your spiritual worship.
Do not conform yourselves to this age but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may discern what is the will of God,
     what is good and pleasing and perfect.

Let love be sincere;
     hate what is evil, hold on to what is good;
     love one another with mutual affection;
     anticipate one another in showing honor.
Do not grow slack in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, endure in affliction, persevere in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the holy ones, exercise hospitality. Bless those who persecute you, bless and do not curse them.
Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.
Have the same regard for one another;
     do not be haughty but associate with the lowly;
     do not be wise in your own estimation.
Do not repay anyone evil for evil; be concerned for what is noble in the sight of all.
If possible, on your part, live at peace with all.

The word of the Lord.

2.Short Form
A reading from the Letter of Saint Paul to the Romans
12:1-2, 9-13

I urge you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God,
     to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice,
     holy and pleasing to God, your spiritual worship.
Do not conform yourselves to this age
     but be transformed by the renewal of your mind,
     that you may discern what is the will of God,
     what is good and pleasing and perfect.

Let love be sincere;
     hate what is evil, hold on to what is good;
     love one another with mutual affection;
     anticipate one another in showing honor.
Do not grow slack in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord.
Rejoice in hope, endure in affliction, persevere in prayer.
Contribute to the needs of the holy ones,
     exercise hospitality.

The word of the Lord.

3.
A reading from the Letter of Saint Paul to the Romans
15:1b-3a, 5-7, 13

Brothers and sisters:
We ought to put up with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves;
     let each of us please our neighbor for the good,
     for building up.
For Christ did not please himself.
May the God of endurance and encouragement
     grant you to think in harmony with one another,
     in keeping with Christ Jesus,
     that with one accord you may with one voice
     glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Welcome one another, then, as Christ welcomed you,
     for the glory of God.

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing,
     so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

The word of the Lord.

4.
A reading from the first Letter of Saint Paul to the Corinthians
6:13c-15a, 17-20

Brothers and sisters:
The body is not for immorality, but for the Lord,
     and the Lord is for the body;
     God raised the Lord and will also raise us by his power.

Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ?
Whoever is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with him.
Avoid immorality.
Every other sin a person commits is outside the body,
     but the immoral person sins against his own body.
Do you not know that your body
     is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you,
     whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?
For you have been purchased at a price.
Therefore glorify God in your body.

The word of the Lord.

5.
A reading from the first Letter of Saint Paul to the Corinthians
12:31–13:8a

Brothers and sisters:
Strive eagerly for the greatest spiritual gifts.

But I shall show you a still more excellent way.

If I speak in human and angelic tongues but do not have love,
     I am a resounding gong or a clashing cymbal.
And if I have the gift of prophecy and comprehend all mysteries and all knowledge;
     if I have all faith so as to move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.
If I give away everything I own,
     and if I hand my body over so that I may boast
     but do not have love, I gain nothing.

Love is patient, love is kind.
It is not jealous, is not pompous, it is not inflated, it is not rude,
     it does not seek its own interests,
     it is not quick-tempered, it does not brood over injury, it does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth.
It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
Love never fails.

The word of the Lord.

6.*
A reading from the Letter of Saint Paul to the Ephesians
5:2a, 25-32

Brothers and sisters:
Live in love, as Christ loved us and handed himself over for us.

Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ loved the Church
     and handed himself over for her to sanctify her,
     cleansing her by the bath of water with the word,
     that he might present to himself the Church in splendor,
     without spot or wrinkle or any such thing,
     that she might be holy and without blemish.
So also husbands should love their wives as their own bodies.
He who loves his wife loves himself.
For no one hates his own flesh
     but rather nourishes and cherishes it,
     even as Christ does the Church,
     because we are members of his Body.

     For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother
          and be joined to his wife,
     and the two shall become one flesh.

This is a great mystery, but I speak in reference to Christ and the Church.

The word of the Lord.

7.
A reading from the Letter of Saint Paul to the Philippians
4:4-9

Brothers and sisters:
Rejoice in the Lord always.
I shall say it again: rejoice!
Your kindness should be known to all.
The Lord is near.
Have no anxiety at all, but in everything,
     by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving,
     make your requests known to God.
Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding
     will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

Finally, brothers and sisters,
     whatever is true, whatever is honorable,
     whatever is just, whatever is pure,
     whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious,
     if there is any excellence
     and if there is anything worthy of praise,
     think about these things.
Keep on doing what you have learned and received
     and heard and seen in me.
Then the God of peace will be with you.

The word of the Lord.

8.
A reading from the Letter of Saint Paul to the Colossians
3:12-17

Brothers and sisters:
Put on, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved,
     heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience,
     bearing with one another and forgiving one another,
     if one has a grievance against another;
     as the Lord has forgiven you, so must you also do.
And over all these put on love,
     that is, the bond of perfection.
And let the peace of Christ control your hearts,
     the peace into which you were also called in one Body.
And be thankful.
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly,
     as in all wisdom you teach and admonish one another,
     singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs
     with gratitude in your hearts to God.
And whatever you do, in word or in deed,
     do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus,
     giving thanks to God the Father through him.

The word of the Lord.

9.
A reading from the Letter to the Hebrews
13:1-4a, 5-6b

Brothers and sisters:
Let mutual love continue.
Do not neglect hospitality,
     for through it some have unknowingly entertained angels.
Be mindful of prisoners as if sharing their imprisonment,
     and of the ill-treated as of yourselves,
     for you also are in the body.
Let marriage be honored among all
     and the marriage bed be kept undefiled.
Let your life be free from love of money
     but be content with what you have,
     for he has said, I will never forsake you or abandon you.
Thus we may say with confidence:

          The Lord is my helper,
          and I will not be afraid.

The word of the Lord.

10. *
A reading from the first Letter of Saint Peter
3:1-9

Beloved:
You wives should be subordinate to your husbands so that,
even if some disobey the word, they may be won over without a word by their wives’ conduct when they observe your reverent and chaste behavior.
Your adornment should not be an external one:
braiding the hair, wearing gold jewelry, or dressing in fine clothes,but rather the hidden character of the heart, expressed in the imperishable beauty of a gentle and calm disposition, which is precious in the sight of God.
For this is also how the holy women who hoped in God once used to adorn
themselves and were subordinate to their husbands; thus Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him “lord.” You are her children when you do what is good and fear no intimidation.

Likewise, you husbands should live with your wives in understanding,
     showing honor to the weaker female sex, since we are joint heirs of the gift of life,
     so that your prayers may not be hindered.

Finally, all of you, be of one mind, sympathetic, loving toward one another, compassionate, humble.
Do not return evil for evil, or insult for insult; but, on the contrary, a blessing, because to this you were called, that you might inherit a blessing.

The word of the Lord.

11.
A reading from the first Letter of Saint John
3:18-24

Children, let us love not in word or speech
     but in deed and truth.

Now this is how we shall know that we belong to the truth
     and reassure our hearts before him
     in whatever our hearts condemn,
     for God is greater than our hearts and knows everything.
Beloved, if our hearts do not condemn us,
     we have confidence in God
     and receive from him whatever we ask,
     because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him.
And his commandment is this:
     we should believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ,
     and love one another just as he commanded us.
Those who keep his commandments remain in him, and he in them,
     and the way we know that he remains in us
     is from the Spirit that he gave us.

The word of the Lord.

12.
A reading from the first Letter of Saint John
4:7-12

Beloved, let us love one another,
     because love is of God;
     everyone who loves is begotten by God and knows God.
Whoever is without love does not know God, for God is love.
In this way the love of God was revealed to us:
     God sent his only-begotten Son into the world
     so that we might have life through him.
In this is love:
     not that we have loved God, but that he loved us
     and sent his Son as expiation for our sins.
Beloved, if God so loved us,
     we also must love one another.
No one has ever seen God.
Yet, if we love one another, God remains in us,
     and his love is brought to perfection in us.

The word of the Lord.

13.
A reading from the Book of Revelation
19:1, 5-9a

I, John, heard what sounded like the loud voice
     of a great multitude in heaven, saying:
          “Alleluia! Salvation, glory, and might belong to our God.”

A voice coming from the throne said:
     “Praise our God, all you his servants,
          and you who revere him, small and great.”

Then I heard something like the sound of a great multitude
     or the sound of rushing water or mighty peals of thunder, as they said:
          “Alleluia!
     The Lord has established his reign, our God, the almighty.
     Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory.
     For the wedding day of the Lamb has come, his bride has made herself ready.
     She was allowed to wear a bright, clean linen garment.”
(The linen represents the righteous deeds of the holy ones.)

Then the angel said to me,
     “Write this: Blessed are those who have been called
     to the wedding feast of the Lamb.”

The word of the Lord.
Prayers of the faithful

1.
That these faithful Christians, N. and N.,
newly joined in Holy Matrimony,
may always enjoy health and well-being,
let us pray to the Lord. R.

That he will bless their covenant
as he chose to sanctify marriage at Cana in Galilee,
let us pray to the Lord. R.

That they be granted perfect and fruitful love,
peace and strength,
and that they bear faithful witness to the name of Christian,
let us pray to the Lord. R.

That the Christian people
may grow in virtue day by day
and that all who are burdened by any need
may receive the help of grace from above,
let us pray to the Lord. R.

That the grace of the Sacrament
will be renewed by the Holy Spirit
in all married persons here present,
let us pray to the Lord. R.

2.
For this bride and groom,
and for their well-being as a family,
let us pray to the Lord. R.

For their relatives and friends,
and for all who have assisted this couple,
let us pray to the Lord. R.

For young people preparing to enter Marriage,
and for all whom the Lord is calling to another state in life,
let us pray to the Lord. R.

For all families throughout the world
and for lasting peace among all people,
let us pray to the Lord. R.

For all members of our families
who have passed from this world,
and for all the departed,
let us pray to the Lord. R.

For the Church, the holy People of God,
and for unity among all Christians,
let us pray to the Lord. R.

Wedding Readings and Intercessions

Readings from the Old Testament

Readings from the New Testament

Please note: choose one reading from the Old Testament, and one from the New Testament. One of those readings must specifically reference marriage (these readings have an asterisk). Also choose either version one or two of the intercessions.