A Moment of Homecoming
/CORINNE GANNOTTI
An audio version of this post was featured on our podcast.
For a few years when I was in college, I worked weekends at the small religious gift shop on the grounds of the Basilica of the Assumption in Baltimore City. I will always treasure that time.
I loved it for many reasons, not the least of which being that basically every weekend there was a wedding. Usually many weddings, in fact.
PHOTOGRAPHY: VISUAL GRACE
From behind the counter of the little Lodge shop, I had the perfect vantage point.
I would watch through the window whenever wedding parties and guests arrived - see them climb the stairs and pass under the immensity of the historic white pillars, shoes clicking across the marble as they stepped inside.
Flower girls and groomsmen, older family members assisted by grandchildren. Anticipation floated through the air as everyone greeted each other with hugs and laughter, palpable even from my distance. Everyone buzzed with noise and excitement.
Then there would be quiet, a few minutes of stillness. And finally, my favorite moment to watch. Dazzling in white, often with a glorious train flowing behind her, the bride arrived.
She would walk through the front iron gates after friends helped her step out from the car. Often bedecked with garden sized portions of beautiful flowers. And slowly, she would ascend the stairs.
I would watch until she was just out of view, the final bit of white from her dress slipping into the cathedral building where she and her beloved would meet and become one.
All those family members waiting inside to see the beauty of it all. It was always glorious.
I know, the sentimentality I heaped onto these moments as a dreamy-eyed onlooker was perhaps more than they even held for those that lived them. But it was always such a joy for me to behold it all.
Some weekends it seemed like nuptial masses happened back to back all day long. I would see the same scenes unfold again and again amidst ringing up customers and stocking shelves. And as different as each family may have been, or the styles of the dresses, or the weather outside - those moments always held a familiar quality.
The people were always genuine in their joy, and untethered by any other considerations, they could just celebrate being together.
Reflecting on it years later, I can see how those brief moments witnessed deeply to me about the meaning of weddings within the greater communities of our family and friends. They displayed so clearly in their simplicity how the celebration of the sacrament of marriage is a wondrous moment of homecoming.
For family and friends who haven't seen each other in ages. For those who perhaps haven't been inside a church building in a while or feel far from the love of God. Most of all, for the bride and groom. We return to each other. We are reminded of the beauty of life and the value of those who are closest to us.
Beyond the incredible sacramental significance of our wedding day, or maybe because of it, there is a profound invitation for everyone to bring their minds and hearts back to a focus on what matters most: family, love, the relationships at the core of who we are.
We are drawn up into the beauty, given time to really encounter each other, and we can celebrate.
Here's to all the homecomings that happen thanks to the glory, beauty, and joy of a wedding day. And even more importantly, may God grant us the grace to live marriages of homecoming. Marriages that reflect joy and hold space for others - inviting them in to return to what matters most.
About the Author: Corinne studied Theology and Catechetics at Franciscan University where she met her husband, Sam. They were married in 2016 and now live in Pennsylvania with their two children, Michael and Vera, and where she continues to work in the ministry field. She especially enjoys reading stories with her 3 year old, running, and crossing things off her to-do list. She desires to live a life marked by joy, and is grateful to have a family who makes that effort much easier by helping her take herself less seriously.