The great mistress

Chapter 1 - Kasal

"You may be seated," malumanay na wika ng pari sa lahat ng nasa loob ng simbahan.

Matapos ihatid at ibigay ng parents ng bride ang anak nila sa groom nito, ay agad inakay ng groom ang naka-abrisyete ng bride sa kanya papunta sa harapan ng pari.

Nang naka-pwesto na ang groom at ang bride. Tsaka muling nagpatuloy na magsalita si Father.

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here together in the sight of God and in the presence of these witnesses to join this man and this woman in holy matrimony," dugtong ng pari sa welcome introduction nito sa lahat ng tao sa loob ng simbahan.

Pagkatapos ay ilang segundo muna itong huminto sa pagsasalita sa mikropono. Upang hagurin ng tingin ang lahat ng tao na nasa loob ng simbahan sa mga sandaling iyon.

"Marriage is the single most important relationship that challenges us to be always better. It molds and strengthens our character. Marriage is a symbol of the commitment to create a lifelong partnership based on love. The secret of love and marriage is to be in love and in trust, to know in your hearts that you want only the best for each other," mahabang panimula ni Father sabay muling hagod ng tingin sa lahat ng tao na nakikinig sa misa nito.

Maya-maya pa ay magalang na pinabasa ng pari sa mambabasang dalagita ng simbahan ang isang scripture na may kinalaman sa pag-ibig sa Corinthians 13.

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrong. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes in all things, and endures all things. Love never ends," mahabang basa ng dalagita sa scripture.

Matapos magbasa nito ng scripture ay bumalik na ito sa kinauupuan upang magbigay pugay sa pari na si Father Bryan na nagmula sa ibang bansa. Kung kaya't hindi ito nagta-Tagalog.

"And now these 3 remains which are Faith, Hope, and Love. And the greatest of these is love. Faith and hope keep us moving forward. Faith can move a mountain. But without love, faith is nothing. You can also give what you have to the poor to impress God, but without love, everything is nothing. Hope is the fuel that keeps faith alive in our quest to find love. Without love, nothing else matters. God wants us to learn to love as he loves us. You don't have to try many things just to make God loves us, because He already loves us," panimula muling bungad ng pari sa sermon nito.

Ngumiti muna ito sa mga tao at tsaka nagpatuloy muli sa pagsasalita.

"No matter what you do, God loves you. There are days that we chose not to love him back, but he loves us anyway."

Sandali muli itong tumigil sa pagsasalita. Palagi itong humihinto upang mas mabilis ma-digest sa puso at isip ng mga taga-pakinig ang mga sinasabi nito.

"To our groom and bride, I want you to learn from his example. There will be days that you don't feel like your partners loving you back, or you may feel forgotten and unappreciated. But love your spouse anyway," ngumiti ito sa mga ikinakasal nito na seryosong nakikinig sa sermon at payo nito.

"No matter things change, feelings change, but love remains the same. There's a lot of things that could change throughout your life, but the fact remains that love remains the same. Your spouse's appearance will certainly change over time. Even behavior and treatment to each other will drastically change. But please pray that your love never will."

Sandali muna muli itong huminto sa pagsasalita habang nakangiting pinagmamasdan ang ikinakasal.

"I want you two to learn to be the kind of couple that loves each other. If you do that, I believe you are on the road to a life filled with joy, contentment, peace, and faithfulness to God and to each other. Be patient to each other, kind, and understanding. Respect and trust each other. And most of all, love each other no matter what."