Nuptial Blessing
In the Catholic wedding ceremony, the Nuptial Blessing is a sacred moment. It takes place after the bride and groom give their approval and become husband and wife. It is a sacred and cherished tradition in many cultures and ceremonies around the world. It is a profound moment where blessings, prayers, and wishes are bestowed upon the couple as they embark on their journey of marriage.
The Nuptial Blessing holds deep significance within the context of a wedding ceremony. It symbolizes the union of two individuals in love, their commitment to each other, and their shared journey towards building a life together. Rooted in tradition and often steeped in religious rites, the Nuptial Blessing marks a pivotal moment in the couple’s life, as they seek divine guidance and blessings for their future together.
It is beneficial for engaged couples planning their wedding as well as married couples at any point in their marriage to reflect on the words of the Nuptial Blessing.
There are three options for the Nuptial Blessing
Option 1
Dear brothers and sisters,
let us humbly pray to the Lord
that on these his servants, now married in Christ,
he may mercifully pour out
the blessing of his grace
and make of one heart in love
(by the Sacrament of Christ’s Body and Blood)
those he has joined by a holy covenant.
And for a while, everyone prayed silently. Then the Priest, with hands extended over the bride and bridegroom, continues:
O God, who by your mighty power
created all things out of nothing,
and, when you had set in place
the beginnings of the universe,
formed man and woman in your image,
making the woman an inseparable helpmate to the man,
that they might be no longer two, but one flesh,
and taught that what you were pleased to make one
must never be divided;
O God, who consecrated the bond of Marriage
by so great a mystery
that in the wedding covenant, you foreshadowed
the Sacrament of Christ and his Church;
O God, by whom woman is joined to man
and the companionship they had in the beginning
is endowed with the one blessing
not forfeited by original sin
nor washed away by the flood.
Look now with favor on these your servants,
joined together in Marriage,
who ask to be strengthened by your blessing.
Send down on them the grace of the Holy Spirit
and pour your love into their hearts,
that they may remain faithful in the Marriage covenant.
May the grace of love and peace
abide in your daughter [name],
and let her always follow the example of those holy women
whose praises are sung in the Scriptures.
May her husband entrust his heart to her,
so that, acknowledging her as his equal
and his joint heir to the life of grace,
he may show her due honor
and cherish her always
with the love that Christ has for his Church.
And now, Lord, we implore you:
may these your servants
hold fast to the faith and keep your commandments;
made one in the flesh,
may they be blameless in all they do;
and with the strength that comes from the Gospel,
may they bear true witness to Christ before all;
(may they be blessed with children,
and prove themselves virtuous parents,
who live to see their children’s children.)
And grant that,
reaching at last together the fullness of years
for which they hope,
they may come to the life of the blessed
in the Kingdom of Heaven.
Through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Option 2
Let us pray to the Lord for this bride and groom,
who come to the altar as they begin their married life,
that (partaking in the Body and Blood of Christ)
they may always be bound together by love for one another.
And everyone prays silently for a while.
Subsequently, the priest proceeds, extending his hands over the couple:
Holy Father, who formed man in your own image,
male and female you created them,
so that as husband and wife, united in body and heart,
they might fulfill their calling in the world;
O God, who, to reveal the great design you formed in your love,
willed that the love of spouses for each other
should foreshadow the covenant you graciously made
with your people, so that, by fulfillment of the sacramental sign,
the mystical marriage of Christ with his Church
might become manifest
in the union of husband and wife among your faithful;
Graciously stretch out your right hand
over these your servants (Name and Name), we pray,
and pour into their hearts the power of the Holy Spirit.
Grant, O Lord,
that, as they enter upon this sacramental union,
they may share with one another the gifts of your love
and, by being for each other a sign of your presence,
become one heart and one mind.
May they also sustain, O Lord, by their deeds
the home they are forming
(and prepare their children
to become members of your heavenly household
by raising them in the way of the Gospel).
Graciously crown with your blessings your daughter (Name),
so that, by being a good wife (and mother),
she may bring warmth to her home with a love that is pure
and adorn it with welcoming graciousness.
Bestow a heavenly blessing also, O Lord,
on (Name), your servant,
that he may be a worthy, good and
faithful husband (and a provident father).
Grant, holy Father, that, desiring to approach your table
as a couple joined in Marriage in your presence,
they may one day have the joy
of taking part in your great banquet in heaven.
Through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Option 3
Let us humbly invoke by our prayers, dear brothers and sisters,
God’s blessing upon this bride and groom,
that in his kindness he may favor with his help
those on whom he has bestowed the Sacrament of Matrimony.
All pray in silence for a while.
Then the Priest, with hands extended over the bride and bridegroom, continues:
Holy Father, maker of the whole world,
who created man and woman in your own image
and willed that their union be crowned with your blessing,
we humbly beseech you for these your servants,
who are joined today in the Sacrament of Matrimony.
May your abundant blessing, Lord,
come down upon this bride, (Name),
and upon (Name), her companion for life,
and may the power of your Holy Spirit
set their hearts aflame from on high,
so that, living our together the gift of Matrimony,
they may (adorn their family with children
and) enrich the Church.
In the happiness may they praise you, O Lord,
in sorrow may they seek you out;
may they have the joy of your presence
to assist them in their toil,
and know that you are near
to comfort them in their need;
let them pray to you in the holy assembly
and bear witness to you in the world,
and after a happy old age,
together with the circle of friends that surrounds them,
may they come to the Kingdom of Heaven.
Through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
