HOMILY
Wedding Anniversary Mass – June 28, 2026
13th Sunday in Ordinary Time
This is a pretty unusual gospel passage, don’t you think? It doesn’t sound like Jesus, does it?. And it hardly seems to be a gospel appropriate for today’s focus upon wedding anniversaries, marriage and family life. Just to be certain, let’s recall exactly what Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.” Jesus’ words don’t seem to make sense, do they? In fact, doesn’t the great commandment call us to love God above all things – but to also love our neighbor – our father and mother, our son and daughter, our husband and wife – as we love ourselves?
So, what’s really going on in this rather unique passage? What is Jesus saying to us? I’d suggest that it has nothing to do with insensitivity on his part and everything to do with the urgency of following Jesus and living out our faith through his call to discipleship.
While today’s gospel, on its surface, may sound harsh in tone for such a joyful celebration, at its heart, Jesus speaks of the sacrifice demanded of his disciples – of you and me – and the suffering that we will all endure at some point or another for the sake of our faith. He goes on to remind us that authentic discipleship ultimately means embracing the selflessness of Jesus that led him to the cross – it means welcoming and supporting others when our self-righteousness or preconceived notions about them may prompt us to treat them otherwise – and it means looking beyond our own world, our needs, and our plans in order to respond to the poor and broken who inhabit our families and neighborhoods and whom God weaves into our own lives.
Now let’s be honest – doesn’t this perspective on the gospel sound a lot like what’s required of a couple to engage in a life-giving, faithful marriage and what’s gotten you to today’s anniversary celebration in the first place? Suddenly, today’s gospel begins to make a bit more sense, particularly when we link it to our lives, our relationships and what we celebrate today.
We all carry around a lot of baggage in life, don’t we? Some of the things to which we cling, especially those rooted in our past and in our relationships, can deprive us of engaging life and our faith in a positive manner. … We can hold on to past hurts, mistakes, memories and all sorts of things that, at times, can stand in the way of new experiences, opportunities – and even encounters with God that have the power to bring us peace and consolation.
But there are also many things that God has woven into our lives that can be life-giving – like cherished family members and friends and experiences of authentic, selfless, forgiving love – all of which can be found in married life and can become the seed-bed for a deeper relationship amongst ourselves and ultimately with God.
Brothers and sisters, each one of you who gathers for this Wedding Anniversary Mass today knows the difference between the baggage that can wear us down and those things that can ultimately bring us joy and peace.
My parents were married for 56 years when my dad passed away in 2004. To commemorate their 50th wedding anniversary, my sister and I planned a beautiful Mass and a party to commemorate the event. As I began my homily during their anniversary Mass, I asked my parents if there were any words of wisdom that they wanted to share as they reflected on 50 years of marriage. Although I won’t do that with any of you today, I thought I could get away with it with my parents. First, I looked at my dad, who often got pretty emotional at times. He was already crying and couldn’t say a word. Then I looked at my mother. She rolled her eyes and said, “You know your father.” And then, without missing a beat, she went on to offer some pretty sage words of advice.
“What would I like to share about 50 years of marriage? It’s been an interesting journey. If you start with the early years of our marriage, just following World War II, while we loved each other, they were rough times. We didn’t have very much, and we worked hard to get ahead. We didn’t always agree on things. Then we were blessed with two wonderful children. There were good times but also disappointments and setbacks. But it was never about win or lose – but forgiving, accepting, praying and working hard because we believed in marriage. And look at what we have now. Look what we are able to celebrate today!”
My friends, I don’t doubt for a moment that most of you would share similar words today. As you think about the many years of your marriage, the stories and events that are likely racing through your minds and hearts probably don’t give evidence of a fairy tale notion of an ideal relationship. … To the contrary, your stories and lives likely reflect some of the same sentiments that my parents shared: hard work, struggle and pain, and a selflessness that seeks the well-being of another. … Your marriage has endured not because the years have been perfect, but because you have come to see marriage as part of something much bigger than yourselves – the mystery of God’s love discovered in your lives together.
Pope Leo spoke of marriage so beautifully in addressing married couples recently. “Marriage is not an ideal,” he began, “but the measure of true love between a man and a woman.” Quoting his predecessor, Saint Paul VI, Leo went on to share that marriage reflects “a love which is total—that very special form of personal friendship in which husband and wife generously share everything, allowing no unreasonable exceptions and not thinking solely of their own convenience. Whoever really loves his partner loves not only for what he receives, but loves that partner for the partner’s own sake, content to be able to enrich the other with the gift of himself.”
My friends, what a blessing you celebrate today in your married life! … Now do me a favor. … Look at the person sitting next to you. … Look into his eyes – her eyes. For all that is a part of this exchange at this moment, realize just how sacred your relationship is. … For all that you have been through, realize how blessed you are to have each other. … For as familiar as those eyes are, see through them to discover the face of God abiding within the heart of the one you love. … And give thanks. … Amen.