I DO NOT OWN REIGN.
Notre Dame Cathedral. Paris, Kingdom of France. The next day.
I had visited Notre Dame only once before as part of a class tour. But being here now, it was overwhelming. The cathedral was filled with French nobility and visiting foreign royals and outside, the throngs gathered to cheer us on. I stood at the altar with the Bishop and with Bash standing in as my best man. I had even gotten Lord Castleroy and Leith Bayard invited. Mary's ladies were naturally in attendance; even Lola who kept stealing glances at me. I did my best to ignore her until the wedding march started.
Mary looked beautiful enough when I saw her during the wedding scene on the show; but seeing her in person in that amazing dress, she was breathtaking. I teared up as I saw her wide smile as she walked down the aisle. We knelt down before the bishop as the service began.
"In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy spirit." The bishop said as everyone said amen.
"Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ." The bishop continued. "Be attentive to our prayers, O Lord, and in your kindness uphold what you have established for the increase of the human race, so that the union you have created may be kept safe by your assistance. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever."
I smiled as Mary as she held my hand.
"A reading from the book of Genesis 1:26-28:" the bishop recited as he opened a Bible. "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.'
"Thanks be to God." The assembly replied.
"A reading from the New Testament, 1 John 4:7-12:" the bishop recited. "Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us."
"Thanks be to God." The guests said again.
"A reading from the Gospel, Matthew 5:13-16: You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven."
"Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ."
"John 3:30 says 'He must increase, but I must decrease." The bishop continued. "Those simple, direct words of St. John the Baptist, whose feast we celebrate today, summarize the life of the Christian disciple. In all things, we want Jesus to increase and our own will, our own desires, our own attachments, to decrease. In my heart, in my prayer, in my family, in my parish, in my work, in my study, in my leisure, in my entertainment, may the Lord Jesus increase!"
"Dearly beloved, you have come together into the house of the church so that in the presence of the church's minister and the community, your intention to enter into marriage may be strengthened by the Lord with a sacred seal." The bishop told us as we both looked up, hands still holding.
"Christ abundantly blesses the love that binds you. Through a special sacrament, he enriches and strengthens those he has already consecrated by holy baptism, that you may be enriched with his blessing, so that you may have the strength to be faithful to each other forever, and assume all the responsibilities of married life. And so, in the presence of the church, I ask you to state your intentions."
"Francis and Mary, have you come here to enter into marriage without coercion, freely and wholeheartedly?"
"I have." We both said in unison.
"Are you prepared, as you follow the path of marriage, to love and honor each other for as long as you both shall live?"
"I am."
"The couple will now exchange their vows." The bishop said as I turned to my beautiful wife and tried not to cry as I looked deep in her eyes.
"I, Francis, take you, Mary, to be my wife. I promise to be faithful to you, in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health, to love you and to honor you all the days of my life." I said as she gently stormed my hand with her finger.
"I, Mary take you, Francis, to be my husband. I promise to be faithful to you, in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health, to love you and to honor you all the days of my life." She recited as I couldn't wait to kiss her.
"Bless, O Lord, these rings which we bless in your name. so that those who wear them may remain entirely faithful to each other, abide in peace and in your will, and live always in mutual charity. Through Christ our Lord." The bishop prayed.
"Amen." Everyone said as The bishop sprinkled the wedding rings with holy water before handing them to us.
"Mary, receive this ring as a sign of my love and fidelity. In the name of the father, and the son, and the holy spirit." I spoke as I placed the ring on Mary's finger.
"Francis, receive this ring as a sign of my love and fidelity. In the name of the father, and the son, and the holy spirit." Mary said back as she placed the ring on my finger.
"Now let us humbly invoke 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." The bishop said as we partook in holy communion. Mary and I each had a tasteless wafer and a sip of red wine.
"By the power vested in me by the most holy Catholic Church, and the Kingdom of France. I now pronounce you husband and wife! You may now kiss!" The Bishop declared as Mary and I quickly kissed each other with all of the passion that we could muster.
"Mary, I love you!" I exclaimed, blind with joy.
"I love you Francis, I always have, I always will!" Mary cried out as I picked up my Queen and spun her around as we were both crying waterfalls in front of all the royalty and nobility, but we didn't even give a shit. No one could take away from our happiness.
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