Male and female, God created them.
A reading from the book of Genesis
Then God said: "Let us make human beings in our image, after our likeness. Let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, the tame animals, all the wild animals and all the creatures that crawl on the earth." God created mankind in his image; in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. God blessed them and God said to them: "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 crawl on the earth." God looked at everything he had made, and found it very good.
The Word of the Lord.
They became one flesh.
A reading from the book of Genesis
The Lord God said: It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suited to him. So the Lord God formed out of the ground all the wild animals and all the birds of the air, and he brought them to the man to see what he would call them; whatever the man called each living creature was then its name. The man gave names to all the tame animals, all the birds of the air, and all the wild animals; but none proved to be a helper suited to the man. So the Lord God cast a deep sleep on the man, and while he was asleep, he took out one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. The Lord God then built the rib that he had taken from the man into a woman. When he brought her to the man, the man said:
“This one, at last, is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh;
This one shall be called ‘woman,’ for out of man this one has been taken.”
That is why a man leaves his father and mother and clings to his wife, and the two of them become one body.
Isaac loved Rebekah, so he was comforted after his mother's death.
A reading from the book of Genesis
Abraham’s servant said to Laban, "Then I knelt and bowed down to the Lord, blessing the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, who had led me on the right road to obtain the daughter of my master’s kinsman for his son. Now, if you will act with kindness and fidelity toward my master, let me know; but if not, let me know that too. I can then proceed accordingly.”Laban and Bethuel said in reply: “This thing comes from the Lord; we can say nothing to you either for or against it. Here is Rebekah, right in front of you; take her and go, that she may become the wife of your master’s son, as the Lord has said.”
So they called Rebekah and asked her, “Will you go with this man?” She answered, “I will.” At this they sent off their sister Rebekah and her nurse with Abraham’s servant and his men. They blessed Rebekah and said:
“Sister, may you grow into thousands of myriads;
And may your descendants gain possession of the gates of their enemies!”
Then Rebekah and her attendants started out; they mounted the camels and followed the man. So the servant took Rebekah and went on his way. Meanwhile Isaac had gone from Beer-lahai-roi and was living in the region of the Negeb. One day toward evening he went out to walk in the field, and caught sight of camels approaching. Rebekah, too, caught sight of Isaac, and got down from her camel. She asked the servant, “Who is the man over there, walking through the fields toward us?” “That is my master,” replied the servant. Then she took her veil and covered herself. The servant recounted to Isaac all the things he had done. Then Isaac brought Rebekah into the tent of his mother Sarah. He took Rebekah as his wife. Isaac loved her and found solace after the death of his mother.
The Word of the Lord
May the Lord of heaven guide and prosper you both this night
and grant you mercy and peace.
A reading from the book of Tobit
Raguel jumped up, kissed him, and broke into tears. Then, finding words, he said, “A blessing upon you, son! You are the son of a good and noble father. What a terrible misfortune that a man so righteous and charitable has been afflicted with blindness!” He embraced his kinsman Tobiah and continued to weep. His wife Edna also wept for Tobit; and their daughter Sarah also began to weep.
Afterward, Raguel slaughtered a ram from the flock and gave them a warm reception. When they had washed, bathed, and reclined to eat and drink, Tobiah said to Raphael, “Brother Azariah, ask Raguel to give me my kinswoman Sarah.” Raguel overheard the words; so he said to the young man: “Eat and drink and be merry tonight, for no man has a greater right to marry my daughter Sarah than you, brother. Besides, not even I have the right to give her to anyone but you, because you are my closest relative. However, son, I must frankly tell you the truth. I have given her in marriage to seven husbands who were kinsmen of ours, and all died on the very night they approached her. But now, son, eat and drink. The Lord will look after you both.” Tobiah answered, “I will neither eat nor drink anything here until you settle what concerns me.”
Raguel said to him: “I will do it. She is yours as decreed by the Book of Moses. It has been decided in heaven that she be given to you! Take your kinswoman; from now on you are her brother, and she is your sister. She is given to you today and here ever after. May the Lord of heaven prosper you both tonight, son, and grant you mercy and peace.” Then Raguel called his daughter Sarah, and she came to him. He took her by the hand and gave her to Tobiah with these words: “Take her according to the law. According to the decree written in the Book of Moses I give her to be your wife. Take her and bring her safely to your father. And may the God of heaven grant both of you a safe journey in peace!” He then called her mother and told her to bring writing materials. He wrote out a copy of a marriage contract stating that he gave Sarah to Tobiah as his wife as decreed by the law of Moses. Her mother brought the material, and he drew up the contract, to which he affixed his seal. Afterward they began to eat and drink.
The Word of the Lord
Grant that we may grow old together.
A reading from the book of Tobit
Tobiah rose from bed and said to his wife, “My sister, come, let us pray and beg our Lord to grant us mercy and protection.” She got up, and they started to pray and beg that they might be protected. He began with these words:
“Blessed are you, O God of our ancestors;
blessed be your name forever and ever!
Let the heavens and all your creation bless you forever.
You made Adam, and you made his wife Eve to be his helper and support;
and from these two the human race has come.
You said, ‘It is not good for the man to be alone; let us make him a helper like himself.’
Now, not with lust, but with fidelity I take this kinswoman as my wife.
Send down your mercy on me and on her, and grant that we may grow old together.
Bless us with children.”
They said together, “Amen, amen!”
The Word of the Lord
A worthy woman.
A reading from the book of Proverbs
Who can find a woman of worth? Far beyond jewels is her value.
Her husband trusts her judgment; he does not lack income.
She brings him profit, not loss, all the days of her life.
She seeks out wool and flax and weaves with skillful hands.
She puts her hands to the distaff, and her fingers ply the spindle.
She reaches out her hands to the poor,
and extends her arms to the needy.
Charm is deceptive and beauty fleeting;
the woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.
Acclaim her for the work of her hands,
and let her deeds praise her at the city gates.
The Word of the Lord
For love is strong as death.
A reading from the Song of Songs
The sound of my lover! here he comes
springing across the mountains,
leaping across the hills.
My lover is like a gazelle or a young stag.
See! He is standing behind our wall,
gazing through the windows, peering through the lattices.
My lover speaks and says to me,
“Arise, my friend, my beautiful one, and come!
My dove in the clefts of the rock,
in the secret recesses of the cliff,
Let me see your face, let me hear your voice,
For your voice is sweet, and your face is lovely.”
My lover belongs to me and I to him;
Set me as a seal upon your heart,
as a seal upon your arm;
For Love is strong as Death,
longing is fierce as Sheol.
Its arrows are arrows of fire, flames of the divine.
Deep waters cannot quench love,
nor rivers sweep it away.
The Word of the Lord
Like the sun rising, so is the beauty of a good wife
in her well ordered home.
A reading from the book of Sirach
Happy the husband of a good wife; the number of his days will be doubled.
A loyal wife brings joy to her husband, and he will finish his years in peace.
A good wife is a generous gift bestowed upon him who fears the Lord.
Whether rich or poor, his heart is content, a smile ever on his face.
A gracious wife delights her husband; her thoughtfulness puts flesh on his bones.
A silent wife is a gift from the Lord; nothing is worth more than her self-discipline.
A modest wife is a supreme blessing; no scales can weigh the worth of her chastity.
The sun rising in the Lord’s heavens — the beauty of a good wife in her well-ordered home.
The Word of the Lord
I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel
and the house of Judah.
A reading from the book of the Prophet Jeremiah
See, days are coming - oracle of the LORD - when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah. It will not be like the covenant I made with their ancestors the day I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt.
But this is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after those days - oracle of the LORD. I will place my law within them, and write it upon their hearts; I will be their God, and they shall be my people. They will no longer teach their friends and relatives, “Know the LORD!” Everyone, from least to greatest, shall know me - oracle of the LORD.
The Word of the Lord