Holy Matrimony: The Domestic Church [EP. 17]

Why does the Orthodox wedding service place crowns on the heads of the bride and groom, sing a hymn to the martyrs, but includes no vows? Dcn Seraphim traces marriage from its institution in Eden through the wedding at Cana and St. Paul's vision of Christ and the Church, then walks through the rites of betrothal and crowning: the rings, candles, common cup, joining of hands, and threefold procession around the Gospel. With the help of St. John Chrysostom and the prayers of the service, he shows that Christian marriage is God's act of joining two lives into one, a royal vocation whose authority takes the form of sacrifice. The episode then turns from the church building to the household, where the icon corner, family prayer, fasting, hospitality, forgiveness, and the shared table make the home a domestic church, and closes with a pastoral word about struggle, divorce, and the married saints who carried their crowns faithfully to the end. Handouts and resources: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1jxEjqQR6tymRYJHjIF3gF3YBzZtip79q?usp=sharing Music Used: Cherubic Hymn, Romanian Chant, Tone 8 Choir of St. Seraphim Orthodox Cathedral, Santa Rosa, CA