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| Interfaith Hindu-Christian wedding |
Officiated by Mike Ghouse on Saturday, May 12, 2012
Specificities have been taken out including the real
names for privacy. I am pleased to welcome y’all to the
beautiful wedding of Betson and Preeya on this blessed day.
"There is only one cast, the cast of humanity.
There is only one religion, the religion of love.
There is only one language, the language of the heart.
There is only one God, he is omnipresent."
Jesus Christ set the example to
the world through his actions; he embraced the socially rejected like the
prostitutes, the lepers and others. Between him and humanity, there were no walls;
Jesus
wanted to redeem the lost souls.
When Moses came down from Sinai with the tablets, his
unstated goal was to restore trust in the society through orderly conduct. Krishna
emerged to reinstate dharma (righteousness).
Muhammad revived the message of Abraham, of one common creator and
accountability for our Karma.
Buddha and Mahavira taught that one can achieve freedom through
self-regulating. Guru Nanak saw the commonalities
between Hindus and Muslims on the basis of Seva (service), while Bahaullah
taught the oneness of humanity. Of
course, the Native Americans also set a fine example, sharing knowledge among
various tribes for the common good.
Dear
creator, please accept our gratitude in every name call upon you; Manito,
Yahweh, Elahi, Ishwar, Allah, Mahavira, Buddha, Wahe Guru, Ahura Mazda, mother
earth and Jesus Christ.
Let me welcome you with interfaith greetings.
When you say “Hi” to the other person it has three components – acknowledgement, welcome sign, and the desire to be friends. The same idea is embedded in religious greetings. When you say “Namaste” in its most generic meaning, we are saying, let the good in you connect with the good in me, and when you say, Salaam, Shalom or peace, you are adding that may you be soaked in peace – and when you repeat that back to me, you want me to be in peace too… so, together when we connect, and the basis is peace and goodwill – whatever we do from that point - think, talk or act – it is suppose to be peaceful.
When you say “Hi” to the other person it has three components – acknowledgement, welcome sign, and the desire to be friends. The same idea is embedded in religious greetings. When you say “Namaste” in its most generic meaning, we are saying, let the good in you connect with the good in me, and when you say, Salaam, Shalom or peace, you are adding that may you be soaked in peace – and when you repeat that back to me, you want me to be in peace too… so, together when we connect, and the basis is peace and goodwill – whatever we do from that point - think, talk or act – it is suppose to be peaceful.
Religious greetings of Baha’i, Buddhist,
Christian, Hindu, Jain, Jewish, Muslim, Sikh, Wicca, Native Americans and
Zoroastrians were recited.
It is my pleasure to officiate the wedding
ceremony of Betson & Preeya per the social traditions and God as the
witness.
The bride and groom must be admired by one and all, in this divisive world, where people have difficulty in agreeing, and difficulty in getting along – they are setting a new standard, that of respecting the otherness of other and accepting the God given uniqueness of each other. They both grew up in different religious traditions, but yet, they have fallen the barriers.
The bride and groom must be admired by one and all, in this divisive world, where people have difficulty in agreeing, and difficulty in getting along – they are setting a new standard, that of respecting the otherness of other and accepting the God given uniqueness of each other. They both grew up in different religious traditions, but yet, they have fallen the barriers.
The Groom is raised with the Christian traditions with his own understanding of the causer of life while the Bride is raised with Hindu traditions with her own understanding of the creator. They are different perspectives of the same truth, when you believe that, humility embraces you, it becomes your attitude.
Humility builds societies, arrogance
destroys it.
Traditions teach accountability, when you live a balanced life, without the burden of guilt, wrong doing and ill will – you receive the ultimate gift of freedom. The Hindu tradition calls it Mukti that is freedom from all bondages, while the Christian tradition calls it Salvation.
We are here today, either through creation
or evolution, but we are here, the life is created in pairs, and the creation
has programmed the humanity with love and attraction for each other.
Now it is the responsibility of the couple to continue to accept each other as they are, without seeking the other to be different.
Now it is the responsibility of the couple to continue to accept each other as they are, without seeking the other to be different.
Then Proceedings, affirmation, acceptance,
ring exchange and the announcement.
A SHORT SERMON
A SHORT SERMON
Love, tranquility, mercy,
equity, and kindness are the hallmarks of an ideal marriage. If any of these
elements decline in intensity, it becomes the duty of the husband and the wife,
equally, to reflect and listen to each other in order to fully enjoy the beauty
of marriage.
Once you enjoy the harmony and
connection between the two, when you feel each other’s joy, each other’s pain
and apprehension… neither of you feels alone, there is a sense of security and
a sense of relief in it for both, you feel worthy of living and giving the joy
to your spouse. Indeed, that is what a
heaven is all about. It is the freedom to be yourselves and joy to care for
each other.
What is part of the nature?
Both of you want peace and
tranquility in life, that is a natural state we move towards. If there is a
conflict, the bottom line for both of you is to be out of it, but the ego plays
it out and you start saying things, doing things that does the opposite of what
you want; that is peace. When there is
conflict, just become a listener, not aan aan, yeah yeah yeah…but an active
listener showing that you really care to hear him or her out. That is what
guides you out of the conflict.
Shared a short story about
effective listening – my encounters with President Musharraf of Pakistan right
after 9/11 in DC.
The creator or causer of the
universe has created everything in pairs, in harmony and in balance.
Ssequence of the proceedings;
·
Welcome
·
Interfaith
greetings
·
Essentials
of marriage
·
Blessings
from the family and friends
·
Acceptance
of each other.
·
Signature
·
Ring
exchange
·
Public
Announcement
·
A
short sermon
·
A
short prayer (Generic and inclusive)
Mike Ghouse,
Officiant, Interfaith weddingsMikeGhouse is committed to building a
Cohesive America and
offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day. He is a professional speaker,
thinker and a writer on pluralism, politics, civic affairs, Islam, India, Israel, peace and
justice. Mike is a frequent guest on Sean Hannity show on
Fox TV, and a commentator on national radio networks, he contributes weekly to
the Texas Faith Column at Dallas Morning
News and regularly at Huffington post, and
several other periodicals across the world. The blog www.TheGhousediary.com is
updated daily.
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