I was happy to prep a former student for her marriage. Since she married someone who was not Catholic, my task was to make sure that everything was done so that she would be in good standing with the Church and present herself for Holy Communion at Mass.
After mentioning that they fulfilled all the canonical and diocesan requirements for marriage preparation, here was the conversation about Mary that I had with each of them.
Me: Did you know that when you approached me it was the Feast of Our Lady of Fatima?
Catholic: No.
Me: Let's walk over to a statue of Our Lady. Fatima is a city in Portugal. In 1917, Mary appeared to three shepherd children. Fatima is also the name of one of Mohammed's daughter. So there's a Muslim-Catholic connection. Let's pray a Hail Mary.
Later on, I spoke with her Muslim fiancé:
Me: Your fiancée approached me on the Feast of Our Lady of Fatima. In the Catholic Church, we have feasts kind of like how Muslims have feasts. Isn't today Eid?
Muslim: Yes.
Me: Fatima is a city in Portugal. It's also the name of the daughter of Mohammed.
Muslim: That's right. She's the daughter of the prophet.
Me: Mary is mentioned more in the Koran than the Bible. The Mother of Jesus is honored in the Koran. Can I give you a rosary as a gift of your wedding?
Muslim: Sure.
As I place the rosary in the Muslim's hand, I shake his hand, and I say, "Asalamu Alaykum" which means "Peace be with you" in Arabic.
Muslim: Thank you for your help. I know it meant a lot to my fiancée.
Me: If I can be of service in the future, please let me know. I am here.
No comments:
Post a Comment