In later years, they had decided to place their shared life under God’s blessing and to have a church wedding. They had invited a considerable number of very talented musicians from their circle of friends. As I looked around in the church, I felt that many of them seemed to have little connection with God or the Church. It was important to me to help everyone feel at home within the spirit of the celebration as best I could. So I briefly spoke about the diversity and variety of our life convictions and offered everyone ‘the great Presence’ as a name for God, since God had revealed himself to Moses as ‘I am who I am!’. Suddenly, a receptive, quiet atmosphere could be felt. The wedding ceremony, accompanied by wonderful musical performances, became a true celebration of the heart. After the liturgy, I started talking to an elderly couple: “Our hearts are so deeply moved,” they told me, “because when you spoke of the ‘great Presence’, we were all part of that mystery. We felt a sense of closeness. We are so grateful.”
