John and Sim's Wedding

The Marriage of
Simonetta Andrea Rodriguez
and
John Saxton MacCord, Jr.

30 August 1996
11 Asma 153 BE

Chapel of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Cambridge, Massachusetts

SON OF BEING!

Love me, that I may love thee. If thou lovest Me not, My love can in no wise reach thee. Know this, O servant. (HW #5)

What is Bahá'í Marriage?
read by John Bahá'í marriage is union and cordial affection between the two parties. They must, however, exercise the utmost care and become acquainted with each other's character. This eternal bond should be made secure by a firm covenant, and the intention should be to foster harmony, fellowship and unity and to attain everlasting life ... Abdu'l-Bahá, Bahá'í World Faith, pg 372)

In Marriage: A Fortress for Well-Being the author says "Unfortunately today's dating practices may make it easy to avoid getting to know another person. The conditions under which dating couples associate, involving diversions, game playing, and entertainment, are not necessarily the best ones for assessing character. Indeed for many people the function of dating is to conceal one's real self. It is hardly surprising that persons who marry after such a courtship become disillusioned when they begin to live together in the real world of home building and childrearing. (pg 30, 1993 edition)

Simonetta and I met on-line as Bahá'í singles. Our initial communications were in writing -- lots of writing, like love letters of yore. The instantness of e-mail means that our thoughts flowed back and forth with a speed the US Postal service can only envy. While I had the advantage of knowing what she looked like (her picture's on her homepage) we became attracted to one another through the beauty of our souls. After months of honest writing we began talking with each other on the phone as well. This allowed us to get used to the sound of each other's voices and to be pleased or displeased with what we heard. I've been a Reader for Recordings for the Blind and Dyslexic and am greatly attracted to a beautifully spoken word. In Simonetta's voice I heard traces of the Caribbean and the British Empire. I heard a voice that spoke as well as she wrote. I knew that love was possible with this beautiful woman.

But, a loving relationship is not based on writing and speaking. Sooner or later, I knew that a meeting would have to take place. It was with some trepidation that I finally met her. What if it was ashes? No sparks. We met. To paraphrase William Sears in a different context I gazed into her eyes and I knew the world was ashes. (Quoted by Roger White in "A Witness of Pebbles" pg 57, CHOICES, about Shoghi Effendi) Our hands touched and found one another. A romantic buggy ride on a hot summer afternoon said that she, too, had found love. The first time we said "I love you" to each other was confirming what we each had hoped beyond hope would happen.

Ours is a very old-fashioned romance. The letters which went between us are electronic and delivered by a very impersonal computer. No postman to see our joy when a new letter arrived, only a cathode ray tube. The distance between us keeps us from displaying our romance for all to see, but its no secret. It's magic. The tiger appearing before your eyes took months of preparation, not the 5 minute buildup on stage.

Just Love, a poem by Alan D. Ward,

read by John

John
JUST LOVE

by Alan D. Ward

We held hands And walked

The warm and narrow streets

Amongst the little shops

And vendor's stands.

Somehow That elusive feeling

Of oneness Was there, All day.

What was it?

The joy of closeness

free of other cares.

The place,

The time,

Just love.

May it come often,

To thee, And me, My love.

A prayer, read by Louis Kaye, one of the witnesses
He is the Generous, the All-Bountiful!

Praise be to God, the Ancient, the Ever-Abiding, the Changeless, the Eternal! He Who hath testified in His Own Being that verily He is the One, the Single, the Untrammeled, the Exalted. We bear witness that verily there is no God but Him; acknowledging His oneness, confessing His singlesness. He hath ever dwelt in unapproachable heights, in the summits of His loftiness, sanctified from the mention of aught save Himself, free from the description of aught but Him.

And when He desired to manifest grace and beneficence to men, and to set the world in order, He revealed observances and created laws; among them He established the law of marriage, made it as a fortress for well-being and salvantion, and enjoined it upon us in that which was sent down out of the heaven of sanctity in His Most Holy Book. He saith, great is His glory: "Marry, O people, that from you may appear he who will remember Me amongst My servants; this is one of My commandments unto you; obey it as an assistance to yourselves."

-- Bahá'u'lláh

For You, a poem by Alan D. Ward,
read by Simonetta
FOR YOU

by Alan D. Ward

What changed my feelings

To the point where love

Became Consuming?

Where nothing mattered

Quite so much

As us.

What point in life

Where living for each moment

Transcends all else?

Where time to be

In love, is most

Important.

How shall we measure

All the depth of it?

The growth through time

To points beyond

The limits of

Our thoughts.

What else in life

Can so important be

As love and loving

Someone else

Who cares so much

For you?

A prayer, read by Brian Aull, one of the witnesses
He is God! O peerless Lord! In Thine almighty wisdom Thou hast enjoined marriage upon the peoples, that the generations of men may succeed one another in this contigent world, and that ever, so long as the world shall last, they may busy themselves at the threshold of Thy oneness with servitude and worship, with salutation, adoration and praise. "I have not created spirits and men, but that they should worship me." Wherefore, weth Thou in the heaven of Thy mercy these two birds of the nest of Thy love, and make them the means of attracting perpetual grace; that from the union of these two seas of love a wave of tenderness may surge and cast the pearls of pure and goodly issue on the shore of life. "He hath let loose the two seas, that they meet each other; Between them is a barrier which they overpass not. Which then of the bounties of your Lord will ye deny? From each He bringeth up greater and lesser pearls."

O Thou kind Lord! Make this marriage to bring forth coral and pearls. Thou art verily the All-powerful, the Most Great, the Ever-forgiving!

-- Abdu'l-Bahá

This is the entire Bahá'í wedding ceremony. The bride and the groom must each repeat this line to the other in the presence of two witnesses. All else is prelude. WE WILL ALL, VERILY, ABIDE BY THE WILL OF GOD!

We then exchanged simple gold rings and kissed. End of ceremony, beginning of marriage.

by John MacCord, August 30, 1996

	*SON OF BEING!* Love me, that I may love thee. If thou lovest Me not, My love can in no wise reach thee. Know this, O servant. (HW #5)
What is Bahá'í Marriage? read by John	Bahá'í marriage is union and cordial affection between the two parties. They must, however, exercise the utmost care and become acquainted with each other's character. This eternal bond should be made secure by a firm covenant, and the intention should be to foster harmony, fellowship and unity and to attain everlasting life ... Abdu'l-Bahá, Bahá'í World Faith, pg 372)
	In Marriage: A Fortress for Well-Being the author says "Unfortunately today's dating practices may make it easy to avoid getting to know another person. The conditions under which dating couples associate, involving diversions, game playing, and entertainment, are not necessarily the best ones for assessing character. Indeed for many people the function of dating is to conceal one's real self. It is hardly surprising that persons who marry after such a courtship become disillusioned when they begin to live together in the real world of home building and childrearing. (pg 30, 1993 edition)
	Simonetta and I met on-line as Bahá'í singles. Our initial communications were in writing -- lots of writing, like love letters of yore. The instantness of e-mail means that our thoughts flowed back and forth with a speed the US Postal service can only envy. While I had the advantage of knowing what she looked like (her picture's on her homepage) we became attracted to one another through the beauty of our souls. After months of honest writing we began talking with each other on the phone as well. This allowed us to get used to the sound of each other's voices and to be pleased or displeased with what we heard. I've been a Reader for Recordings for the Blind and Dyslexic and am greatly attracted to a beautifully spoken word. In Simonetta's voice I heard traces of the Caribbean and the British Empire. I heard a voice that spoke as well as she wrote. I knew that love was possible with this beautiful woman.
	But, a loving relationship is not based on writing and speaking. Sooner or later, I knew that a meeting would have to take place. It was with some trepidation that I finally met her. What if it was ashes? No sparks. We met. To paraphrase William Sears in a different context I gazed into her eyes and I knew the world was ashes. (Quoted by Roger White in "A Witness of Pebbles" pg 57, CHOICES, about Shoghi Effendi) Our hands touched and found one another. A romantic buggy ride on a hot summer afternoon said that she, too, had found love. The first time we said "I love you" to each other was confirming what we each had hoped beyond hope would happen.
	Ours is a very old-fashioned romance. The letters which went between us are electronic and delivered by a very impersonal computer. No postman to see our joy when a new letter arrived, only a cathode ray tube. The distance between us keeps us from displaying our romance for all to see, but its no secret. It's magic. The tiger appearing before your eyes took months of preparation, not the 5 minute buildup on stage.
Just Love, a poem by Alan D. Ward, read by John	JUST LOVE by Alan D. Ward We held hands And walked The warm and narrow streets Amongst the little shops And vendor's stands. Somehow That elusive feeling Of oneness Was there, All day. What was it? The joy of closeness free of other cares. The place, The time, Just love. May it come often, To thee, And me, My love.
Just Love, a poem by Alan D. Ward, read by John
A prayer, read by Louis Kaye, one of the witnesses	He is the Generous, the All-Bountiful! Praise be to God, the Ancient, the Ever-Abiding, the Changeless, the Eternal! He Who hath testified in His Own Being that verily He is the One, the Single, the Untrammeled, the Exalted. We bear witness that verily there is no God but Him; acknowledging His oneness, confessing His singlesness. He hath ever dwelt in unapproachable heights, in the summits of His loftiness, sanctified from the mention of aught save Himself, free from the description of aught but Him. And when He desired to manifest grace and beneficence to men, and to set the world in order, He revealed observances and created laws; among them He established the law of marriage, made it as a fortress for well-being and salvantion, and enjoined it upon us in that which was sent down out of the heaven of sanctity in His Most Holy Book. He saith, great is His glory: "Marry, O people, that from you may appear he who will remember Me amongst My servants; this is one of My commandments unto you; obey it as an assistance to yourselves." -- Bahá'u'lláh
A prayer, read by Louis Kaye, one of the witnesses
For You, a poem by Alan D. Ward, read by Simonetta	FOR YOU by Alan D. Ward What changed my feelings To the point where love Became Consuming? Where nothing mattered Quite so much As us. What point in life Where living for each moment Transcends all else? Where time to be In love, is most Important. How shall we measure All the depth of it? The growth through time To points beyond The limits of Our thoughts. What else in life Can so important be As love and loving Someone else Who cares so much For you?
For You, a poem by Alan D. Ward, read by Simonetta
A prayer, read by Brian Aull, one of the witnesses	He is God! O peerless Lord! In Thine almighty wisdom Thou hast enjoined marriage upon the peoples, that the generations of men may succeed one another in this contigent world, and that ever, so long as the world shall last, they may busy themselves at the threshold of Thy oneness with servitude and worship, with salutation, adoration and praise. "I have not created spirits and men, but that they should worship me." Wherefore, weth Thou in the heaven of Thy mercy these two birds of the nest of Thy love, and make them the means of attracting perpetual grace; that from the union of these two seas of love a wave of tenderness may surge and cast the pearls of pure and goodly issue on the shore of life. "He hath let loose the two seas, that they meet each other; Between them is a barrier which they overpass not. Which then of the bounties of your Lord will ye deny? From each He bringeth up greater and lesser pearls." O Thou kind Lord! Make this marriage to bring forth coral and pearls. Thou art verily the All-powerful, the Most Great, the Ever-forgiving! -- Abdu'l-Bahá
A prayer, read by Brian Aull, one of the witnesses
This is the entire Bahá'í wedding ceremony. The bride and the groom must each repeat this line to the other in the presence of two witnesses. All else is prelude.	WE WILL ALL, VERILY, ABIDE BY THE WILL OF GOD!