Wedding Readings for Traditional Weddings: Thomas à Kempis

Welcome back to our Sunday segment, Wedding Readings Ideas. Here we source and share some of our favourite texts perfect for weddings. This week we are focusing on wedding readings for traditional weddings. We try and include a variety of ideas so that there is a reading suggestion for every kind of speech at every kind of wedding!

However, if you are looking for a reading suggestion for a specific event, please feel free to leave us a comment. We would love to help you source one.

The Reading

This week’s reading is “Love Is a Great Thing” by Thomas à Kempis. Kempis was a Dutch-German Medieval author of Christian devotional books.

Love is a great thing, yea, a great and thorough good. By itself it makes that is heavy light; and it bears evenly all that is uneven.

It carries a burden which is no burden, it will not be kept back by anything low and mean, it desires to be free from all wordly affections, and not to be entangled by any outward prosperity, or by any adversity subdued.

Love feels no burden, thinks nothing of trouble, attempts what is above its strength, pleads no excuse of impossibility. It is therefore able to undertake all things, and it completes many things, and warrants them to take effect, where he who does not love would faint and lie down.

Though weary, it is not tired, though pressed it is not straitened, though alarmed, it is not confounded, but as a living flame it forces itself upwards and securely passes through all.

Love is active and sincere, courageous, patient, faithful, prudent and manly.

Why We love It

This is one of our favourite wedding readings for traditional weddings. This is because it portrays the steadfast and reliable nature of love. This reading has Christian overtones without being directly from the Bible, which makes it a nice addition to a collection of holy readings. We love the way this piece describes love’s strength and tenacity. Indeed, the repeated emphasis on love’s ability to bear any burden is a lovely sentiment for a wedding. The emphasis on virtues such as courage, sincerity and faithfulness make this one of the most appropriate readings for traditional weddings.

If you like this reading, keep your eyes peeled next Sunday and every Sunday from here on out. We will share more wedding readings for traditional weddings, vow renewals, and more.

By Wedding Rings Direct