As they say in China where I work for the Church:
天作之合
tiān zuò zhī hé Heaven made a match.
On this day of love let me express How Joey and Addie have taught me how to love:
The most important virtue according to Roman Catholicism is love. A love that is manifested in two ways: from Addie I learned what it is like to truly do unto others as we would have them do unto us. From Joey I've learned how to love the least with the same passion that others love the greatest.
There are many occasions from his years in NYC where my mother would tell us that Joey had given food to a homeless person.
Through soccer, my brother rose to great heights. But what will always impress me is the way he treated the least even when he was great. I watched him reach out to frustrated benchwarmers, to teammates that were having a bad game, and to those at soccer tryouts who were obviously not going to make the team.
Regardless of the game's outcome. Regardless of if the referee performed well or cheated them with a bad call. I watched my brother thank them for their service and hard work.
A brief story to highlight the power of this love: The story of my worst and most profound race.
The doctors encouraged me to run for the sake of my lung disease, so I ran in high school. I ran the 2 mile in track which is 8 long laps. When it comes to talent: I never had it, but on that day I really didn't have it
From the beginning it was clear how far back I was left behind, and as the story goes my mother turned to Joey and said "Tim is going to finish alone". I ended up having somewhere around a full lap all to myself.
Words can't express the shame, the humiliation and the hollow feeling of emptiness that comes when one puts in so much effort and obtains only failure. I truly was the least on my team.
I finished with the weight of despair on my heart and then I looked up and there was Joey. He had gone where no family member goes. He had gone where he wasn't even technically allowed to go to receive me as I finished last. He gave me back my dignity and reminded me that I was worthy of love. What seemed destined to be a traumatic experience of failure was changed into a beautiful experience of Catholic love.
Reflecting on my experience makes me ponder the numerous other people who Joey has touched:
The benchwarmers that found the virtue of effort appreciated.
The referees, whose hard work never is appreciated, that found their vocation from our God reaffirmed by a player on the losing side who thanked them for their work.
Most importantly: A homeless person on the streets of NYC, lost in the world of multimillionaires, celebrities and luxury hotels, who for one day found the dignity of their humanity acknowledged.
In my many years of knowing Addie I have come to appreciate her as one of the purest examples of God's love on earth. It doesn't matter whether or not you are Addie's mom, a classmate or a stranger she reads about in the newspaper: when you hurt; she hurts.
If you don't know Addie very well, I encourage you to take the time tonight to meet her. She is the human embodiment of the virtue of compassion. It is a gift from God to have the honor and the privilege to be in her presence and witness the way she loves humanity.
This marriage is a gift from God not just for these two, but also for the world. Countless lives will be changed because these two were given the opportunity to teach us and members of the next generation how to love as God loves, who will in turn teach their children how to love. This marriage will make the world a more beautiful place for generations to come.
I will close with this:
Addie: I love you. I will always be grateful for you treating me when I was a stranger in Chicago as you already treated your closest friends.
Joey: I love you. I want to thank you for teaching me how to love others when they are the least in their life situation. And I want to thank you for loving me when I was the least in mine.
Please raise your glass and toast the wedding couple. The greatest gift that God has ever blessed our family with.