Tacky mug or sublime majesty?

Before you decide to revoke my man card or label me as the poster child of emasculation  - hear me out first.  Yes, much to my chagrin, I actually watched the royal wedding!  Yes that's right I caved. It didn't make any difference that I only watched the festivities for a measly 14 min; all that mattered was that my masculinity was shattered. I temporarily broke the man code, and I became a Perez Hilton of sorts. But enough of the self deprecating humor.  There were actually some parts of the wedding that were note worthy:

• I was stunned by the beauty of Westminster Abbey;  the massive arches, the Gothic architecture. The 1000 yr old structure .  It was truly a sight to behold.
• It was cool seeing the history of England unfolding before us as we saw Prince William and Kate as a key part of the thousand plus year reign of the English monarchy.  Can't blame me for being Anglophile! (Don't worry - it's legal)
• The sermon by Bishop Richard Chatres began with this awesome quote by St. Catherine of Siena.“Be who God meant you to be and you will set the world on fire.. " Chatres also coined this awesome phrase, "Marriage should transform, as husband and wife make one another their work of art."    Wow I love that.  So true.  (To read the sermon in it's entirety click here.)
• I was impressed by the modesty of Kate's dress.  Her dress was elegant and refined. She truly looked like a princess;  a far cry from the skanky dresses that often adorn contemporary brides.
• For a brief moment the entire world was not focused on its problems. Temporarily the entire Western World was optimistic. It seemed that through this wedding we were lifted out of the muck and mire of our daily lives.  The wedding was a transcendent event that helped to remind the world that there is more to life then suffering and pain.  The only other event in which I could think of that had a similar effect was the coverage of the passing John Paul II. 
• The wedding provided a stark contrast to the unrest in the Arab world.  For the past three months it seemed that each time you heard those words, "Friday after prayer time" that some type of violent unrest would occur in the Arab world. It is sad but this wedding proved how one part of the world is civilized (west) and how another is still firmly entrenched in its primitive barbarism. (Middle East)

For the record, I won't be standing in line waiting to pay 27 dollars for an over sized tacky mug adorned with a picture of the happy couple, but I will say this.............There was a deeply moving traditional beauty to the pageantry of this seemingly overblown event.  And for fourteen minutes that I was privy to it  - I experienced its majesty.