US Supreme Court To Hear Cases on Changing What Can Never Be a Marriage Into a Marriage Comments
True marriage is the preeminent and the most fundamental of all human social institutions. It is a relationship defined by nature and protected by the natural law that binds all men and women. It finds its foundation in the order of creation. Civil institutions do not create marriage nor can they create a right to marry for those who are incapable of marriage. Continue Reading
1 - 10 of 13 Comments
Leave a Comment
Most Popular
There's the problem! Americans are out of touch with scientific consensus on climate change Read More
Editorial: Is the Scandal Ridden Obama Administration Becoming a House of Cards? Read More
Sex In Uniform: Why the Increase in Sexual Assaults in the Military? Read More
Bill Donohue, Catholic League, Disclose Fight with the IRS, Demonstrate Courage Read More
Culture of Corruption: Why Obama's misuse of Marines is wrong Read More
Daily Readings
Reading 1, Sirach 4:11-19
Wisdom brings up her own children and cares for those who seek ... Read More
Psalm, Psalms 119:165, 168, 171, 172, 174, 175
Great peace for those who love your Law; no stumbling-blocks ... Read More
Gospel, Mark 9:38-40
John said to him, 'Master, we saw someone who is not one of us ... Read More
Saint of the Day
St. Rita
May 22: St. Rita was born at Spoleto, Italy in 1381. At an early age, ... Read More
Marketplace
Of Moose and Miracles
This is a heart-rending story of faith, family and God’s omnipotent ... Read More
St Michael the Archangel Custom Bracelet. Catholic Jewelry. Gift Idea. Read More
Tom, Jesus would tell the lesbian like he did the adulteress I too do not condemn you . Go & Sin no more. We all know right from wrong at the end of the day. The hardest thing to do today is to be honest & unselfish in order to follow Christ every thing is about ME!!!
I agree with the statements that marriage is between a man,woman, and child. Without the communion of children to the mother and father, marriage is reduced to a purely emotional, sexual statement with no benefit to society. It would lack the natural law of life, motherhood, and fatherhood. What would be the purpose of the government being involved at all, tax reason I guess, feeding the treasury.
Wow! What responses! And what a mess! Does anyone know their CCD?
Good article Deacon! Prayerful Blessings to All...
Just a couple of issues:
First, for those who believe the Church recognizes civil marriages, please re-educate yourselves. I married my wife in a civil marriage some 20 years ago. When I returned to the church in the early 2000's, I was told what I already knew: that I was not eligible to take the sacrements until my marriage was convalidated. At that time, my wife of 15 years and I attended classes and took the test all of which culminated in our being married, again, by a priest. What I realized then and I suspect there is more of now, is that many Catholics are ignorant of the rules. I point to a Catholic friend of ours who was divorced and remarried and divorced again but still participated in the sacrements. When I informed him he should not be doing that, he scoffed at the "silly rules". I said I was pretty sure. He said the priest knew and did not act. I suspect there are several others who participate in the sacrements and are not supposed to be; I imagine there are several more civil married folks who do so unwittingly. If you are worried about gay marriages, they by "silly rules" will not be recognized by the Church.
Second, Throughout the convalidation process, my wife and I joked about how ironic it is to sit in a class being taught how to be married by people, priest and a nun, who have NEVER been married. There will be those who scoff and say they are married to their Faith or to God, but they do not have to wake up with their Faith mad at them for not paying attention to them, God does not pester them to fix the faucet etc. I have never heard of God not talking to someone because that person shrunk his favorite sweater in the wash. The idea that priests and nuns know something about being married, "traditional" or gay, is something the Catholic Church has very wrong.
The real argument is over civil marriage. As I mentioned above, the church struggles with civil marriages in general. It does not have a firm grasp of how to deal with even the "traditional" civil marriages (why Convalidation) let alone the gay marriage issue. When the Church has non-married persons trying to educated those about to be married, when the Church has persons who do not understand the rules and ramifications of their Faith, then there is a serious disconnect between doctrine and practice.
Excellent article, Deacon, but what in your opinion is the best way for us to describe long-term relationships of homosexuals under the law. I ask because we all need to be singing from the same hymn sheet on this one, as you quite rightly point out. Would it be best to describe them as 'gay unions', thereby reserving, as you point out, the word 'marriage' exclusively for heterosexuals? Or 'civil unions'? As you have probably heard, in the UK the Conservative government (that's right, Conservative!!) is now ramming through Gay marriage not just before a Government official but in Churches i.e. full Church weddings for gays. They say that no Church will be 'forced' to conduct such weddings but under the law they will be able to if they want to. Of course no one believes this. As soon as the law passes gays will roll up in front of churches, especially the catholic churches, demanding to be allowed to have their wedding in the church. Since they will be refused they will take out legal challenges and everyone knows they will win since under the European Court of Human Rights their cases will be viewed positively. Once this measure is passed, or even before, expect the same tactic to be used in the US. The gay movement and their secularist backers are determined to have gays not just 'married' but 'married' in Churches. And once the Catholic Church refuses (as we will), persecution will begin in earnest. The storm clouds are gathering and dark days are coming for all people of Faith.
The US Supreme Court has left me very pessimistic after they ruled in favor of Obamacare. The problem the church has is that 52% of the faithful believe that Homosexual Marriage is OK. The simple reason for this is that the Faithful does not hear a thing about marriage from the pulpit.
Catholic democrats are to blame for voting again for someone who thinks he (and his daughter) are right and God is wrong as to what constitutes marriage. We should not be surprised at such arrogance. The Catholic democrats' candidate refused to acknowledge God on Thanksgiving Day. I will acknowledge God, not the Catholic democrats or their candidate. The Catholic democrats' candidate also thinks it should be legal to kill girls and boys outside of their mom's womb even after they survived the attempt to kill them in their mom's womb. The Catholic democrats' candidate also continues his relentless immoral and unjust war against the Church. We are threatened with closure of our institutions and even prison for some (I hope it is only some) of our leaders for continuing to obey God and not to obey the Catholic democrats' candidate and his immoral law. Until the Catholic democrats' candidate was elected, we had freedom of religion and no need to worry about our institutions being closed. So we are not surprised that the Catholic democrats' candidate, who is the author of such a corrupt social policy, thinks he knows more than God as to what constitutes marriage.
Tom McGuire, you've got something there. Of course we can't speak for Jesus like Protestants tend to do and claim knowledge of His political stances, but we know He is merciful yet holy; He loves all sinners yet arrived and was "pierced for our transgressions", that is He became a sacrifice so that we might become holy inheritors of the Spirit. In Beaverton, OR, there are about two regular Catholic churches, and then there's one church that claims to minister to both Catholics and Lutherans who support homosexuality. I think this church is confused, and true Catholic leaders must minister to them wth disciplinary action. Jesus would have said to the lesbian what He said to everyone else: "Cast down your net and follow Me."
Although we repeat over and over again the natural law can be known by reason, it would seem many, perhaps the majority of people most of whom are reasonable, are not convinced by the argument of natural law. Marriage between a man and a woman for Catholics is a Sacrament. Catholics would do well to place greater emphasis on preparation for entering into a valid marriage, and when a relationship fails to find a way through forgiveness to reconcile partners. Good marriages are the most important witness of Christian marriage.
The issue of state definition of marriage will not be determined by the Catholic Church; members of the Church must participate in the civil process that defines legal marriage. It would be wise to not just stand against what is considered to be against natural law, but find ways to include homosexual people in the community as full participating members. If the woman at the well had been a lesbian, what would Jesus have said?
I think this is another area where the church's neglect of real life marriages has created a circumstance where we have no credibility. The teachings are right, but with divorce rates in our own ranks that are similar to the nonbelievers, it's hard to get those to take us at our word. Do what we say, but don't do as we do. Does not work.
Personally I think this ship has sailed. We find ourselves like the bridesmaids with no oil.