Last week was both sad and tragic for our country, for our families and for us as followers of Jesus Christ. As we all know by now, the Supreme Court has essentially ruled that legislation that protects and fosters marriage according to God’s plan for us, that is, between a man and a woman, has no basis other than animus; in short, bitterness, hatred and discrimination. So there you have it.
We have been told by our own government that the basis in reason and in faith that has moved good and reasonable people for thousands of years, and us as Christians and Catholics, to defend the inherent nature of marriage is not to be given a place in our democratic discussion. You and your Church are simply examples of bigotry. Case closed.
The decision last week heralds the coming attacks on the Church and on us that we must now prepare for. Our commitment to loving God and our neighbor by following reason and God’s plan will now be mocked and ridiculed by a rhetorical trump card: bigotry. No other discussion or reasons will be allowed. Some of the further consequences may not kick in immediately, but over time we can expect continuing legal action against any of our institutions that do not violate our faith and reason by treating same sex couples exactly the same as heterosexual spouses. In essence, there will be pressure to force believers to recognize same-sex marriage if not by faith, then by action.
But rather than retreat to some cave with like-minded believers in order to take shelter against the world, it is our task to go out and witness to the world. In this case, it will mean that we must remind others about why marriage is a unique institution that cannot be altered by human decree, regardless of how high within the legal or legislative food chain that decree originates. And we have a positive message to proclaim.
From the earliest times, reason has recognized that man and woman have a complementary nature, even physically. That physical complementarity is the source and origin of the continuation of the human race because, by the plan of nature’s God, only the union of male and female generates offspring. And human reason has noted two related considerations: the stable relationship between a man and a woman contribute to the good of society, and the presence of a mother and a father is the best environment for the nurturing and protecting of children. These are the reasons why governments and societies have recognized and even supported, by legislation and other means, marriage between a man and a woman.
Marriage, then, is a fundamental relationship between a man and a woman that predates any government and even Christianity. At its essence, marriage is not simply the recognition, by Church or state, of friendship or love between two individuals, however admirable that friendship might be.
Rather, it is a relationship that flows from the inherent logic of nature itself. To redefine marriage to include same sex couples, however well intended that effort might be, is not a remedy to some recently discovered form of discrimination.
In 1973, the Supreme Court also told us that the taking of the life of the unborn was protected by our Constitution. In essence, it found that the right to deny life to a child, like the justification for redefining the nature of marriage, could be found by reading between the lines of the Constitution.
Many of us recall that, back then as now, we were told the matter was now resolved, the discussion was over and faith and reason had lost. But little by little, by prayer, reflection, positive witness and yearly marches in Washington, D.C. by hundreds of thousands of our youth, the question is quite alive, as are countless of our brothers and sisters because of the pro-life effort.
In the face of the current challenge we are called to stay positive, stay faithful and be courageous. We need to love and respect all of our brothers and sisters, including those with same-sex attractions. But we need to do so in the context of God’s plan and our God-given nature.