Today is the darkest day in United States history since the infamous Roe v. Wade decision. Today, 26 June, 2015, at 10:00 am the Supreme Court of the United States decided 5-4 that all states in the union MUST allow same-sex couples to “marry.” But this decision isn’t just about civil marriage. The opinion of the court also touched on the topic of religious freedom. This opinion opens the way to a persecution of the Catholic Church. Through this opinion, Catholic priests may be told that they must perform same-sex “marriages.” Catholic Churches, businesses and institutions may be forced to provide reception space for same-sex couples. Catholic photographers, caterers, bakers, tailors, and other places of business may all be forced to choose between rendering service to same-sex couples or permanently closing up shop.
Here’s what page 32, under section IV of the opinion delivered by Justice Kennedy says:
“Finally, it must be emphasized that religions, and those who adhere to religious doctrines, may continue to advocate with utmost, sincere conviction that, by divine precepts, same-sex marriage should not be condoned. The First Amendment ensures that religious organizations and persons are given proper protection as they seek to teach the principles that are so fulfilling and so central to their lives and faiths, and to their own deep aspirations to continue the family structure they have long revered. The same is true of those who oppose same-sex marriage for other reasons. In turn, those who believe allowing same-sex marriage is proper or indeed essential, whether as a matter of religious conviction or secular belief, may engage those who disagree with their view in an open and searching debate. The Constitution, however, does not permit the State to bar same-sex couples from marriage on the same terms as accorded to couples of the opposite sex.”
This is a very dangerous statement. It’s dangerous because the opinion specifies the right to proclaim and vocally defend one’s faith, but omits the protection with regard to actually practicing the faith! And Chief Justice Roberts shares this concern. In the dissenting opinion, found on page 68 of the entire document, Roberts said, “The majority graciously suggests that religious believers may continue to “advocate” and “teach” their views of marriage. The First Amendment guarantees, however, the freedom to “exercise” religion. Ominously, that is not a word the majority uses.”
My friends, things will and must get worse before they can get better. But this is not a time for mourning, it is not a time for fear, and it most definitely is not a time to hang our heads. This is a time for Catholics to hold their heads high and prepare to be counted! Why? Because the darkest period of the night is the moment just before the break of dawn … and DAWN IS COMING! Dawn will break, and before we know it, the Light which entered the World 2,015 years ago will once again scatter the darkness!
This is a time of trial, but in trials we get to show God what we’re made of! Don’t be consumed by the flames of the world, but be purified by them! The enemy is standing before us, and we are encamped on all sides. By the standards of worldly wisdom, the victory of the enemy is at hand. But our Lord loves the underdog and confounds the wise with the humble and the meek. David slew Goliath. Gideon defeated “the Midianites and the Amalekites and all the sons of the east [who] were lying in the valley as numerous as locusts” with only 300 men. And in the Maccabees, we read:
When he reached the ascent of Beth-horon, Judas went out to meet him with a few men. But when they saw the army coming against them, they said to Judas: “How can we, few as we are, fight such a strong host as this? Besides, we are weak since we have not eaten today.” But Judas said: “Many are easily hemmed in by a few; in the sight of Heaven there is no difference between deliverance by many or by few; for victory in war does not depend upon the size of the army, but on strength that comes from Heaven. With great presumption and lawlessness they come against us to destroy us and our wives and children and to despoil us; but we are fighting for our lives and our laws. He will crush them before us; so do not fear them.”
Our Lady gave us the weapon against the enemy; The Holy Rosary! This past April, a Nigerian bishop revealed that he had a vision of Jesus handing him a sword … and that sword became a Rosary as soon as he held it in his hands, and Jesus gave him to understand that the Rosary would be the weapon used to defeat Boko Haram in Africa. The Rosary saved Christendom from an Islamic invasion in 1571, hence the namesake of this Institute. The Rosary will also be the weapon for confounding and defeating the moral darkness swirling about us in the form of abortion, contraception, divorce, sodomy, same-sex “marriage,” and all the other evils of our day. But we must commit. NOW is the time to commit! Every day, we must pray for our bishops and priests! We must pray for the defeat of the enemies of Christ! And as the darkness reaches its apex, remember Judah Maccabee, Gideon, and King David … and rejoice with King David in his Psalm 118:
Give thanks to the Lord for he is good,
for his love endures for ever.
Let the sons of Israel say:
His love endures for ever.
Let the sons of Aaron say:
His love endures for ever.
Let those who fear the Lord say:
His love endures for ever.
I called to the Lord in my distress;
he answered and freed me.
The Lord is at my side; I do not fear.
what can man do against me?
The Lord is at my side as my helper;
I shall look down on my foes.
It is better to take refuge in the Lord
than to trust in men;
it is better to take refuge in the Lord
than to trust in princes.
The nations all encompassed me;
in the Lord’s name I crushed them.
They compassed me, compassed me about;
in the Lord’s name I crushed them.
They compassed me about like bees;
they blazed like a fire among thorns.
In the Lord’s name I crushed them.
I was thrust down, thrust down and falling,
but the Lord was my helper.
The Lord is my strength and my song;
he is my savior.
There are shouts of joy and victory
in the tents of the just.
Beautiful words written and spoken.
the world is a scary place, but at the same time the fear that enters is dispelled by the truth. God will save us and we will persevere. Thank you for this article. and may God bless you !!!~
Totally agree. Both my wife and I began to say the Rosary together today because we believe it is the most powerful thing we can to to help our Church, our Country and our Children
How Should Christians Respond to the Court’s Decision on Marriage?
by: Daniel P. Horan, OFM, a Franciscan friar, a columnist for America, and the author of several books.
Link: http://americamagazine.org/content/all-things/how-should-christians-respond-courts-decision-marriage
“The joys and hopes, the griefs and the anxieties of the women and men of this age, especially those who are poor or in any way afflicted, these are the joys and hopes, the griefs and anxieties of the followers of Christ” (“Gaudium et Spes,” no. 1).
With this now-famous line, the Second Vatican Council opened its “Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World” (1965). This passage immediately came to mind this morning as I heard of the U. S. Supreme Court decision (Obergefell v. Hodges) that upheld the constitutional right to same-sex marriage. My personal response was emotional in the way that the reaction of so many others has been in the wake of this landmark case. My reaction has been solidarity for a population of people who have indeed been “afflicted” and whose experience for so long, millennia perhaps, has been more “grief and anxiety” than “joy and hope.” But today, at least in the United States, things appear to be changing.
As a Christian, the “joys and hopes” of the LGBT women and men who have cried out for the recognition of their human dignity and value, these are the “joys and hopes” of me today.
There is doubtless contention on the subject of whether or not this is good news or bad news for the church. On the one hand, church leaders such as the current president of the USCCB, have decried this high-court decision and compared it to Roe v. Wade. Archbishop Joseph Kurtz stated in a press release that today’s decision “is a tragic error that harms the common good and most vulnerable among us.”
Yet, on the other hand, authoritative church teaching seems to offer us other ways to reflect on today’s decision. For instance, returning to “Gaudium et Spes,” we read: “True, all [women and] men are not alike from the point of view of varying physical power and the diversity of intellectual and moral resources. Nevertheless, with respect to the fundamental rights of the person, every type of discrimination, whether social or cultural, whether based on sex, race, color, social condition, language or religion, is to be overcome and eradicated as contrary to God’s intent. For in truth it must still be regretted that fundamental personal rights are still not being universally honored” (no. 29).
LGTB women and men have indeed suffered—and continue to suffer from—discrimination based on their sexual orientation. In some parts of the world this discrimination is made manifest with the threat of execution! It would appear that today’s decision could align well with this call for the church to “overcome and eradicate” such discrimination and affirm the “fundamental rights of the person.”
Similarly, we might look to Vatican II’s “Declaration on the Relation of the Church to non-Christian Religions” (“Nostra Aetate”) for parallel wisdom in how to approach reflecting on today’s decision. Early in the text, the Council Fathers write that there are truth and wisdom in the cultural and religious traditions, practices, and perspectives of those who do not affirm the Christian faith. We read: “[The Catholic Church] regards with sincere reverence those ways of conduct and of life, those precepts and teachings which, though differing in many aspects from the ones she holds and sets forth, nonetheless often reflect a ray of that Truth which enlightens all [women and] men” (no. 2).
Perhaps we might look at what is affirmed in today’s decision about the inherent dignity and value of all women and men, regardless of their sexual orientation, as something to be referenced in the spirit of that which reflects a “ray of that Truth,” which is the love of God in Christ.
We should recall of course that the First Amendment to the U. S. Constitution protects the Catholic Church—and other religious communities—from being compelled to perform religious services for same-sex spouses. What has taken place today is a matter of civil rights, literally. The definition of marriage has not changed for the Sacrament of Matrimony in the Catholic Church, but perhaps this court decision like the recent referendum in Ireland should have us asking difficult theological and moral questions, questions that have been largely avoided for some time. After all, it is interesting that 56 percent of Catholics express support for same-sex marriage, according to a 2015 Pew survey.
So what is the right way to respond to today’s decision? The Christian response is love. And the Second Vatican Council has challenged the church to remember this amid the complex realities of our world. I understand the church’s teaching on the Sacrament of Marriage, firmly accepting and holding all that is taught definitively. Still, I can’t help but embrace what “Gaudium et Spes” and “Nostra Aetate” exhort all Christians to do in celebrating the dignity of the person, as well as the joys and hopes of all women and men.
Do we “celebrate the dignity” of alcoholics and drug-addicted persons by declaring their substance abuses to be on a par with healthy habits? Of course not – in fact, quite the opposite happens.
Thanks Janet! Slick isn’t he…It’s the Language of “Choice, Free of Consequences”….
POPPYCOCK!!! A long, slick comment that says nothing, EXCEPT, a Sly warping of the TRUTH that All Humans deserve respect….Straight from the evil one’s keyboard….
This individual, D. Horan, OFM is a disgrace to the priesthood and no follower of St. Francis of Assisi.
We should not be surprised–he is accociated with Boston College—remember that’s the place where a feminist professor refused to allow males in her classes —AND GOT AWAY WITH IT!
Anything goes at BC
This is a great site! This “supreme court” decision is heartbreaking. I work with a couple of people who are gay, I feel I should share this site with them, but I would probably have to quit my job. and I can not afford that!! Is it wrong for me to just say nothing, and just pray for them? I am not a confrontational person, I can’t see myself saying something,
Thank you, take care and God bless, Marcia
Marcia,
Heroic virtue is not a requirement, and if you have people depending upon your employment for sustenance, then you have to be prudent. Prayer, sacrifice, and a good example may be all that is required of you at this point in time … however, should the question be put to you, you do have an obligation to defend the Truth. But pray and ask for God to guide, strengthen, and prepare you for such a time.
God bless,
Michael
Marcia,
Heroic virtue is not a requirement, and if you have people depending upon your employment for sustenance, then you have to be prudent. Prayer, sacrifice, and a good example may be all that is required of you at this point in time … however, should the question be put to you, you do have an obligation to defend the Truth. But pray and ask for God to guide, strengthen, and prepare you for such a time.
God bless,
Michael
Why should those individuals opposed to the gay marriage court decision continue to support companies, like Coke and Walmart, when they express
Complete disregard for the vast majority of people of faith. It would be
Interesting to know other companies who share this disregard…