Thursday, July 2, 2015

The Gay Marriage Decision: Love Loses.

Christians who support the same-sex marriage ruling may point to Mark 12: 31 as a basis for their reasoning.  This passage includes the statement:  ”You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”  Furthermore, they might go on to then utilize the now-popular hashtag “Love wins,” meaning that the Supreme Court ruling demonstrates our love of neighbor and so it is a good thing.  Rather, I believe it demonstrates the direct opposite, and so, love loses.  Let me explain.

It’s very simple, really.  In the past, when a man and a woman obtained a marriage license and subsequently received the sacrament of Matrimony, they then had our society's blessing to move in together and freely participate in physical acts of love-making.  The Church teaches that the couple then accepts children, if it is God’s will, and forms a family.  Lots of love involved and no sin, because the couple has acted according to the natural law and the God-willed, man/woman, bodily designs.  Love wins in this case, and love of neighbor, as expressed in the Mark 12:31, is affirmed!  With this new Supreme Court ruling, however, sin enters the picture because a same-sex couple that participates in physical acts of love-making goes against the natural law and the God-willed man/woman bodily designs.  Love loses because of the sin, and when sin is a result, Mark 12:31 is NOT affirmed ... we do NOT love our neighbor if we support sin entering their lives.

I must mention the Scripture verses presented immediately preceding Mark 12:31, which is Mark 12:29-30:  “The Lord our God is Lord alone!  You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.”  Jesus makes it very clear that love of God is paramount.  I would say our focus needs to be on love of God first (with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength) and then to let this guide us to proper love of neighbor.  This is when love truly wins.

By the way, it seems to me that co-habitation, sex outside of marriage, and the use artificial means of birth control all fall under these same principles.  I hope and pray that all my readers would give serious thought to their love of God before considering going forward with these other sinful actions.  Please see the Catechism of the Catholic Church, Article 6, for a complete discussion of Church teaching on the sixth commandment, including same-sex attraction and co-habitation.

Speaking of co-habitation, there is an irony in these latest developments.  For straight people, there is a trend away from marriage in favor of co-habitation.  For gay people, there is a trend away from co-habitation in favor of marriage.  Neither of these trends bode well for marriage for the sensible institution that it has been since ancient times.  I am probably too old to see a trend back to common sense in my lifetime, but I hope and pray that is what in store for our future.

My prayer for today:  “Lord, please instill in your humble human creatures here on earth an unflinching love for you, so that your will may be done when it comes to love of neighbor.  Amen.”

The photo is of the interior of the chapel on the grounds of the Monastery of the Holy Spirit near Conyers, Georgia.


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