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Scrolling around on Facebook, I’ve been seeing a lot of red. At first, I was confused by the symbolism, but then realized that people were posting the Human Equality Campaign logo colored red, in place of the normal blue and yellow logo.
On March 26, there was a marriage “mash-up” as thousands of protesters on both sides of the issue showed up in front of the Supreme Court to have their demonstrations heard: the March for Marriage and pro-homosexual United for Marriage rally. The contentiousness will continue as the public continues to wait on the official ruling of the court, a decision that some say may take as long as three months.
This is a huge turning point in the way in which our culture will be determined. We, as Catholics, must do our part and allow our voices to be heard as we defend the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA).
When I got married last summer in the Catholic Church, my husband and I were continually reminded of the choice that we had made, not only to love one another and honor one another but also to freely accept children and bring them up according to God’s law and commands. Moreover, as we became husband and wife, we were told: “What God has joined, men must not divide.”
And yet, this division is exactly what we see happening on Capitol Hill in attempts to repeal DOMA. Marriage is the foundation of society – for with marriage between a man and a woman, a family is created. The purpose of marriage is to create offspring: that is the beauty of man and woman becoming one, for with their love, creation is formed and multiplied by the love of a child.
As Catholic social teaching tells us quite clearly: the family is “the first and vital cell of society” because the family is “born of the intimate communion of life and love founded on the marriage between one man and one woman” (“Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church,” No. 211).
Moreover, we hear from Pope Francis, who published a statement on marriage during his tenure as Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio, in which he said, “The union of people of the same sex lacks the biological and anthropological elements that are proper to marriage and family.”
The stakes are quite clear: by repealing DOMA, our society will be repealing not only marriage as ordained by God, but the natural family and the right of children to have a father and a mother.
As we celebrate Easter and rejoice in Christ’s rising from the dead and his salvation of humanity, we must pray that he will continue to have mercy on us and forgive our society, just as we recently heard Jesus forgive those who crucified him: “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”
Secular society has fallen away not only from divine law but from the natural law as well. We must stand firm in our defense of marriage, and pray that God will guide the hearts and consciences of those in the Supreme Court to uphold traditional marriage and support the family.
Heather Bozant Witcher can be reached at [email protected].
Tags: marriage, Uncategorized