Examining Modern Culture: Marriage
Last night, the citizens of the state of Maine repealed a state law that would have allowed homosexual couples to "get married" within that state. News reports have popped up across the media throughout the morning, and they can be found on any news website (Associated Press report available here; other reports here and here). Common pieces of information will be available from nearly every source, but it is also important to recognize that correcting misconceptions will be necessary. This article is specifically meant to examine this scenario from a new viewpoint: the Catholic perspective.
The first misnomer that must be corrected is the idea that marriage is an "institution." Marriage, according to Catholic teaching, is a covenant, which is much different than an institution. An institution is a thing that is erected for some particular end. A university is an institution erected for the "end" of educating students and granting academic diplomas and degrees. A government is an institution erected to protect the rights and liberties of individuals.
A covenant, on the other hand, is an bond formed between God and humans. Covenants are soluble only by death, and they cannot be defined by the human parties like institutions. Instead, covenants are defined only by their Divine Author (e.g., Adam and Eve; Noah; Abraham; Moses and the Israelites; David and the kingdom of Israel); and the humans who enter and adhere faithfully to such covenants are blessed in infinite ways.
Another idea that must be redefined is "love." One voter's assessment expresses the common misunderstanding of love. "They [homosexuals] love and they have the right to love," she says. "And we can't tell somebody how to love." Such a statement is true only if the terms are used properly. Here, they are not.
Indeed, homosexuals may "love" in the modern and skewed sense of the term. They may feel strongly about each other, even wanting the best for each other; and they may feel a strong physical attraction toward one another. However, those two elements alone do not equate to the "love" that they are trying to define. Thus, they do not and cannot live the "love" in this specific way.
The term "love" comes from the Latin word caritas, which means a total gift of self. In the unique relationship that develops between a married man and one woman, that total gift of self includes the individuals' fertility and ability to reproduce. It is impossible for people of the same sex to beget new life, so their actions cannot reflect Trinitarian reality, which is what marriage is always intended to do.Thus, homosexual people do not and cannot live "love" in this specific way.
It is also necessary to clarify the idea of "privacy." One homosexual woman remarks that her relationship with her partner is a "personal thing." In the strictest view of things, she is correct. Even the Church affirms her right to exercise her conscience; to choose her actions, whether holy or unholy. However, her the accuracy of her statement ends there. Marriage, and faithfulness to the covenant, is intimately linked to the stability of society. Indeed, the Church proclaims that marriage is the building-block of society.
"The well-being of the individual person and of both human and Christian society is closely bound up with the healthy state of conjugal and family life" (GS 47). In our civilization, there are certain ideas and actions that create clarity, stability, and virtue; there are other ideas that erode those same good things. If we are to build a civilization that rests stably on clarity and virtue, we must affirm and protect the things that build up rather than erode. A proper understanding and application of marriage is, without a doubt, one of the most important among these.
Finally, it is good to clarify a misconception that is part of the overarching secular culture rahter than present in any of these news reports. The Catholic Church neither hates nor condemns any person or group of people, including people with homosexual orientations. It is the case, however, that the Church has received her mission from Christ, and that she must not waver from the Gospel message or the economy of salvation instituted by Him. Divine Revelation (Old Testament and New Testament) is clear that marriage is a covenant between God, a man, and a woman. The Church is duty-bound to protect and proclaim that Revelation. She is also charged to announce that specific choices are sinful, just as Christ did. Finally, the Church must expose the very real opportunities for forgiveness and conversion, which are available to all sinners.
So, let us rejoice that the Holy Spirit has pierced the hearts and consciences of voters in Maine. Let us also continue to pray for the spread of a truthful and healthy definition of marriage; a definition that places our civilization on a firm foundation. Finally, let us pray that Christian charity will rise up from within us to meet the specific needs of individuals who struggle against sin (i.e., all of us!).
The first misnomer that must be corrected is the idea that marriage is an "institution." Marriage, according to Catholic teaching, is a covenant, which is much different than an institution. An institution is a thing that is erected for some particular end. A university is an institution erected for the "end" of educating students and granting academic diplomas and degrees. A government is an institution erected to protect the rights and liberties of individuals.
A covenant, on the other hand, is an bond formed between God and humans. Covenants are soluble only by death, and they cannot be defined by the human parties like institutions. Instead, covenants are defined only by their Divine Author (e.g., Adam and Eve; Noah; Abraham; Moses and the Israelites; David and the kingdom of Israel); and the humans who enter and adhere faithfully to such covenants are blessed in infinite ways.
Another idea that must be redefined is "love." One voter's assessment expresses the common misunderstanding of love. "They [homosexuals] love and they have the right to love," she says. "And we can't tell somebody how to love." Such a statement is true only if the terms are used properly. Here, they are not.
Indeed, homosexuals may "love" in the modern and skewed sense of the term. They may feel strongly about each other, even wanting the best for each other; and they may feel a strong physical attraction toward one another. However, those two elements alone do not equate to the "love" that they are trying to define. Thus, they do not and cannot live the "love" in this specific way.
The term "love" comes from the Latin word caritas, which means a total gift of self. In the unique relationship that develops between a married man and one woman, that total gift of self includes the individuals' fertility and ability to reproduce. It is impossible for people of the same sex to beget new life, so their actions cannot reflect Trinitarian reality, which is what marriage is always intended to do.Thus, homosexual people do not and cannot live "love" in this specific way.
It is also necessary to clarify the idea of "privacy." One homosexual woman remarks that her relationship with her partner is a "personal thing." In the strictest view of things, she is correct. Even the Church affirms her right to exercise her conscience; to choose her actions, whether holy or unholy. However, her the accuracy of her statement ends there. Marriage, and faithfulness to the covenant, is intimately linked to the stability of society. Indeed, the Church proclaims that marriage is the building-block of society.
"The well-being of the individual person and of both human and Christian society is closely bound up with the healthy state of conjugal and family life" (GS 47). In our civilization, there are certain ideas and actions that create clarity, stability, and virtue; there are other ideas that erode those same good things. If we are to build a civilization that rests stably on clarity and virtue, we must affirm and protect the things that build up rather than erode. A proper understanding and application of marriage is, without a doubt, one of the most important among these.
Finally, it is good to clarify a misconception that is part of the overarching secular culture rahter than present in any of these news reports. The Catholic Church neither hates nor condemns any person or group of people, including people with homosexual orientations. It is the case, however, that the Church has received her mission from Christ, and that she must not waver from the Gospel message or the economy of salvation instituted by Him. Divine Revelation (Old Testament and New Testament) is clear that marriage is a covenant between God, a man, and a woman. The Church is duty-bound to protect and proclaim that Revelation. She is also charged to announce that specific choices are sinful, just as Christ did. Finally, the Church must expose the very real opportunities for forgiveness and conversion, which are available to all sinners.
So, let us rejoice that the Holy Spirit has pierced the hearts and consciences of voters in Maine. Let us also continue to pray for the spread of a truthful and healthy definition of marriage; a definition that places our civilization on a firm foundation. Finally, let us pray that Christian charity will rise up from within us to meet the specific needs of individuals who struggle against sin (i.e., all of us!).
