Corpus Christi Blog

4th of July and Same Sex Marriage

07-05-2015HomiliesFr. Chad King

We celebrate the 4th of July, the day we as a United States of America gained our independence.  And so on this Independence Day weekend, we give thanks to those who have served in the military and everyone, especially God, who has made it possible for us to have the freedoms and liberties which we enjoy.   We should be proud and thankful to be an American, we enjoy many opportunities that others  living in other countries do not experience.   However at the same time we need to be very much concerned.  Truly our founding fathers established this great country on Christian faith, and desired there to be religious liberty as a right of every American.  However, that right is being taken away from us, and we no longer live in a Christian nation. 

Pope Francis pointedly said that national and international laws and organizations must "recognize, guarantee and protect religious liberty.  Religious freedom is "an indicator of a healthy democracy and one of the principal sources of a nation's legitimacy."  It is clear we are not living in a 'healthy democracy', as we are being forced to act contrary to our beliefs as Christians by being forced to pay for the killing of innocent people in abortion and through contraception.  Last week’s tragic and wrong decision by the Supreme Court legalizing homosexual unions as marriage is just another example of this change in America culture.  Although I was not too surprised about that ruling, I have to admit, I felt defeated and somewhat hopeless. 

I start by saying individuals who have same sex attractions are created by and loved by God, and are welcome to be part of our Church family.   And before some of you might want to tune me out, not wanting to hear a political homily; I ask you to listen with an open heart because using today's readings, I will explain what we as Christians are called to do now.

So how did we get this far out of hand, how did we get to where we are today in the misunderstanding of marriage?  I believe it started 50 years ago with the start of the sexual revolution, in which the sexual act was taken out of marriage.  You see God made marriage- He declared that man and woman should 'become one flesh' and to 'be fruitful and multiply'.  So clearly God made marriage, including the marital embrace, to be for unity of the man and woman and for procreation, or in other words simply said, marriage is for bonding and for babies.  However, the sexual revolution encouraged sex to be separate from marriage- and so anyone could have sex anytime.  And, of course, opened the door to the slippery slope of not respecting marriage and thus not respecting each other.  Unfortunately, this led to the government declaring abortion to be legal since few non-married people want to raise a baby by themselves.  And since abortion became legal, contraception became accepted and widely used thinking that it would be good for people- as it would lead to fewer abortions, happier marriages, and less divorce.  Or so the pro-choice industry tries to sell us… However, the data speaks for itself.  50 years later, the evidence is in, it is clear that the opposite is true- there are actually more abortions, much less happier marriages, and many more divorces.  And although the Church has always and will always uphold the teachings of God, statistics show that many Catholics have fallen into the way of the world and have in the past or are currently using contraception and are having sex outside of marriage. 

And so, now that sexuality which God has designed for a good between a man and a woman has been taken out of marriage.  Then it is a natural slippery step then to think marriage could be between people who love each other.  And because sex and children is not included in the definition of marriage, then it is natural for there to be same-sex people who marry.   And if this same false logic is continued, and we continue to state that same sex couples can marry, then what will stop polygamy to be considered married love.  And if that is the case, why does marriage need to be between human beings in the first place? 

And now that homosexual unions are now considered marriage legally, what will stop the Christian Church from being persecuted even more and forced by the government to "witness" the marriage of homosexual couples.  And now that homosexual unions are considered equal to marriage, will parents who want to put their children up for adoption have the right to choose if their child is to be raised by a mother and father- or will they be forced to choose a homosexual couple?  Even though research  has shown it is best for every child to be raised by a father and a mother, and although supposedly every child has equal rights and dignity, once again, as it is with abortion, the rights of the child is being ignored for the rights and convenience of adults.  Another example of an 'unhealthy democracy'.

But my brothers and sisters, we cannot blame the government, we can only blame ourselves.  We have let the goverment take this much control in our lives- too many people have turned a blind eye to what was happening to our neighbors, too many kept silent, in word and deed, when so many injustices have been  happening to our brothers and sisters.  And now that the persecutions of our Christian beliefs are hopefully waking us up from our slothfulness, why are we surprised with how far we have drifted?  Why are we annoyed that no one is listening to us, or we seemingly have no voice, since we have been quiet for so long?

So the question is now, what are we going to do about it- are we going to complain or are we going to witness to the truth in love?  We do need to take a stand in the midst of so much persecution, however we cannot have an 'us against them' mentality.  There already is that mentality, people already think that we Christians, or at least Catholics, are against individuals  who have same sex attraction from being happy.  There is an 'us against them' mentality, and so naturally there is persecution.  We are called to stand up in the face of persecution and make clear that we do want those with same sex attraction to be happy, and that we do accept them.  We are simply saying that a person's happiness isn't found in their sexuality, and their identity isn't found in their sexuality, but in their being a human being- made in the image and likeness of God.  We are all are made by God for happiness and made for love, and we are simply trying to  share the truth that true happiness and love is found in God.  Now more than ever, you married couples are called to joyfully live out your vocation and Sacrament- and hopefully our Marriage First program can help you do that.  After all, 97% of Catholics who practice what God and the Church teaches are living happy and long marriages.  And we who are not married, need to witness and tell others that happiness is found living out our vocations being chaste and following Christ's teachings. 

To conclude, there are persecutions today, just as there always has been in the Church, ever since the Fall of Adam and Eve.  And although we cannot support same sex marriage, we do support those who have same sex attraction.  As a community we must love as God intended, and as a Church we must learn how to do a better job in ministering to people with same sex attraction.  We must also, stand up for the truth, and make sure our values remain aligned with Christ’s.  We should expect persecution, and we should be prepared for the battle for truth. 

My brothers and sisters, we have entered a time not unlike the times of Christ and the first centuries of the Church.  So what will we personally do?  Jesus in our Gospel went to his native place, and although they were astonished by his wisdom, they did not accept or follow Jesus' teachings; however that did not stop Jesus from teaching and preaching the truth.    We have to stand for the truth wherever  we are, at our schools, in the office, and if need be in our families.  And we should take our lead from Jesus himself, in the Gospel of John where Jesus encounters the woman at the well.  Our Lord did something we must mimic, He establishes a relationship with her, so that once God leads her to conversation she goes to town and tells others.  It is important for us to be ambassadors of the truth, but we must strive always to do so with respect of every individual and with strong love.

In our 1st reading, God says to the Prophet Ezekiel, "I am sending you to the Israelites, rebels who have rebelled against me; they and their ancestors have revolted against me to this very day.  Hard and obstinate of heart are they to whom I am sending you".  Indeed, it is because God loves his people, even in their hardness of heart, that he sends his prophets to them.  Will you and I be a prophet in this age, sent by the love of God to proclaim the truth of God's love for them and all people?    

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