It is said that marriage is a three-ring ceremony: the
engagement ring, the wedding ring, and the suffering. Spouses usually seek the first two rings with great
excitement. Nobody looks for the third
one; it just comes. But the third one lends
meaning to the first two: when a married couple works together through their
trials, purification and transformation result.
How much more so with God, who forged with the human race a “new and
eternal covenant” by becoming man, by living, suffering, dying, and rising from
death as man! Thus the author of the
letter to the Hebrews can proclaim that Jesus was “made perfect” through
suffering. His choice to enter most
deeply into human existence redounded to our benefit: in Jesus mankind gained not
a mere good moral example or kindhearted friend in times of need, but a Savior
“bringing many children to glory.”
Husbands and
wives have the great privilege of participating in a design that points to “the
beginning,” how God created man to be, in His image and likeness—that is,
capable of communion and called to communion.
As Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are a Communion of mutual life and love,
so are husbands and wives and children. No created thing could be for the man what a
woman could be: a “suitable partner” to become “one flesh” with him in conjugal
union. Together open to the divine
abundance, spouses may become parents and form a “domestic church,” a setting
to learn what it means to be truly happy, healthy, and holy. Every domestic church experiences trials born
of human weakness and sinfulness. Those
families endure who reverence the commitment that they have made and that God
has made to them. Through our repentance
and conversion, God works great wonders in our midst.
In light of
this Good News we can recognize more clearly the obstacles posed to this divine
ideal. The misuse of the gift of sexual
union spurs a variety of dysfunctions.
Today in particular we lament the tragedy of abortion. Outside of our lawn have been posted 144
white crosses—one for every American baby aborted every hour: a “gross
gross.” Under the ridiculous mantle of
“reproductive rights” our land has not just tolerated, but really encouraged,
the problem that fouled everything up in “the beginning”: the union that exists
for the bonding of spouses and the co-creation of babies now is broken. As a result, sex ends up fulfilling neither
function. Babies have become a necessary
evil; whenever and however possible, they can be avoided for the sake of
convenience. Spouses do not truly come
together through sexual union, and marriage slowly becomes an obstacle to
personal freedom. How one can vote for a
candidate that supports “reproductive rights” is beyond me, and more important,
beyond the Church, and even more important, beyond human reason.
When it comes
to abortion, more and more people are starting to embrace the truth. By God’s providence, painful experiences are
becoming a source of healing. But there
are a host of other serious concerns: the promotion of same-sex activity and
marriage, the foisting of mandatory access to contraception, the scientific
creation of embryos for genetic selection, and so forth. According to polls, many Catholics join their
non-Catholic and secular counterparts in promoting these things. It is no surprise that certain political
candidates endorse most of these issues as a kind of “package deal.” It makes sense, because these errors all have
one origin, and they all tend to one tragic outcome. Please investigate and embrace the
time-honored, experience-proven truth about the sanctity of human life, and
join in promoting the culture of life and love that originates in the heart of
Christ. The future of the Church depends
on our commitment to the truth, both in our voting and in our daily choices.
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