+ The next time you come to an intersection that has a traffic light in it – especially a multi-laned intersection such as the one at Cook's Corners – I want you to think of this thought: if a small minority of the population of the State of Maine decide that – as far as Maine Traffic Lights are concerned: "red is now to be equal in every way to green" – "red is now green" – this statement, even if it is written on a piece of paper and signed by the governor of Maine does not make red green; but practically speaking now it is green and therefore it is not a far leap to predict that there will be chaos of major proportions at all major intersections, especially the multi-laned ones.
Red - can – never- be - equal – to - green! Marriage, defined in any other way than what God has defined it, will never be marriage. "Marriage-set-up red," can never equal "marriage-set-up green." It is theologically impossible, it is anthropologically impossible, it is biologically impossible, it is psychologically impossible, it is sociologically impossible for them to be equal. Therefore to superimpose the name and change the content of the definition of one, into and onto the other will give a distorted looking black color! Red on green basically looks black!
I heard it said that "God created man (as male and female) and marriage in the same breath!"(This means that marriage and family life goes back that far – to "the beginning" - before any other institutions existed at all – and for some non-coincidental reason it seems to have been preserved, even by civil society, as is, for thousands of years). God intended for the male and the female, the husband and the wife to enjoy the deep companionship of divine friendship with him and one another, in a monogamous life-long relationship; and to populate his own family, by co-operating with him in co-creating offspring, children, new family members. The human family was intended to mirror first of all the family of God that he is in his own Trinitarian life, and also the family life to which we all belong whether we even know it or not, and to which we are called to live in forever in the new heaven and the new earth! How faithfully we live out marriage and family life as given by him will determine our place of honor in that new existence! It simply does not make any sense at all to redefine the amazing and precious reality of marriage.
The Church, therefore, cannot do anything other than to stand for marriage as is: as it is given by God! But at the same time, the Church also understands absolutely the varieties of "sexual appetites and orientations" that exist in men and women– that may not be totally consistent with the ideal and perfect man and woman! The very fact that there is variety has to do with Original Sin, in general, which basically weakened and watered down everything about our human life, blurring many lines of self-identification and inclinations – and introduced death to boot! But God left us with our free-will, a weakened, but quite functional intelligence and even his own "light of grace in our minds and hearts" to recognize truth when we see it! And so while, standing firmly with its insistence of the definition of marriage, the Church is also very understanding of the need to protect the basic and civil rights of persons who find themselves having a same-sex sexual attraction. The church is against all forms of discrimination against gay persons. However, the matter at hand is not one of discrimination, at all. Marriage, as authored and defined by God requires a man, and a woman. Two persons of the same sex simply are not physically qualified for marriage. The subsequent requirement for God's idea of family life as husband, wife, and children – can also not be met.
Neither of these dis-qualifications makes gay persons bad, or undesirable, or unsuitable in any way to be a welcome part of the fabric of society – but it does mean that these persons must find other creative, loving, Gospel-oriented, legally protected ways in which to live a happy, chaste lifestyle.
The readings today call us to stand up for the faith! The first reading told how Isaiah prophesied about Jesus setting his face like flint, not turning his back on those who wanted to beat it, not turning away from those who wanted to pluck his beard. He knew, as Jesus would know in his "hour" of triumph, that God (his Father, and the Holy Spirit) would be his help! In standing up with the Church in the weeks ahead before Election Day, we, as committed Catholics, can set our faces like flint too, dig in our heels and speak the truth calmly, in love: God's amazing gift of marriage must remain as he gave it!
Of course, the second reading says it point blank: St. James says: what good is it to have faith, if you don't put it into practice! It is not going to save you! Don't be fooled! It is our faith – it is God speaking in the depths of our beings - that tells us that doing things his way is the best – and that rewriting and reworking his express wishes and commands cannot be a good thing; it is our faith that will make us strong when the TV and radio ads, and the public debates get nastier and nastier, which indeed they will, as time goes by, you can count on it! But faith will tell us that: freedom is not simply "doing anything at all that you want to do" – freedom is acting responsibly after combining mind and heart and soul and inviting God into the final analysis!
In the gospel passage Jesus says it another way: this is not going to be easy for you, my beloved brothers and sisters, but in this case think as much as possible the way God does, rather than as humans, don't be like Peter, who tried to talk me out of Calvary! If I listened to him you would not have salvation, and the end of your life would be oblivion. So, deny yourself, deny especially those reactions that are based on "guts and feelings alone" – the cross you carry is easy and light because I did die for you and rise again – you will be able to stand for your faith, stand for marriage as my Father gave it – with his help, mine and our Holy Spirit's.
The next time you are at an intersection with a traffic light, think that things will truly go very wrong - in a great number of areas across the board– there will chaos and collisions and a slow, corrosive erosion of the fabric of our American society – if we, as Catholics, allow red to be redefined as green 'legally' in the context of marriage! We must vote YES on Propositions One: affirming that marriage is between one man and one woman – because it is God who said so "in the beginning" – and the Church of Portland is only reiterating and underlining what he said, at this critical time in our state and nation's history! The bishop has told the priests of the diocese at a recent meeting that a full catechesis and education program of what true marriage is all about; and the welcomed and respected place of gay persons in the Body of Christ, the Church - would be forthcoming. But from the reliable and true information we already have, looking deeply into our minds and hearts for confirmation, since Election Day is fast coming upon us, we can speak truth in love now by supporting* (collection) and promoting (rally) a Yes vote on Proposition One – for the good of us all!
If today you hear the voice of God-speaking, harden not your hearts!
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