Thomas Addis
Well, it happened again. This time a federal judge has overturned the homosexual marriage ban in Wisconsin. For those who are proponents of such “marriages” and, thus, the entire homosexual lifestyle, they must be feeling pretty good about themselves. What they were not capable of getting through the legislative process, they have achieved through the judicial system. In state after state, one judge, endowed with superior wisdom, overrules the wishes of the people, who are undoubtedly ignorant and, quite possibly, “haters.” And, so, the beat goes on.
But for those who consider themselves practicing Catholics and yet support the homosexual lifestyle, they must face the logical conclusion of their position: If they are right, then God and his Church must be wrong. Perhaps they will argue that the Church is actually out of step with God. But that is impossible, and the evidence is clear.
Assuming that they accept the premise that the Bible is the word of God, both the Old and New Testaments condemn homosexuality. In Genesis 19:1-29, God destroys the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah for their “grave” sin of homosexual behavior. In Leviticus 20:13, we read this God-given law :“If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them shall be put to death for their abominable deed.”
As for marriage, in Genesis 1:27,28, we read, “God created man in his image; in the divine image he created him; male and female he created them. God blessed them, saying: “Be fertile and multiply . . .” Obviously, only the sexual act of a man and a woman can multiply the race. In Genesis 2:24, after Eve is created, we read, “That is why a man leaves his mother and father and clings to his wife, and the two of them become one body.”
In the New Testament, in Romans 1:26,27, Paul, condemning those who worship the creature rather than the Creator, writes, “God therefore delivered them up to disgraceful passions. Their women exchanged natural intercourse for unnatural, and the men gave up natural intercourse with women and burned with lust for one another. Men did shameful things with men . . .” In 1 Corinthians 6:9, Paul lists sodomites as among those who will not inherit the kingdom.
Jesus reaffirms the male/female norm for marriage in Mark 10:6-8: “At the beginning of creation God made them male and female; for this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and the two shall become as one. They are no longer two but one flesh.”
In summary, the Scriptures are clear about homosexuality and marriage. Homosexual behavior is a depravity, and marriage is designed by God for males and females.
Which brings us to the Church. When it comes to homosexual behavior, the Catechism of the Catholic Church is unambiguous:
. . . tradition has always declared that “homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered.” They are contrary to the natural law. They close the sexual act to the gift of life. They do not proceed from a genuine affective and sexual complementarity. Under no circumstances can they be approved. (2357) Homosexual persons are called to chastity. By the virtues of self-mastery that teach them inner freedom, at times by the support of disinterested friendship, by prayer and sacramental grace, they can and should gradually and resolutely approach Christian perfection. (2359)
That’s all well and good, some may protest, but since God is love, and homosexuals are just loving each other, who’s to say that the Church speaks for God? Well, the answer is quite simple: Both Christ and the Church.
Christ established his Church when he conferred on Peter the keys to the kingdom:
I for my part declare to you, you are “Rock,” and upon this rock I shall build my church, and the jaws of death shall not prevail against it . . . Whatever you declare bound on earth shall be bound in Heaven; whatever you declare loosed on earth shall be loosed in Heaven. (Matt. 16:18,19)
At the last supper, Jesus promised infallibility for his Church when he promised the apostles the Holy Spirit:
When he comes, however, being the Spirit of truth he will guide you to all truth. He will not speak on his own, but will speak only what he hears, and will announce to you the things to come. In doing this he will give glory to me, because he will have received from me what he will announce to you. (John 16:13,14)
After the Resurrection, Jesus appears to the apostles and gives them the great command:
Full authority has been given to me both in heaven and on earth; go, therefore, and make disciples of all the nations. Baptize them in the name “of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” Teach them to carry out everything I have commanded you. And know that I am with you always, until the end of the world! (Matt. 28:18-20)
Thus, we see that Jesus established his Church, gave it infallibility, and promised to be with it forever. Christ and his Church cannot be separated; they are one. In the Catechism, we read the following:
To fulfill the Father’s will, Christ ushered in the Kingdom of Heaven on earth. The Church “is the reign of Christ already present in mystery.” (763) Christ and his Church thus together makes up the “whole Christ.” (795) For where the Church is, there also is God’s Spirit; where God’s Spirit is, there is the Church and every grace. (797)
This brings us back to the pro-homosexual Catholics. By supporting homosexual behavior, including the silly notion of homosexual marriage, they must realize that they are rejecting both Christ and his Church. There is no wiggle room, no middle ground. And they should also realize that taking such a position places their souls in danger.
