Supreme Court Legalizes Sames Sex Marriage: Why Catholics Should Not Judge Or Condemn

"Why would a guy want to marry a guy?" When the scene from this 1959 movie, "Some Like It Hot", was first shown, audiences roared at this line. The idea of a guy marrying a guy was absurd and thinkable only in comedic farce.

However, 56 years after this movie was first shown, five Supreme Court justices made this absurd idea a reality for the entire United States.  Unfortunately, this is nothing to laugh at.  What are the real implications of this ruling?  In 2010, then Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio (now Pope Francis) spelled out the real meaning of same sex marriage and the dire consequences for society.  Cardinal Bergoglio wrote the following to the Carmelite Nuns of the Archdiocese of Buenos Aires on June 22, 2010 when Argentina was preparing to legalize same sex marriage [HERE];

The identity of the family, and its survival, are in jeopardy here: father, mother, and children. The life of so many children who will be discriminated beforehand due to the lack of human maturity that God willed them to have with a father and a mother is in jeopardy. A clear rejection of the law of God, engraved in our hearts, is in jeopardy.

I recall words of Saint Thérèse when she speaks of the infirmity of her childhood. She says that the envy of the Devil tried to extort her family after her older sister joined the Carmel. Here, the envy of the Devil, through which sin entered the world, is also present, and deceitfully intends to destroy the image of God: man and woman, who receive the mandate to grow, multiply, and conquer the earth. Let us not be naive: it is not a simple political struggle; it is an intention [which is] destructive of the plan of God. It is not a mere legislative project (this is a mere instrument), but rather a "move" of the father of lies who wishes to confuse and deceive the children of God.

Jesus tells us that, in order to defend us from this lying accuser, he will send us the Spirit of Truth. Today, the Nation [patria], before this situation, needs the special assistance of the Holy Ghost that may place the light of Truth amid the shadows of error; it needs this Advocate who may defend us from the enchantment of so many sophisms with which this bill is being justified, and which confuse and deceive even people of good will.

That is why I turn to you and ask from you prayer and sacrifice, the two invincible weapons which Saint Thérèse confessed to have. Cry out to the Lord that he may send his Spirit to the Senators who are to place their votes. That they may not do it moved by error or by circumstantial matters, but rather according to what the natural law and the law of God tell them. Pray for them, for their families; that the Lord may visit, strengthen, and console them. Pray that they may do great good for the Nation.

As you can see from this letter, Cardinal Bergoglio saw the legalization of same sex marriage as disastrous for his nation. He called it a tool of the devil to destroy the plan of God. Truly, this is not something that can be taken lightly. This is a direct assault on not only the family, but on the very Gospel of Jesus Christ.

We in the United States are now joined with Argentina and many other parts of the world in having to deal with this grave evil. This is going to affect our lives as Christians in a profound manner.  It is only a matter of time before anyone who opposes this law, even based on religious belief, will be officially labeled a bigot and a hater and be subject to criminal prosecution.  Churches will be forced to perform same sex marriages, or lose their status as a legitimate religious organization.  Our priests and bishops will be on the front lines of this assault.

The question is, how do we fight it? Do we judge and condemn, warning people that unless they repent of this evil, they are headed for hell? Certainly that is the method many have already chosen. Michael Voris, as always, has taken the lead in this matter. Since the Supreme Court vote, his website has been demonizing the Supreme Court justices. He has managed to extend his demonization of the Supreme Court justices to include the Church, the holy grail for Voris:

Writing the majority opinion in this case virtually enshrines Justice [Anthony] Kennedy — one of six Catholics on the Court — as the one single individual most responsible for the advancement of sodomy being institutionalized in the United States. In fact, the case could be made — owing to America's power and prestige — the one individual most responsible for the enshrining of homosexuality in history.

Kennedy represents, personifies all that has gone wrong in the Catholic Church in America these past decades.

Another justice, Sonia Sotomayor, is also a baptized Catholic, but she was seated on the bench by Obama and is largely rumored to be a lesbian, or at least extremely friendly to the cause. Kennedy, however, is a Reagan appointee and had been the hope of many solid Catholics back in the day to be the one to stop — or at least slow — the aggressive push in U.S. courts for immorality.

Is this the answer?  Do we call out those we feel are responsible and denounce them as evil?  Do we march and protest, confronting those who are promoting this evil?  Will that change people and help them see the danger in same sex marriage?  Do we attack people on social media, as Julie of Connecticut Catholic Corner did when, in response to the governor of her state flying a gay pride flag, she tweeted to him:  "You make me want to puke."  The only result she received from this was to be banned by Twitter so that she can no longer spread any kind of message, good or bad.

I find it fascinating that in his quest to fight this terrible evil, Cardinal Bergolgio wrote to a group of cloistered nuns. These nuns live behind walls and never physically interact with the world. Yet, the Cardinal felt that they were his strongest weapon to fight the terrible evil of same sex marriage. As Cardinal Bergoglio wrote to these cloistered nuns:

That is why I turn to you and ask from you prayer and sacrifice, the two invincible weapons which Saint Thérèse confessed to have.

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Saint Thérèse, of course, was one of the most famous Carmelite nuns of all time. She entered the Carmelites at age 15 and died 9 years later at age 24. She never left her monastery, yet has been named not only a doctor of the Church, but patron saint of missionaries. As Cardinal Bergoglio says here, Saint Thérèse was a mighty spiritual warrior because she employed the two invincible weapons to which we all have access: prayer and sacrifice. She poured herself out in sacrifice for the world. And she touched the world in a way that few others have been able to do.

Cardinal Bergoglio, guided by the Holy Spirit, understood that the only way to combat great evil is through prayer and sacrifice.  Our human efforts all too often only alienate people and push them even further away from the loving message of Jesus Christ.  As human beings, we will never be able to change hearts.  It is only the Holy Spirit working through us that can bring about change.  The only way the Holy Spirit can work in us is if we open ourselves to Him through prayer and sacrifice.

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Blessed Teresa of Calcutta once said that if enough people spend one hour per week in adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, we would end abortion.  When we kneel in adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, we are submitting ourselves to Christ, asking that He live His Life in us.  If we are willing to empty ourselves of our will, and allow Christ to live in us, we can defeat every evil.  How did Our Lord defeat evil? By submitting Himself to His Father's Will.  As Our Lord told us, the best way to fight evil is not by fighting back, but through love. "If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also. If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt from them." (Luke 6:29).

We need to remember the mission of Our Lord.  When he first started his ministry, he read out loud in temple the following passage from Isaiah 61 (from Luke 4):

18“The Spirit of the Lord is on me,

because he has anointed me

to proclaim good news to the poor.

He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners

and recovery of sight for the blind,

to set the oppressed free,

19to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

Look at the key words here:  "proclaim good news to the poor, "proclaim freedom for the prisoners", "recovery of sight for the blind", "set the oppressed free", "proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."  There is nothing in here about preaching condemnation to the people.  Christ called his message the Good News of the Kingdom of God.  As Christ said in John 12:47:

If anyone hears my words but does not keep them, I do not judge that person. For I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world.

If you are a Christian, think about what brought you to Jesus Christ. Speaking for myself, I didn't come to Christ because I realized I was a great sinner in need of a Savior. I came to Christ because I first saw how much He loved me. I realized that He suffered and died on the cross because of His great love for me. It was only through understanding how much He loved me that I came to realize and accept that I had sinned against Him, that I was responsible for His terrible suffering and death.

If we preach a message of judgment and condemnation, that will obscure the message of Christ's love for the world. People will not see a God of love and mercy. They will only see a judge who condemns them. That is not the good news of the Kingdom.

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Certainly no one has ever suffered more persecution and abuse than Jesus Christ did. And how did he respond? Did He tell them that they were all sinners? Did He condemn them and tell them they were evil? His response to those who persecuted Him was to love them. Our Lord willingly stretched our His Hands and Feet when they nailed Him to the Cross. Certainly no one has ever looked weaker and more thoroughly defeated than Christ did when He hung on the cross. Yet, this act defeated every evil in the world.

The letter from Cardinal Bergoglio to the Carmelite nuns leaves no question that he sees the danger and the evil in same sex marriage. Yet, as Holy Father, we seldom see him condemn this evil even as it has escalated around the world. Although the Vatican released a statement about the legalization of same sex marriage in Ireland, Pope Francis did not make any public statements. And it is almost certain that Pope Francis will not make any public statements about the legalization of same sex marriage in the United States, even when he comes here in the Fall.

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The greatest weapons we have been given in this battle against same sex marriage, against abortion, rampant immorality, and all the other evils in our world, are prayer and sacrifice.  Do you want to defeat evil?  Go and pray before the Blessed Sacrament.  Pray the Rosary.  Offer your pain and suffering for others.  Our Lady of Fatima did not tell the three children that the reason poor sinners go to hell is because no one protested, no one condemned the sinners, no one shouted in their faces, either on paper or in person.  She said poor sinners go to hell because they have no one to pray for them.

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We must realize that those who support same sex marriage are spiritually blind. Just as we cannot by our words cure physical blindness, so we, with our human efforts, cannot cure spiritual blindness. We have now lost a major battle against same sex marriage, and we face many more battles ahead of us. But we must remember that our goal is not to just be "right" and prove that those who oppose us are wrong. Our goal is not to demonize people. Our goal is to bring them to Jesus Christ. As Christians, we bring people to Christ by submitting our wills to Him and allowing Him to work in us.

We are in a war for souls.  We will not win them by confrontation, by judging and condemning.  We will win them by following Jesus Christ and the path of Love.

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