Pray for Life As these 40-days of prayer and reflection come to a close, I am reminded that sexual love is all about life. The beauty and power of sex is managed well when it is oriented toward creating and tending new life. That presumes, of course, that the man and woman becoming one have made a lifetime commitment to each other. (How else can new life be well-tended unless the two that created it are prepared to care for it?) Marriage demands two things of sex: first, that sex answers to the greater commitment that two people have already made with their clothes on. And second, that the fruit of sex-kids-are treated with dignity, cared for by two who must answer to each other. In our day where sex is celebrated as a human 'right' and answers only to how much pleasure one derives from it, marriage may seem medieval, ill-suited to a culture fractured by divorce, addiction, and cynicism about anyone keeping his/her promises. I say instead that marriage has never mattered more for our culture or for any other. One man for one woman champions the dignity of every citizen by reminding all that our bodies possess the power to create life, a call so precious that it requires commitment. The states of Maine, Minnesota, Washington and Maryland will decide today whether they will uphold marriage or further fracture it by introducing same-gender unions into the mix. To do so strikes down what marriage in essence is, and raises up yet another confusing symbol of humanity that will not serve future generations well. Why? 'Gay marriage' cannot generate life. And cannot demand the growth required by 'otherness.' Sexualizing same-gender friendship is yet another form of narcissism, as one peers into the pool of his/her own image. Pray for life. Pray for citizens in these four states to honor marriage for the good of all.
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