Sunday, July 5, 2015

Marriage, and Freedom for Excellence

(the following is a homily given at St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church, Enid OK on the 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Independence Day Weekend, 7/5/15)
 
This weekend we celebrate America’s Holiday of Obligation: Independence Day.  It is a day that represents all things American: liberty and equality, apple pie and hotdogs, and of course getting a day off from work (for some of us at least). This day stands for those who have fought and died for the freedom we have from the tyranny of oppression to live in the Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave.

 This particular Independence Day comes amid a major culture shift in our country.  As most of us are aware, this past week we saw the Supreme Court of the United States officially recognize the union of two people of the same sex as a lawfully sanctioned marriage.  And for many in our country, this is yet another way in which to show how our country embraces true equality.  For others of us, though, it makes us feel as if we are beginning a journey into exile, at least morally.  In the face of hard and resistant hearts, we feel weak and powerless in our resolve to hold to our natural and faith-filled beliefs. 

 As Catholics, we have held and will continue to hold to the stance that marriage is “by its nature the union of one man and one woman” and that this understanding of marriage is “established by God, written into human nature, and [has been] recognized as such for millennia.”[1]

 Our Church tells us that marriage must be based on three things: permanence, faithfulness, and fruitfulness.  In other words, marriage must be based on the total giving of self of one spouse to another.  There can be no holding back, but each spouse must give every facet of who they are to their beloved. 

Our Lord gives us an example of this in his own incarnation, where he came down from heaven in order to give his very Body, Blood, soul and divinity to his bride, the Church.  It is by this example of Christ that those who are called to the vocation of marriage are to live. (CCC 1643)

 But many in our country – those who even may have held the same or similar position as us in years past – no longer agree with this understanding of marriage.  Many today firmly believe that to be free means to live as one pleases, and that to be truly equal means that there should exist no objective distinctions. This freedom of indifference – a freedom based on an individual’s legal license to follow whatever brings him comfort and pleasure – is alive and well in our country, and is leaving us in a kind of exile of morality.

Our first reading (Ez 2:2-5)I think has something to offer us regarding exile.  Ezekiel the prophet ministered to the people of Israel during the Babylonian captivity, from the year 593-573 BC.  In this O/T book, Ezekiel describes at length the growing disregard for the Law of the LORD, pointing to idolatry and neglect of the Temple as proof of this.   

The section we hear today is from the “sending forth” of Ezekiel into his prophetic mission.  He was to go to the Israelites and, through his witness, shown them how to truly live.  Interestingly, Ezekiel is not called to say much of anything to the Israelites, but rather is to live out his faith and thereby be a witness to God’s Will.  Ezekiel’s very presence in the midst of idolatry and defilement is the testimony God desired to show the importance of repentance and returning to the LORD.[2]

 The LORD goes on to warn Ezekiel that the people of Israel would resist him: that he would have to hold fast to God’s Word in order to weather the storms of dissension, misunderstanding, and even hatred.

“And whether they heed or resist – for they are a rebellious house – they shall know that a prophet has been among them.” (Ez. 2:5)    

 The reason for Ezekiel’s effectiveness was the faith he placed in the LORD. He followed God’s call despite overwhelming odds, and the likelihood of rejection.  His faith sustained him even in his personal weakness, and so propelled him to be a prophetic witness to the people of Israel, even though they didn’t want it.

 Does this sound any different from our own circumstances? 

Faith gives us the ability to overcome the rebellion and obstinacy of those to which we are called to bring the Good News.  Yet if we fail to receive the gift of faith in our lives, we ourselves end up rejecting the truth of the Gospel because it does not conform to our personal understandings or desires.  This is what Ezekiel’s prophecy highlights for us, and it is the standard to which we are called to hold fast.

 My brothers and sisters, strengthened by Faith, we are called to witness to the Truth in our lives, regardless of the consequences.  As human beings, we are called to love, and to love is to give freely and completely to others.  Considering the recent news regarding marriage – and not forgetting the ages-long struggle for marriage in general – our society has shown that their working definition of love is very different from the one given to us by our Lord.  It is an individualistic and selfish definition, focused on bringing the maximum amount of physical and emotion comfort. 

 This is a definition we must strive against – for we know the truth of Love; we experience it when we receive our Lord in the Eucharist; we experience it when we are absolved of our sins in confession; we experience it when we witness the love of a man and woman joined in covenant for life; when we hear the cries of new-born babes as they are ushered into this world and baptized for the next, and we experience it when we see the tears in the eyes of mourners at a funeral as they send off the faithful departed into the loving embrace of our Lord and our God.    

 It is to this that we must witness.   We must hold to the truths revealed to us by God through our natures and through the experience of our faith, thereby becoming witnesses to the Truth for a world in desperate need for such witness.

 You know, the Greek word for witness is “μαρτυρέω” (martureo) from which we get our word “martyr.”  On this Independence Day weekend, maybe our God is asking us, in some way, to fight for, and if need be, to die for a lasting freedom for excellence, and an enduring Independence from the tyranny of sin, so that God may bring us all – from sea to shining sea – to live in the Land of Promise, our eternal homeland, where He Himself lives reigns forever and ever. 

Amen.



[1] Archbishop Coakley Statement on Supreme Court Ruling for Same-Sex Marriage, http://www.archokc.org/top-news/5514-archbishop-coakley-statement-on-supreme-court-ruling-for-same-sex-marriage
[2] Leclerc, Thomas L. Introduction to the  Prophets: Their Stories, Sayings and Scrolls. New York: Paulist Press, 2007.  Pg 282 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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