Feast of Blessed Karl Leisner

Good morning. Today we hear from Jesus about a matter many in today’s culture prefer to not hear about. In today’s Gospel we hear from Jesus about the sacrament of marriage and how it was intended from the beginning to be forever—divorce was never intended to be part of it. If people were to truly discern their decision to get married, if they were to truly give meaningful consideration to the question of getting married and make this choice in response to a call from God and for God, then divorce would likely be less a part of the whole mix. But as it is, too often marriage is simply viewed as a contract two people make surrounded by romantic notions of being in love as if love is something which happens to a couple. There is much which needs to be done toward regaining a more universal sense of marriage being a permanent covenant, certainly marriage preparation which emphasizes the sanctity and permanence of marriage would be a good place to begin. As it is we have too many within the pews and even from the pulpit tending to minimize the sacramental nature of marriage resulting in it being viewed as more of a secular and quaint ritual we go through—hoping for the best. Our society, including many from within the church, tends to offer little support for such notions as permanence and commitment. Too many tend to pooh-pooh the idea of permanence and commitment within marriage, instead looking at it as parlaying between the couple winding up in divorce court or celebrating golden years together. If instead couples were prepared to view marriage as a commitment to live for God and for each other, as the Gospel reminds us, then the world would be a much better place in which to live. I could go on all day regarding the importance of marriage as it is a passion for me but I need to remind myself this is just a Blog. We, the church, need to stand up and take a position. We know that marriage comes to us from the hand of God, and we know from ample studies such as that of Linda Waite and Maggie Gallagher in The Case for Marriage: Why Married People Are Happier, Healthier, and Better Off Financially that marriage contributes to the overall health of society, so why would we desire anything else? There is too much apathy and indifference in response to the cultural and legislative undermining of the sacrament of marriage. If we don’t begin to man-up to the erosion of marriage, as Monsignor Charles Pope notes, before long marriage will cease to exist. “If anything is marriage, nothing is marriage…” We need to remain faithful to marriage; that is what God demands of us. Man-up and commit to marriage today. Make a great day!

Today we recall the good life, gifts, and works of Blessed Karl Leisner.