Although recent polls on Catholics supporting same-sex “marriage” are
viewed as less disheartening than they appear, the results sparked a
call for education on the beauty and truth of Church teaching. Tim
Roder, associate director of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops'
Subcommittee for the Promotion and Defense of Marriage, said that
Catholic belief in marriage is about “remaining faithful to Jesus and
his teaching.” He cited Christ's words about married couples in
the Gospel of Mark, chapter 10: “from the beginning of creation, God
made them male and female. For this reason a man shall leave his father
and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one
flesh.”“We cannot be driven by polls,” Roder told EWTN News March 7.Surveys
indicating some Catholics' rejection of Catholic teaching show “there
is still much work to be done, particularly in educating the faithful on
the beauty of marriage as the unique union of one man and one woman.” The
U.S. Spanish-language television network Univision's recent global poll
of Catholics about their views indicated that about 54 percent of U.S.
Catholic respondents support “gay marriage.” Among this subset,
fifty-nine percent of respondents agreed that the Church should not
perform “gay marriages,” but 35 percent said the Church should. Among
the 12 countries polled, only Spanish Catholics showed more support than
Americans for these ceremonies in Catholic churches.Roeder
said it was a positive sign that even among supporters of same-sex
“marriage,” most rejected such unions being performed in Catholic
churches.Roder
noted, though, that only one-third of Catholics
who attended Mass weekly or more supported Church recognition of
same-sex “marriages.”He said that the survey results help show
that changing the legal definition of marriage “can indeed have a
cultural impact swaying more to support it. The law teaches for
good and ill,” Roder said. “When it teaches something false many just
accept it and this increases the profound cultural crisis in marriage
and family that Pope Francis spoke about in 'Evangelii Gaudium.'”Roder
said marriage is “a question of definition, not expanding rights.” It
is “impossible” for the Church to perform same-sex weddings.“The
body matters. Sexual difference between man and woman is essential to
marriage,” he said. “The Church cannot affirm something that is not true
or real. Only a man and a woman can enter a conjugal union open to the
possibility of children.”
Finding St Anthony Among the Lost Items
Saint Anthony of Padua, though often associated with finding lost articles, was primarily known in his lifetime as a powerful and eloquent preacher. Originally a Canon Regular of St. Augustine, he was inspired to join the newly formed Franciscan order after witnessing the martyrdom of the first Franciscan missionaries in Morocco. His conversion to the mendicant life under St. Francis of Assisi transformed him, deepening his commitment to poverty, humility, and evangelical preaching. Gifted with profound theological knowledge and a captivating speaking style, he traveled across Italy and France, drawing immense crowds with his clear and passionate sermons, converting many and combating heresy with his unwavering faith and intellectual rigor. Beyond his public ministry, St. Anthony was a mystic who enjoyed profound spiritual experiences, most notably a vision of the Infant Jesus. This intimate connection with the Christ Child is a hallmark of his iconography, often depicting him c...
