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SEVERAL <\/strong>years ago during the pontificate of St. John Paul II, Cardinal Carlo Caffara (Archbishop of Bologna) received a letter from Fatima visionary, Sr. Lucia. In it, she described what the “Final Confrontation” would be over:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n …the final battle between the Lord and the reign of Satan will be about marriage and the family. Don\u2019t be afraid… because anyone who works for the sanctity of marriage and the family will always be fought and opposed in every way, because this is the decisive issue.<\/span><\/strong> \u2014Inside the Vatican,<\/em> Letter #27, 2015: On This Day; insidethevatican.com<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n There is no need to explain whether or not this prophecy is true: the fruits of family disintegration are all around us, most notably, in the rulings of Supreme Courts that undermine and redefine the definitions of marriage and human sexuality. The battle is well underway.<\/p>\n Even within the Church (of all\u00a0places), a battle is simmering over the giving of Communion to Catholics who\u00a0have divorced and remarried outside\u00a0of the Church, that is, outside of the Sacrament\u00a0of Marriage. While this is referred to today as an “irregular union”, the proper word for it is “adultery.”\u00a0It sounds harsh, but objectively, it is the state in which many couples today find themselves, even though they may have children and are far happier than their previous arrangements.<\/p>\n But happiness was not the standard by which the Lord judged a relationship to be authentic or not\u2014though happiness is certainly an intended fruit. Indeed,\u00a0peace and joy are the natural fruits that spring from obedience to God’s will, which is ordered to our happiness. Rather, the standard by which the Lord defines marriage is the free and permanent commitment to a member of the opposite sex that is consummated in the conjugal act.<\/p>\n So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore, what God has joined together, man must not separate. (Today’s Gospel)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Not man, but God <\/em>has joined husband and wife. That is, they are now united in spirit such that they are truly “one.” So profound is this unity in its indissolubility and openness to\u00a0fertility, that it is a reflection of not only the Holy Trinity\u00a0but of Christ’s love and union with the Church. No wonder Satan is attacking marriage and family because their very essence is inextricably linked to God’s own essence and divine order. To undermine marriage and the family, from which authentic love and sexuality find their true meaning, is to virtually undermine the entire moral order.<\/p>\n The battle to preserve the roots of mankind is perhaps the greatest challenge our world has faced since its origins. Do not be afraid to proclaim the truth with love, especially about marriage according to God\u2019s plans. In the words of St. Catherine of Siena, \u2018proclaim the truth and do not be silent through fear.\u2019<\/span><\/strong> \u2014Cardinal Robert Sarah at the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast, May 17th, 2016, LifeSiteNews<\/a><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Only a man and woman are complementary to one another, biologically and otherwise. Only a man and a woman can form a marriage. Only a man and a woman are fecund. Only a man and a woman can naturally produce unique offspring that continues the cycle\u00a0of life. Hence, Jesus does not hesitate to say that marriage will not be for everyone.<\/p>\n Not all can accept this word, but only those to whom that is granted. Some are incapable of marriage because they were born so; some, because they were made so by others; some, because they have renounced marriage for the sake of the Kingdom of heaven. Whoever can accept this ought to accept it.\u00a0(Today’s Gospel)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Indeed, I have dialogued with several Catholic men\u00a0and women who,\u00a0struggling with same-sex attraction, have therefore “renounced marriage for the sake of the Kingdom of heaven.” They have chosen to obey Christ’s word and respect the natural moral law established by the Creator. In so doing, these men\u00a0and women\u00a0are heroic<\/em> witnesses, sometimes more so than married couples, because their lives and choices courageously point to the transcendent. They reflect a “Kingdom perspective” [1]<\/sup><\/a>cf. Keeping One’s Eyes on the Kingdom<\/a><\/em><\/span><\/span>\n
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