Catholic Vote: 40 Days Of Marriage Prayer

Posted several days ago by Catholic Vote:

The Supreme Court is deliberating right now whether or not there is a constitutional right to same-sex ‘marriage.’ This ruling could impact children, the family, and the future of America for generations to come. The court is expected to announce its ruling by the last day of June, which is precisely 40 days from tomorrow. In preparation, CV has launched a national prayer campaign starting tomorrow. We’re calling it 40 Days of Prayer for Marriage and it will go from May 22 to June 30.

There are any number of ways to participate in this 40 Days of Prayer for Marriage: Offer specific sacrifices or do something generous, however small, for your spouse and children; offer this up for the cause of marriage (your marriage and family life will benefit too!). Fast on Fridays, which is still the normal practice of the Church — specifically for the cause of marriage. Pray the rosary for marriage, as we recommended last month, or perhaps you could pray nine rosaries during these 40 days — one rosary for each of the nine justices on the Supreme Court. Organize a Holy Hour for marriage in your parish. Simply pray a Hail Mary each day for this special intention.

In a separate Catholic Vote post, former NOM staffer Thomas Peters writes today:

Ireland just voted to redefine marriage (I will comment on this calamity soon). But we Americans have to respond first to what is happening and is about to happen in our own country. Catholics who wish to remain faithful to their baptismal vows and continue to remain Catholic must support marriage as God created it, Christ proclaimed it, and the Church has always defined it. Belief in marriage as the union of one man and one woman is not optional for Catholics. That means, for Catholics, our spiritual lives are in jeopardy if we deny marriage publicly. Which in turn means when powerful individuals, government officials and agents of the law force us to deny marriage “or else”, they are saying our Catholic lives don’t matter.

In Roman times, Christians knew they could not offer incense at the altar of false gods. In Reformation England, Saints Thomas More and John Fisher knew they could not say Henry VIII was validly married to Anne Boleyn. In both of these historical examples, elected officials cared more about enforcing the orthodoxy of the state than the lives of the Catholics under their thumb. So I think we need to start asking those in power who now claim it is illegitimate for Catholics to adhere to our beliefs about marriage, do they think Catholic lives matter?

(Tipped by JMG reader Sam Handwich)