One of the big messages being pushed lately is equality of the sexes. Society tells us that men and women should all have the same rights, opportunities, and be treated equally. While this message should be true in regards to certain aspects of life, we are not all the same and we shouldn’t be treated the same all the time.
God made men and women different, but complementary. Our bodies are built differently. We think differently and have different emotions. Diversity isn’t a bad thing. It helps life continue to thrive and makes the world a more interesting place. When we treat everyone the same, we risk losing the identity of each sex and becoming a gender neutral society.
We are also told that we should be able to choose if we want to marry a man or a woman. The relationship between a man and a woman is like two puzzle pieces. They are each unique pieces, but when they are put together, the two pieces become one piece. No matter how much someone tries to fit two women pieces or two men pieces together, they won’t fit right. In part of the Gospel for this week (Mark 10:6-8) Jesus says, “But 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. So they are no longer two, but one flesh.” When we try to make two puzzle pieces fit together that aren’t supposed to, the beauty of the big picture is diminished.
Not everyone is called to marriage. The Bible says in Matthew 19:12, “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.” If someone is born with the attraction to the same sex or is born with a condition that doesn’t allow for the marital union, they should embrace a vocation other than marriage. While I would love to see more men choose the priesthood as a vocation, not everyone would make a good priest. Not every woman would make a good nun and not everyone would make a good single person. Just because we want to do something, doesn’t mean we should.
The root cause for every sin is us saying we want to do something our way instead of God’s way. When we choose our way over God’s way, bad things happen. A society that encourages sex outside of marriage creates many more problems. People get pregnant with unwanted children and that can lead to abortion or kids growing up without a family. Sex outside of marriage can lead to depression and sadness. It can also lead to physical, emotional, and spiritual problems. Sex within marriage is meant to give the married couple the gift of children and create a strong bond with our spouse.
The filth in the world and sin itself taints us over time and makes us less able to see the truth. Jesus said, “Amen, I say to you, whoever does not accept the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it.” Children have faith and believe in their fellow man. It’s only after getting used, abused, and lied to that they start to lose that faith. Sometimes, I wish I could reclaim my childlike innocence and view the world from trusting eyes again. Let’s all try to embrace our own uniqueness. Pray to discern where God is calling us. Try not to focus only on what we want, but try to focus on the big beautiful picture that God is creating through all of us and how we can fit into that picture to make it more beautiful.
