Sacred Marriage

Gay Pride, NYC, June 26, 2011

A purple centerline ran down 5^th Avenue when I pulled into NYC yesterday around 11:30 and police were setting up the metal partitions to corral the anticipated spectators for the Gay Pride Parade.  People were already gathering and opportunistic street peddlers were hawking rainbow flags and leis.  By the time the leading cavalcade of slow-moving, revving motorcyclists passed the Flatiron Building around 12:30, the sidewalks were packed with cheering celebrators.  All people can now marry the ones they love in New York.  It’s true in Connecticut where I live, too.

While certain leaders of my Catholic faith have expressed anew their concerns that gay marriage undermines the sacredness of the sacrament, I myself feel the rejoicing in our collective spirit.  For me, it is an issue of faith when we legally do something that is morally right.  Our loving God must surely be pleased that we are treating each other fairly and that we are more fully awake to each other’s humanity.

Marriage is at its core a union between the two people who take the vows, and any unique marriage is as strong as those two people are in their commitment.  The power and grace of that bond also ripple outward to the rest of us when the couple’s happiness and love make them better people, more generous with their contributions to work and community.  The power of the bond also ripples among the relatives and friends who unite to support a married couple, long after the ceremony is over.  In this way, strong marriages do thread into the fabric of our society, so loving gay marriages will benefit everyone.

There’s yet another lovely thing happening, too.  By honoring all people who can choose marriage, we are elevating the sacrament, but we are also honoring people who choose not to marry.  It’s no longer the case that some people can’t marry.  We are saying now: you have a choice.  You matter.  You can decide.  You count.  Married people and single people alike have just become more sacred.

Everybody wins.