AT LONG LAST: LOCAL PRIEST SPEAKS ON NATURAL LAW

The Old Testament reading was from Genesis, Chapter 2, the creation of Eve from Adam's rib, Eve being the suitable companion for him and indeed is the reason God created marriage that man and woman should cling to one another and bear offspring, be fruitful and multiply; the New Testament passage was from St. Mark, Chapter 10:

"And the Pharisees coming to him asked him: Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife? tempting him. But he answering, saith to them: What did Moses command you? Who said: Moses permitted to write a bill of divorce, and to put her away. To whom Jesus answering, said: Because of the hardness of your heart he wrote you that precept.

"But from the beginning of the creation, God made them male and female. For this cause a man shall leave his father and mother; and shall cleave to his wife. And they two shall be in one flesh. Therefore now they are not two, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder. And in the house again his disciples asked him concerning the same thing.

"And he saith to them: Whosoever shall put away his wife and marry another, committeth adultery against her. And if the wife shall put away her husband, and be married to another, she committeth adultery. And they brought to him young children, that he might touch them. And the disciples rebuked them that brought them. Whom when Jesus saw, he was much displeased, and saith to them: Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not; for of such is the kingdom of God. Amen I say to you, whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, shall not enter into it."

Thus marriage is only between a man and woman for life, open to life [the begetting of children], which the priest stressed at least twice, after first speaking about the changes in society that a Catholic cannot uphold as a good thing or a right. He was addressing the November referendum in Maine whereby so-called "gays" can be given the "right" of marriage, an impossibility because there is only one definition of marriage, immutable, not only under the Divine law but the natural law. He referred to the natural law at least twice with emphasis.

At long last!

The elderly priest was retired until recently. He had made a pilgrimage to various churches and or shrines in Italy. At that time he was somewhat liberal, confusingly so, on some Church doctrine and or practice. Upon his return he told his parishioners that he had decided to come back to active ministry rather than remain in retirement, only helping out here and there. He said that in Italy he had experienced a conversion. And to all it is quite apparent.

As far as I can remember, this is the first time that a diocesan priest has even mentioned the natural law. This priest not only did so, his manner was cogent and compelling, obliterating the previous sermon wherein the dissenting priest served to obfuscate and confuse, perhaps leading those who are weak to follow the path of least resistance on the referendum.

The Catholic people are starving not only for the unvarnished truth, they require a certain trumpet without shame or the appearance of recalcitrancy, "the on the one hand, but on the other hand" bilge we are used to hearing so often when it comes to our responsibilities as voters and citizens of a democratic republic.

Bravo, good Father, well done!