marriage and the family. Civil authority should consider it a grave duty to acknowledge the true nature of marriage and the family, to protect and foster them, to safeguard public morality, and promote domestic prosperity.” (Catechism #2210)

Here in El Paso, civil authority, by promoting the social acceptance and legitimization of homosexual unions, is acting immorally and completely contradicting its responsibility to “support and strengthen marriage and the family.” The legalization of homosexual unions is a lethal strike against the common good of society: it severely weakens private and public morality, undermines marriage and the family, and is a crime against children.

Instead of acknowledging the true nature of marriage and the family, the civil authority in our city is promoting “domestic partners.” Rather than protect and foster marriage and the family, they are undermining these most sacred gifts of God. Instead of safeguarding public morality, they are opening the floodgates to a final dismantling of whatever private and public morality we have left. Rather than promote domestic prosperity, they are choosing to give sanction to “unions” which are sure to wreck final chaos and dysfunction in the family.

Long ago, near “the beginning,” the serpent tempted Adam and Eve with the pleasures of the world and the flesh. They succumbed. They disobeyed God. As the 21st century unfolds, the serpent’s maleficent lies have intensified, leading man to strike against God’s supreme work of creation: male and female! It’s no longer about forbidden fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil; nay, it is now an attempt to uproot the very Tree of Life, the Cross of our Savior Jesus Christ.

Our Lady of Fatima, you promised the triumph of your Immaculate Heart, ora pro nobis.

Fr. Michael Rodríguez is the parish priest at San Juan Bautista Catholic Church.

“In the beginning God created heaven, and earth. And the earth was void and empty, and darkness was upon the face of the deep; and the Spirit of God moved over the waters. And God said: Be light made. And light was made.” (Gn 1:1-3) “And God created man to His own image: to the image of God He created him: male and female he created them.” (Gn 1:27) “And God blessed them, saying: Increase and multiply.” (Gn 1:28)

In the beginning, our loving God created man in His own image and likeness: male and female. Today, at the outset of the 21st century, man in his insolent pride contends that God got it wrong. In the fullness of time, “the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us.” (Jn 1:14) The shepherds went in haste and found the Holy Family: Mary and Joseph, and the Infant lying in the manger. (Lk 2:16) Today, throughout 21st century America, elementary school children are being indoctrinated by homosexual activists that there are “different kinds of families.” Jesus Christ preached against the man who looks upon a woman and lusts after her. (Mt 5:28). Today, 21st century man, a slave to the fires of his passion and lust, cries “equal rights” in order to justify the abomination of male-male or female-female “unions.” The stench of moral decadence surrounds us, and yet we insist on spreading the lie that we of the 21st century are “enlightened and progressive” because we’ve “moved beyond the prejudices of the past.”

Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, died on the Cross to save mankind. By His suffering, death, and resurrection, the Son of God instituted the Seven Sacraments of Salvation, one of which is Matrimony. The Sacrament of Matrimony is essential to God’s Plan of Salvation, and ALL CATHOLICS MUST respect, defend, and live by this great Sacrament of Christ’s love. No earthly power—no king, president, parliament, congress, judge, no government—has the authority to change or undermine marriage.

Jesus bequeathed all His power, celestial and terrestrial, to Peter and the Apostles (Mt 16:18-19, 28:18-20). With this authority, the Roman Catholic Church teaches, “The importance of the family for the life and well-being of society entails a particular responsibility for society to support and strengthen

In the Beginning: God’s Precious Gift of Marriage

by Fr. Michael Rodríguez

This was printed in the El Paso Times as a paid advertisement on August 30, 2011, page 6B.