By REY FLORES
On August 12, 2015, my wife Mary and I celebrated 15 years of marriage. A lot can happen in 15 years, including seven children in our case. Six of them are here with one little angel in Heaven.
My wife Mary has been the most absolute blessing that God has bestowed upon me. She’s smart, she’s beautiful, she’s brought six wonderful children into this world, and, best of all, she loves God with all of her heart.
When people talk about a “good Christian woman,” they speak of people like my wife, except she’s even better because she is “a good Catholic woman.”
My wife complements me just as God intended in His plan for marriage. One man, one woman and for better or for worse, we are together till death do us part — again, just as God intended.
Our minds are different, our bodies are different, and our roles as spouses are different. As parents we give our children a mother who is wise, caring, nurturing, and soft. As a father, I give my children someone who can play catch with them, someone who can provide, and someone who will never abandon them. As God intended.
Not that I want to portray an image of a perfect marriage and family. Only God is perfect and like most families, we have our ups and downs, but no matter how tough it has gotten at times, the glue that keeps us together is our belief and faith in God and our obedience to Him.
While the Father of Lies may want us to believe that this world no longer believes in something like traditional marriage, we know better. As a matter of fact, it is a safe bet to say that about 95 percent of the world’s people are firm believers in traditional marriage; therefore, we must continue to defend it.
While the undercover Planned Parenthood videos have been dominating the headlines, we mustn’t forget what happened earlier this summer. Remember when Obama thumbed his nose at us and lit up the White House in rainbow colors?
I’m still not sure why the president didn’t go ahead and paint the White House permanently; why just temporary lights? After all, since this abomination known as same-sex “marriage” is now the law of the land, why not really actually paint the White House in all the glorious rainbow colors and fly a rainbow flag instead of the American flag?
Marriage between one man and one woman is still God’s law as far as any of us should be concerned. There is no one and nothing more supreme than God. The Supreme Court of the United States is nothing more than a group of mere mortals, assigned randomly by other mere mortals who have absolutely no power over God.
Be all that as it may, my wife and I are celebrating 15 years of matrimony, and it reminds me of the absolute value and importance of this sacrament.
Let your husband or wife be your reminder of how important marriage is, no matter what any court says. Let the courts tell us that a man can marry a goldfish or a zebra or both, but never will that or the so-called “marriage” between a man and another man or a woman and another woman be legitimate, valid, or anything more than a complete rejection of nature.
If there are any people who read this specific column and are of the opinion that I am being less than charitable by not waving a rainbow flag outside of my church and shouting “welcome,” so be it. As I told a reporter once when he asked me if the Catholic Church was beginning to recognize same-sex “marriage,” the Church welcomes all sinners, but not our sins.
Leave it to the media to try and use and manipulate even the Holy Father’s words to fit their agenda and the public opinion narrative. While Pope Francis stated “Who am I to judge?’ when asked about homosexuals, what he really meant was what I said. Sinners are welcome, but leave your sins at the confessional.
Marriage is the foundation of our society. Even for those couples who may not be able to have children, your marriage represents what God planned for us all along: man and woman, to love, to know, and to serve God and each other. Anything else is a sham and a disgrace.
Today you have a choice to love your husbands and your wives as if you had just fallen in love with them. If your husband or wife has gone to his or her eternal reward, by all means love them through your prayers. Let them know that you are thinking of them as if they were still here. Let them know that you will have a Mass or two said for them and for their salvation.
You see, marriage is forever. When you and your husband or wife walked up to that altar on your wedding day, you promised to be together forever to each other and above all to God. The vows we took that day aren’t just some lines from a movie script; these words and these promises are forever.
Please pray for my marriage, that God will keep us in His hands and that He always remain in our hearts. I will make it a goal to pray for all of your marriages, that He may also keep you forever.
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(Rey Flores is a Catholic writer and speaker. Contact Rey at reyfloresusa@gmail.com.)
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