Fwd: Marriage Unique for a Reason: January 2017 Newsletter



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From: USCCB Marriage: Unique for a Reason <marriageuniqueforareason@usccb.org>
Date: Thu, Jan 5, 2017 at 11:20 AM
Subject: Marriage Unique for a Reason: January 2017 Newsletter
To: billcoffin68@gmail.com




The U.S. Bishops are encouraging Catholics throughout the country to offer their Friday acts of sacrifice and penance for the protection of Life, Marriage, and Religious Liberty.
 
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Talking Point
No religious exemption - no matter how broadly worded - can justify a supportive or neutral position on the redefinition of marriage (see CDF, 1992, no. 16). Such "redefinition" is always fundamentally unjust, and religious exemptions may even facilitate the passage of such unjust laws. Protecting marriage protects religious liberty; the two are inseparable.
Catechesis Corner 
"We must remember that, of its very nature, civil authority exists, not to confine its people within the boundaries of their nation, but rather to protect, above all else the common good of that particular civil society, which certainly cannot be divorced from the common good of the entire human family." Pacem in Terris, #98
For Your Marriage

For news and current events pertaining to marriage, visit the
 page on the For Your Marriage website.
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January 2017
Made for the Common Good

The final video for the MUR series has been completed and posted online! Made for the Common Good explores the unique and necessary contribution that the marriage of one man and one woman brings to society. 

This nine-minute piece features personal witness stories as well as expert testimony on the effects of married mothers and fathers on children and on the community as a whole.

Please share this video with your connections, whether in person or through social media. 
Made for Freedom


We continue the catechesis series on our video Made for Freedom. It features clips from the video followed by a short commentary and a challenge based on what was said.
In addition, be aware of the study guide and the suggestions for a parish evening or classroom viewing!
Next, we will be doing the same thing with segments from Made for Each Other.
Committee Update
 
Archbishop Cordileone's term as the Subcommittee Chairman ended in November, and Bishop Conley of Lincoln, Nebraska has been appointed as the new chairman. Welcome, Bishop Conley!
Judicial Updates
 
The Arkansas State Supreme Court threw out a previous judge's ruling that a person in a same-sex "marriage" whose "spouse" gives birth could automatically be placed in the position of a biological parent on that child's birth certificate. The court thus agreed with the state attorney general that the state has an interest in natural parentage.

The 6th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled against an Ohio school district that requested relief from an injunction requiring a school to allow a boy to use the girls' facilities.

In Summers vs. Whitis, an Indiana federal district court ruled that an Indiana County Clerk did not violate Title VII of the Civil Rights Act by firing a deputy clerk who refused to issue marriage licenses for same-sex couples because of her religious convictions. The judge, in explaining how he saw no conflict between the deputy clerk's religious beliefs and her job, noted that the clerk did not have to "express religious approval or condone any particular marriage. Summers remained free to practice her Christian faith and attend church services. She was even free to maintain her belief that marriage is a union between one man and one woman."

On December 31st, a Texas court struck down the HHS's "transgender mandate" that was challenged by eight states, a doctors' association, and a Catholic hospital system.
Legislation in the 115th Congress

 
The USCCB expects to support the First Amendment Defense Act and the Child Welfare Provider Inclusion Act in the next Congress. 

Take Action Now! by visiting this link and urge your representatives to support and co-sponsor this vital legislation.
Pope Francis

In his general audience on December 14, Pope Francis spoke of our Advent waiting for the Child Jesus. He offers a reflection of what we learn from a God who became a Baby:

"And seeing the little Babe of Bethlehem, the little ones of the world will know that the promise has been fulfilled, the message has been realized. Enclosed in a newly born child, needy of everything, wrapped in swaddling clothes and placed in a manger, is the whole power of the God that saves. Christmas is a day to open the heart: it is necessary to open one's heart to so much littleness, which is there in that Baby, and to so much wonder. It is the wonder of Christmas, for which we are preparing, with hope, in this Season of Advent. It is the surprise of a Child God, of a poor God, of a weak God, of a God who abandons His greatness to make himself close to each one of us." 

May this Christmas season help families to appreciate the gift of life and the salvation that Christ won for us!
Marriage: Unique for a Reason is an initiative of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). It offers resources to assist with the education and catechesis of Catholics on why marriage is unique and why it should be promoted and protected as the union of one man and one woman. Questions or comments, contact: MarriageUniqueForAReason@usccb.org

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