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more than a Picture.

I'm not changing my Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or other social media profile pictures. There's a thing going around in light of the Supreme Court decision last week to allow gay marriage in all states that people change their pictures to their traditional marriage. I'm not hoping on the bandwagon. First off, what about the single folks out there who stand for traditional marriage? How are they to participate? "Vaticanize" their profile pictures? It is silly, really. If you don't know that I am Catholic, and therefore pro-traditional marriage, then changing my picture is a sad attempt to get my beliefs out there. What I believe is more than my profile picture. The teachings of the Catholic Church and the importance - dare I say necessity - of traditional marriage must go beyond a mere picture and into our hearts, words, and actions. Also, June is a pretty popular month for weddings. It took me quite a bit to realize that everyone changing their pictures was about the Supreme Court decision and not merely a way to honor their anniversary. Frankly put, the message isn't abundantly clear. I'm not one to enter into political debates - ever. Not my gift, not my particular charism. That's fine. I support traditional marriage, but the legal allowance of gay marriage is the issue at hand. Sacramental marriage is where it is at - a man and a woman, graced by the presence of God and the Sacrament of Marriage. Unitive. Open to life. Sacramental marriage is what I support first and foremost. Traditional marriage, one man and one woman, falls next in the hierarchy of marriage. The decision has been made by the Supreme Court to legalize homosexual marriages. What's done is done. What remains for us now is to teach, and more importantly to witness, to the beauty of the Church's teachings on traditional marriage. Changing your profile picture takes two seconds. A picture can look nice, but in the grand scheme of things does very little to witness to the value of traditional marriage. There is so much beauty in traditional marriages, so much richness to be found. So how about we change the conversation? Why not share our stories of how traditional marriage has challenged us, invited us to pick up our crosses and journey with a spouse? Why not share about what marriage teaches us, about how our spouse molds us into a better, holier human being? Let's stop going on the defense and start playing offense. We've got the Author of love and traditional marriage on our side (CCC 1603). We've got the ultimate example of love winning in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. And need I remind you what the rainbow was and is a symbol of?

God said: This is the sign of the covenant that I am making between me and you and every living creature with you for all ages to come:

I set my bow in the clouds to serve as a sign of the covenant between me and you and the earth. When I bring clouds over the earth, and the bow appears in the clouds, I will remember my covenant between me and you and every living creature - every mortal being - so that the waters will never again become a flood to destroy every mortal being. When the bow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature - every mortal being that is on earth.

-Genesis 9:12-16

The rainbow is God's promise, a sign of His covenant: He is in charge. He won't destroy us, but He will espouse us to Him forever, He will espouse us to Him with justice and judgment, loyalty, compassion and fidelity (Hosea 2:21-22).

Changing our profile pictures isn't enough. Bashing other people and getting in arguments for the sake of arguments isn't going to cut it either. Now is the time to witness in word and in deed to the value, beauty, dignity and necessity of traditional marriage - regardless of what the courts of the land decree.

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