Fr. Neuhaus over at First Things has a beautiful synopsis of two very different views of the situation for Catholics. First, he summarizes Fr. Reese, SJ's rather blithe analysis of the Catholic hierarchy's Medieval restrictions on sexual intercourse. Second, he offers a much more edifying article by Bishop Vigneron of Oakland, CA. Here is the last excerpt:
'Bishop Vigneron reminds Catholics of the teaching of the Second Vatican Council that it is a primary responsibility of laypeople to bear witness to the truth in the secular realm.
“As faithful citizens Catholics are called to bring our laws regarding marriage into conformity with what we know about the nature of marriage.” Faithfulness, however, does not ensure success.
“If such efforts fail, our way of life will become counter-cultural, always a difficult situation for Christians—one our forebears faced in many ages past, one that the Lord himself predicted for us. Indeed, even if such efforts meet with success, our work is far from done. We would still be living in a society where many accept a set of convictions that is ultimately detrimental to the integrity of human life, with negative consequences for one’s happiness in this world and the next. Your mission then will be, as it always has been, to be a light and leaven for the new creation established in Christ. The resources of the Theology of the Body, worked out by the late Holy Father, John Paul II, will be an especially helpful resource for this task.”'
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