I'm very catholic as well and the recent SCOTUS ruling has been difficult. I'm afraid for the future and I've started realizing how alone I am in thinking this way... there's my family sure, but even most of my "catholic" friends are celebrating it. It would be so easy to just go with the flow but I can't do it. I've been upset and alone all day. How does one handle this? It feels really hopeless.
First, please don’t feel alone or hopeless! Next, a word from our sponsor :)
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid.” - John 14:27
Jesus said that. And as difficult as that may seem (coming from a fellow worrier, here!) faith and trust are truly the only ways to deal with the world we live in. Our hearts should not be troubled, but that does not mean burying our heads in the sand, nor does it mean angrily protesting. If you get right down to it, marriage has been in crisis mode since no-fault divorce was established as the law of of land. And it’s important to remember that the Catholic sacrament of holy matrimony has not been changed by the SCOTUS ruling.
As for how we should proceed? LOVE. Obviously, if you are prompted, you should be able to defend Church teaching with logic and charity, but we need not go out of our way to cause discord. Rather, as Catholics, we should focus on creating healthy relationships, marriages, and families in our own lives. Authentic and loving witnesses do far more for our cause than angry debates ever will. And prayer! When you feel upset or concerned about your friends and neighbors, pray for them! It does far more than we even realize.
The world, made up of flawed humans, will always be chaotic. But truth, goodness, and beauty can always be found too. In that verse from John, Jesus is explains that he gives us peace that the world cannot. Have faith in those words and take them to heart. In spite of sin and hatred, God is still working in our lives!
In other words, keep the faith (and hope and love!)