Diocesan Resources
The Difference is the Difference: Sexual Difference an the Defense of Marriage by Msgr. J. Brian Bransfield (2012)
The Difference is the Difference: Sexual Difference an the Defense of Marriage by Msgr. J. Brian Bransfield
The marriage of one man and one woman is the most recognized institution in time and space. Sacred Scripture and the authentic teaching of the Church confirm what was present from the beginning of time, namely, that marriage is a relationship constructed on the basis of heterosexual difference.
The natural relation, man to woman and woman to man, that is made possible by sexual difference has always been the essential base for the permanent, faithful, fruitful bond between one man and one woman. This is easily recognized as the teaching of Divine Revelation, the truth revealed by God which is handed on through Sacred Scripture and Tradition. But this is also clearly recognized as the classical truth of natural reason: Marriage is not only a sacred institution; it is also a time honored institution as recognized in the established, standard and traditional understanding of marriage as the permanent union of one man and one woman. This understanding of marriage is today under relentless attack from the attempt to redefine marriage to include same-sex unions, and thus exclude the essential meaning of sexual difference from the heart of marriage.