We live in a hurting world.

It is populated with the sick who are contending with chronic pain or illness. It is full of young people who resemble the walking dead as they crank their necks to stare at their phones and block the voices of family with earbuds so they can listen to the voices of strangers. It is inhabited by modern lepers who feel alone and isolated, believing the lie that no one cares about them. And there are those who fight demons of addiction and mental illness.

Our Catholic Church teaches that one of the greatest acts of love for another is sharing one’s body in complete vulnerability. “I love you. I trust you. I am yours completely.” Yet, in order to receive this act of love as intended, it cannot be separated from the commitment that is found in a sacrament—in this case, the sacrament of matrimony.

This act of freely entering into this holy sacrament strengthens both individuals and empowers them to serve the Lord throughout their time on Earth not only as individuals, but as a team bonded in Christ.

The world has lost its mind.

I know it might seem that I’m a bit late to the party when I write that, but a few articles I just came across really drove this point home for me.

In the first article, I read where Target is trying to walk the tightrope between appealing to our “anything goes” world, while also attempting to appease those of us still holding onto sanity with the tiniest of gestures. They are pulling a few items from their LGBTQ+ collection, while moving other items a bit further back into certain stores.