Simple Morning Prayers

A scene from City Hall before gay marriage became legal in New York

Yesterday morning, on a day that would end with same-sex marriage one State Senate vote away from passage in New York State , a group of religious opponents of the new law made what may amount to a last stand at City Hall.

A rabbi slowly walked toward the steps of City Hall, took his place and proceeded to call Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who is an enthusiastic supporter of same-sex marriage, a moral arsonist.

“He’s ready to burn down the foundations of society,” said the rabbi, William Handler. He predicted tornadoes, floods and terrorism and compared the five boroughs of New York to the biblical cities of Sodom and Gomorrah.

Handler, a Brooklyn-based rabbi, said he was there to provide moral support for Bishop Joseph Mattera of a political advocacy group called the Christ Covenant Coalition, who was due to lead the rally. The protestors had taken up formation and camera crews set up equipment, though Handler wasn’t in a hurry to begin before Mattera showed up.

“Without him, nothing will start,” said Handler.

In all, about 60 clergymen, mostly Catholic priests from around the city, turned out for the rally against statewide same-sex marriage legislation, which is predicted to advance this week, before the end of the legislative session. Since the beginning of the week, five Senators, three Democrats and two Republicans, have moved toward support of the bill.

On the City Hall stairs, the rally began with a round of prayers. After that, the speakers tended to shy away from moral and religious arguments, and appealed to the cameras in terms of the effect of same-sex marriage on children, the economy, and liberty from state tyranny.

“When we normalize same-sex marriage, we are in essence saying that a child doesn’t need a mother or doesn’t need a father,” said Mattera. “So we think that that is an insult to all mothers and fathers. We’re surprised that women’s groups aren’t rising up against this. And we believe this is driven more by money that is being funneled into the hands of the governor and state senators, than it is by sociological data.”

“Mayor Bloomberg is on the wrong side of history,” he said, despite steadily rising popular support in New York for same-sex marriage , and political momentum for the legalization bill in Albany. “He’s on the wrong side of psychology. He’s on the wrong side of truth.”

“We need to strengthen the vision of marriage and not redefine it to suit a small number of people who do not even want to marry in this sense. And the fastest growing economies in our nation have marriage amendments, not gay marriage. So that’s important.

Morning Prayer – Cheerful Surrender « ~ Simple Diligence ~

“There is no comfort in anything apart from Enjoying thee and being engaged in thy service . . . I rejoice to think that all things are at thy disposal, and it delights me to leave them there . . . I can of myself do nothing to glorify thy blessed name, but I can through grace cheerfully surrender soul and body to thee . . . I know…that thy sole motive in working in me to will and to do is for thy good pleasure . . .”

My paraphrase: 

LORD, I am not truly happy unless I am doing your will; thank you that you have already ordered my day, and help me to rejoice in it instead of gripe.  Grant me the grace to surrender myself to whatever You have planned for me today, for I want to live for Your glory.