Blessed Are Those Who Are Persecuted

Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake

John Bosio

“Persecution” is not a word that we see today across the pages of our newspapers nor that we hear on the radio or TV programs. Does this beatitude still apply today? The answer is a definite “yes!” Perhaps today this beatitude should read: “Blessed are those who are made fun of for following the principles and values of their Christian fait.”

One way we can understand the relevance of this beatitude is to look at the world from the perspective shown us both by John Paul II and Benedict XVI. Both popes believe we are in the midst of a serious culture war that threatens our civilization. John Paul II describes this war as a contest between a culture of life and a culture of death. Each one of us is involved in this war and must choose a side. It is in the daily battles of this war that spouses have a critical role to play. This beatitude blesses those who resist the culture of death and teach their children to do the same. The family is the place where this war is fought, and there it is either lost of won, according to John Paul II: “As the family goes, so goes the nation and so goes the whole world in which we live.” Within the family the faith of husband and wife and the strength of their relationship are the hope not only of the Church but also of society.

Some time ago while visiting a business in Stockholm, Sweden, I invited several colleagues to dinner. These were professional men and women in their late twenties and early thirties. During the meal the young lady that was sitting next to me started complaining about her “partner.” “My partner is never home in the evening. We are at the point that we hardly see each other. We are more like roommates.” Her comments caught the attention of the whole table, and a discussion ensued about relationships. Realizing that most person sitting at the table were not married but were living with another person, a partner, I asked: “Why don’t you get married?” The table laughed. “People here don’t get married right away. They live together and then, if they are right for each other they get married,” was the answer. The group proceded to tout the benefits of premarital cohabitation. It was obvious to me that these intelligent individuals were well indoctrinated in the social expectations of their culture.

Upon my return home I goggled “Cohabitation in Sweden.” I found several studies indicating that in this Nordic country premarital cohabitation is the norm, and because of this over 50% of children born is Sweden are born outside of marriage. I also found that 80% of women who cohabit and then marry end up divorcing. I could not find any data on the men. So much for using cohabitation as a way to see if “we are right for each other.” The outcome of this situation is placing the next generation at risk by creating a family environment that is unstable, not to mention the moral damage done to the children. What is worse, one study provides clear evidence that the practice of cohabitation is eroding the commitment of partners in the marriage institution.

What is sad is that this same pattern is coming to the United States. The report by the National Marriage Project called “The State of our Unions 2007” indicates that in recent years fewer people have been getting married, more are living together, and the out of wedlock birth rate have risen. The authors of the report attribute this shift to the growing influence of secular individualism in all modern cultures. Some authors are writing that premarital cohabitation seems to be replacing dating. Today over half of all first marriages are preceded by living together, compared to virtually none fifty years ago.

There are serious problems with cohabitation, in addition to the moral aspect of it. The popular myth that living together before marriage is useful to find out partners’ compatibility and thus avoid divorce is false. A substantial body of evidence indicates that those who live together before marriage are more likely to break up after marriage, mostly due to a lower level of commitment. In addition there is no evidence that the experience of cohabitation brings about a stronger marital relationship. More than 40% of cohabitating couples have children and the average length of cohabitation is two years. Cohabitation exposes children to a very unstable family environment.

One could say that the institution of marriage is threatened today by the modern trends that undermine the cornerstone of marriage: commitment. In so doing it undermines the health of the family. John Paul II in his homilies around the world said repeatedly: “As the family goes, so goes the nation and so goes the world in which we live.”

Unfortunately today anyone who would stand up to decry the modern practice of cohabitation by our young people, or any other trends that threaten the family would be looked at as a fool.

“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake.” (Mat. 5:8) Is Christ inviting us to stand up for the Christian principles and values and make fools of ourselves in our society? He is.

Our path to holiness through the Beatitudes requires us not only to recognize our need for God and submit to his will, but also to stand up in our world for what God has created and protect it, even in the face of ridicule.

Question for reflection: List the modern trends in our society that you think threaten the stability of marriage and the family. What is there that you can do, even if very small, to resist one of these trends? Are you willing to become more informed on the dangers of cohabitation, premarital sex, abortion, liberal divorce laws, etc?

John Bosio is a parishioner of St. Stephen Catholic Community in Old Hickory Tennessee. He is a global human resources manager for Caterpillar Financial Services Corp. and an adjunct professor at Aquinas College. He is the author of a newly released book:“Happy Together: The Catholic Blueprint for a Loving Marriage He can be contacted at (615) 884-9287.