Yes. The desired unity is a way of being present according to the mode of the relationship.

“It’s not easy, but we’re making it work.” That’s what Ed said when his friends asked how his long-distance relationship with Donna was going, in the year before they got engaged. Once they had a foundation of trust and figured out a rhythm of communication, Ed started to wonder whether this could be sustainable in the long term. Of course, if he asked her that question, he knew what Donna’s answer would be: “absolutely not.”

Long-distance relationships aren’t bad, but people typically enter into them out of necessity rather than preference. The circumstances which keep people apart are almost always in competition with love, not a result of love. No couple dreams of growing old five hundred miles apart and dying alone. They dream of growing old together and dying side by side.

Is there any kind of love that does not inherently aim toward the goal of unity?

Bishops Robert Barron of Winona-Rochester, MN., and Kevin Rhoades of Fort Wayne-South Bend, IN.,

are pictured in a combination photo. (OSV News photo/Courtney Meyer/Bob Roller)

Federal Agencies Distort Truth, Threaten Religious Freedom With Gender Ideology Rules

By Bishop Robert E. Barron and Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades

Over the past several years, federal agencies have been working methodically to promote gender ideology at the expense of the rights of people of faith. Recently, that steady march became a sprint. Over three weeks in April and May, federal agencies issued eight separate rules enshrining gender ideology in law. 

Legal/Policy Updates

The Supreme Court and Title IX (Education) – The Supreme Court rejected the Biden Administration's emergency request to lift injunctions that blocked enforcement of the administration's distorted version of Title IX. The administration's version, which is being challenged by 26 states and enforced in 24, would have included "sexual orientation and gender identity" in the definition of sex discrimination.

Texas Federal Court Blocks Enforcement of Section 1557 (Healthcare) – A district court in Texas issued a nationwide stay against the recent Section 1557 rule, which included “sexual orientation and gender identity” in the nondiscrimination requirements for federally funded healthcare and would mandate the performance of "gender-affirming care".