Stand and Pray for Marriage Tomorrow? Okay.

The United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit will hear oral arguments tomorrow morning in a case challenging Virginia’s legal definition of marriage as limited to couples of the opposite sex. The Virginia Catholic Conference is organizing a “Stand and Pray for Marriage” event during the argument.

Somewhat to my surprise, I plan to attend. I am surprised because the idea that I intend to be at a rally related to a pending appeal at the Fourth Circuit clashes with some fundamental views I thought I held--and still do, at some level--about constitutional law, about politics, and about prayer. Even mentioning such an idea on a blog raises questions for me about the relationship between the public and the personal.

I am more of a law person than a “rally to show the court what we think” person. I tend to think that on matters of fundamental law we need more law than we need judicial temperature-taking of the populace. And I have no intention of praying for “my team” to “win.”

My prayer, rather, will be that God’s will be done ... and I don’t pretend here to know what God’s will is.

So why go? I’m not sure I fully understand or that I ever will. But if I do come to a better understanding in a way that I can explain on a blog post, I will aim to do so here.