Many of us spent a lot of time this weekend on Jody Bottum’s essay “The Things We Share: A Catholic’s Case for Same-Sex Marriage” and the commentary by those who agree with him that fighting for marriage wasn’t worth the effort.

But as I read his article, a line from a Marie Bellet song kept returning to me: “There are things worth losing for.”

It’s from her song “The Man of the House” (a song I like better than “Shady Grove,” for what that’s worth):
And he fights the good fight ’cause there’s wrong and there’s right
There are things worth losing for
I think that is the best response to Bottum, though she didn’t mean it to be. That’s not to deny that some smart people have said smart things about Bottum’s smart essay.