(…continued from above)
My primary concern would be the grave scandal associated with the word that “There’s a church over there that gives Holy Communion to practicing homosexuals.” That makes it onto the news. Throw in some political extractions. Bam: Scandal.
Now, are you really proposing that churches distribute Communion to practicing homosexuals? No. But that’s the nature of scandal. Lies develop and rumors spread and that’s what you end up with.
The Church simply doesn’t need that. Not now.
The Church is always going to be the crucified Christ. Aren’t we supposed to be the one safe place in society where people can experience unconditional love? So how can we deny it to people most in need of our love. The Church has always spread by ministering to those at the margins of society. That’s how many saints have reached sainthood. Blessed Mother Teresa ministered to the dying in Calcutta, including those dying of HIV/AIDS. Saint Katherine Drexel ministered to blacks and Native Americans in the United States.
If we give communion to practicing heterosexuals we shouldn’t discriminate against practicing homosexuals. Actually, though I suspect that a lot of same-sex attracted men may be ideal for the monastery life - with exclusively male community, extremely beneficial prayer for the world, lack of social inhibitions against doing things like skateboarding at the age of 60, interior and exterior chastity and deep sanctity.
He said in reply, “Have you not read that from the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female’ and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and thew two shall become one flesh’? So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore, what God has joined together, no human being must separate.”
They said to him, “Then why did Moses command that the man give the woman a bill of divorce and dismiss (her)?” He said to them, “Because of the hardness of your hearts Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so. I say to you, whoever divorces his wife (unless the marriage is unlawful) and marries another commits adultery.” [His] disciples said to him, “If that is the case of a man with his wife, it is better not to marry.”
He answered, “Not all can accept [this] word, but only those to whom that is granted.
Some are incapable of marriage because they were born so; some, because they were made so by others; some, because they have renounced marriage for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. Whoever can accept this ought to accept it.”
Then children were brought to him that he might lay his hands on them and pray. The disciples rebuked them, but Jesus said, “Let the children come to me, and do not prevent them; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” After he placed his hands on them, he went away.
Matthew 19:4-15
Well, firstly, that Michelangelo was “pretty much the greatest artist of all humankind” is solely your opinion because I can look at a Michelangelo and say it look atrocious, thus shattering your argument of how “people like him” should be treated.
A catholic can look at the Sistine Chapel or Renaissance art or the Pieta and say it is ridiculous. Can go to Rome and seriously say that without thinking that they are disrespecting God?
The next day, while they were on their way and nearing the city, Peter went up to the roof terrace to pray at about noontime. He was hungry and wished to eat, and while they were making preparations he fell into a trance. He saw heaen opened and something resembling a large sheet coming down, lowered to the ground by its four corners. In it were all the earth’s four-legged animals and reptiles and the birds of the sky. A voice said to him, “Get up, Peter. Slaughter and eat.” But Peter said, “Certainly not, sir. For never have I eaten anything profane and unclean.” The voice spoke to him again, a second time, “What God has made clean, you are not to call profane.” This happened three times, and then the object was taken up into the sky.
I would think that if
anything had been made clean it would have to be things such as thing such as the
Fresco of the Last Judgment in the Sistine chapel and Michelangelo’s Pieta or his design of the dome of St. Peter’s Basilica.
Pieta
Who says that they can’t?
I have noticed in my own life that men struggling with same-sex identity mostly tend to have female friends. You see this as well on t.v. Gay men might be friends with Tyra Banks but not with Rush Limbaugh. It is also written in Gay and Christian’s blog that straight men often do not like to be friends with same-sex attracted men.
People have tried to. Unlike with anorexia and bulimia, the results of such treatments demonstrate varying levels of success.
Do you know what treatments we have tried? I’m actually suggesting that we
look at it the way that we look at anorexia and bulimia, with deep sympathy instead of a fear that that they will corrupt us or that they have burdens that we don’t want to carry. You are right though - I hadn’t previously considered that treatment is an option for anorexia/bulimia for one and not necessarily the other. But maybe it is
ok that they have the identities that they do. Many of us have or have had in the past at least one disordered desire in an area of our life. We have a Catholic ministry to homosexuals; maybe it is more secret/hushed than it needs to be.
couragerc.net/
He ain’t heavy, he’s my brother
Pretty big load for such a small kid’ I said as I met him. ‘Why, mister,’ he smiled, 'He ain’t heavy; he’s my brother."
Gay people will have to remain chaste but we may start looking at homosexuality similarly to the way we look at anorexia nervosa, bulimia, or being an ethnic minority.
