Rainbow Sash

[TobyLue]

Here is a stern but very loving letter sent out by Archbishop Flynn in Minneapolis-St. Paul regarding the wearing of the rainbow sash and going up to receive communion.

rainbowsashallianceusa.org/FromFlynn05.htm

I saw a CNN report where yesterday “hundreds of Catholics” were making, not a protest but, a “bold statement” at St. Pauls Cathedral.
Of course CNN liberal as always starts by saying that “…from a distant St. Pauls Cathedral looks just as welcoming as it always does, but up close a crowd a gathering this morning tells a much different story…” CNN calls it a “silent scream”. I find it sad that some put a rainbow sash on little children. They all of course were denied communion. More Bishops need to stand firm on Church Teachings.

 

[DianJo]

Agreed! If they want to protest church teaching, then by all means, do so - BUT - do not use Mass and the Eucharist to do it!

First of all, how dare those who are living in this grave sin and those who support their behavior even present themselves for Communion! And worse yet, to involve their children! They are teaching their children that homosexuality is okay! No one can receive ANY sacrament without being in the state of grace lest you commit another very grave sin - that of sacrilege!

It, unfortunately, shows how many Catholics do not understand the Eucharist - they don’t understand that Jesus is really present - if they did, they would not dare to present themselves to Him - they wouldn’t do it if He was standing right in front of Him (in the form of a person)! This goes to show how many Catholics see the Eucharist as only a symbol - how sad!

They should’ve been handed a copy of JPII’s encyclical on the Eucharist to better understand. Would it have made a difference? Probably not!

 

[Steve_Andersen]

I just heard about this sash thing in the past week or so

so I really don’t know the ins and outs of the issue

it just is disturbing to me that people were refused Communion

sort of the “nuclear option”

 

[TobyLue]

it just is disturbing to me that people were refused Communion

Steve, you need to read the letter and understand what the Rainbow Sash stands for.
Communion was **rightfully **denied and the Vatican has said that the wearing of the Rainbow Sash during reception of Communion to be unacceptable. Rainbow sash is promoting a lifestyle of homosexuality which is against Church teachings. Why is it disturbing? It should be disturbing that people **defy** the Church and then consider themselves “good Catholics”.

 

[DianJo]

I don’t consider this a “nuclear option,” I consider it the “last option!”

When you PUBLICLY deny the teachings of Christ and refuse to bow to the truth then it is for the good of the faithfull that the Chruch stand for the truth as taught by Christ. What message would that have sent if the bishops said - ok, you can still receive the Eucharist even though you are publicly telling everyone here you are living in a homosexual relationship? or that you publicly support the lifestyle?

St. Paul says in 1 Cor. 11 27:29 - Therefore whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord unworthily will have to answer for the body and blood of the Lord. A person should examine himself, and so eat the bread and drink the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body, eats and drinks judgment on himself.

Homosexuality has been deemed as a grave and disordered sin by God since the beginning of salvation history. Now, would it be right for the priests/bishops to let those people eat and drink jugment on themselves? And would it be right for you as a believing Catholic to watch your Church say it’s ok for these people to receive the Eucharist when you are trying your best to live a Christ centered life? How unfair is that? They cannot have their cake and eat it, too! They either believe or they don’t.

It’s not right for these people to put the Church in a stuation like this - having to publicly deny the Eucharist but what other choice did they have? You must be in a state of grace when receiving the sacraments, besides Reconciliation. When you present yourself for the sacraments, you are “dying with Christ to rise with Christ” meaning that you promise to live a “Christ-like” life. It don’t consider an actively homosexual relationship doing that. And if you are going to proclaim it publicly then you deserve the reprimand for the good of the faithful!

When you decide to come back to the truth, repent AND receive absolution, then you can present yourself at the table of the Lord, to receive the Body and Blood of the Lord. Until then, you don’t present yourself.

 

[Gracie2004]

Thanks be to GOD that we have Bishops who have enough guts to stand up to the gay rights agenda that permeates our society.

 

[AmberDale]

Steve Andersen:

I just heard about this sash thing in the past week or so

so I really don’t know the ins and outs of the issue

it just is disturbing to me that people were refused Communion

sort of the “nuclear option”

What is disturbing to me is how people openly defile the Holy Eucharist. Chirst is present! Why would you defile is presence is such a manner? Christ knows our every sin, inside and out. So if they are living in Grave sin and receives Eucharist only Christ knows. But now they are showing that they are in Sin. No one should ever receive the Eucharist if they are in Grave Sin, so why should it be different for them?

 

[jburgherr]

I was married in a civil wedding 15 years ago (young and stupid). My then wife was not Catholic and not religious in any meaningful way. Even then I knew that what I was doing was against the church’s teaching. From that point, even though I attended mass, I have never attempted to recieve Holy Communion.

My annulment should be completed soon. After the annulment is finalized, and I receive absolution from confession, I look forward to recieving the most Blessed Sacrament again.

I said all the above to say this:

The Church has every right, and responsibility to stand by its moral teaching. It was right to withhold Communion in my case. It is also right to withhold communion from those who are in defiance of the teaching of the Catholic faith.

God bless the Bishop and the Priest who stood up for our most Blessed Sacrament and faith!

 

[DianJo]

Hi Jay in Kansas! I’m with you!

I, too, was denied the Holy Eucharist because of a marriage “problem” but now I can receive. I would almost come to tears at every Mass because I could not receive the Holy Eucharist. I didn’t feel like my situation was entirley my fault - why should I be denied Communion? I watched people who didn’t really seem to have a clue as what they were doing or who they were receiving - how could I be denied and they not be? I so longed to receive my Lord! But, I obeyed the teaching - Jesus’ teaching and waited! What a joyous return!

Now, I’m supposed to feel sorry for those “Rainbow Sashers” because they were denied Communion! I think not! (Where’s my violin?) If I must obey Christ’s teaching, then so must they! It’s the Church’s duty to teach the truth!

 

[antoniadre]

It saddens me that people would use the Holy Eucharist as a way of protest. The statistic that only 30% of America Catholics believe in the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist comes to mind here.

To receive the Eucharist is to say yes to Christ: his person and his teachings which include the teachings of the Church he founded. We need to pray for all those who would abuse the Eucharist in this manner and also for those Catholics who do not understand the teachings of their faith.

I am grateful for the faithfulness of our bishops and priests.
antoniadre

 

[VociMike]

Steve Andersen:

I just heard about this sash thing in the past week or so

so I really don’t know the ins and outs of the issue

it just is disturbing to me that people were refused Communion

sort of the “nuclear option”

It’s far more disturbing to me that Catholics (and non-Catholics?) would use the Mass and the reception of Communion to make statements of protest against Church teaching.

From their own website:
…the crowd vested in the Rainbow Sash and entered the cathedral singing “We shall overcome” as they celebrated lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender sexuality as a gift of God…Ignoring that request [by the presiding priest to remove their sashes] because the Rainbow Sash is a symbol of celebration and not protest, Rainbow Sash wearers filed forward and received a blessing rather than communion. They then returned to their pews and remained standing with hands extended, symbolizing they had been denied communion.

How dare they!

 

[Liberian]

VociMike:

From their own website:
…the crowd vested in the Rainbow Sash and entered the cathedral singing "We shall overcome" as they celebrated lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender sexuality as a gift of God…Ignoring that request [by the presiding priest to remove their sashes] because the Rainbow Sash is a symbol of celebration and not protest, Rainbow Sash wearers filed forward and received a blessing rather than communion. They then returned to their pews and remained standing with hands extended, symbolizing they had been denied communion.

How dare they!

These are the same sort of people who invaded St. Patrick’s Cathedral in 1989 and disrupted Mass, throwing condoms into the congregation, chaining themselves to the pews, and chanting slogans loudly. I have heard that some of them went up to the altar to try to desecrate the Eucharist and that the priest had to defend it with his own body. I guess they did this to show how reasonable they are.

• Liberian