S
SemperFidelis
Guest
Great post! Thanks Gertabelle.I’m just speaking from my own experience here, but I think a parish’s stated belief does make a difference. When I was in college my best friend committed suicide, and my therapist got me “recovering memories” of things that never happened (incest, etc.). Lordy was I one confused pup. And to add to my troubles, our new campus minister was a woman who personally trying to transform the Catholic Church to her liking – with the assistance of the priests and lay ministers.
I was surrounded by people who told me to consider all life choices as equal in the eyes of God. And in the confusion of losing my dearest friend, and of all the nonsense my therapist was feeding me, I chose to call myself a lesbian and act on it.
Thus began the most miserable years of my life. I gradually moved further and further away from my true self and from my faith. I flitted from relationship to relationship, until I entered one that lasted eight years. That’s stable, right? And I was miserable.
I returned to the Church just over a year ago, and I can’t begin to describe the peace and happiness I have experienced being an orthodox Catholic. I’ve embraced that part of me that felt lost and was yearning for God all those years.
God has my soul now, and I know, I remember, my purpose in life. But I’m also 40 years old and a single mom. My heart aches for the years I wasted wandering around looking for what I’d had all along – at least until I was encouraged to leave it. And I do have to fight bitterness at times towards the people who encouraged me to walk my own path (well, their idea of my own path) – a path that caused me so much pain.
My heart is filled with compassion and tenderness towards those with SSA. I know the pain, and I know the struggles. This is no matter to throw in someone’s face – which is what caused my friend’s suicide in the first place. But I just wish that I could have been surrounded by brothers and sisters in Christ who would have listened with compassion and shared some of their strength with me through those days, who could have helped me see and face the fears and hurt that were causing me confusion.
In short, I needed people to remind me of who I was while I was reeling from my circumstances. I didn’t need a bunch of people telling me that I should just follow whatever whim came to me and God would understand. They were so busy supporting their “lesbian friend” that they didn’t help me hear my heart, which was always calling out for God, and His teachings and path through the Church.
So yes, a public statement like this DOES make a difference. And I’m just one of the souls that would have been lost had it not been for God’s grace.
Just my story and my opinion.
Gertie