Come, let us reason together.
Today the Church is at a point of decision. Will it be a Church of Law, or love? Will Christ be confined to tradition, or will he be freed from the oppression of clerical tradition. Vatican II was a response to that question, but not an answer, for the answer we must begin to listen to one another. What Vatican II did for lay Catholics, and I truly believe for Gay and Lesbian Catholics was to allow a dialogue to begin about faith.
Is our Catholic Faith to linked to cultural taboos?
"You shall indeed hear but not understand, you shall indeed look but never see, Gross is the heart of this people, they will hardly hear with their ears, they have closed their eyes lest they see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and be converted and I heal them."
Gay and Lesbian Catholics must begin to open their minds and hearts to the presence of the Holy Spirit in our mists. Our Bishops do not speak to us, or for us. It is time we place our faith solely in the hands of Jesus Christ, and walk in that faith. The privilege of Discipleship calls us to act with humility, charity, joy, and love. Remember the scribes and Pharisees believed they were the voice of God in law, and liturgical service. Our modern day scribes and Pharisees aka Bishops have learned nothing from their predecessors encounter with Jesus, and so fall into the same traditional pit.
The on going scandal in the Church should be viewed as an opportunity to renew our faith in Christ, and renew the life of the Church. It is time to break the autocratic tradition of the Bishops. In so doing we call these Pharisees to repent of their arrogance, and remember we are all Children of God.
The Church cannot champion human rights by excluding gay and lesbian rights, and remain faithful to the Gospel. By doing so their support of human rights and life issues are seen as false and hallow. I would call on them to open their hearts to the gay and lesbian face of Christ; they must begin to challenge their homophobia if they are truly followers of Christ. Reason not prejudice must prevail.
The gospel of Mathew in the 15 chapter highlights what I think is the problem in the Church today.
This people honors me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me:
In vian do they worship me,
teaching as doctrines human precpts.
I hope that reason will prevail. The prophet says, "Come, let us reason together." It is important that the people of conscience exercise conscience and become more prophetic, rather than pathetic.
The Bible has become a book of many interpretations. We will change our values, when it is convenient for our prejudices, but if it is not convenient we don't want the pain of change. Will the Church return to the Gospel Value of love, or will it find its shelter in the law? Will the Church be a place of love or law? The answers to these questions will determine if are, or are not followers of Christ.
