As we come to the close of another year members of the Rainbow Sash Movement remember first and foremost the many wonderful people who have touched our lives this past year. Those individuals are not headline getters, nor do they live in Hollywood or Washington DC, but they are the parents, friends, and loved ones of GLBT people.
We are especially thankful to the Lord for so many of our straight allies. These are the men and women who give tirelessly of their presence, time and talent to stand with us in our civil rights journey. These Catholic men and women represent what is finest in our Church, individuals willing to speak up for the rights of others in the face of bigotry.
As Catholics we must also remember the many parishes in this nation that have welcomed GLBT people to their Eucharist table, without conditions. These parishes have moved from toleration to acceptance of being GLBT. The reform that we pray and work for is happening in these parishes. They can be found in thriving metropolitan, and in small rural areas. They represent a movement of the Holy spirit that cannot be stopped. A people of God who looks to Christ for guidance, not power and authority of a clerical culture.
While we are critical of the National Council of Catholic Bishops as a whole, we know and appreciate the many bishops who are tirelessly seeking common ground for our splintered Church. The ideal is a unified Church, but the reality is a deeply divided Church that is unable to find common ground. We believe there has been movement in this past year to listen to the signs of the times among our Bishops.
We are still a Church where each of our gifts are judged by sex, race, sexual orientation, and gender identity. For GLBT people we are presented by our Church with ministries that are not. Our Bishops tell us we are loved as long as we are not self affirming GLBT people who see being gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender as being legitimate. These self distructive messages are just another example of clerical supported homophobia.
We are encouraged by the many women who decided not to wait for the Vatican to ok the ordination of women, rather these women listened to a higher authority. The Church is crying for priests and these women have responded. While the Vatican has been vexed by a diminishing male priesthood world wide, these women show the way.
The open sore that is the clergy sexual abuse scandal still hangs over our heads. There is still so much pain among victims of this abuse: we hope the New Year brings a just and compassionate resolve to this dilemma.
We also remember our transgender brothers and sisters, and welcome them as part of our family. We either all move forward together, or none of us move forward.
The immigration movement has done to our community what the Human Rights Campaign has done to our transgender brothers and sisters, ignoring their rights. While promoting family values they would turn away from the plight immigrant GLBT families because we are not acceptable.
The State of the Church is broken. We pray that each of us can begin to listen to each other without judging. We pray for a world where peace replaces war, and hope becomes the landscape of the poor. We pray for a world in this coming year that is guided by love, and not the economics of religion of authority, or the politics of power.
In 2008 the Rainbow Sash Movement will continue to push our Bishops to move their ministry to the GLBT Community from a ministry of identity confusion to a ministry of acceptance. The face of homophobia the Bishops identify with must be challenged by awareness of the problem, education about the issue, and commitment to eliminate the problem. The self destructive closet mentality perpetuated in church supported ministry is no longer acceptable, and the National Archdiocisan Gay and Lesbian Outreach ministry must be publicly challenged in GLBT Public Square.
Why is self identification important? People who feel good about themselves are not easly threatened by difference. People who feel insecure about themselves are often threatened by all that is different. A positive Self image is important to understanding the many faces of Christ among us.
My prayer for you is that this year will bring joy, love and hope in your life.
God Bless
Joe Murray
US Convener
Rainbow Sash Movement
