Brethren, Peace and Good to all of you. As many of you already know, the Archbishop of San Francisco, George Niederauer, "disinvited" openly homosexual Protestant clergy from Advent vespers in a local parish. The "LGBT Community" is thoroughly offended and is attempting to make this a wedge issue.As part of that effort, an unknown writer - the piece has no byline, although the writer's identity is probably known by the regulars - of the San Francisco Guardian Online wrote a piece titled Catholic Church rejects LGBT ministers in which he vents his anger. I left a comment in their comm-box which I now reproduce here:
Quote:
I grew up in the Catholic Church, and it pretty much drove me away from religion. I could never quite get the basic contradictions between a message of love for all people and a politics of intolerance. (Jesus loves his children, except the women, who have to be second-class citizens, and the homosexuals, who are going to burn in Hell.)It appears you missed CCD class the day they discussed this:
Chastity and homosexualityYou misinform your readers when you state that the Church's stance is to hate homosexual persons. Far from it.
2357 Homosexuality refers to relations between men or between women who experience an exclusive or predominant sexual attraction toward persons of the same sex. It has taken a great variety of forms through the centuries and in different cultures. Its psychological genesis remains largely unexplained. Basing itself on Sacred Scripture, which presents homosexual acts as acts of grave depravity,140 tradition has always declared that "homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered."141 They are contrary to the natural law. They close the sexual act to the gift of life. They do not proceed from a genuine affective and sexual complementarity. Under no circumstances can they be approved.
"2358 The number of men and women who have deep-seated homosexual tendencies is not negligible. They do not choose their homosexual condition; for most of them it is a trial. They must be accepted with respect, compassion, and sensitivity. Every sign of unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided. These persons are called to fulfill God's will in their lives and, if they are Christians, to unite to the sacrifice of the Lord's Cross the difficulties they may encounter from their condition.
"2359 Homosexual persons are called to chastity. By the virtues of self-mastery that teach them inner freedom, at times by the support of disinterested friendship, by prayer and sacramental grace, they can and should gradually and resolutely approach Christian perfection."
The thing is that just as there is no truth without love, there is no love without truth. We would be lying to you if we say that sexual relations - rather, the simulation of sexual relations - between members of the same sex, when engaged freely and with full knowledge, are healthy to your body, mind, and spirit. They are not and if we lie, our love for you would be a lie.
The Archbishop of San Francisco acted correctly and in accordance to the stated Catholic doctrine. Inviting clergy engaged in same-sex couplings would have confused people - something the good Archbishop learned the hard way four years ago - giving the impression that it is "OK" for people who profess love for Christ and for the Gospel and even purportedly seek to serve Him in ordained ministry while engaging in behavior against Nature and against Nature's God.
We have to preach the Gospel in and out of season and now it's definitely out of season and in San Francisco, much out of place. But we are not going shy away despite the calumnies, the hate, and the lies thrown against us.
May the Lord richly bless you, and may the Lord bless and keep the good Archbishop of San Francisco.