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Wednesday 16 September 2015

"Who Do You Say That I Am?" and Once You Answer That, "Who Do You Say That She Is?"

The "She" being His Bride.
Who exactly do you think the Church is?
Why does what She teaches, and has always taught, at times more taught vociferously than now, but never not taught -- why does that seem to shock you every time you are reminded of it?

Change.org , or someone making use of it for Important At Least To Him petitions, (subcategory, Fruitless,) from something I have signed in the past or written, thinks I might want to sign a petition from a confused gentleman who says he has belonged to a Catholic parish for almost 10 years, and undeniably, from his own description, been very generous with his time and talents - served the people of God is a variety of ways, lay reader, (not "lector,") altar server, visitation minister, (Extraordinary Minister, I assume?), bereavement ministry... and perhaps troublingly, in religious ed.

When he chose to publicly celebrate an activity upon which, I can find no evidence to the contrary, the Bride of Christ has always frowned --not because She doesn't like it, or it's not to the taste of some of Her members, or because Her leaders think it's tacky or don't care for it themselves, or because Her philosophers and Doctors and theologians haven't bothered to consider it, or because She has members who are prudes and think it's icky, but because She teaches and has always taught that it is sinful --  he feigns surprise that he is no longer allowed to present himself as the public face of the Faith.

Really? You didn't know that the Church believes that men are not supposed to engage in sexual relations with other men, much less proclaim it publicly as a cause for celebration?

I'm sure what you see as "rejection" did "hurt you terribly -- but not as much as sin hurts you, and not nearly as much as the scandal your celebrating a sin could hurt those you were supposed to be instructing in the Faith, and for whom you were charged to model virtue.

So fine, write a petition, be cheesed off at the Church - but stop acting like some sort of victim who was blindsided b the sudden revelation of what She teaches.

And you know what? If you truly were blindsided by it, your "marriage" may be an instance of God drawing straight with crooked lines.

If it removed you from teaching religious education for a religion about which you apparently didn't know very much, there's your silver lining, sport.

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