Tuesday, July 02, 2013

Staying gay - why not?



The Holy Father's words seem to express my own intuition upon a related subject.

But I want to hold onto the identity, the culture, the sodality - though I will try - so hard even - to be chaste:
""It’s so hard to cut ties with a sinful situation. It is hard! Even in a temptation, it's hard! But the voice of God tells us this word: 'Escape! You cannot fight there, because the fire, the sulfur will kill you. Escape!' St. Therese of the Child Jesus taught us that sometimes, in some temptations, the only solution is to escape and not be ashamed to escape; to recognize that we are weak and we have to escape. And our popular wisdom, in its simplicity, says as much, somewhat ironically: 'he who fights and runs away, lives to fight another day.' Escaping to go forward along the path of Jesus."
But I've been there, done that; I can remain to help them accept Christ, the Gospel, and understand Church teaching in a new, more all inclusive way:
"Faced with sin, we must escape without any nostalgia. Curiosity does not help, it hurts! 'But, in this sinful world, what can we do? What is this sin like? I would like to know . . . ' No, do not! This curiosity will hurt you! Run away and do not look back! We are weak, all of us, and we must defend ourselves. The third situation is on the boat: it is fear. When there is great upheaval at sea, the boat was covered with the waves. 'Save us, Lord, we are lost!' they say. Fear! Even that is a temptation of the devil: to be afraid to move forward on the path of the Lord.”
But this is who I am - not what I am or what I do.  I can't give up all that I have worked so hard to accept and know - and achieve:
"Looking to the Lord, contemplating the Lord. This gifts us the beautiful wonder of a new encounter with the Lord. 'Lord, I am being tempted: I want to stay in this situation of sin, Lord, I am curious to know about these things, Lord, I'm afraid.' And they looked to the Lord: 'Save us, Lord, we are lost!' And wonder at a new encounter with Jesus followed. We must not be naive nor lukewarm Christians, but brave, courageous. We are weak, but we must be courageous in our weakness. And often our courage must be expressed in escaping without looking back, so as not to fall into the trap of wicked nostalgia. Do not be afraid and always look to the Lord! ". - Pope Francis homily on the day's readings.


 Just a thought.

5 comments:

  1. My spiritual director calls it "longing for the fleshpots of Egypt." 9 years out of the lifestyle and I still catch myself at times being wistful over certain memories. But I really don't care anymore if my former 'friends' (if they ever really were) think I'm a bigot. What our Lord thinks is more important, and the best way to know what our Lord thinks is not centering prayer or listening to my heart, but to my Holy Mother, the Church.

    I give thanks for this always.

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    Replies
    1. You are a faithful son.

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    2. That's beautiful doughboy. Thanks for sharing!

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    3. What an inspiration you are. Truly. God bless you.

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  2. Anonymous8:25 AM

    I know that my problems are not compatible with Church teaching. In addition, even if I sought to indulge in them with pride, there are no parades or powerful lobbies supporting me. In many respects, it is far easier to be same-sex attracted than any other type of disorder. Too easy in my opinion.

    The Church is here to help us repent, take up our cross, and follow Christ. She is not here to affirm us in our falleness.

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