Non sequitur.
Shortly after I began blogging, I started to write about Catholic teaching regarding sexuality and marriage, especially as it affected gay Catholics. Gay Catholics who accepted Catholic teaching and determined to follow Christ. I stressed fidelity to the sacraments, prayer and frequently made suggestions on how to do that, especially for adults whose conversion experience happened within the framework of a relationship, a friendship. Over the years, my posts became more candid and I was able to reveal more of my private life and experience.
I always promoted Courage Apostolate as a support for gay people who sought to sanctify their lives by living chastely and faithfully to Catholic teaching. I believe it is a very solid program and one that is approved by the Church. I always believed one could live the same discipline on their own, especially if guided by a spiritual director/confessor, living chastely, engaging in the practice of prayer, mortification and works of charity, supported by frequent reception of the sacraments. That said, I believe there are other groups, other ways for people who may not find a place in Courage.
Some people may not need a support group, ordinary Catholic life is always sufficient - the Church is indeed enough. The Church calls everyone to holiness and Chastity - the official language of the Church uses different language than the world. For instance, same-sex attraction instead of gay. Ordinary vernacular uses gay - the Church prefers SSA. I use gay because that is ordinary usage. I'm not teaching, preaching, or spiritually directing - I'm just writing from a personal perspective and practice.
Over the course of the years, I faced many hostile critics, the worst were conservative, traditionalist Catholics. Some were even intimidating, insisting I was wrong about many things - I reflected well on all they had to say and tried to accommodate their strict interpretations of Catholic moral teaching and even 'condemning' or at least criticizing those they pointed out as being in error and undeserving of support - even when I knew some of them were offering a way for Catholics to follow Catholic teaching with greater freedom of spirit, and so on.
Long story short, when Pope Francis came along, I was finally free from the human element who sought to dictate how individuals should live their lives, without my deviating one iota from Catholic teaching and the devout life. Hypocrisy be damned. I soon lost friends - more than I did when I was trying to conform to several critics, such as the former deacon from St. Louis, Austin Ruse, and some particularly wicked trads whose elected vocation seems to be character assassination. One priest-friend suggested I was trying to offer spiritual direction as well. That was so not true. It is true I've been critical of some for their double lives and made suggestions for their reform - but again, it was usually based upon my own experience of compromise and hypocrisy.
Like I said, for the most part, I was trying to show people that nothing stands in the way of God's mercy - not even our inconstancy. He can change even the most impossible situations into avenues of grace. One simply needs to turn to him, just as we are, and surrender ourselves to his loving action.
Those who turned on Pope Francis now in turn criticize Pope Leo, in keeping with their hermeneutic of suspicion.
