Forgive me!
"[M]any gay people have “come out of the closet,” and this is indeed welcome."
Fr. Barron writes about
same sex marriage and the breakdown of moral argument in this week's edition of
The Catholic Spirit. It's quit good.
He noted that the problem developed pretty much because there no longer exists a 'coherent conversation about ethics'. He goes on to name another important draw back in the discussion:
"Still another indication of the breakdown in moral argumentation is the sentimentalizing of the same-sex marriage issue."
That is very true. Interestingly enough, Fr. Barron discusses the benefits of 'coming out' as a same sex attracted person.
"Over roughly the past 25 years, many gay people have “come out of the closet,” and this is indeed welcome. Repression, deception and morbid self-reproach are never good things. The result of this coming out is that millions have recognized their brothers, sisters, aunts, cousins, uncles, and dear friends as having same-sex attraction.
The homosexual person is no longer, accordingly, some strange and shadowy “other,” but someone I know to be a decent human being. This development, too, is nothing but positive. The man or woman with a homosexual orientation must always be loved and treated, in all circumstances, with the respect due to a child of God.
Nevertheless, it does not follow that everything a decent person does or wants is necessarily decent. Without a convincing argument, we cannot simply say that whatever a generally kind and loving person chooses to do is, by the very nature of the thing, right.
This is why I am never impressed when a politician says that he is now in favor of same-sex marriage because he has discovered that his son, whom he deeply loves, is gay. Please don’t misunderstand me: I am sincerely delighted whenever a father loves and cherishes his gay son. However, that love in itself does not constitute an argument. - Fr. Barron
To come out, or not to come out? To identify as gay or ssa, or not to identify as such?
What to do? What to say? Fr. Barron's statements pretty much turn my opinions upside down, don't they. (That wasn't a question.) I can't say his POV matches my experience however.
Looks as if I've been wrong - about everything.
I'm so embarrassed. My sincere apologies to all of my readers for writing about my personal experience, trials and errors. It's not as if I didn't warn you though. I've always told you to seek advice and direction from the proper Catholic sources, and to ignore what I say - whether you agree or disagree with me. I'm no expert.
That said, possibly my worst advice has been to tell people what I have repeated in the past few days in my writing about Carla Hale. Pay no attention to the man behind the... I was wrong to suggest that you not seek employment in the Church, volunteer or serve on committees, and so on.
Yeah. So. Come out, come out, and apply for work in the Church, teach CCD, coach, whatever you feel called to do. All
are welcome.
The Church loves, welcomes, and respects a woman or man with a same-sex attraction . . . while reminding him or her of our clear teaching that, while the condition of homosexuality is no sin at all, still, God’s teaching is clear that sexual acts are reserved for a man and woman united in the lifelong, life-giving, faithful, loving bond of marriage. - Cardinal Dolan
Mea culpa!
Works for me!
