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I had an appointment at 10 am, spent half my morning writing the speech, then had to rush out of the house in a thunderstorm to go catch a ferry. When I finally arrived in the confessional, it was nearly noon. I was soaked and hungry. The two sentences I managed to write before being caught in bedlam were always simple enough when they were my only task for the day but now seemed impossible. Nowhere else on earth can you learn fully human anatomy without an overload of text with no diagrams or pictures to guide you through your study. I felt like a cow trying to read Shakespeare. God knows I was not made for such things and I only had five minutes to write the thing before my next appointment. My mind could not help but wander back to the headlines of the day: “Archbishop Removed From Office For Allegedly Being Gay” said one headline on Yahoo News. And another “Pope Criticized For Not Condemning Gay Marriage” said yet another on CNN. Indeed, Pope Francis has caused controversy in many areas of his papal activity, but what will always remain controversial is his view on homosexuality in the Catholic Church. For Francis, a singular focus on a person’s singular sexual orientation is a deleterious approach to solving the problem of human sexuality. Even when the person in question is a married woman. I pulled out my notebook and scribbled down what I was going to say in my homemade sermon: “As the Mass was beginning at 10am today, Cardinal Scola sat with his back to me, head down. In his large hands he held a copy of Homosexuality and Catholic Teaching at which he had been reading when I entered. Beyond him I could see the huge canvas behind the altar from which hangs Christ crucified surrounded by thorns. I looked over my shoulder to see a few old women from the neighborhood staring vacantly from the pews at their shoes. I began speaking to the empty church, “We are not here today because of sins. The Church does not sin. We are here for virtues that we could have done better. For example, I could have been a better man if I had been more attentive in my relationships with others and in being a better father. Unfortunately, in this case it is my actions that have caused confusion and scandal, and so it is through me that God will come forward to proclaim the truth…. ” I paused to look over my notes and continue, “I am often asked what God thinks of gay people. And I am told that they are blessed. I am told that they are beautiful and creative and loving. And yet, I must be honest, it is difficult for me to accept this. For I know the truth: even the flowers do not smell as sweet as they appear. And who can guess what lies under their petals? “My three children and I met with two members of the Quattordici due (an organization of young people committed to defending marriage and family life), a group we joined together in defense of our household after receiving an anonymous letter predicting our imminent destruction. cfa1e77820
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