When we have been wounded by the Church, our temptation is to reject it. But when we reject the Church it becomes very hard for us to keep in touch with the living Christ. When we say: ‘I love Jesus, but I hate the Church’, we end up losing not only the Church but Jesus…… Continue reading “Forgiving the Church” – Henry Nouwen quotation
Category: Reflections
Lent: the holiness of suffering
From Quest Bulletin 77, a Lenten reflection: The liturgical year . . . takes us from one growth point of soul to the next until we come to understand the meaning of the moment, until we come to realize that the life of Jesus is the template for our own. If we are really meant…… Continue reading Lent: the holiness of suffering
“Rules for processing refugees” – a Lament
A reflection on refugees, from Quest Bulletin 77 (Lent 2017) Do not feed refugees – they must eat our scraps. Do not give drink to refugees – they have plenty of sea water. Do not clothe refugees – they can use charity shops. Do not visit refugees in detention – they are criminals. Do not…… Continue reading “Rules for processing refugees” – a Lament
Reflections: “Let us utterly crush them”
From Quest Bulletin 77 (Lent 2017), a reflection on war and religious persecution in the Middle East: Psalm 74, from which the title of this article comes, is a hymn of lament for the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem. In the fourweek cycle of the Divine Office, it appears on Tuesday of the 3rd…… Continue reading Reflections: “Let us utterly crush them”
James Martin SJ: “Some Catholic Saints Were ‘Probably Gay’
At The Advocate, Daniel Reynolds described Fr. James Martin’s response to an antigay Facebook comment as “an open-minded history lesson.” Fr. James Martin said some Catholic saints were “probably gay.”The Jesuit priest — who was appointed in April by Pope Francis as a consultant to the Vatican’s Secretariat for Communications — gave this history lesson in tolerance…… Continue reading James Martin SJ: “Some Catholic Saints Were ‘Probably Gay’
Reflection: “I Know That I Can Make It” (Bulletin 75)
A Letter of Transsexual Grief I am sending this to a group of people who have been significant in my recent life, many close friends and some who are not so close but whose friendship/kind acts I appreciate. On Friday 6th November in the evening whilst with Sharon on retreat centre in North Wales I…… Continue reading Reflection: “I Know That I Can Make It” (Bulletin 75)
The Papal Apology, in Context
When Pope Francis spoke of an apology to gay people, he was responding to a question about an earlier, more specific apology by Cardinal Marx in an interview with the Irish Times: A leading cardinal has said the Catholic Church should apologise to the gay community for its scandalous and terrible treatment of them, which…… Continue reading The Papal Apology, in Context
A Catholic Obligation for a Gay Apology?
A notable and extremely welcome feature of last year’s family synod was the apology offered by the entire German speaking bishops’ small group to the gay and lesbian community, for the harm done to them by the church. That call was later repeated by Bishop Doyle of Northampton, on his return to the UK. Now,…… Continue reading A Catholic Obligation for a Gay Apology?
Catholic Teaching and Homosexuality: Introduction
Most people think they know what the Catholic Church teaches about homosexuality, which can be simply summed up as “don’t do it”. That much is true – just as the Church also says “don’t do it” to married heterosexual couples who want to use contraception, or to unmarried couples, or to single people who want…… Continue reading Catholic Teaching and Homosexuality: Introduction
Religious Homophobia: How Should Quest Respond?
In the days immediately after the news broke of the Orlando gay nightclub massacre, I noted at Queering the Church that the responses by Catholic bishops, and even by Pope Francis, did not include any recognition that this was not just a crime of violence by an Islamist jihadist, but was specifically targeted at gay…… Continue reading Religious Homophobia: How Should Quest Respond?
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