Reply to Fr. James Martin, SJ

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]He certain does NOT call gays to chastity and so I think he signals gay sex is ok with god.[/quote]

That is so, so, so stupid and hurtful, and also a straight-up lie.  Martin's work is all about how the Church needs to build bridges and connections to LGBT people.  The Church isn't just for perfect people--all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.  Gay people know perfectly well that the Catholic Church thinks that they are sinful and disordered.  But God calls us all, in our sinfulness and our brokenness.  Everyone sitting in the pews on Sunday is a sinner, and everyone is welcome, and should be welcomed.

Here is him writing about how parishes can and should welcome LGBT Catholics and their families: https://www.americamagazine.org/faith/2018/08/23/father-james-martin-how-parishes-can-welcome-lgbt-catholics

Here's what he writes specifically about the issue of chastity: "Don’t reduce gays and lesbians to [b]the call to chastity we all share as Christians.[/b] L.G.B.T. people are more than their sexual lives. But sometimes that’s all they hear about. Remember not to focus solely on sexuality but on the many other joys and sorrows in their lives. They lead rich lives. Many L.G.B.T. Catholics are parents themselves or are caring for aging parents; many help the poor in their community; many are involved in civic and charitable organizations. They’re often deeply involved in the life of the parish. See them in their totality. And if you talk about chastity with L.G.B.T. people, do it as much with straight people."

Other points: "God loves them—so should we. And I don’t mean a stingy, grudging, judgmental, conditional, half-hearted love. I mean real love. And what does real love mean? The same thing it means for everyone: knowing them in the complexity of their lives, celebrating with them when life is sweet, suffering with them when life is bitter, as a friend would. But I say even more: Love them as Jesus loved people on the margins: extravagantly."

"By not welcoming and by excluding L.G.B.T. Catholics, the church is falling short of its call to be God’s family. By excluding L.G.B.T. people, you are breaking up God’s family; you are tearing apart the Body of Christ."

"Because Jesus’ approach was, more often than not, community first, conversion second. For John the Baptist the model was to convert first and then be welcomed into the community. For Jesus, it’s community first, conversion second. Welcome and respect come first.  This is how Jesus treats people who feel on the margins. He seeks them out before anyone else; he encounters them, and he treats them with respect, sensitivity and compassion.  So when it comes to L.G.B.T. people and their families in our parishes, it seems that there are two places to stand. You can stand with the crowd, who grumble and who oppose mercy for those on the margins. Or you can stand with Zacchaeus, and, more important, with Jesus."

If you want to read Martin's writings--which I recommend, since he is a very good, thoughtful writer, you could start here: https://www.americamagazine.org/voices/james-martin-sj?page=0[/quote]
+1000[/quote]

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