Pastor's Spiritual Reflections

By Fr. Leo Schneider (6/8/2008)

Dear People of Holy Name,

A couple of years ago I received a phone call from a woman who became very angry as we talked on the phone. She wanted to know if we were the parish that advertised in the Lavender. I said, “Yes,” and she said “Why,” and I replied, “Why not?” She claimed we were helping promote the homosexual life style. I explained that we were simply calling the people in our neighborhood to come and know the Lord Jesus, period. We have never had same sex commitment services at Holy Name, I told her.

She wouldn’t let up as her anger escalated. Then I shared with her the Gospel of that day, which we had just celebrated at mass moments before her call. I told her about Jesus being accused by the Pharisees for eating with the tax collectors and sinners. I said I found her attitude much the same, where upon she made an all out attack on me.

When sharing this phone call with the Archbishop, he was truly surprised at her personal attack, and tried to say how he understood that this is what minorities deal with every day of their lives. We removed the ad for him, and it made me wonder how conflicted he was between reaching out and excluding gay and lesbian people from the church.

Today we hear these words from Jesus in Matthew’s Gospel: “Go and learn the meaning of the words, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’” Not allowing people to join us is sacrificing them in a kind of excommunication, rather than welcoming them with the love of Jesus Christ. In that act we become a judge between another and their God. Since Jesus came for all people, I’m not sure how we justify excluding people from our community. How will they come to know the goodness of the Lord if not through us, by our love? Excluding people is not an act of love.

While the Church struggles with how to teach a distinction between the sin and the sinner and how to find ways to welcome and teach at the same time, I think we must keep in mind the words of Jesus himself today, “I desire mercy.” And which one of us isn’t in need of mercy? I think we also would do well to pray for helpful dialogue, in a spirit of love, on the moral issues involved with this issue and how we understand natural law as the basis of our code of behavior.

The meanness and hatred that this discussion often raises would have no place at the table with Jesus, who came not to call the righteous, but the sinner. Today there is still much tension in our church on this issue, and I think much of that tension will remain for a long time. Can we, in the mean time, find a way for us to welcome and share the Lord Jesus with all people, that he may touch their hearts without excluding them by our judgments?

For now let us pray that we in our own hearts may, “Go and learn the meaning of the words, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’” Let us let the Spirit guide our hearts and teach us, that formed in the image of Jesus, we may love as he loved and sacrifice for others as he sacrificed for us.

May the Lord continue to bless our community for the extremely welcoming community that we are, and may the Lord be known in and through us, to the world he calls us to transform with his love. May the Lord bless each of us and all his people, with the wisdom of his grace to know the true meaning of ‘mercy.’

In Christ’s peace, Fr. Leo