Wednesday, January 09, 2013

Being good and kind …

… An epiphany of transgender lives reveals diversity in body of Christ | National Catholic Reporter. (Hat tip, Julie Chovanes.)


Traditional Catholic though I am (though also Jesuit-trained), I have to say that I have thought for a long time that the Church would do well to get out of the sex business (I think the same about the state). I know it is going to sound horribly sentimental — which is odd, because my wife could assure anyone that I am about as unsentimental a person as you are likely to meet (but then she is my wife). My Jesuit preceptors, and in particular Father Gannon, who exerted the greatest influence on me as to how I think and feel — an influence, by the way, that has made life hard at times for me, but has always resulted in good for others — left me with the permanent sense that what Jesus was trying to get across to us is that God wants us to be good and kind to each other. I have gay friends, dear friends. I  have a transgendered friend. I cannot forsake them for doctrine. And I am willing to stand before God Himself and say that in so doing I have been doing the right thing. Oh, and by the way, I am generally not a fan of the National Catholic Reporter. Too tendentious usually. So there!

2 comments:

  1. julie5:42 PM

    Thank you Frank. I was wondering how you would come down on this when I sent it to you. What you say is nice to hear.

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  2. Thank you Frank. I guess you will hear from a roll call of gay and transgendered here :)

    ReplyDelete