Author Archives: Tim MacGeorge

How About a Prayer for All Marriages (And All Committed Relationships Rooted in Love)?

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(My comment to an article on the Huffington Post. Read the Article at HuffingtonPost)

“While Nienstedt has every right to write a prayer of exclusion and insert it into the Mass…” Actually, Archbishop Nienstedt does NOT have this right. Catholic Liturgy is public prayer, it is communal prayer. The Eucharisti­c Liturgy, commonly referred to as the Mass, is the epitome of Catholic Liturgical life and it is precisely NOT subject to the whims of individual­s, including the bishop of a particular diocese (if it were, there would not continue to be such concerns about the recently re-transla­ted Roman Missal).

Reading the letter that accompanie­d the introducti­on of this “prayer” on the archdioces­an website, it’s hard to tell whether Nienstedt was directing that this be included in Mass (as part of the “Prayer of the Faithful”)­, or whether it was merely a very strong suggestion­. In either case, the insertion of such a text which clearly does not reflect the “prayer of the Faithful” is a scandalous abuse of his authority as the bishop of that diocese. My prayer is that pastors and priests simply ignore this call.

Birds and bees and flowers and trees

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This past year I’ve really enjoyed taking nature photographs — birds and flowers seem to be most appealing.  Here are just a few images from Southwest Florida on my recent visit with my parents for a few days over Christmas. (click on any image below to see the full photo gallery).

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Walking from Darkness to Light

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Homily for Christmas 2011
For an intentional Catholic intentional community in Bonita Springs, FL

When your pastor called and asked me to stand in for him at this very special celebration of the Christian year, I must admit I had a mixed internal response.  First, he called when I was taking a short “Tim time” vacation, and so his call caught me a little off guard.  On the one hand I was happy and pleased and willing to help, but I also thought, “who am I to preach to this group”? In Christian and most faith communities that have some sort of sermon or homily as part of their communal prayer, that sermon or homily is best when it speaks to the concrete circumstances of the community.  That was true throughout the Scriptures that we proclaim each week – both Hebrew and Christian. The Scriptures we read were written not for some generic audience unknown to the author, but on the contrary were intended for a very particular group of people in a very particular time and place and facing very particular circumstances. To underscore this, we simply need to look at the letters of St Paul, which are clearly addressed either to individuals or mostly to relatively small communities of people.  We all know how much we dislike getting “junk mail” or “spam” which is not addressed to us as individuals, or as part of a group we belong to.  And we especially dislike it because it’s certainly not from anyone who knows us, our hopes, our struggles, our successes, or our lives.

And so it was for this reason that I felt a little awkward knowing that my “yes” to that request would involve doing what I’m doing now … knowing full well that probably any one of you could probably deliver a more appropriate, more timely and more relevant reflection on this feast of Christmas than I could.  …. Any takers???

Earlier this week, your pastor called me again and asked what readings I’d like to use – Christmas being a bit unique in that we have four Masses and corresponding Scripture readings, though they are linked to the time of day that the feast is celebrated.  I looked at the readings for the Vigil Mass and the Mass at Night/Midnight, knowing full well that we’ve all probably heard ALL of the readings associated with Christmas more times than we care to remember.  We’ve all heard the long genealogy from Matthew, which goes to such great lengths to make sure we know Jesus is a descendant of David. We’ve heard the readings from the liturgy at dawn in which Luke’s angels proclaim to shepherds that a wonderful birth has taken place; and certainly we’ve all heard the beginning of John’s Gospel where we hear that poetic introduction, “In the beginning was the Word…” And so, as I looked at the options, I almost impulsively suggested that we use the ones we just heard, which are in fact the readings for the Mass at Midnight.

What struck me was the first line from that first reading:  “A people who walked in darkness have seen a great light.”

Christmas fundamentally is the celebration of our unique Christian belief that God is present not simply in some spiritualized “out there” kind of way, but that God – in the person of Jesus of Nazareth – became present in human life and human history in the most intimate way possible … by becoming one of us. Christmas is the celebration of God’s presence in all aspects and absolutely every dimension of life:  Present in all of Creation, but most especially in each and every human person – young, old; black, white; male, female; gay, straight; rich, poor; documented, undocumented; Christian, Muslim, Jew; atheist, believer – whatever labels or categories or dichotomies we can think of, none of them diminish that belief.  And yes, despite rumors to the contrary, God is even present in a few bishops!

This was in the back of my mind when that read that opening line from the Prophet Isaiah, and I think it struck me for a couple of reasons.  “A people who walked in darkness have seen a great light.” First, we all know what it’s like to be in darkness. The countless darknesses and burdens of human life are too numerous to mention.  Collective and social darknesses such as war and violence and poverty and exclusion and discrimination – you know as well as I how much these burden our world.  More personally, I daresay each one of us could come up with a list of those darknesses in our own lives that hinder us from seeing that Presence of God which Christmas reminds us of.

But what jumped at me most of all was this:  Isaiah doesn’t say the people were stuck in the darkness, or that they languished in the darkness or that they became embittered in the darkness.  No … the prophet says they were walking in the darkness.  In some way that may seem counterintuitive, and maybe even a dangerous and treacherous, bringing, as it does, the possibility of stumbling and falling in the midst of darkness. But it especially challenges us in that no matter where we find ourselves – even in what might seem like the darkest of times – our task and our challenge is to keep moving.  No matter what darknesses may be around us today – in our own lives, our communities, our country, our world, our church – the important thing is that we keep walking, that we keep moving forward, that we continue to seek that Light which Isaiah also says is the source of abundant joy and rejoicing.

Let me end by sharing another scripture passage that speaks of darkness and light. While instilling great hope within us, may it also reminds us of the journey that lies ahead, leading us to the fullness of what this night assures us is already ours:  “In the tender compassion of our God, the dawn from on high shall break upon us, to shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death, and to guide our feet into the way of peace.”

Merry Christmas, and may the peace of the Babe of Bethlehem, the Crucified Christ, be yours now and always!

Cardinal George Crosses the Line

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At first, one might think that Cardinal Francis George’s uncharitable comparison of the gay rights movement to the Ku Klux Klan was simply an unfortunate, off the cuff comment.  Watch the video of the interview with the local Fox station in which the comment was made, and you might have a different impression.  George is polished man when it comes to media interviews, and both his KKK reference and response to the pointed, followup question seem just a bit too prepped.

What should have been a story about how the LGBT community adjusted the schedule of its annual Pride Parade out of respect for the worshiping community at Our Lady of Mount Carmel parish has since become yet another example of how certain individuals in the Church’s hierarchy will go out of their way to speak ill of gays and lesbians. As Equally Blessed correctly states, the Cardinal’s comment is truly “unworthy of his office.” I would go even further. Such a statement is mean-spirited and damaging, not to mention simply untrue.

In these final days of the Advent Season, Catholics and all Christians look forward to celebrating the birth of Jesus and the presence of the Living God in all creation, especially in each and every person who reflects the image of the Divine.  His Eminence’s hurtful and hateful words tarnish him more than they do those of whom he spoke.

Gay Men Mocking Nuns: UPDATE

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This is an update with related information to my earlier post calling for an end to using Catholic religious women — i.e. sisters and nuns — as fodder for humor and cheap laughs.

  • This promotional review of the performance provides several images of GMCW members dressed like nuns, singing and dancing.
  • And this Washington Post story from earlier this month starts off with a reference to the “dancing nuns” rehearsing.

So, tell me again … why is it funny to make fun of Catholic religious women who have devoted their lives to doing good as nuns and sisters? Granted, many LGBT Catholics have legitimate beefs with the Catholic Church. Many of us feel rejected, unwelcome, and at times even demonized.  But rarely, if ever, did this rejection come from religious women.  In fact, it has been communities of religious sisters who have often stood up to the power of bishops and others and promoted an atmosphere of respect and welcome for gays and lesbians in the Church.  So why is  it funny that we repay them with such mockery?

The answer is, it isn’t.  This isn’t funny, it’s not OK, and it should stop.

Let’s Stop Mocking Religious Women

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So I went to the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington (GMCW) Red & Greene holiday concert last evening.  It was the first of four performances of this annual event here in DC, and usually has a delightful mix of serious and light hearted entertainment. Last night was no exception. I was entertained, I laughed, and was even moved at times.  I’m no drama/theater/music critic, so this isn’t a “review” (if you can go, I recommend going!), but there was one piece last evening which irked me.

Here’s what it was, and here’s why.

Shortly into the second part of the show, the part that is usually more funny and a bit campy, a group of chorus members performed dressed in black habits — the generic habit one sees when someone wants to “dress up as a nun.”  They all had names that were variations of Sister Mary Something — the French accented Sister Mary Antoinette with a large white pompadour; the Latina Sister Mary Juana with … well, you get the picture. The performers were  talented and the parodied lyrics of familiar Christmas songs were certainly clever and witty.

In Catholic parlance, “religious” can be a noun, and “a religious” is a woman or man who takes certain vows, lives in community, and spends her/his life in prayer and service.  Now, even most Catholics would look at last night’s skit and see the humor in it, or at least the intended humor.  But I knew in my gut that I didn’t like it.  Even my companion — a non-Catholic — at one point leaned over and, with a reference to San Francisco’s famous (or infamous) Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, said he never understood why dressing up as nuns was funny.  And, to be blunt, I don’t either.  I found it offensive and sexist.  Religious women (interchangeably referred to as sisters or nuns, though there is a difference) seem to be fair game within the LGBT community when it comes to groups or types of people to make fun of.

You’d think we’d know better.

Just earlier this week I received a Calll It Out alert from HRC seeking support for its very legitimate appeal to ABC about its upcoming show, “Work It.” The premise of that show appears to be that two straight men feel the need to dress up as women in order to get jobs. As HRC puts it, such shows make light of the “very real challenges transgender Americans face,” and it asks supporters to Call It Out, reminding us that transgender people are “worthy of the same dignity that all Americans deserve.”

Actions like this, which challenge us to re-think our received ways of thinking and seeing — especially when it comes to the ways we think of and see others — is what makes me proud of such efforts from within the LGBT community.

Catholic religious women have historically been the unsung heroines of pastoral ministry in the Church (and, I would say, society).  They are the ones who teach and heal and comfort and nurture and care for others each and every day. They typically do so quietly, without much fanfare or recognition. They also are active promoters of Gospel values by seeking social justice, advocating for the poor and the “least among us” by challenging ecclesial, social, and political institutions, often being the voice of those who can’t speak for themselves.

Currently, there are over 55,000 women religious in the US in many and varied ministries, doing good and transforming the world.  Aren’t they also “worthy of the same respect all Americans deserve”?  Let’s stop using these good women as cheap props and easy targets in gay skits, Pride Parades, and drag shows.  They deserve better, and we should know better!

“Thy Kingdom Come” …but maybe not just yet??

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“We can’t keep saying ‘Thy kingdom come’ when we are actually trusting in our own nations, political parties, militaries, banks, and institutions to save us.”

This phrase jumped out at me this morning from Richard Rohr’s daily meditation. It seems particularly relevant as the presidential electoral battle continues to heat up here in the US, as the marketing for Christmas is in high gear, and as we are challenged once again to ask ourselves what we who call ourselves Christian really and truly believe as December 25 approaches.

We must remember that if our actions indicate we worship anything less than God — money, country, success, fame, other people, or especially ourselves — then this is idolatry.

The Right Side of Salvation History

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20111208-110105.jpgDuring her recent and much acclaimed speech in Geneva, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton challenged the world to live up to the principles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and recognize the inherent dignity of LGBT people around the globe. In doing so, she shared with her UN colleagues that human rights advocates in the US often call upon political and other leaders to be “on the right side of history” and remember that no good has ever been achieved by a contraction of the rights individuals enjoy in civil society. On the contrary, history bears out that it is only through an expansion of rights to groups previously excluded has progress been made in advancing the goals of equality and justice the 1951 Declaration espouses. Inclusion, not exclusion, has always been the path of progress.

A similar challenge can and should be made to Christian leaders who cite biblical passages out of context or institutional “teachings” limited by time and culture when they take positions against the civil and religious rights of God’s LGBT children. Just as it is possible to be on the wrong side of history, so too it is possible to be on the wrong side of Salvation History.

Generally speaking, the notion of Salvation History rests in the fundamentally Christian belief that God is active in our world. It recognizes the Mystery of the Incarnation in the concrete and sees the Hand of God not as some divine puppeteer pulling the strings in our daily lives, but rather as the presence of the Spirit Whose ways are simultaneously known and unknown, manifest and hidden. We don’t always know what is of God and what is not, but we believe that God is present and at work in all creation.

For those who do believe that every human person is a reflection of the Divine; for we who struggle each day to allow that image and likeness of God within us to be seen more clearly, despite our faults and failings which all too often dull the brightness of that beautiful image, how can we make sense of such labels as “objectively disordered” and other terms describing gay and lesbian people as somehow “less than” their straight sisters and brothers?

The simple, truthful answer is we can’t. The Truth that all people reflect the Image of God and the “teachings” about homosexuality put forth by many Christian communities, including my own Catholic Church, are simply irreconcilable. One perspective will be on the right side of Salvation History, and one will not. I’m putting my nickel on the Truth.