March 9, 2011
Ash Wednesday. A. Year
or
Isaiah 58:1-12
Ash Wednesday is not just a moment to look in depth to the reality of our own humanity, is also the beginning of Lent. Is the time when the Christian people are called to discern and respond to the principalities and powers that have devastated lives.
texts topics this week range from the trial and repentance to an attack on the religion concerned and dehumanizing. They also include a personal appeal for forgiveness, enemies are reconciled and the call of the gospel to do with humility our spiritual and religious practices. There is much to say about LGBT lives in relation to each of these issues. However, the prevailing theme overwhelmed the hearts and minds of the authors this week is a horrible plague and devastation that the prophet Joel says so vividly. The authors of the commentary this week and do not claim an objective experience of reading these passages. Rather, as two lesbians and a gay man who is, invite us to "hear" the conversation face-to-face that had to deal to these texts in relation to their lives and the lives of the LGBT community.
In Joel 2:1-2, 12-17 the prophet called to repentance before the terrible disaster that will descend on the country unless the people "tremble" (verse 1) and revise roads with fasting, weeping and mourning "(verse 12). If priests and ministers of God cry "between the porch and the altar" (verse 17) and the people "ripping" their hearts (verse 13) and changes dramatically, maybe God is punishing regret.
repentance How do you understand your own individual life and the life of a religious community? What kind of repentance is necessary in many of our churches to end the devastation of LGBT lives?
One of the first things that religious people must face this kind of reading passages of trial and repentance is God's way and their actions were understood at the time that the text was written . People often thought: if it was something terrible to a person or all the people, then God must be angry and all the people deserved to be punished. Today, we read these texts might think less of the anger and punishment of God to the interpretation of personal and social tragedies, and more violence and oppression that humans exert on each other.
Maybe we think we are the hosts of enemies (verses 1 and 2). When we have become enemies to our sisters and brothers and to the planet? We really need to repent in the country and the world, not as a means of "persuading" (verses 13, 14) to God, but as a righteous act of responsibility for all human beings have done unfairly.
The devastation that predicted by the prophet Joel as imminent in verses 1 and 2, has come across in the landscape of LGBT lives. The armies of hate and violence are still realities daily in the lives of our community. The devastation from many sectors of the church and society, continues to literally destroying the lives of LGBT young people and has cost many of us our jobs, our relationships and our intimate partner relationships.
The God described Joel seems to be at once our ally and our enemy. God seems to be next to the devastation and against the lives of LGBT people. However, on the other hand, this same God is also that we must become. It seems exhausting, but again found a God who must be pleased to stop the "scourge of violence" and encounter a God who needs to plead for mercy and forgiveness to end the punishment heterosexist.
For three of us, however, seemed too easy to just sit and talk about how the church and heterosexist society have perpetuated this "army of violence" in our lives. It is quite clear that Joel's calling to repent for "all" the people (verse 1), not just some. The LGBT community also needs to repent of something. This repentance is not about us, nor our love and same-sex sexuality, but how we were not bold enough or we are angry enough, so that even it is happening to our own lives and the lives of our family and friends.
may not have always raised our voices against religious practices involved and dehumanizing of the prophet Isaiah speaks this week. Part of that is so insidious abuse and violence is squeezing the energy of a person to act and respond in righteous indignation resisting. We have not always claimed the kind of "moral reform" that so prophetically demand Isaiah 58:6-8. In fact, many members of our community are "naked" (verse 7) and dispossessed that Isaiah calls us to attend our action. Has sometimes been easier simply to protect our "small areas" of security in our own surroundings and in the midst of our family of choice, to become the givers' burdens of oppression "(verse 6) and remove the" yoke "( verse 9) of the members of our LGBT community who are most marginalized, oppressed and vulnerable, those of us who have been well assimilated into the communities and churches open.
We have not always asked bluntly forgiveness in Psalm 51 which asks us to do so. We have some of the same defensive excuses, of which the psalmist urges the people to become, to renew their hearts and their lives (verses 1-17).
For members of the LGBT community, what seek forgiveness from other members of the LGBT community? For our allies, what prayer of forgiveness offered to God for the devastation of LGBT lives?, And how cooperation could, in concrete, loose the bonds of oppression that abound around us?
As LGBT people, humble and boldly claim the God of the prophets as well as our God. Even though we are not responsible for the bulk of the devastation of homophobic and heterosexist violence in our land, as part of the human community we feel compelled to repent, change or becoming seriously. We have not always done the work necessary to stop the devastation, but rather we have done what was required to "integrate" and try to just live a normal life. " Resist the constant invasion of armies is painful and exhausting.
The invasion has been coming for a long time and, sometimes, members of the LGBT community need to withdraw, and regenerate and renew ourselves for the long struggle for social and religious transformation. Ash Wednesday is an important time for people to discern if it is time for decisive and courageous action or the time to withdraw from the devastation to renew us themselves.
When faced with Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21, we recognize that sometimes we practice our spiritual disciplines in the type of "privacy" that urges us Matthew (verses 26, 16-18). We are involved in symbolic and real acts of prayer, fasting and alms in secret in our community life. We do this because it is a good and humble as Matthew teaches, rather what we do because we are afraid to make it public, to be more visible. We are afraid to be more radical in our "real justice" in a world where being openly gay or lesbian can still be fatal. This is not an excuse to be less visible and radical but always has a particular and unique impact on LGBT lives.
read the words of Matthew we realize that the LGBT community often live their true justice in the private worlds and create security secrets between us. Sometimes it is difficult to see us, difficult to discover. Often seems that we have a general and unifying tissue culture or reality that keeps us together as a community. So sometimes we have to practice our "true justice" in the privacy of our community. However, it is so powerful in terms of Matthew, is that he expects that each Jew actually be faithful in prayer, fasting and participating in acts of charity and justice, and therefore urges them to be humble while doing it (verses 1-6).
Reading the Gospel of Matthew is one of those texts that demand we take seriously the "context." For LGBT people could turn to the words of Matthew and, instead, strive to public expressions bravest of our lives and our practice of "justice"-as well as challenge the heterosexual community as well as a testimony of fair. Matthew calls just constant behavior because these actions do them humility.
How could God be asking LGBT people to invite all the faithful religious people engage in such deep religious acts for the benefit of our community and other oppressed people-and do so with deep humility?
When faced with the words of 2 Corinthians 5:20 b-6: 10, we are challenged to be the community of God's new creation. We realize how often we are "strangers, but well known" (verse 9) and treated as "deceiving" even though we are "true" (verse 8). Paul is defending the new religious community that is part and exhorting them to devote themselves to peace and reconciliation activities. It's reminiscing about all things oppressive to be borne in the name of God and a world transformed.
Ash Wednesday is a good moment to count how many "afflictions, hardships and calamities" (verses 3-10) must support each of us to promote justice for LGBT people and justice for all creation.
What actions have taken on behalf of LGBT people who truly have brought hardship and distress to your own life? Where do you see examples of the new creation of God in terms of lives devastated LGBT less and less oppressed?
inclusive Prayer
God of justice,
give us the courage to address all areas of our lives
where we have participated in the devastation of LGBT lives.
Help, Ash Wednesday, to be honest
oppression and repenting of
we contribute to creating and maintaining
and write a new resolution to be authentically.
faith communities that embody your new creation
to engage in acts of reconciliation and peace.
Amen.
We have not always asked bluntly forgiveness in Psalm 51 which asks us to do so. We have some of the same defensive excuses, of which the psalmist urges the people to become, to renew their hearts and their lives (verses 1-17).
For members of the LGBT community, what seek forgiveness from other members of the LGBT community? For our allies, what prayer of forgiveness offered to God for the devastation of LGBT lives?, And how cooperation could, in concrete, loose the bonds of oppression that abound around us?
As LGBT people, humble and boldly claim the God of the prophets as well as our God. Even though we are not responsible for the bulk of the devastation of homophobic and heterosexist violence in our land, as part of the human community we feel compelled to repent, change or becoming seriously. We have not always done the work necessary to stop the devastation, but rather we have done what was required to "integrate" and try to just live a normal life. " Resist the constant invasion of armies is painful and exhausting.
The invasion has been coming for a long time and, sometimes, members of the LGBT community need to withdraw, and regenerate and renew ourselves for the long struggle for social and religious transformation. Ash Wednesday is an important time for people to discern if it is time for decisive and courageous action or the time to withdraw from the devastation to renew us themselves.
When faced with Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21, we recognize that sometimes we practice our spiritual disciplines in the type of "privacy" that urges us Matthew (verses 26, 16-18). We are involved in symbolic and real acts of prayer, fasting and alms in secret in our community life. We do this because it is a good and humble as Matthew teaches, rather what we do because we are afraid to make it public, to be more visible. We are afraid to be more radical in our "real justice" in a world where being openly gay or lesbian can still be fatal. This is not an excuse to be less visible and radical but always has a particular and unique impact on LGBT lives.
read the words of Matthew we realize that the LGBT community often live their true justice in the private worlds and create security secrets between us. Sometimes it is difficult to see us, difficult to discover. Often seems that we have a general and unifying tissue culture or reality that keeps us together as a community. So sometimes we have to practice our "true justice" in the privacy of our community. However, it is so powerful in terms of Matthew, is that he expects that each Jew actually be faithful in prayer, fasting and participating in acts of charity and justice, and therefore urges them to be humble while doing it (verses 1-6).
Reading the Gospel of Matthew is one of those texts that demand we take seriously the "context." For LGBT people could turn to the words of Matthew and, instead, strive to public expressions bravest of our lives and our practice of "justice"-as well as challenge the heterosexual community as well as a testimony of fair. Matthew calls just constant behavior because these actions do them humility.
How could God be asking LGBT people to invite all the faithful religious people engage in such deep religious acts for the benefit of our community and other oppressed people-and do so with deep humility?
When faced with the words of 2 Corinthians 5:20 b-6: 10, we are challenged to be the community of God's new creation. We realize how often we are "strangers, but well known" (verse 9) and treated as "deceiving" even though we are "true" (verse 8). Paul is defending the new religious community that is part and exhorting them to devote themselves to peace and reconciliation activities. It's reminiscing about all things oppressive to be borne in the name of God and a world transformed.
Ash Wednesday is a good moment to count how many "afflictions, hardships and calamities" (verses 3-10) must support each of us to promote justice for LGBT people and justice for all creation.
What actions have taken on behalf of LGBT people who truly have brought hardship and distress to your own life? Where do you see examples of the new creation of God in terms of lives devastated LGBT less and less oppressed?
inclusive Prayer
God of justice,
give us the courage to address all areas of our lives
where we have participated in the devastation of LGBT lives.
Help, Ash Wednesday, to be honest
oppression and repenting of
we contribute to creating and maintaining
and write a new resolution to be authentically.
faith communities that embody your new creation
to engage in acts of reconciliation and peace.
Amen.
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