Ministry with Lesbian & Gay Catholics

“Above all, trust in the slow work of God.”

Merry Christmas from the Archdiocese of Los Angeles Ministry with Lesbian and Gay Catholics (MLGC)!

As we experience the emotions of the Christmas season, and as we reflect on the year past and prepare for the year to come, these words (see below) of Fr. Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, SJ can bring us hope and joy in how God is working in each of us and in our Church and our world.

At this time of the year, it is important to acknowledge that we find ourselves in different places. For many, the Christmas season presents a time for family gatherings, deepened prayer, and an abundance of gifts, food, and drink shared among family and friends. For others, Christmas can be a very painful time when feelings of loneliness and rejection are experienced with heightened intensity. Many in the LGBT community have even been told that they are not welcome home for Christmas by their families. Fortunately, we often find others to turn to as we form communities—‘families of choice’—in which we find the incarnated love of Jesus Christ in one another. However, this is not the case for everyone, and many get lost in loneliness and depression.

Sadly, the press this past week has brought to our attention several stories that might be difficult for LGBT Catholics and our families to hear. You might have been distracted by last-minute Christmas shopping, gift-wrapping, and cooking. You might have missed the news in the midst of working hard at your parish to decorate the church, rehearse music, or otherwise prepare to welcome crowds of parishioners and strangers for Christmas tonight and tomorrow. Or you might have heard these news stories as they have been posted to facebook or emailed one after the other. As you read and discuss these stories, it is important to step back and keep in mind that the press can only bring a glimpse of the true intentions of the words and actions of our bishops. At the same time, we acknowledge that our Church leaders have sometimes been careless in their speech and have not been proactive in clarifying their words or in addressing such problems as teen bullying and suicide. On the one hand, this can be infuriating and painful to receive. On the other hand, we are called to look for God in this moment. It is a challenge to live in faith that God is acting even through these difficult moments in our Church. In this weekend’s Scriptures, we hear Emmanuel – God is with us. So where can we find God?

One place we can find Jesus Christ alive in our world is in the ministry work that so many of you do on behalf of our Church. We take this moment to thank the many LGBT persons, parents, and supportive clergy and laity who work tirelessly to create spaces in the Catholic Church where Jesus’ message that All Are Welcome is truly realized. Throughout the past year, we celebrated 25 years of Ministry with Lesbian and Gay Catholics, culminating with our celebration Mass and reception at the Church of the Blessed Sacrament in October. We reflected on the inspiration of the courageous people who began this ministry in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles 25 years ago, and we found energy and motivation to continue important outreach to LGBT Catholics, our families, and now to our catechists in the years ahead. The press also covered the work that we are doing in the Church, and I post them here as a gift to you:

http://the-tidings.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1748%3Ala-gay-lesbian-ministry-celebrates-25th-anniversary-&catid=113%3Alocal&Itemid=402

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-gay-catholics-20111024,0,7213543.story

As we find ourselves at the end of the year, may these stories be the ones that we hold close to our hearts, as we “give our Lord the benefit of believing that his hand is leading” each of us and the holy Church. As we “trust in the slow work of God,” the MLGC leadership is preparing to meet with Archbishop Jose Gomez who congratulated us for our 25th anniversary. We request your prayers for open hearts and for the Holy Spirit to speak through all who will gather at that meeting. We are enthusiastic to work with our new Archbishop in the years ahead.

In closing, we acknowledge that we as Catholics often yearn to hear words of affirmation from our pope, bishops, and priests. Depending on where you worship, this may or may not be your experience. Christmas can be a very difficult time, and hearing hurtful messages from those who are supposed to embrace us can evoke feelings of hopelessness and rejection by the Church. It is important to remember that even when we cannot see or feel God present in our lives, God truly does not reject any of us. It is also crucial to remember that we are all “the Church.” We who are active in this Ministry take seriously our call to strive to be the hands and feet, the eyes and ears, and the voice of Jesus Christ in the Church and in the world, so we reach out to you in what may be a difficult time for you or your families and friends.

Please let us know how we can serve you better.

If you are considering suicide, please reach out to loved ones and let them know you need them now more than ever.  You can turn to the Trevor Project Hotline—they are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 866-4-U-TREVOR. We also encourage you or your parents to speak with a Catholic parent in the Listening Parents Network (http://www.fortunatefamilies.org).

As we open our hearts to receive good news of great joy for all people, may God overwhelm us with love this Christmas, and may we be sources of love and healing for one another.

Merry Christmas!

Arthur Fitzmaurice, Ph.D.

Co-Coordinator, Ministry with Lesbian and Gay Catholics (MLGC)

Archdiocese of Los Angeles

Patient Trust

-written by Fr. Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, SJ, 1881-1955

Above all, trust in the slow work of God. We are quite naturally impatient in everything to reach the end without delay. We would like to skip the intermediate stages. We are impatient of being on the way to something unknown, something new.

And yet, it is the law of all progress that it is made by passing through some stages of instability - and that it may take a very long time.

And so I think it is with you; your ideas mature gradually – let them grow, let them shape themselves, without undue haste. Don’t try to force them on, as though you could be today what time, (that is to say, grace and circumstances acting on your own good will) will make of you tomorrow.

Only God could say what this new spirit gradually forming in you will be. Give our Lord the benefit of believing that his hand is leading you, and accept the anxiety of feeling yourself in suspense and incomplete.

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