Gay theologian: ‘The Church never changes until it does’
“Let love be sincere; hate what is evil, hold on to what is good; love one another with mutual affection; anticipate one another in showing honor. Do not grow slack in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, endure in affliction, persevere in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the holy ones, exercise hospitality. Bless those who persecute you, bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Have the same regard for one another; do not be haughty but associate with the lowly; do not be wise in your own estimation. Do not repay anyone evil for evil; be concerned for what is noble in the sight of all. If possible, on your part, live at peace with all.” (Romans 12: 9-18)
We spend a lot of time on unnecessary and harmful things. We, as Christians, are concentrating more on attacking others for their sins rather than highlighting the author of sin. The Christianity of today is not what St. Paul urges in his letter to the Romans. St. Paul tells us to hate what is evil. He never says we are to hate the person who is sinning. He tells us that our love must be sincere. He never allows for us to give a fake “love” for the sake of appearance.
As Christians, we are to show love and hospitality to every individual because every person we encounter is created in the image of God (Gen. 1:26). Social media is full of “Christians” attacking other “Christians” because they do not agree with their opinion or preference. We set ourselves up as “haughty” through portraying that we know more or are “better” Catholics or Christians than others because of the Mass we attend or the sins we avoid. (Although…we all need Confession, including you.)
What about those who are mean to you or intentionally hurt you? Paul tells us to “bless” them and “do not curse them.” What about those who are living in a sin I despite. Paul says that we are to despite the sin, but we should never withhold our love or acceptance of the person. We can love and accept an individual without agreeing with their sinful choices. We would expect others to love and accept us even if they did not agree with our sinful actions. Why not provide the same courtesy for others?
Most importantly, I believe, in this passage is St. Paul’s command to “if possible, on your part, live at peace with all.” He knows that it is not always possible to live at peace with every individual because every person has free will. However, he says “on your part”. That means the mean tweet you send back to someone because you disagree with them is not conducive to living at peace with others. It means the decision to not associate with a co-worker or neighbor because of their lifestyle choice is not conducive to living in peace with others. It means we are to be a light for Christ. Let us seek to love others, be hospitable to others, and do not be quick to condemn others before loving them first. Christian love is seeing the person beyond the sin. Christian love is peering through hell’s darkness and kaleidoscope of confusion and seeing the beautiful person God created.