Spiritual Insights for LGBT Catholics

For many people, coming out can be frightening, especially if they feel that their church, or God, is somehow against them.
If you are struggling with being an LGBT person in the Catholic church, here are five things to remember, from Fr. James Martin, SJ.
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[@gpfeia]

These are all great things to remember, especially the part on not to get angry with others or those in a position of power when they speak derisively against you but instead to pray on it. If you do ever have a dissenting opinion it must come from a place of love and hope. Amen!

[@rossmunn9770]

Such a good and important message that needs to be heard by so many LGBT people. Thank you Fr. Jim.

[@WeirdEducator]

This is a beautiful reflection. As Pope Francis said, “Who am I to judge?” We should embrace and welcome LGBT Catholics and accompany them on their walk with Christ. They, too, are sons and daughters of God, who loves them and made them in his image; Christ sacrificed himself on the cross to redeem them of their sins. It’s time for the stone throwers to remember that the Church isn’t a place for the perfect- it’s a field hospital for the wounded. Each one of us is in desperate need of God’s love and mercy, so no one should feel as though they are so perfect that they can condemn their brothers and sisters in Christ. Thank you, Fr. Martin, for preaching the Gospel!

[@WeirdEducator]

Mooooohamsalad: That’s quite the vile way of thinking that you’re offering.

[@xsosdid]

Wake up! josephsciambra.com/

[@cochesags55]

Except he's pretty much saying: You're not sick or wounded at all. Beware of the doctors and other patients, they are the ones that are sick and might try to medicate you. Hopefuly you will teach them... yeah right... Preverse video since it aims at keeping people stuck where they are.

[@CatholicTruthOfficial]

Jose Rodriguez Sigh. Is this out of context pope Francis quote still being thrown around? 😖

[@xXRenaxChanXx]

Brilliant video and brilliant message. Wish I had watched it sooner. I really hope this becomes the norm. Not just for Catholicism but all religions. Teaching love and acceptance not hate.

[@NotSoCrazyNinja]

The way it usually goes (for any Abrahamic religion it seems), the LGBT person usually leaves because they can't trust those who have constantly told them for years that they were evil and going to hell for preventable lusts when the truth is that you can't control if you're LGBT or not. It's not like you can pray the gay away. I tried that for years and it doesn't work. You also can't just pretend to be straight, tried that too, doesn't work, and I hurt a woman emotionally for trying. She needed a husband while I could only be her friend. So what do you do? When everyone you once trusted and should trust tells you over and over how horrible a person you are (they don't realize you're gay), it makes it even harder. Many will end up committing suicide and that's just not cool. I even tried it during a very dark period of my life. Luckily I failed, many are not so lucky. I frankly don't care what an old book says. What I do care about is what I feel and experience. I believe in a god and I believe that God cares about EVERYONE. No human has any right or ability to claim what God wants from us. God is personal and will reveal to you personally how you should live your life. If you ignore God, your life will suck. Ever get that feeling deep inside that "you really shouldn't do that"? Listen to it. That softly spoken inner voice has led me down a path of great love and has kept me safe in times when I should have been hurt. It has saved me many times. Thanks to the anti-LGBT programming from Southern Baptists and Evangelicals, I stress about how my mother will react to me telling her about me being gay. You see, it took me until the age of 33 to finally accept that I'm gay and I can't change it. I know her enough to know she will not reject me, but she will worry about me "going to hell" and there's no need to worry about that. I'm fine and am going to be fine. What is sad is that some parents take their religious book and the misinterpretations from their religious elders so far that they will disown and kick out their child for being gay. This pushes them into a dark life that will lead to much suffering and possibly death. If you're a parent who would even consider this, you are not a Christian in my opinion. It is not for you to judge and the highest commandment is to love your God, love yourself, and love others. Note here the emphasis on LOVE. A lot of so-called Christians really need to figure this out.

[@NotSoCrazyNinja]

Mooooohamsalad, ever considered they were bisexual and decided to go the easier route of dating men? It's not easy being gay when so many people hate you and say you have a choice. If I had a choice, I would be straight, it's just so much easier. I tried for almost twenty years to be straight. I prayed and prayed. Nothing changed.

[@cochesags55]

You don't talk about your dad? That is very likely a very important topic in all of it-

[@pieceofloveb2638]

hi, i’m a 15 year old girl who just left the catholic church. i left because throughout my ears at a catholic elementary and middle school i’ve always been told that “same sex attraction is not a sin but acting on it is morally wrong.” the priests at my parishes would always preach how we need to love one another unconditionally. but how can they say this while also telling me that it’s okay to love a guy but to fall in love with a girl is atrocious? i found it disgusting and i would really like someone to clear this up for me. i didn’t want to leave the church but i could find no better option after having to sit through countless offensive homilies and preachings.

[@myguydied]

Absolutely beautiful, and inspiring for me Im LGBT, and just found my way to the church. I'll be baptised in a month. And yes I will come out to my priest, because i have lessons to teach too Thank you Fr Martin

[@OokamiKageGinGetsu]

I'm sorry, but no. It's not a matter of the people who love you *accepting* you for who you are. They will always love you. But they will also want what's best for you, especially spiritually. If God merely accepts us all for who we are, then there's no need for salvation, and Christ's death and resurrection were meaningless. God loves us, regardless of who we are. but He doesn't accept our sins. Instead, He loves us enough to offer the chance at salvation. But that salvation doesn't come without a change in how we act and think. Love is not acceptance of sin. Love seeks to remedy our sins.

[@stem_therapy]

Jesus was clear ... leave the judging to God. To do otherwise, is to sin (remember the 10 commandment ... and there is only ONE God). The most important commandment is to LOVE ... not judge (Mat 7:3-5). Being LGBTQ is not a sin ... God created LGBTQ people ... I suggest you watch Fr. Martin's video again with a bit more humility ... and reflect on what is actually LOVE (what we are called to do) and what isn't LOVE (Mat 7:2) ...

[@AKBeauty4]

I love this and completely agree with this. Thank you for this! This is so important. LOVE over everything!

[@terrytemple1]

Wow!, Thanks Father, came across your message on twitter and it hit the nail on the head with that forgiving grace we all are striving for....Thank You again and God Bless

[@ConnecttoSoul]

Thank you for all of your continual insight, encouragement and consequently education and learning to guide my experience to becoming increasingly consciously attentive combined with spiritually connected.

[@kevincampbell3116]

Wonderful. I'm going to use this in my freshman religion class. Thank you for giving voice to catholic LGBTQI students.

[@ramik81]

Everyone is born with a sin nature they can only overcome through Christ. My sin nature is I've always been an angry, arrogant and violent minded person. But that nature isn't what defines me. Christ defines me.

[@cbb948]

An important message that we can never get enough of! BRAVO

[@kimeteklenja2032]

Dear Father Martin, yes Jesus treated everyone with love and mercy, but He has always said: "Go and sin no more!". Since you're not mentioning at any time that acting as a homosexual is a sin, I think you are directing people in the wrong direction. Yes, I love people with same sex attractions and respect them. Yes, I want to help them exercise the virtue of Chastity to overcome their temptations. But, for the sake of Truth and for the love of Christ, stop using euphemistic words as they just don't work for the Church's teachings. May God bless you with abundant grace to protect the Truth!

[@myguydied]

Kimete Klenja to make it clear, the action does not define the sexuality. Sexuality a natural inbuilt attraction or inclination; not an action Fr Martin teaches this, as well as that acting physically on that attraction is against church doctrine.

[@margocatholic]

Why not encourage people towards the virtue of chastity?

[@williamdunn-sarmiento2796]

I think before someone is ready to accept chastity, they have to be willing to accept Love.

[@erinkuttler2514]

Just because you live alone and are single that is still considered a vocational calling in the Catholic Church. :)

[@rossmunn9770]

Margo, you place yourself as the ''judge'' what makes you think that LGBT Catholic are not chaste and in the state of grace. Straight people have to adhere to the same important teaching of the Church, so why don't you suggest that Chastity should be taught to them, and it is, you don't have to make a special point of telling LGBT's. Are they not your fellow Catholics of equal value and mentality. A practicing Catholic is a practicing Catholic, and we know the teachings of the Church and respect them and follow them. We know the way to Christ and do follow the teachings and know and trust God.

[@ThatTheologyTeacher]

I use his book in my Queer Theology course! Such an important read that can do a lot of good for the church.

[@andrewlyon9292]

This is great! Keep it up! God is love!

[@richardbaptiste6939]

Love is Great but where's the Victory over Sin being Taught? Christ always Said Go and Sin no more not because it was impossible but because he's the one to supply you the strength to overcome.

[@VanityFaire934]

Richard Baptiste You're so dismissive about love and ready to pounce on sin. What you're basically saying is that God placed people here on earth specifically so they could resist their inborn nature. That's a direct contradiction to the statement "God is love." All you're doing is pearl clutching because two people loving each other effects you not one bit. You can't get over what they do behind closed doors, which says more about you than them.

[@cochesags55]

Inborn nature? Do you have any basis to say it is inborn? Fr Martin is lying saying it is inborn, like being lefthanded etc. Yet you say it like it is as obvious as 2+2=4. It isn't. It would be saying that God planned it so, and then condemned it. And I don't know what you define as "love". Is destroying each other in a life of perverse sin and unhealthy health-destroying practices... is that Love? Is that thinking about the other persons well-being?

[@williamhartman5424]

Disregarding the other letters for the moment, does Father Martin understand what the 'T' in LGBT stands for?

[@kimeteklenja2032]

Courage Apostolate should be the one invited to speak on LGBT issues and acceptance at the WMOF in Ireland. I wonder why they're out of the picture... We the faithful ask the Church Leaders to protect the family and loosen its protection as we already have enough attacks from the outside. Prayers needed!!!

[@GlenJ57]

Yes, we should embrace the sinner but not the sin..We should never weaken our Catholic faith in order to open our doors to the LGBT Catholics.

[@fadugleman]

It’s sad father Martin chooses to ally himself with New Ways Ministry that has been formally silenced by the church and not a organization like RC Courage. I agree with his call for respect shown to lgbt but accompaniment does not mean affirmation of sin. His otherwise good book completely fails to mention the call to chastity for all Catholics who are not married including lgbt.

[@Dianejim69]

When I practiced Catholicism this was discouraged. Now the rules have changed? Which ever way the wind blows!!! That's why I follow no man made religion.

[@CatholicTruthOfficial]

Dianejim69 Catholicism isn't a man-made religion. Jesus started it.

[@barbarakemple1476]

New Ways Minstry has been condemned

[@harold3802]

huh?? I'm trying to believe you're not talking about Christianity you've practically formed your own religion. God doesn't hate sinners but you must go and sin no more. Don't twist the bible pick a side. If you're to condemn one part why don't you condemn it all. Ridiculous

[@klumpsam]

wrong

[@VanityFaire934]

Candle Light Beautiful insight, Aquinas.