For centuries the Church has gone forth to
all nations seeking the lost. But what about the lost we don’t need to go forth
to seek--those who show up at our door?
This is the question regarding
homosexual persons raised at the recent Extraordinary Synod of Bishops on the
Family:
“Homosexuals
have gifts and qualities to offer to the Christian community; are we capable of
welcoming these people, guaranteeing to them a fraternal space in our
communities? Often they wish to encounter a Church that offers them a welcoming
home. Are our communities capable of providing that, accepting and valuing
their sexual orientation without compromising Catholic doctrine on the family
and matrimony?”
This paragraph from the mid-term report raised
a lot of eyebrows. One of the flash fires it ignited was seemingly extinguished
when it was noted that “valuing their sexual orientation” was a mistranslation;
the Italian word rendered in English as “valuing” actually means “evaluating.”
But the question it raised--yes, raised,
not yet answered--is one the Church needs to address:
“Are
we capable of welcoming these people, guaranteeing to them a fraternal space in
our communities….without compromising Catholic doctrine on the family and
matrimony?”
First we need to listen to what the
question is asking. When examined in the broader context of the Synod’s other documents,
its true meaning emerges: do we open our doors not only to repentant sinners,
but to those not aware of the sinfulness of their ways?
The preparatory document issued in June
of 2014, based on responses to a survey of the word’s episcopal conferences,
made this prescient point:
“Some
episcopal conferences argue that the reason for much resistance to the Church’s
teaching on moral issues related to the family is a want of an authentic
Christian experience, namely, an encounter with Christ on a personal and
communal level, for which no doctrinal presentation, no matter how accurate,
can substitute. In this regard, some responses point to the insufficiency of pastoral
activity which is concerned only with dispensing the sacraments, without a
truly engaging Christian experience.”
In other words, we can teach doctrine
until we’re blue in the face; but if someone has not truly experienced Jesus
Christ--at both a personal level and within the community of believers--as well
as the change of heart that comes with an authentic experience of Christ, then even
the clearest doctrinal teaching won’t accomplish anything.
How does this apply to the question at
hand? Consider the following.
Every human person needs Jesus Christ,
for all have fallen short of the glory of God. Homosexual persons, especially
those in sexually active relationships, need Jesus Christ--and here’s a key
point--whether they realize it or not.
(St. Augustine once said, quite
admirably: “I shall seek the lost. Whether
they wish it or not, I shall do it.” Once again, if the Church seeks the
lost in far-away lands whether they wish it or not, what are we to do with the
lost who show up at our door, whether
they wish to be considered lost or not?)
How will such persons get to know Jesus
Christ, or even come to the realization that they need him, if the Christian
community, the very body of Christ, shuns them by barring them from their
company?
We hold as infallible truth that genuine
repentance is necessary for forgiveness of sin. Yes, the unrepentant sinner is
not forgiven. But here’s the pastoral challenge: we often speak of keeping the
doors of the Church open for repentant sinners, but do we hold the doors open
for the unrepentant as well, in the hope they will discover within these doors
their need to repent?
The question raised at the Synod is not
should the Church give her blessing to homosexual relationships, for the answer
is clearly no. The question is not should persons in homosexual relationships
be admitted to the Eucharist, for the answer is clearly no. The question is not
should a homosexual lifestyle be valued as a good in our communities, for the
answer is clearly no.
The question is: “Are we capable of welcoming these people, guaranteeing to them a
fraternal space in our communities….without compromising Catholic doctrine on
the family and matrimony?”
How can someone repent of sin if they
don’t know the truth? As Paul asked the Church in Rome: How can they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how can
they believe in him of whom they have not heard? (Romans 10:14) Believing
in Jesus means more than being the subject of catechesis--it means having one’s
heart touched and changed by him. How can anyone’s heart be touched and changed
by Jesus unless his Body is willing to welcome them in their company?
What is being asked is this: is there a
place in our communities for those who aren’t aware of the serious implications
of their lifestyle, to offer them the possibility of “an authentic Christian experience, namely, an encounter with Christ on
a personal and communal level, for which no doctrinal presentation, no matter
how accurate, can substitute”?
The question has been asked. Now for the
work of finding an answer.
