Merry Happy Everything to you, Christine! And to everyone else who frequents this thread!
Last night at Midnight Mass, the priest in my new parish (we moved to a new house in October, don't know if you knew) gave a homily on the fact, which is absolutely true, that Christ never rejected anyone. Christ never turned anyone away. Christ never tried to make anyone feel guilty.
I know you are not a Christian, and I respect that, my point isn't to proselytize for the Christian religion. I just was happy to hear the homily. Apparently what inspired it was a sports figure, don't recall the name, who gave an interview in a sports magazine which was reported in the sports pages and the popular press, saying negative things about people who don't speak English very well, and homosexuals, and unwed mothers, and so forth. And the priest said that this was dehumanizing. Christ would never reject someone because they were not white or didn't speak English, he was dark-skinned, and Jewish, and spoke Aramaic. And he would never reject someone because they were homosexual or unwed mothers ~ he associated, willingly, with Samaritans, tax collectors, and prostitutes. He said that the death penalty is contrary to God's will, because the death penalty kills people, which is murder, and contrary to the commandments, and pointed out that this year alone seven people have been freed from Death Row because they were innocent. And he pointed out how spending a lot of money on Christmas presents is contrary to God's will because the money could be better spent feeding the hungry and helping the destitute.
It has been a long time since I heard a priest say these things, but I am happy that this is our new pastor. I am looking forward to going to church more often, and getting involved in Church charities.
I agree with you, the way that Danny has been treated is non-Christian, and very cruel. I hope, and pray, that the true spirit of the season will open the hearts of all who post on this thread. There is no litmus test for God's love. There would be no black men dragged behind trucks if we all practiced what we preach. There would be no men tied to barbed wire fences to die if we all practiced what we preach. It can change. Let it begin here.
Merry Happy Everything, guys! |
