John Coleman Walsh, Esq.
I found it interesting and timely that Msgr. Paul Garrity’s comments (Item, March 8) about the LGBTQ community arrived about the same week as the Catholic Church is celebrating the 10th anniversary of Pope Francis’ election as pope.
Francis’ previous service as a South American priest, archbishop and cardinal provided him with a far different experience than his predecessors, John Paul from Poland, and Benedict from Germany, both Europeans.
Pope Francis brought with him a manner of life that reached out to people with the ability to meet them where they are, not where they are expected to be.
For Francis, his role was to be their parish priest who understood that life was not just a series of rules for them decreed by absent theologians; he was a spiritual father urging his children to find God in love for one another and in working for justice for all.
I commend Msgr. Garrity for taking the pastor’s role in reaching out to speak openly about a serious situation affecting our families and our communities.
As a pastor whether in Lynn or Lexington I imagine that he had been consulted by parents trying to understand how their children feel and by the children of whatever age who are confused about how they are perceived by their church.
We have always had people in our society deemed to be “others” just because they are different. We all have some shame in knowing we take some blame in that because of our participation or because we chose to remain silent .
Presently all sorts of attacks on the LGBTQ community by legislators and other political figures have enabled different groups, stable or unstable mentally to rationalize their hatred behind misguided religious motives or other irrational objectives to attack in word and deed this community.
I remember a friend of mine who was questioned by her grandchildren after attending Mass where the priest urged them all to oppose gay marriage. My friend was friendly with two gay men, one of whom was on call 24/7 to aid her husband who had terminal cancer. He responded every time with love, kindness and medical expertise expecting nothing in return.
In furthering the conversation, the grandchildren asked if the two friends married, would their grandmother attend the wedding? “Yes,” she said. They asked, “Why?” and she answered: “Because they are my friends.”
People are “others” until we get to know them and realize they are just like us. They want the same things for their family as we do. We need to meet people where they are.
That’s not just for the members of the clergy. The Good Samaritan parable teaches it was the “other” in that story who reached out — not the clergy types — and who, in Pope Francis’ words, was “giving of the time to take care.”
If we place ourselves in the position of those whose families are working through finding ways to help their loved ones find a way through difficult times, we might remember an issue in our own family that caused us turmoil, heartache and other disruptions of family life.
Then we might also be able to offset the hatred caused by some who fan political flames to further evil intents and malign innocent people.
Love is an inexhaustible quality that can only grow and flourish. Hate is a demeaning quality that eventually destroys the person.
John Coleman Walsh lives in Lynn.
