When I made my promises as an Oblate of St. Benedict I took the name of St. John the Apostle and Evangelist. I took that name for many reasons. The Gospel of St. John is my favorite of the four Gospels. It speaks of the Word made flesh, as well as all of the "I am..." texts. "I am the good shepherd" (John 10:11), "I am the resurrection and the life" (11:25), and "I am the bread of life" (6:35). In John's Gospel is also recorded the Last Supper Discourse including Jesus proclaiming himself to be the "way, truth and life" (14:6) And Jesus' command to "Love one another as I have loved you" (15:12).
I also love the 3 letters attributed to John. Particularly the opening to the 1 John 1: 1-10. In this amazing chapter we read: "This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light and in him there is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him while we are walking in darkness. we lie and do not do what is true; but if we walk in the light as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one antoher and the blood of Jesus God's Son cleanses us from all sin." (1 John 1:5-8).
Through out St. John's Gospel, John never names himself. Instead he often refers to himself as "the disciple whom Jesus loved." (See for example John 19: 26). And one of the most common understandings is that when St. John refers to himself as "the disciple whom Jesus loved" he is in fact saying that all of Jesus' disciples are the disciple whom Jesus loves.
As I work through the figure and writings of St. John one of the things that has drawn me to him is his constant usage of the word "love". This tells me that St. John saw love as a very central theme to the Person and works of Jesus. In fact one of St. John's greatest writings is: "God is love and whoever remains in love remains in God and God in 'them'". (1 John 4:16b New American Bible with the word "him" exchanged for "them" to make the language inclusive).
Yet, whenever the word "love" is talked about from the standpoint of Christianity all discussion about love appears to stop at the topic of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered people. This past weekend in Catholic parishes and Diocese' they celebrated the Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph. Given all the number of States that have passed same-sex marriage laws no doubt there was mention somewhere that marriage and love are under attack because of marriage equality. However, if marriage is about commitment, family and love than the love of two people of the same-sex is just as sacred and beautiful as the love between one man and one woman. It has often been recorded that Jesus reclined at the table with St. John's head leaning on the breast of the Savior. There have been some tales that perhaps St. John and Jesus were romantically involved. Whether that is true or not, we do not know.
We do know that love was at the center of St. John in his love for Jesus and the Gospel that Jesus preached and proclaimed. St.John was persecuted as were all of the other disciples for sharing God's message of inclusive and unconditional love.
As lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered people, we are individuals, couples and families that have love at the very heart and center of who we are and what we are about. It is our love for people of the same sex that has caused such a back lashing from the religious right. Our love for our same-sex partner, boyfriend/girlfriend, lover and best friend has been the subject of persecution by right wing Christians and politicians. Love is at the center of what we want, want to do and want to be about. It is love that aches in the heart to be free from political and religious oppression. But remaining in God's love is exactly what Jesus commanded his disciples to do in John 15: 9. No matter how much the Catholic church and other "Talibangelical Christian fanatics" tell us we are "intrinsically disordered" we are to remain in God's love. God's love and the love that God has given us for members of the same-sex as well as bisexual and transgendered people that love is of God and is ordained by God to do awesome and wonderful things. Let us never stop speaking up about the rights of LGBT people to love other people.
Shed upon your Church, O Lord, the brightness of your light, that we, being illumined by the teaching of your apostle and evangelist John, may so walk in the light of your truth, that at length we may attain to the fullness of eternal life; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
(Collect for St. John, December 27th, Book of Common Prayer, Page 238).
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