Mary Magdalene stood weeping outside the tomb. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb; and she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had been laying, one at the head and the other at the feet. They said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping?" She said to them, "They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him." When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?" Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, "Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away." Jesus said to her, "Mary!" She turned and said to him in Hebrew, "Rabbouni!" (which means Teacher). Jesus said to her, "Do not hold on to me, because I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and say to them, 'I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.'" Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, "I have seen the Lord"; and she told thenm that he had said these things to her.
This past Holy Week and Easter was probably among the worst in recent history for the Christian church. The pedophile Priest situation that plagued the Vatican was among the top stories in the news. The whole matter was made a lot worse with Pope Benedict's personal preacher comparing the Priest pedophiles to Holocaust victims. The statement did some major damage between Catholics and the Jewish people. This was just not a good show during Holy Week and Passover.
Not to be outdone the Archbishop of Canterbury added his two cents to the situation.
This morning the BBC will broadcast his recorded remarks on the Irish Catholic crisis, in which he says, quite in passing, that the church there has "lost all credibility".
Rev. Canon Susan Russell later wrote in response to this saying:
How do we make sense of the fact that the Archbishop of Canterbury is now apologizing to the Roman Catholic Church in Ireland for statements he made about "lost credibility" over clergy abuse but has not YET apologized to LGBT people for failing to speak on their behalf in Uganda while leaping to "regret" the election of a lesbian bishop in Los Angeles? The mind boggles!
It was later said that Archbishop Williams apologized for having made such a statement that caused the Archbishop in Ireland to distance himself from Williams. The church saw strained relationships during this Holy Week and Easter and those relationships continue to be challenging for Christians and non-Christians a like.
All of this discord and hypocrisy it is no wonder that so many people choose not to be involved in any organized religion of any kind. The idea of a Faith built upon what is perceived to be "superstitious notions" and "legendary fairy tales' is just that when the events of Holy Week and Easter remain a story only by the leaders within the Christian Faith. The resurrection remains a mere abstraction when we forget who the real victims are in the case of the pedophilia committed by Priests. The crucifixion and resurrection remain stories on paper when the Jewish people are insulted and told that they must convert to Christianity to be saved, because Christianity is the only true religion. When lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered people are blamed for the pedophilia that Catholic Priests have committed it is just such a slap in the face of what the resurrection is about.
The problem that the Catholic church has with the pedophilia is not a gay problem it is a sexual violence issue that they refuse to see for what it is. Rev. Irene Monroe wrote about this topic.
As an institution that vows to protect the old, the sick, the downtrodden and all of God's children, the Catholic Church has not only failed at its earthly mission, but it has also failed at recognizing one of the places where it needs healing - sexual violence.
One of the reasons Catholic officials avoid implementing a zero-tolerance policy for its pedophilic priests is because the church neither sees nor understands pedophilia as a form of sexual violence. Its pervasiveness within the church, from its seminarians to its bishops, has anesthetized church officials to the severity of the crime and its effects, both on the victims and their families. Therefore, the Catholic Church closes its eyes in taking full responsibility and accountability for the abuse.
Some, in the Catholic Church, deflect attention from this issue by raising fallacious questions about a causality between pedophilia and homosexuality. However, in the face of overwhelming evidence by behavioral scientists to refute such a harmful and homophobic claim, the Catholic Church, nonetheless, believes that a homosocial and celibate atmosphere of gay men produces a preponderance of pedophilic priests.
Has the church really lost all sense of whom it is we are looking for? How do Christians and those looking into the Christian church looking for the crucified and risen Christ find him amidst all of this rubbish that is going on? Can we see and hear Christ who was dead and has come to life again calling on the church to let go of our age old prejudices?
If there was ever a time in which the individual members of the church need to be more faithful and grown up than those who lead, this is definitely one of those times. When those within the Apostolic Succession forget that they have been called to a ministry of reconciliation and healing for the many divisions within the church and the world, it is up to those of us watching to remind them through our own witness to the events of Holy Week and Easter. We should be weeping with Mary Magdalene outside the empty tomb asking "where has Jesus been laid?" We need to invite the risen Jesus into the church and ask him who has ascended to God the Creator of all, who is also Father and Mother to the Christian church, to send the Holy Spirit so that there may be healing and reconciliation among God's people. Where the church still refuses to die to it's sin of insisting that clericalism is more important than ministry, we need to remind them that Jesus wrapped a towel around his waist and washed the feet of his disciples before he was crucified. Ministry is first and foremost about service. Service to those who are marginalized and in need of full inclusion without fearing coercion by those who consider themselves to have pastoral and spiritual authority.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered individuals are not seeking authority or power. We are people who have been touched by the crucified and risen Christ and we seek to be Easter people along with the rest of the church. We are seeking to serve God's people through our unique way of loving people and preaching that Christ has risen and wants to lead all the church and the world into a renewed understanding of serving in the Name of the One who rose from the dead.
Yes we should still believe in Christ who has risen even amidst all the trash that has been going on. Because everyone has something to contribute towards the healing of the church in these difficult times. LGBT Christians remind everyone that not everyone is exactly like someone else, but we are all in need of a place where we know God's forgiveness of our sins and that God's unconditional love is transforming through the death and resurrection of Christ. We have much to offer the church in these dark days. We offer Jesus Christ who is the Light in the midst of the darkness.
O God, who by the glorious resurrection of your Son Jesus Christ destroyed death and brought life and immortality to light; Grant that we, who have been raised with him, may abide in his presence and rejoice in the hope of eternal glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom with you and the Holy Spirit, be dominion and praise for ever and ever. Amen. (Collect for Tuesday in Easter Week, Book of Common Prayer, Page 223).
Gracious Father, we pray for your holy Catholic Church. Fill it with all truth, in all truth with all peace. Where it is corrupt, purify it; where it is in error, direct it; where in any thing it is amiss, reform it. Where it is right, strengthen it; where it is in want, provide for it; where it is divided, reunite it; for the sake of Jesus Christ your Son our Savior. Amen. (Prayer for the Church, Book of Common Prayer, Page 816).
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