Archdiocese Of Boston Open Mass To Be Held

[Ash Wednesday]

Yay, yet another mass (and this one with questionable intentions) meant to cater to one specific group. We just really love these kinds of things these days, because it's really all about us, ya know?

Further proof that we as a people are really self-absorbed.

P.S. I highly recommend the National Catholic Reporter.... for lining bottoms of bird cages.

[Socrates]

[quote name='katholikkid' timestamp='1308590130' post='2256343']
[color=#666666][font=Arial, Verdana, Tahoma, sans-serif][size=4]"The Archdiocese of Boston is committed to evangelization and to being a welcoming Church for all of God’s people. St. Cecilia’s is a wonderful example of the exceptional parishes in the Archdiocese which seek to serve the Catholic faithful with grace, dignity, respect, compassion and love and being devoted to the Gospel and Christ’s saving ministry.[/size][/font][/color]

[color=#666666][font=Arial, Verdana, Tahoma, sans-serif][size=4]The reports that the Mass, originally scheduled for June 19th, was cancelled are not accurate. Rather the Mass was postponed. As indicated in the statement of the Archdiocese on June 10, a Mass welcoming the wider community of the faithful, including gays and lesbians, will be held. The Mass has been rescheduled to Sunday, July 10th at 11am.[/size][/font][/color]

[color=#666666][font=Arial, Verdana, Tahoma, sans-serif][size=4]We respect the desire of those individuals organizing and participating in the prayer service. We know that the postponement of the June 19th Mass has been disappointing to them. Our hope and prayer is that we can come together as one community of Catholics sharing in the Lord’s divine love for each of us." Diocesan Website --[color=#000000][font=arial, verdana, tahoma, sans-serif][size=3][url="http://www.bostoncatholic.org/Utility/News-And-Press/Content.aspx?id=20754"]http://www.bostoncatholic.org/Utility/News-And-Press/Content.aspx?id=20754[/url] [/size][/font][/color][/size][/font][/color]

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[color=#666666][font=Arial, Verdana, Tahoma, sans-serif][size=4][color=#000000][font=arial, verdana, tahoma, sans-serif][size=3]I think every Mass should be welcoming the wider community of Catholics. Any thoughts?[/size][/font][/color][/size][/font][/color]

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[/quote]
If a priest or bishop says a mass specifically "welcoming gays and lesbians," if he says nothing during the mass about the grave sinfulness of the homosexual lifestyle, and the need for repentance - including the need for real repentance followed by sacramental Confession before receiving the Holy Eucharist - he has done his congregation a grave disservice, as well as committed an act of grave scandal.


Yes, Jesus Christ calls sinners, yet He calls sinners to conversion and repentance - not to condone and celebrate their sin.

A mass need not be specifically oriented toward homosexuals to be welcoming to all. Christ welcomes us all to turn from our sin and follow him. Any other message is opposed to Christ.

[Socrates]

[quote name='katholikkid' timestamp='1308619750' post='2256616']
@Ice nine

Thanks for the well-thought reply. I get the whole catholic nature definition completely that our nature is fallen thus things about us are fallen. I totally agree with you about the masturbation thing which I find completely deprived and devoid of any love whatsoever.

A few things: I don't think it is so much the desire for sodomy as you put it that drives homosexual behavior. Heterosexuals too engage in that act. I have been reading up all day on this as the conversation has grown and I was researching on the history of this with the church and came across a statistics from a 1992 CDC document that showed something like 30% of hetero's engaged in that act compared to something like 8% of gay couples interesting numbers but anyway I think it can be concluded that the desire is in makeup the same thing for a heterosexual for some reason the attraction is for a member of the opposite sex. I agree with your ending statement that people equate intense love and sex mistakenly.[/quote]
I'd like to see what study you're talking about, because, while I don't purport to be any expert in homosexual acts, that's contrary to every single thing I've seen on the subject. I did a quick check on wikipedia, and it cited modern surveys showing that anywhere from two-thirds to 80% of homosexual men engage in this disgusting activity. (I won't provide a link because that page was vile).

To be blunt and crude, any sexual activity where the penis goes anywhere but in the vagina is gravely disordered and immoral. That would include all forms of same-sex sexual activity, which can never be life-giving and moral.

[quote]2. Nature. I understand that nature is fallen. Desire is part of nature. We have a desire to know God. We have a desire to take aliment. We desire water when we thirst etc. I do not know that a desire, I like attraction better it describes more what i am talking about, I don't know that an attraction can be disordered or unnatural. I suppose if you look at attractions in general like a preferred taste in foods you ask how that came to be? Where does one's love for caviar come from? Attraction for hetero/homosexuals I would say are the same in element and makeup but different in outcome. For the same reason he likes caviar and she does not but likes watercress.

3 disorder. My issue with saying an attraction is disordered is that unless it causes us to act in a way that is not conducive to the greater glory of God it is then disordered. My example earlier I think poses a good question. How does grace perfect something that is already ordered to God's will? i.e. the misguided heterosexual desire OR is it the actions that need perfecting?[/quote]

You may want to read the CDF document, [url="http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/documents/rc_con_cfaith_doc_19861001_homosexual-persons_en.html"]LETTER TO THE BISHOPS OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH ON THE PASTORAL CARE OF HOMOSEXUAL PERSONS[/url], written by our current Holy Father to better learn the Church's teaching on this matter.

An excerpt:[quote] 3. Explicit treatment of the problem was given in this Congregation's "Declaration on Certain Questions Concerning Sexual Ethics" of December 29, 1975. That document stressed the duty of trying to understand the homosexual condition and noted that culpability for homosexual acts should only be judged with prudence. At the same time the Congregation took note of the distinction commonly drawn between the homosexual condition or tendency and individual homosexual actions. [b]These were described as deprived of their essential and indispensable finality, as being "intrinsically disordered", and able in no case to be approved of (cf. n. 8, $4)[/b].

In the discussion which followed the publication of the Declaration, however, an overly benign interpretation was given to the homosexual condition itself, some going so far as to call it neutral, or even good.[b] Although the particular inclination of the homosexual person is not a sin, it is a more or less strong tendency ordered toward an intrinsic moral evil; and thus the inclination itself must be seen as an objective disorder.[/b]

[b]Therefore special concern and pastoral attention should be directed toward those who have this condition, lest they be led to believe that the living out of this orientation in homosexual activity is a morally acceptable option. It is not.[/b][/quote]

[TeresaBenedicta]

[quote name='katholikkid' timestamp='1308612226' post='2256550']
@fransiscan heart

Total sense. its just that it poses a logical fallacy for me that's all simply because attraction is unconscionable i don't see how you can try to define it. It's like saying a thought is disordered. That is why i think the church chose inclination in its wording which relates more to a tendency which is not as concrete as desire. I hope that makes sense. It's just that inclination is a really flexible word and i think because of lack of scientific and psychological evidence the CDF chose it on purpose. but that's just me. i read inclination and desire/attraction/feeling to represent two differing things. not unrelated though.
[/quote]

Here's what the Canadian Bishops have to say in their latest pastoral letter to those with same-sex attraction:

[quote]6. In her teaching, however, the Church never condemns persons with same-sex attraction. She carefully distinguishes between an individual’s inclinations or feelings – some of which are transitory and/or situational and others which are deep-seated or permanent – and one’s actions. [b]While homosexual acts are always objectively wrong, same-sex inclinations are not in themselves sinful or a moral failing.[/b] To the extent that a same-sex attraction is not freely chosen, there is no personal culpability in having such an inclination. [b]Nonetheless, when oriented toward genital activity, this inclination is “objectively disordered.”[/b] This does not mean that the person as a whole is somehow defective or “badly made,” or that he or she has in some way been rejected by God. Inclinations to homosexual acts in no way diminish the full human dignity or intrinsic worth of the person. For many people, same-sex attraction constitutes a trial. They therefore deserve to be approached by pastors with charity and prudence.[/quote]

[url="http://www.cccb.ca/site/images/stories/pdf/ministry-ssa_en.pdf"]You can read the rest of the letter here.[/url]

[Amppax]

[quote name='Lil Red' timestamp='1308603919' post='2256450']
just an fyi, those who are divorced can receive the Eucharist, provided that they are in a state of grace. now, if they have gotten remarried without an annulment of their previous marriage, then they may not present themselves to receive the Eucharist.
[/quote]

yeah i was about to jump on this one, thanks

[Santa Cruz]

[quote name='TeresaBenedicta' timestamp='1309305149' post='2259954']
Here's what the Canadian Bishops have to say in their latest pastoral letter to those with same-sex attraction:



[url="http://www.cccb.ca/site/images/stories/pdf/ministry-ssa_en.pdf"]You can read the rest of the letter here.[/url]
[/quote]

Beautiful! Thank you for posting this

[Rebecca2009]

[quote name='Santa Cruz' timestamp='1309959895' post='2263591']
Beautiful! Thank you for posting this
[/quote]

Just wanted to also add my thanks for this link.