We Are Jesus’ Hands, Feet, and Beating Heart for LGBTQ+ Inclusion
Today’s reflection is by Bondings 2.0 contributor Yunuen Trujillo, whose bio can be found by clicking here.
Today’s liturgical readings for the Feast of Corpus Christi can be found here.
A few weeks ago, I returned to my home parish
to participate in the first Mass of a good friend
who had just been ordained a transitional
deacon. I hadn’t been to that parish at least
since before the pandemic. From the moment I parked in the parking lot I felt a sense of peace. “I’m home,” my heart sang.
This parish was the first place where I felt truly
part of the Body of Christ, my birthplace to the
faith. In this parish, I spent years in young adult ministry, sang at hundreds of
Masses, made friends, laughed, cried, opened up in prayer, and grew in my faith.
After I came out, the not-so-progressive community continued welcoming me,
even as I started wearing a rainbow ribbon to every Mass whenever I served as
a lector or Eucharistic minister. The community knew me and cared for me; being
gay was seemingly a non-issue.
Right at the start of the pandemic, however, I had a bit a “dark night of the soul”
episode. Discouraged by some challenges in LGBTQ Ministry, I welcomed a break
from serving in the parish when the pandemic started. Later on, I married and
moved to a faraway city, and I had not returned until my friend’s Mass.
When it came time to take Communion, I walked in line to receive, wearing my
rainbow ribbon, now happily married. “Will my friend deny me the Eucharist? Will
he hesitate? Are seminarians being trained to fight the culture wars in the
Communion line?”
“The body of Christ,” he said, as he raised his head and cracked a smile when
he realized it was me. “Amen,” I responded, and I sighed in relief.
Jesus said to them: “Amen, amen, I say
to you, unless you eat t
the flesh
of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has
eternal life.” (Jn 6:53-54)
Today, we celebrate the feast of Corpus Christi, exalting the Real Presence of
Jesus’ Body and
Blood in the Eucharist. Celebrations such as today can bring some level of
anxiety to LGBTQ
Catholics and others who have been told they should exclude themselves
from partaking in the Eucharist
simply because of a particular marital status, or the lack of it. At the end
of the day, however, the
decision to receive is a matter of the communicant’s conscience.
Are you one with Christ? Are you in a state of grace? This question should be
answered by each individual. No group of people
should believe that the answer is always “yes” or “no” simply based on
one aspect of the self. An examination of conscience should include all
aspects of our lives.
For anyone who doesn’t know how to answer those two questions, or who does
not feel at peace with the answers, I recommend finding a good spiritual director
or a confessor who will provide a pastoral approach and can guide you in you
r discernment process. We shouldn’t have to jump loops and hoops to find
an answer. I find Pope Francis’ guidance in the Joy of the Gospel to be very
helpful: “The Eucharist, although it is the fullness of sacramental life, is not a prize for the perfect but a powerful medicine and nourishment for the weak.” (no. 47).
As followers of Jesus, we are all trying to be better. We all have challenges
and shortcomings, but we also have virtues and God-given gifts. Our sexuality
is a gift as God made us perfectly who we are. In order to answer those
questions then, we must look beyond the gay/straight and dominant gender
paradigms.
The feast of Corpus Christi is also a moment to reflect on the Mystical Body
of Christ. By virtue of our baptism, we are all part of a mystical union into a
spiritual Body of Christ. This day can be a time to reflect on our engagement
in this Body:
Do you feel like you are part of this Body?
Do you feel welcome at your parish and part of the community?
Is there a more welcoming parish you can attend in your area?
How can you create more welcoming spaces for others?
There’s a lot of work to do in LGTBQ ministry, but we are all Jesus’ hands, feet,
and beating heart, moving this Body of Christ that is the church in a more
welcoming direction.
If you are looking for a welcoming community, consult New Ways Ministry’s list of LGBTQ-friendly parishes and faith communities, available here. To learn about how to make your parish more welcoming, visit the “Next Steps” program by clicking here.
—Yunuen Trujillo (she/her), June 11, 2023
Thank you Yunuen for sharing your gifts of faith and love. On this feast, your words on becoming the body of Christ for each other encourage my journey in grace
1 Corinth 6:9 Know you not that the unjust shall not possess the kingdom of God? Do not err: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, 10 Nor the effeminate, nor liers with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor railers, nor extortioners, shall possess the kingdom of God.
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Yunuen Trujillo
When it came time to take Communion, I walked in line to receive, wearing my rainbow ribbon, now happily married...