Jesus and Gays -- Ġesu u l-Gays

Jesus and Gays

 

Last month saw an interesting incident in Malta.

 

During a ceremony two gay persons got engaged, and exchanged engagement rings.  During this ceremony, these rings were blessed by Fr Mark Montebello.  This is a very private matter, and this was only generally known as it was broadcast on Facebook, as is common these days.1

 

The new Maltese Archibishop, Charles Scicluna, called for an urgent meeting with Fr Mark.  My heart sank - what's happening this time, I asked myself?  Where will he be sent to cool off?  Last time it was Mexico.  Where next?

 

After a couple of days, a very dry press release was issued, in which the Archibishop encouraged Fr Mark to continue his pastoral work with gay people, but not to bless their engagement rings given the Church's teaching that reserves this only for engagement between a man and a woman.

 

I wasn't the only one surprised by the low key manner this incident was treated, rather than blown up as often happens - it was a 'surprise for many' how the Archbishop handled it.2

 

The opposition by the Catholic Church, the Orthodox church, many Pentecostal denominations and others, to the sexual acts of homosexuals (including lesbians), is well known and dates from their founding.  That homosexuality is considered evil is found in other religions, like the Jewish faith and Islam, and is generally, though not universally, condemned (even with death) in the Middle East, where the monotheistic religions originated, and Africa.

 

The fear men have of being considered effeminate is the reason why in many Arab countries, men grow moustaches to 'prove' their masculinity.

 

The first story on this subject I had heard as a boy came from the Old Testament, with the familiar story of Lot in the city of Sodom, where local men banged on his door asking him to give them the angels (presumably men) who were staying with him, so that they could 'know them', and didn't accept Lot's offer of his two daughters instead of the angels.  It's written that God destroyed the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah due to the 'wickedness of the city'.3  The name Sodom is still recognisable in the name of the homosexual act - sodomy.

 

In the book of Jewish laws, the homosexual act is prohibited and described as an abomination punishable by death.4

 

In the New Testament, St Paul was very harsh on the subject.  He calls the homosexual act 'filthy'5, says that 'not effeminate nor liers with mankind .... shall possess the Kingdom of God'6 and that 'the law is not made for the just man but .... for them who defile themselves with mankind .... and whatever other thing is contrary to sound doctrine'7.

 

It can be noted that nowhere are lesbians mentioned in the Scriptures, which in this context only mentions men.

 

The Catholic Church says that due to all this scripture, tradition has always taught that 'homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered'.  It accepts that people can be homosexually 'inclined', nevertheless it teaches that 'homosexual persons are called to chastity'.8

 

I have always been curious as to why Jesus is never quoted on the subject.  Finally I understood the reason - Jesus did not talk about homesexuality, or if he did, it's not quoted in Scripture.

 

You could say that if Jesus wasn't against the homosexual act, he would not have refrained from declaring this, such as when he changed 'an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth' into 'love your neighbour as yourself'.

 

On the other hand, we shouldn't necessarily assume he was against the homosexual act, given he's not quoted as speaking against it.

 

It's clear that Protestant denominations are divided on the subject, and their position is still evolving.  Some denominations accept the act amongs the laity but not the clergy (Anglicans in England), others accept it also within the clergy (Episcopal, Reformed and some Lutheran denominations).

 

Those that don't consider homosexual acts to be sinful, generally argue that the Scripture passages mentioned previously could have been referring to specific contexts that applied at the time and not to homosexual activity in general.9  For example, the story of Sodom can be understood to describe an attempt at gang rape, to which God's condemnation was intended rather than the homosexuality.

 

Finally, I cannot fail to mention Pope Francis and his statements on the subject.  Although the formal teaching of the Catholic Church hasn't changed, it cannot be denied that the Pope wishes the Church to be more welcoming to homosexuals.  Some people think that the Pope's wish is simply for better pastoral care with homosexual people without any change in its teaching, whereas others see the possibility of some change in its teaching.

 

Time will tell where this process, which began with the survey of Catholics around the world on their practice of the faith, and continued with the Synod in 2014,10 will end.

 

Interesting, is it not?

 

 

Ġesu u l-gays

 

Ix-xahar l-ieħor seħħ inċident f'Malta li kien interessanti.

 

Ġara li kien hemm ċerimonja fejn żewġ persuni omosesswali tgħarrsu, u taw ċurkett tal-għerusija 'l xulxin.  Waqt din iċ-ċerimonja, dawn iċ-ċrieket tbierku minn Patri Mark Montebello.  Ħaġa personali bħal din hija privata ħafna, u n-nies saru jafu biha biss għax, kif isir daż-żmien, dan il-fatt ġie mxandar fuq Facebook.1

L-Arċisqof il-ġdid ta' Malta, Charles Scicluna, sejjaħ laqgħa b'urġenza ma' Patri Mark.  Qalbi għamlet tikk - x'ġej did-darba, għedt bejni u bejn ruħi?  Fejn se jixħtuh din id-darba biex jiffriska ftit?  L-aħħar darba kien il-Messiku.  Fejn imiss?

 

Wara xi jumejn, ħarġet stqarrija pjuttost xotta, fejn l-Arċisqof ħeġġeġ lil Patri Mark biex ikompli jagħmel xogħol pastorali mal-omosesswali, imma ma jkomplix ibierek iċ-ċrieket tal-għerusija tagħhom għax skont it-tagħlim tal-Knisja din hija biss irriżervata għal għerusija bejn raġel u mara.

 

Jidher li mhux jien biss stagħġibt bil-mod kif dan l-inċident tmewwet, iktar milli trewwaħ bħal ma spiss jiġri - kienet 'sorpriża għal ħafna' kif l-Arċisqof kien ittratta l-kwestjoni.2

 

L-oppożizzjoni tal-Knisja Kattolika, dik Ortodossa, ħafna denominazzjonijiet Pentekostali w oħrajn, għall-atti sesswali tal-omosesswali (hawnhekk ninkludi l-lesbjani), hija magħrufa u ilha mill-bidu tat-twaqqif tagħhom.  Li l-omosesswalità titqies bħala ħażen tinsab ukoll f'reliġjonijiet oħra bħal dik Lhudija Ortodossa u l-Islam, u hi ġeneralment, imma mhux universalment, ikkundannata (anke bil-mewt) fil-Lvant Nofsani minn fejn oriġinaw ir-reliġjonijiet monoteistiċi, u l-Afrika.  Il-biża li rġiel jitqiesu ffemminati hija r-raġuni għalfejn f'ħafna kulturi Għarab, l-irġiel iħallu l-mustaċċi biex 'jippruvaw' il-maskulinità tagħhom.

 

L-ewwel storja fuq dan is-suġġett li kont smajt bħala tifel ġej mill-Antik Testment, bl-istorja familjari ta' Lot fil-belt ta' Sodom, fejn l-irġiel tal-post ħabbtulu l-bieb jitolbuh biex jagħtihom l-anġli (preżumibbilment irġiel) li kienu għandu, biex 'imorru magħhom', u lanqas aċċettaw meta Lot offrielhom liż-żewġ bniet tiegħu minflok l-anġli.  Huwa miktub li Alla qered il-bliet ta' Sodom u Gomorra minħabba 'il-ħażen tal-belt'.3  L-isem Sodom baqa' jintgħaraf bħala n-nom għall-att omosesswali - is-sodomija.

 

Fil-ktieb tal-liġijiet Lhud, l-att omosesswali huwa pprojbit u deskritt bħala 'abominazzjoni', u li min jipprattikah għandu jingħata l-mewt.4

 

Fil-Ġdid Testment, San Pawl kien aħrax ħafna fuq is-suġġett.  L-att omosesswali jsejjaħlu 'maħmuġ'5, jgħid li 'l-effemminati ... ma jaslux fis-Saltna ta' Alla'6 u li 'l-liġi mhix magħmula għar-raġel ġust imma ..... għal min jagħmel is-sodomija ... u affarijiet oħra li huma kontra d-duttrina soda'7.

 

Ta' min jinnota li mkien ma jissemmew il-lesbjani fl-Iskrittura, li f'dan il-kuntest issemmi biss lill-irġiel.

 

Il-Knisja Kattolika tgħid li minħabba din l-iskrittura kollha, it-tradizzjoni għallmet li 'kull għemil omosesswali hu fih innifsu diżordinat'.  Għalkemm taċċetta li l-omosesswali 'ma għażluhiex huma l-qagħda ... tagħhom', tgħallem li 'l-persuni omosesswali huma msejħin biex iħarsu l-kastità'.8

 

Jien dejjem kont kurjuż għaliex ma jiġix ikkwotat Ġesu fuq dan is-suġġett.  Fl-aħħar fhimt għaliex - Ġesu ma jitkellimx fuq l-omosesswalità, jew talinqas jekk tkellem, mhux ikkwotat fl-Iskrittura.

Din tista' teħodha li kieku Ġesu ma kienx kontra l-att omosesswali, ma kienx joqgħod lura milli jistqarr dan, bħal ma għamel meta bidel l-għajta ta' 'għajn għal għajn u sinna b'sinna' għal 'ħobbu lill-għajrkom bħalkom infuskom'.

 

Mill-banda l-oħra, tista' teħodha li ladarba ma jissemmiex li tkellem kontra l-att omosesswali m'għandniex nassumu bilfors li kien kontrih.

 

Huwa ċar li d-denominazzjonijiet Insara Protestanti huma maqsuma sew fuq is-suġġett, u l-pożizzjoni tagħhom għadha tevolvi.  Uħud jaċċettaw l-att fost il-lajċi imma mhux fost il-kleru (Anglikani Ingliżi), oħrajn jaċċettawh anke fost il-kleru (denominazzjonijiet Episkopali, Riformati u wħud mill-Luterani).

 

Dawk li ma jqisux l-att omosesswali bħala dnub, ġeneralment jargumentaw li l-passaġġi fl-Iskrittura li semmejna setgħu kienu qed jirreferu għal kuntest speċifiku li kien japplika dakinhar u mhux għall-attività omosesswali in ġenerali.9  Per eżempju, l-istorja ta' Sodoma tista' tinftiehem li tiddeskrivi attentat ta' stupru tal-grupp (gang rape), li għaliha kienet intenzjonata l-kundanna t'Alla iktar milli l-omosesswalità.

 

Fl-aħħarnett, ma nistax ma nsemmix lill-Papa Franġisku u l-istqarrijiet tiegħu fuq is-suġġett.  Għalkemm it-tagħlim formali tal-Knisja Kattolika ma nbidilx, ħadd ma jista' jiċħad li l-Papa jixtieq lill-Knisja tkun iktar miftuħa għall-omosesswali.  Hemm min iqis li x-xewqa tal-Papa hija sempliċement li jkun hemm xogħol pastorali aħjar mal-omosesswali bl-ebda tibdil fit-tagħlim, u hemm min jara possibiltà ta' xi tibdil fit-tagħlim.

 

Iż-żmien jagħtina parir dwar fejn dan il-proċess, li beda bl-istħarriġ tal-Kattoliċi madwar id-dinja fuq il-prattika tal-fidi tagħhom, u li tkompla bis-Sinodu tal-2014,10 ser iwassal.

 

Interessanti hux?

 

 

1http://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2015-04-13/local-news/Controversial-priest-blesses-rings-at-gay-couple-s-engagement-ceremony-6736133686, retrieved 4/5/2015

2'Hemm mod u mod', The Voice of the Maltese, Issue 100, p 15

3Gen 19:1-29

4Lev 18:22, 20:13

5Rum 1:24-27

61 Cor 6:10

71 Tim 1:10

8Catechism of the Catholic Church, para 2357-2359

9https://www.gaychristian.net/justins_view.php, retrieved 3/5/2015

10http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-29677779, retrieved 4/5/2015