Religion, Not so Much; Relationship, Definitely.
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Something horrible happened June 12, 2016, the worst mass shooting in our nation’s history. It happened at a gay bar/nightclub in the city of Orlando. This horrible event happened at a place that would not be considered wholesome or even mainstream. It was a club that celebrated homosexuality. No, not being gay or having same sex attraction, but honoring and congregating to celebrate the lifestyle that many of this “community” promote and indulge in.
And you know what? That is okay. We have been given free will by our Creator. We can live and act as we wish. This is how some of us have chosen. Do many of us disagree with this lifestyle? Absolutely! Do we wish for our brothers and sisters to be saved, repentant and desirous of them to enter into a personal relationship with our Savior? Absolutely! Are people from the LGBT community somehow different from us? They are absolutely not!
This was a crime of evil actions against all Americans, not just the LGBT “Community”. This bar was not a place of “solidarity and empowerment where people come together to raise awareness, to speak their minds, and to advocate for civil rights”, as our President stated. This was a night club where people drank, came to “hook up”, and celebrate their gay lifestyle and promiscuity.
And again, that is okay, but call it what it is! The false and misleading sentimentality cheapens and degrades us all. People who frequent these types of establishments and who have chosen such a lifestyle are no less deserving of life and liberty than anyone else. It is unjust to sugarcoat and misrepresent their actions and behaviors.
This is a tragedy! This is a tragedy not because it happened to people who were LGBT, but because it happened to our fellow human beings; our brothers and sisters in Christ. These were individuals made in the likeness and image of God. Jesus came to Earth and died for them too.
False sentimentality cheapens us as a nation. It divides us as a true community – a community after all is defined by greater and wider aspects of it’s people then their sexual orientation or attraction. We cannot let political agendas and special interests cloud genuine compassion and mercy for all, including the gunman. Yes, he deserves mercy too. If we expect and seek mercy from our Savior, then we, ourselves, must be willing to extend it to everyone in need.
Christ came for all of us, he died for all of us, and he yearns for us all to unite-in our sameness and our differences. When we fail to do this, we work against his Kingdom. We must not minimize our divine image and likeness by a definition that confines us and defines us by something as finite and material as our sexual practices. We are so much more than that!
False sentimentality is evil and does great harm to all of us. It hands Satan a victory.
Prayers for Orlando and America!
I am a wife and mother of two grown sons. Although I am Cradle Catholic, I experienced a profound reversion to the True faith several years ago that motivated and inspired me to dive more deeply into an understanding of the Church and Her teachings, and why She has these teachings and where they come from. Surprisingly, for me, the more I read and discovered, the deeper my love of the Catholic Church and her teachings became. This certainly is a journey that doesn't end, and so as I uncover more amazing facts about our Faith and Church, I just can't help but want to share what I'm learning. So, I began writing for Catholic 365.
I have recently served for a year and a half as the Executive Director of a very active and busy Crisis Pregnancy Center on the West side of Cincinnati. God is so good and does answers prayers, even though He knows at times, we have no idea what we are asking for. The pro life cause is paramount to our times, I am so honored and humbled to have had the experience and opportunity to serve women and the unborn in this capacity! I am also very grateful to God, for allowing me to see for myself, that perhaps such a calling was not His long term plan for me. We go where God seeminly calls us, and for me, that was a return to corporate America. I currently work as a recruiter and sales onboarding specialist where I am helping a Franchising company open and support small businesses that serve seniors and the elderly, giving them opportunities to age in place and live thier final chapters with dignity. It is the other end of the pro life spectrum and such an amazing endeavor!
I love being able to share this great faith of ours and use this platform as a way to express my deep love and devotion to our Lord. We need each other, and this effort has truly become a wonderful way to connect with all of you- my brothers and sisters in Christ!
