2023-06-04_Trinity Sunday_Pride Month

Trinity Sunday_Pride Month

June 4, 2023

 

Today is the Feast of the Holy Trinity.  June is both Pride Month and Indigenous Peoples Month in Canada.  Today, I used one of the bible translations accepted by the English-speaking Church because I want to share with you how word choice can limit inclusive and creative thought. 

Due to the patriarchal culture of the time, God is addressed as Adonai or Lord in speaking to God, with only the first letter capitalized, as is used by Moses’ prayer in the first reading.  The word LORD in all caps is used six times in today’s first reading.  The name of God used most often in the Hebrew Bible when speaking of God is the Tetragrammaton, romanized as YHWH.  However, the Jewish people traditionally do not pronounce it, and instead refer to God as HaShem, literally "the Name".  This conveys that God cannot be reduced to a “he/him” or a “she/her”.  The culture of our time allows for the use of non-gendered, all-encompassing words to refer to and address the Divine.  Why don’t we?

Paul addresses his listeners in the Second Reading as “brothers and sisters.”  Trans-gender and non-binary people were not on the cultural radar of his day.  It is in ours.  The First Nations Translation of the same verse has Small Man or Paul address his listeners as “my sacred family members[1]”, thereby including everyone listening.  This is just a tiny glimpse on how words matter.  They can be used to include or exclude people.

Today is the feast of the Holy Trinity.  The Trinity has always existed in the expansive and creative energy of Love that is the Breath and Wisdom of God.  The Breath and Wisdom of God, the Holy Spirit has been with us from the beginning:   Wisdom, who tells us she has been with us since the beginning and delighted in the human race, says to us in Proverbs 8:33, 

‘And now, my children, listen to me:
   happy are those who keep my ways.
Hear instruction and be wise,
   and do not neglect it.

Then, later in our history, the Creator gathered a particular group of people and groomed them to be the recipient people of the Word-Made-Flesh, Jesus, who would continue their formation.  Jesus came to teach them and us how to live, how to treat each other with love, justice, and compassion regardless of what is going on in the society around us.  W can now envision that we too, are to imitate Jesus, by living as he taught, and indeed, how he lived.  

Unfortunately, as The National Observer reports, in Canada, there has been a substantial rise in hate crimes since 2020, the large majority targeting the LGBTQ community.  Members of Canada's LGBTQ community are far more likely to be physically and sexually assaulted, face workplace discrimination and be homeless because of parental rejection and just as or even more disturbing, homosexuality is still illegal in 67 countries, punishable by death in 11 countries, and 14 countries criminalize the gender expression of transgender persons.[2]

Just a few weeks ago on May 26, Maxine Bernier made a policy announcement that a Peoples Party of Canada government would in addition to criminalizing other actions that aid and support trans persons, his Party would abolish the ban on conversion therapy, ban the funding of sex change operations for civil servants and prisoners, and remove gender self-identification as grounds for protection against discrimination.[3]

The Love of God made manifest in Jesus compel us to join our voices to those of people from all over the world who are calling for an end to the violence, the violence against people of the LGBTQ2S+ community, people of African descent, Indigenous Peoples and People of Colour.  The individuals, groups and politicians who promote hate are a neon sign advertising to the world that we are indeed what Moses calls, “a stiff-necked people.”  Promoting hate and committing violence against anyone are unchristian acts for which repentance appears to be lacking. 

I do the Gospel, you, and myself a disservice if I don’t bring attention to the creeping poisons of homophobia, transphobia and phobias against people who are gender diverse.  Today I have spoken to you concerning the increasing danger facing, the LGBTQ2S+ community in Canada and worldwide.  As followers of Christ, we are obliged to speak out against this hate.

St. Paul calls us to “mend [our] ways, encourage one another, agree with one another and live in peace”.  I’m sure when he says agree with on another, it is not about agreeing to continue down the wrong path but rather it’s about agreeing to follow the gospel.  He tells us that if we love one another in peace that the God of love and peace will be with [us].  The love between the persons of the Trinity is the model God wants us to follow. 

In closing I want you to picture in your mind two images and two questions.  First, an injured person lying on the ground, who do you imitate, the priest and Levite or the Good Samaritan?  Secondly, picture in your mind Rublev’s icon of the Holy Trinity.  There is space at the table.  That space is waiting for us, inviting us into Their circle of love.  Are we going to accept the invitation?

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ
and the love of God
and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with all of you.

 


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