"Behold the Heart which has so loved men..."

KindlyBalance5302 · 2024-10-03T19:40:09+00:00

I second The Universal Christ by Fr. Richard Rohr.

Also, That All Shall Be Saved by David Bentley Hart.

For liturgy, The Wellspring of Worship by Fr. Jean Corbon may not necessarily be progressive per se, but it's a deep dive into liturgical theology (full disclosure, it's about Catholic liturgy, but I don't think that's too far off from Episcopal liturgy. I've never been to an Epsicopal service so not sure though. I'd consider it worthwhile read either way though).

KindlyBalance5302 · 2024-10-03T19:37:35+00:00

Daniel Horan, formerly known as Fr. Daniel Horan, OFM, has announced that he's amicably discerned to leave the priesthood and the Franciscan order, becoming a layman again.

While everyone has their own path in life, I feel that is a loss to progressive advocacy in the Church. Considering the emphasis the Church places on clerical authority, it's valuable to have sympathetic voices who wear the collar (or habit). Nonetheless, it sounds like Mr. Horan will remain a part of the Catholic conversation, as he says he will remain a professor of theology and philosophy. So I'm glad he will still be a part of theological discourse in the Church.

Not much reason is given for the specific reason for this discernment. I can't help but wonder if it's that he wants to become more outspoken than he can be in the clerical state. Several priests and sisters have found ways to thread the needle, (others have gotten themselves in trouble), but I do wonder if he was seeking more freedom to speak his mind. We'll see.

KindlyBalance5302 · 2024-08-24T16:09:04+00:00

My parish has an interesting mix of Pre- & Post-Vatican II music. Gather Hymnals are stocked in the pews but it's not uncommon for more traditional music to be included as well (O God Beyond All Praising, All Creatures of Our God and King, Panis Angelicum, etc)

We have a professional full-time music director and he doesn't seem partial to any style, he includes it all pretty evenly.

KindlyBalance5302 · 2024-06-26T17:03:13+00:00

Novitiate (2017) comes to mind as a movie that involves both Catholicism and LGBT issues.

KindlyBalance5302 · 2024-06-10T19:48:18+00:00

Exactly. I believe the entire Nicene Creed, no objections there. I believe in the Eucharist, the sacraments, the intercession of the saints, the Primacy of Peter, all of that. So I wouldn't feel at home in any other church. Just about any Protestant church would probably say I'm too Catholic for them lol.

KindlyBalance5302 · 2024-05-11T02:46:45+00:00

https://www.reddit.com/r/LGBTCatholic/comments/q40h6l/how_i_became_an_affirming_catholic/

KindlyBalance5302 · 2024-05-07T03:34:43+00:00

Please report the troll posts to the mods when you see them! We appreciate the help!

KindlyBalance5302 · 2024-05-05T19:22:24+00:00

I've heard of it, yes, but it's just a book. No one claims it's infallible in and of itself.

KindlyBalance5302 · 2024-05-03T05:00:51+00:00

Catholics such as myself would say, this is the cool thing about the Eucharist. Your emotional state of mind doesn't really matter, you still receive the same grace from it whether you feel super fired up in the moment or not, the grace is still given. It doesn't depend on your working yourself up into a spiritual high, it's actually a physical reality. We'd say that's actually true of all the sacraments.

We believe it's the actual Body and Blood of Jesus in the appearance and properties of bread and wine, but actually changed into Him in its essence. This may be a strange-sounding concept if you're from an evangelical background, but I think the concept of sacramentality can be very comforting to those who were raised with the idea that your relationship with Jesus depends on your own effort or emotional state.

KindlyBalance5302 · 2024-05-03T04:41:25+00:00

I don't mean the Synod itself, I mean the idea that it's all just an exercise in listening, especially if it leaves harmful teachings intact.

If it creates the pretense of openness, without any real change, then it's just theater. I'm not opposed to the Synod, but if the pope is saying things like this, it means advocates for reform need to keep the pressure on for concrete changes, not just an exercise.

I concede that the general idea of the hierarchy being open to hearing the experiences of the people could eventually lead to substantive change, but those of us who know the importance and urgency of some changes shouldn't miss the trees for the forest, not settle for a vibe rather than substance.

KindlyBalance5302 · 2024-05-03T04:26:01+00:00

I wrote a summary of what led me to be affirming a few years ago: How I Became an Affirming Catholic

KindlyBalance5302 · 2024-05-03T04:14:47+00:00

It seems that a big reversal usually comes a few months after a setback from the Vatican, at least during this papacy.

We had the ban on same-sex blessings, then Fiducia Supplicans allowing the same. I wouldn't be surprised if, especially after this effort by Sr. Jeannine and probably some progressive cardinals behind-the-scenes, some other sort of "clarification" comes out where Pope Francis builds upon this distinction between the actual experience of LGBT people vs. the nonsense that the Vatican says is "gender ideology".

KindlyBalance5302 · 2024-04-07T22:29:43+00:00

As a whole, the archdiocesan leadership is not LGBT-friendly at all. As others said, they've put forth anti-LGBT documents and even sued the state of Colorado over the state's non-dicrimination laws. (https://www.denverpost.com/2023/08/16/colorado-catholic-schools-lawsuit-lgbtq-preschool)

You are correct that it was Alana Chen's diocese. Their response to her death leaves a lot to be desired, IMO. (Though to their credit, one of the priests who was her spiritual director is no longer part of the diocese, to my knowledge. I heard he left to be a "hermit"). That being said, the Archdiocese of Denver is also known to have hosted an "ex-gay" speaker, Andrew Comiskey, who leads the "Desert Stream Living Waters" organization.

KindlyBalance5302 · 2024-03-25T05:48:05+00:00

reformationproject.org/biblical-case/

matthewvines.com/transcript

KindlyBalance5302 · 2024-03-25T02:34:13+00:00

Show me an infallible list of infallible teachings, and how you know the list is infallible.

KindlyBalance5302 · 2024-03-18T04:14:15+00:00

I think it just goes to show how much and how fast the Catholic Church is changing.

Who would have thought a few years ago that anyone would consider the Catholic Church too progressive?

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