The Rainbow Tribe

What is the rainbow if not a symbol of hope? For Christians, and for those who revere the Book of Genesis as part of Sacred Scripture, the rainbow is an enduring reminder of God's promise to Noah that he would never again destroy the earth by a flood. On a more mundane level, the appearance of a rainbow in the sky indicates that a storm is over, and that at least for a while, blue skies will prevail.

I'm not sure anyone knows just how or when the rainbow became a symbol for gay people, but it would be hard to think of a more fitting symbol for such a widely diverse group. Gay people belong to every race, nationality, and ethnic group; to every religion, political persuasion, and cultural system; and to every human society known to modern scholars. In the contemporary United States, one need not look far to see gay people who are young and old, wealthy and poor, tall and short, hard-working and laid-back, congenial and grumpy. Gay people are finding their place in our political structures, in the economy, in churches and schools and voluntary organizations, and in every part of our ever more complex society. Gay people are more visible than ever, and can rightly take pride in their advances in civil rights over the past few decades, even as they look toward brighter days ahead.

Yet for all the progress that has been made, much work remains to be done. Many doors are still closed to gay people, and obstacles to their full flourishing as free men and women persist. Gay people have many friends in the wider population, but many opponents, as well. The day when gay people will have the same rights as every other American, and be accepted in the Christian churches and other faith communities as fully equal with "straight" people, has not yet arrived. But as we look up and see the rainbow in the sky above us, we can find encouragement in the knowledge that the worst of the storm has passed, and that sunshine is on its way.

In this blog that I am starting today, I will try to do my small part to speed the arrival of that happy day when all gay men and women will be free of all that oppresses them and crushes them. I will lift my voice as a Christian, and more specifically as a Christian living out the Roman Catholic interpretation of the Gospel, to proclaim Christ's boundless and unconditional love for gay people. I will not flatter myself by believing that I might be to able to change people's minds or lead them in new directions. For those Christians and people of faith to whom homosexuality is a sickness at best and sinfulness at worst, there is little I can say. By the same token, for those gay people who are convinced that Christianity is inherently homophobic and toxic to gay people, again, I have little to offer. But to those gay Christians and their friends who recognize Jesus of Nazareth as the Christ, as the Lord of the their lives, and who see their sexual orientation as a precious gift from God, I hope to offer words of comfort, reconciliation, healing, support, and encouragement.

Deep down, so many gay Christians remain haunted by the fear that to be a devout Christian and to fully accept oneself as gay are contradictory aims. Certainly, countless loud voices on the left and the right in modern society seem to agree about that! But like so many gay men and women who have struggled to live an authentic and meaningful life, I have come to accept that my sexuality, rightly understood and accepted as a grace, does not draw me away from God, but rather helps bind me to God. After years of questioning and doubting, I am now certain that gay men and women are not mistakes of nature or spiritual abominations, but rather vital members of the human race with a story to tell and a calling to live out. Somehow, through accepting ourselves as gay and loving God through our sexual orientation, we are bringing something new and beautiful into the world. Through our lives, our dreams, and our hopes, God is saying something profound to all of Creation! And in our heart of hearts, God's voice is whispering to us, pledging his love and compassion, and encouraging us to run to him with open hearts, honest minds, and generous souls! And as we seek God's Face, as we long for his tender embrace, we see the rainbow in the sky above us, assuring us that God has led us through many storms, and that despite the storms yet to come, sunnier days lie ahead for us!