Good News for Gays

In all the noise about the campaign for and against Same Sex Marriage, it is very easy for orthodox Christian belief to be seen as anti-homosexual.

This is clearly gravely wrong.  Orthodox Christianity is pro-humanity.  Man is made in the image and likeness of God, was considered worth Our Redeemer giving His life for (each and every one of us), and is willed and destined by God for eternal happiness in heaven, if we accept His offer.

True, man is also broken by original sin and further damaged by personal sin; but none of these, nor any power or principality, can stand between God and man - unless man chooses to refuse God’s grace.

The Gospel of Christ is Good News, not only for mankind as a whole, but for each individual, in his or her own circumstances.

God loves us even as we are now.  But for us to return that love, we must be open to it, and not reject it.  ‘If you love me, keep my commandments...’

So part of the good news for gays must be that they are not trapped or defined by their sexuality, but that in Christ they can find the freedom to love truly, madly, deeply, with integrity - and chastely.

We need to find ways to articulate that good news in a way that will have some chance of being heard and understood, rather than be seen as gay-bashing...

Part of that means upholding the whole of Catholic teaching about human sexuality: including teaching on chastity in marriage and in the single state, openness to life, and so on.  We mustn't be seen to be picking on one type of sexual sin (to which I, for example, I am not tempted) more than all the others (to which I and many of us are tempted).

But we need to do more than that, to help people see the radical love and joy available to them in the Gospel.

I’m not sure how to do that, but am sure it is a vital task.  Any ideas, examples or resources would be of great interest.