Beloved

Autumn, she/her, 25• bisexual, theology enthusiast, incurably Lutheran • Let God's Love radicalize, hide, comfort, protect, motivate, or embolden you as you need • mysticism, 🏳️‍🌈/🏳️‍⚧️, medieval art, safe for all religions • URL Matt 10:315

[the-daily-word]

[sacredradical]

god is in a jail cell, a baby or it’s poor single mother, a rapist or murderer, a pack of cigarettes, a queer person, and in you as much as he is in the pope, the cross or crucifix you wear, and in heaven.

you are not too far from him, you aren’t restricted. he’s in your soul and heart. find those and you have him

[many-sparrows]

Feeling like St Sebastian rn (going to therapy) (trapped and about to be shot with arrows)

[many-sparrows]

A theology that precludes you from ever talking frankly about sex is a theology that guarantees that children in your midst will be hurt, btw

[motheatenmoonlight]

I love the moon so much. God created her to brighten the night and she is good at it. she has acne scars and refuses to be accurately photographed by subpar camera equipment. she goes through phases. sometimes she peeks in during the daytime to check on us. I love her so much.

[brb-on-a-quest]

reblogging again with @onewingedsparrow additions that are continuing to make me cry

[many-sparrows]

New fursona: biblical scapegoat

[ronandreams]

erin lecount, sweet fruit

[many-sparrows]

God likes you sweaty

[many-sparrows]

Don’t worry guys, my friends and I are at mass, the three of us are upholding the bisexual quota

[many-sparrows]

Do I become a lay Franciscan yes or no

[starling-starlight]

Can people please pray with me for the people of Palestine . All the nationals and refugees for not only their safety but also that they receive all the aid they can. Especially those with illness and disability.

[many-sparrows]

Sometime I think that allowing yourself to have a childlike faith also means allowing yourself to get hurt. There are few in the world who suffer more than children, at the hands of families, states, poverty, etc. It is not enough to be in solidarity with the most vulnerable, we must also become them. We must Love and Trust and that will mean being hurt by the tragic errors of a sinning world. But that’s how we draw closer to God.

[many-sparrows]

A theology that precludes you from ever talking frankly about sex is a theology that guarantees that children in your midst will be hurt, btw

[thefleshiswicked]

As a Christian, I deeply agree with what this person is saying. In order for a child to be safe, they must know what is not acceptable for others to do. Sexual immorality is a sin, yes, but explaining the biology of sex, boundaries, and the concept of consent is not. We should also teach children that not every adult, including pastors or church leaders, is a safe adult.

If a child is unaware or forced into a state of ignorance, then we are practically throwing the lamb into the wolves' den.

[many-sparrows]

Truthfully, I didn’t even mean this as a critique of abuse within the church. I am thinking of how some parents will explain the facts of life and call it good but cannot bring themselves to use proper terminology. Or parents only explain the workings in a specific setting (only within marriage only within heterosexuality only one specific act). These leave gaps into which children can fall (or be pulled). I was thinking about other predation from other people, outside of the church or family. Parents can think they are doing their due diligence, but because they themselves are so fenced in, there are whole areas left untouched.

I want to be clear that this is not just another person critiquing the church; I truly mean that our faith is one that is meant to deal with real life. It is too easy to say that abuse lurks around corners in the church and leave it at that— I don’t believe that to be true and it ignores the need to engage with the rest of the world. It is naive to think that not telling your children things will keep them safe, and if your theology is telling you this, it is bad theology.

However, this definitely CAN be read as a critique of church structures/clerical abuse/self-shielding hierarchies, too.

[many-sparrows]

I need to go out to the desert and be in a cave for a while. I need to go wrestle an angel. I need to confront the devil. I need to name God. I need to be alone. I need to weep my laments over the hills. I need to see if Isaac is still up on the mountain.

[many-sparrows]

This is wrong, actually, hold on

[theinwardlight]

Psalm 126 above. Quotation below from Dorothy Day. 

[many-sparrows]

I need to go out to the desert and be in a cave for a while. I need to go wrestle an angel. I need to confront the devil. I need to name God. I need to be alone. I need to weep my laments over the hills. I need to see if Isaac is still up on the mountain.

[cruciform-solidarity]

Hard not to believe in the demonic when you have seen in person, e.g., a woman with burns over most of her body from a drone strike or been threatened by armed settlers. Hard not to believe, as well, that there must be the possibility of something other than our own bitterness, shame, and violence.

[cruciform-solidarity]

Hard not to believe in the demonic (in ourselves, in the world), hard not to believe in the possibility of mercy and forgiveness and love. More and more I see the Church as, at its heart, the interweave of the mystery of the Eucharist and the mystery of repentance.