Matthew 9:9-26 (The Passion Translation):
"When those known as the Pharisees saw what was happening, they were indignant and they kept asking Jesus' disciples, "Why would your Master dine with such lowlifes?
"When Jesus over heard this, he spoke up and said, "Healthy people don't need to see a doctor, but the sick will go for treatment". Then he added, "Now you should go and study the meaning of the verse:
I want you to show mercy,
not just offer me a sacrifice?
For I have come to invite the outcasts of society and sinners, not those who think they are already on the right path?"
Journal of A Queer, Alien Street Priest!
Last Saturday I spent all day, 10: a.m. to 11: p.m., watching the series, Band of Brothers, following a group of soldiers on their journey through World War II. And through out the day and evening there were ads for support of the agency Wounded Soldiers, an agency that works with injured soldiers.
Both pointed a clear sign to the wastefulness, injury, and uncaring leaders of war. Any form of violence destroys the image of God in humanity.
The violence that I see, have experienced on the street, and being Queer, have sometimes pushed me to doubt there is a God. Yet always God is present and loving me.
Our Gospel stories today reminds me in the eyes of Jesus no one is disposable.
As we enter PRIDE month we have been hearing of violence towards our Transgender brothers and sisters, as well as all Queers in our nation. There is a new poll
(Rodriguez) showing support for rights in of the LGBTQ community continues to decline.
During PRIDE MONTH invite each person to see PRIDE as a promotion of the rights of
the LGBTQ Community. Also I would like to point out the translation in the Bible of the passages used against Queers were introduced in translation in 1946 by a homophobic interpreter, and have mistranslated the ancient texts in a homophobic manner.
This struggle many people have over LGBTQ? rights, and equality is best illustrated in the struggle my friend, Chris Montesana describes in his introduction to my book:
"An Introduction to the Work of Temenos Catholic Worker!" (Chris Montsano)
In 1968 I was a new young volunteer at the Catholic Worker in New York City on E. 1st St. There was a newsletter that came to the New York Catholic Worker from a Catholic Worker house in San Francisco California called the Good Soup Coop. I read it and was annoyed by it and brought it into the office where Dorothy Day was surrounded by a group of men in the office. I came in and said “ This is terrible, these gay people are exploiting the Catholic Worker Movement.” Dorothy looked at me sternly and said in a sharp voice, “Someone must minister to gay people!” I didn’t know it then, but I know it now that some of the men in the room with her were gay men! I was being chastised for speaking rudely in front of them. However, unknown to me, I had been given a ministry!
This ministry did not begin to unfold until in 1971, when I was asked to help begin a new Catholic Worker House in San Francisco, CA, which was named Martin
de Porres House of Hospitality.
I had held the traditional Roman Catholic Church views about gay life which at the time was that it was OK to be gay as long as you didn’t engage in homosexual activity.
I was vocal in community meetings about holding this perspective given by the church. Over the five years, that I was at The Martin De Porres house, our community grew to include People with all different kinds of sexual orientations. After the birth of our second child, we asked a young man who had been a former Franciscan to be the Godfather of our second child at her baptism. He said yes, but later on came to us in tears after I had been vocal about following the churches teaching about gay life in a community meeting. He told us he was a gay man and he engaged in sexual activity. This was a very important turning point in my life to begin to separate myself from following that strict approach to listening more to my fellow brothers and sisters of different orientations.
In 1976 a group of us from The Martin
de Porres house community moved to sheep Ranch, California to start a Catholic Worker farm. We did various different ministries there for our earlier years, and in the early 90’s a Franciscan Priest, Fr. Richard Purcell, who himself was gay and later died of AIDS, had a home for people dying with AIDS in San Francisco, decided to bring up a group from his house to be able to be out in the country at our farm.
Another Franciscan Priest, Fr. Joseph, was the driver for Fr. Richard. Fr. Richard and Josef suggested that we began a AIDS ministry on our farm, offering it as a chance for people who are dying of AIDS to be in the country on a retreat.
This was the beginning of our AIDS work and ministry. I now realize that this was the fulfillment of the ministry given to me by Dorothy Day years prior.
We got an 8 passenger van and began driving people from the San Francisco Bay Area to our farm for a 4 day retreat.
Thanks to my wife Joan, she instructed us to listen to people’s stories.
When people came to our farm for retreat, we tried to serve good healthy food from our garden as well as milk and cheese from our goats on the farm. Also, we served our healthy organic vegetables as well.
When we began these retreats, it was before there was any recognition of gay marriage. We simply sat and listened to the stories, we were told by the people who came. We heard stories of people being beaten up after coming out of a gay bar.
At this time, in the AIDS crisis to find out that you had contracted AIDS was like getting a death sentence.
Another story we were told was about how difficult it would be for a partner to take care of their loved one's once AIDS began to get worse. They had to place their loved one into a a medical facility that could take care of them. Often times what they shared, was that after their loved one passed away, the family that rejected their loved one, now swooped in and took control of whatever was of value. They were left with nothing. Often times they had been together in a relationship for 15 or 20 or more years. Sometimes this included losing their living space and they then had to struggle to find a safe living space and proper medication and healthcare to take care of themselves.
What I now realize was that these men were teaching me about love. My wife and I every year on our anniversary reread Paul’s dissertation on love. “ love is patient, love is kind, it does not take account of wickedness, but rejoices in the truth. It is always ready to excuse, to trust, and to endure, whatever comes.” These men were teaching me about how to live this kind of love. Our society often scapegoats gay lifestyle as a lifestyle of sin. That is simply not the truth.
This is why later on when I encountered River and his street ministry and his work with prostitutes, drug addicts, alcoholics, the homeless and the least of our brothers and sisters, I found his work intriguing. I did come from our farm and visit River and went out with him when he passed out food and clean needles. I did this a few times, but then with my work at the farm and our hospitality work and protest work at the Nevada Nuclear Test Sight , I didn’t have the energy to continue visiting River.
The years passed by, and the Pandemic hit, and my wife was in the hospital at UCSF in San Francisco with a life and death surgery because of a blocked colon. Over the years, I had been in touch with River by phone and also reading his blog. I told River about my wife’s situation and he came to see me and brought me a burrito. River explained to me that he gets confused at the parking garage at UCSF and could use help finding his vehicle. So I went with him on a walk about looking for his vehicle. What I noticed as we walked was that there was a definite limp in his walk. I know I had read in one of his blogs that he had been beaten up by one of his friends from the street who was high. I could see how his ministry was now being born out in his body. I was touched by this kind of care and commitment. He did not bring any charges against the person.
I continue to keep in contact with River by phone periodically and continue to read his blog. He asked me to speak at his 30th anniversary of his ministry Work. I was happy to do so.
This is a unique ministry that River has been carrying out over the years. As you read his book, you may find yourself challenged or upset. If this occurs, I recommend the following procedure. Stop and spend 20 minutes saying the following prayer. This is a a prayer I have composed. From the time of Pentecost and from David the Psalmist .
“Spirit of Christ, Breathe New Life, Breathe True Life into my Being.” on you’re in breath say “Spirit” and on your out breath, say “of Christ”. In breath, say.” breathe” , out breath say”New Life, in breath say “ breathe”
and out breath say, “True life” and and in breath say, “into” and out breath say, “ my being. What I’m trying to do here is reflected in this quote From Richard Rhor:
“If our prayer goes deep, “invading” our unconscious, as it were, our whole view of the world will change from fear to connection. We won’t live inside our fragile and encapsulated self anymore, nor will we feel any need to protect it. In meditation, we move from ego consciousness to soul awareness, from being fear-driven to being love-drawn. That’s it in a few words! “
From reading, Rivers writings, I am hoping that you will come to see that there is no one who is in or who is out. What is hardest for us to recognize is that God is all in all. It is his Spirit that breathes throughout all of creation.
Please read River and pray as well and with God‘s grace a new awareness with the The Authority of Compassion by Fr. Henri Nouen:
"If we now realize that future generation is not only an inward generation asking for articulation but also a fatherless generation looking for a new kind of authority, we must consider what the nature of this authority will be. To name it, I can not find a better word than compassion.
Compassion must become the core and even the nature of authority."
Deo Gratis! Thanks be to God!
-------------------------------------------
Please Consider Giving A Tax Deductible Gift to Temenos Catholic Worker:
Fr. C. River Damien Carlos Sims, Director
Scan the QR Code to Donate
"Step out of the circle of time and into the Circle of Love."
(Quote given to Stephanie Salter upon learning of her terminal diagnosis).
"When you live in Culture War Mode there is always a battle to fight, a side to take, and people to fear.
When you live in God's Kingdom there's always a stranger to welcome, a neighbor to befriend, and an enemy to love" (Dan White, Jr.).
Make a Difference by Donating to
THE IMMIGRATION DEFENSE FUND
All across our nation, communities of faith are rising to the occasion to support immigrants and their families - our neighbors, coworkers, family members and friends - who have been singled out due to the policies of mass detentions and deportations, and now face extreme hardships and live in fear of separation from their loved ones.
Throughout our City, a multitude of community and faith-based efforts have been mobilized to respond to these threats in significant ways.
Immigrant families across the Bay Area are facing severe hardship right now. You’ve probably heard the stories of families torn apart without due process, parents nervous about leaving their homes, and elderly and pregnant people afraid to seek health care.
Our Bay Area immigrant families need your help. The Stand Together Bay Area Fund will be distributing funds for needs such as rent and food through community partners to ensure they reach families in need.
Temenos Catholic Worker is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, contributions to The Immigration Defense Fund are tax-deductible.
Checks payable to Temenos Catholic Worker with a notation in the memo line for The Immigration Defense Fund may be mailed to: P.O.Box 642656, San Francisco, CA 94194 or on donators through pay pay.
Decolonizing Therapy: Oppression, Historical Trauma, and Politicizing Your Practice
