The Outcast

September 30, 2012

 

Many gay, lesbian, and bisexual people have at numerous times in their lives felt like outcasts. We grow up in a world where we are quick to recognize that we do not feel or experience the same things that other kids our age are feeling and experiencing.  While I might have noticed that certain girls in my class were pretty, I certainly did not experience the same stirrings that other boys in my class were feeling when noticing pretty girls. And since in my generation no one was talking about what I was and was not feeling, I was led to believe that I was the only one who was experiencing something different, and thought that there must be something wrong with me.

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Bondage

September 15, 2012

 

I never knew that I was a delusional slave to paganism and the occult and a pathological liar just because I am gay, but according to a recent Orthodox forum, I am. The theme of the recent conference sponsored by St. Stephen Orthodox Church in Lima, Ohio, a parish in the jurisdiction of the Orthodox Church in America, held from August 24-26, 2012, was “same-sex attraction”.  Endorsed by the Midwest diocese of the OCA, it was the latest in a series of conferences sponsored by the parish on “current issues”.

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The Wounded Healer

September 1, 2012

The Wounded Healer by the late Catholic priest Henri Nouwen is a class work in pastoral theology.  The 2010 edition of the book has two subtitles: Ministry in Contemporary Society and In our own woundedness, we can become a source of life for others. The text was one of many required readings at my Seminary and had a profound influence upon my priesthood and continues to influence my personal life. I would encourage any priest, seminarian or anyone involved in ministry of any kind to pick up a copy of the work.

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