Reflections From St. Patrick’s (by Matthew Beams)

by Guest Blogger

Dec 15, 2008 12:27 PM

December 10, 2008 was the 60th anniversary of the U.N.‘s Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). In conjunction with this I stood in a rally, along with members from Dignity/NewYork and DignityUSA outside St. Patrick’s Cathedral to protest the Vatican’s opposition to a European Union resolution being introduced to the UN that would urge all nations to abolish laws that make it illegal to be gay. There are currently 70 nations in the world in which it is illegal simply to be LGBT. In 12 of those countries a person can be executed for being gay. Why would the Vatican oppose this? Oppose! Not even step out of the argument, but to actually speak out in opposition to the rights and lives of human beings is the opposite of the teachings of Jesus Christ.  I grew up Roman Catholic in a town in New Jersey where I actually had a relatively good experience. When I was in 9th grade I went on a retreat with my church youth group during which the pastor came to hear confession. You know how retreats are—they break down barriers—and I somehow felt safe enough to confess my sin of homosexuality to my pastor. Shockingly, he told me that, while he knew the church’s teaching stated that it was a sin to act on homosexuality, he believed that God created us each of as we are and that I should not be afraid or ashamed of being gay. Then we moved on to my more mundane sins. It was liberating and freeing, but of course, The Church told otherwise, so I didn’t feel completely absolved.  Over the course of my life I drifted away from church and didn’t really come back to the fold until a couple of years ago. Now I attend a big Protestant church in NYC that is not just accepting but affirming of LGBT people (http://www.marblechurch.org) and my journey as a follower of Christ has amazed me, strengthened me, confused me, empowered me, and wrecked me. As I feel called to follow in the footsteps of Jesus, I find myself looking at my actions in a whole new light. This is difficult stuff.

So, back to Wednesday. My roommate, Ryan, and I went to the rally in front of St. Pat’s not knowing what it would be like or what would be happening. A small but dedicated group of us (25?) were corralled in a rectangle on the sidewalk in front of the statue of Atlas at Rockefeller Center across from the cathedral. What I found was a group of passionate and devout catholics who love Jesus and love humanity. We held signs, took pictures, talked with passersby and prayed aloud and in our hearts. I was moved by the love these men and women shared for each other, for Jesus Christ, and for the Church. The response of the passersby was heartening: thumbs up, “good jobs!”, photos and high-fives. Only one person stopped by to complain about what we were doing. I wondered while standing there on this unseasonably warm day (the rain also managed to stop the entire time we were standing out there) what impact this would have, if any. I wondered who would get the message. I wondered why I’m still passionate about fighting for LGBT equality at my age ... isn’t this something for the youth? After the rally, my roommate and I went to see the film Milk and all my questions were answered. Harvey Milk didn’t even begin his life of activism until he was older than I am. In the movie he receives phone calls from teenagers in places far away who have seen his picture or read his story in the newspaper and who were given hope by the message he carried. Well on Wednesday, December 10, a small group of us stood outside the gates of the church and carried a message to all the world who passed by on their way to see that symbol of Christ’s Birth, the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree, or the windows on 5th Ave. Our message is simple “Would Jesus Discriminate?” and “Gay people deserve Equality and Justice.” I think about those blond-haired, blue-eyed Midwestern families whose children furtively glanced at our signs while their parents shooed them along. I think about the young, proud LGBT teens who walked by and smiled and waved. I think about the quiet, thoughtful seniors who stopped to take it all in and I know that what we did that day touched somone. What we did made a difference in one person’s journey. We may not have inspired the Vatican to change their stance—yet—but we left people with Hope.  Yours, Matt Beams

Matthew Beams is a resident of Guttenberg, NJ. He serves on the leadership committee for Connection, a young adult’s program at Marble Collegiate Church, located in midtown Manhattan. He also really loves coffee!

Comments

I am always touched by your honesty and encouraged by your ever-increasing courage to share yourself and your experience. When you open and share yourself, others typically see themselves in you and feel more confident.
Thank you, my friend.

This is beautiful/powerful/touching… thank you so much for sharing it!

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