As many
of you as were baptized in Christ have clothed yourself with Christ. There is no longer
Jew or Greek; there is no longer slave or free; there is no longer male or female; for all
of you are in Jesus Christ.
The words in today scripture hold particular meaning for me as a
student majoring in both psychology and theatre. As a psychology major, I am taught how
groups come to stereotypes and discriminate against each other and how these negative
behaviors can be reduced. As a theatre major, I see how these discriminations work in real
life.
I have a friend named Mark. He was raised as a Roman Catholic. He still
goes to Mass every Sunday, makes confession, and attends all Holy Days of Obligation. For
all purposes, he is a model Catholic.
But Mark hasn’t received Communion for six years now. He is a
practicing homosexual who is denied Communion. In his church, homosexuality is regarded as
a mortal sin.
It causes an interesting conflict in my own personal convictions to
watch someone who is more spiritual than most be denied the body and blood of Christ
because of his sexual orientation. Mark has tried other churches more inclusive of
homosexuals. But in the end, he is still a Catholic and continues to attend Mass.
I asked him once why he subjected himself to such discrimination and
his reply was a paraphrase of today’s Bible verse. He said, "I was baptized and
I follow the teachings of the Church. By all accounts, I am a Christian and I will
continue to act as such."
May we all have courage to be such Christians.
Father in Heaven, help all your children learn that Christianity
is to be a loving, supportive community, where people of all races and creeds can come to
share the good news. Let us be accepting of those different from us and especially,
Father, please give your grace to those fighting discrimination so they, too, may feel
your love. Amen.
Amy Pletcher
