Photo of the Day

See also the previous Wild Reed posts:
O Sacred Season of Autumn
An Autumn Walk Along Minnehaha Creek

Image: Michael J. Bayly.

Prayer of the Week

May God bless you with a restless discomfort
about easy answers, half-truths and superficial relationships,
so that you may seek truth boldly
and love deep within your heart.

May God bless you with holy anger
at injustice, oppression, and exploitation of people,
so that you may tirelessly work for justice,
freedom, and peace among all people.

May God bless you with the gift of tears to shed
with those who suffer from pain, rejection, starvation,
or the loss of all that they cherish,
so that you may reach out your hand to comfort them
and transform their pain into joy.

May God bless you with enough foolishness
to believe that you really CAN make a difference in this world,
so that you are able, with God's grace,
to do what others claim cannot be done. . . .

Amen.

– Excerpted from
A Four-fold Benedictine Blessing
by Ruth Fox, OSB (1985)

Into the Fray

Last May, just hours after the Minnesota House of Representatives voted 70-62 to place the 'marriage amendment' on the November 2012 ballot, I changed my Facebook profile picture to the above image of Prince Valiant.

Artist Hal Foster's drawing shows the Prince of Thule donning armor and preparing to do battle against a "mighty adversary." That's just what it felt like I needed to do last May (left) – prepare and engage in battle. And it's how it can especially feel now, less than a month before the November 6 elections.

Yet as a follower of Jesus, the Prince of Peace, I've come to question if it is appropriate or helpful to think about my involvement in the 'marriage amendment' issue as a “battle” or “fight.” How else, though, can we envision it? Thankfully, my work as executive coordinator with the Catholic Pastoral Committee on Sexual Minorities (CPCSM) has greatly helped me think carefully about and respond meaningfully to this important question.

You see, well before the 'marriage amendment' came along, CPCSM had been facilitating educational events focused on the broader issue of marriage equality. In September 2011 these activities culminated in the launching of our Catholics for Marriage Equality MN (C4ME-MN) initiative. The primary purpose of C4ME-MN is not so much to defeat the marriage amendment as it is to educate Catholics about what marriage equality means (i.e. the granting of civil marriage rights, benefits and responsibilities to same-sex couples); why marriage is important to LGBT people; and why Catholics can, in good conscience, support marriage equality for all, regardless of sexual orientation.

In terms of the actual ‘marriage amendment,’ we seek to educate and facilitate discussion on the range of Catholic thinking on this issue. We feel that acknowledgement of this range is an important and necessary component of the discussion, and one that is sadly missing from the Catholic hierarchy’s treatment of the issue. Members of the hierarchy insist that Catholics can only vote ‘yes.’ In distributing information and facilitating discussion on the amendment we emphasize (i) the experiences and insights of a wide spectrum of Catholics – gay and straight, clergy and lay; (ii) the church’s social justice and human rights teachings; and (iii) the role of the sensus fidelium and the teaching of the primacy of conscience. We endeavor to help Catholics be as informed as possible about these aspects of their tradition as they prepare to vote on the amendment. We also highlight that Catholics can, in good conscience, choose to vote ‘no,’ and that this decision is supported by those aspects of the Catholic faith noted above.


Honest dialogue

CPCSM’s addressing of issues relating to marriage equality began in 2005 when increased discussion on 'gay marriage' was taking place in society and even in some circles within the church. In October 2010 we sponsored an educational forum featuring Catholic theologian Daniel Maguire, who spoke on the topic “Why You Can Be Catholic and Support Gay Marriage.”

CPCSM’s Catholics for Marriage Equality MN initiative was formally launched on September 29, 2011 with the premiere at the Riverview Theater of Catholics for Marriage Equality, our self-produced series of short “video vignettes” featuring local LGBT Catholics and their loved ones “sharing stories of faith, family and marriage.” The actual ‘marriage amendment’ is rarely mentioned in the film, and there is no “vote no” message conveyed either in the film or its accompanying discussion guide. Rather, the primary aim of our video series is to facilitate honest discussion, involving both listening and sharing.

Such honest dialogue is the hallmark of CPCSM's ministry. Indeed, the group traces its origins to the May 9, 1980 meeting between the six Catholics who would soon form CPCSM and the then-Archbishop of St. Paul-Minneapolis, John Roach. At this meeting, the "CPCSM Six," as they would come to be known, shared with the bishop their journeys of faith as LGBT Catholics. And the bishop listened and responded in a number of positive ways. For instance, he agreed to let his various department heads meet with the founding board of CPCSM in order to help educate the staff members of their respective departments about the pastoral needs and concerns of the local LGBT Catholic community. Every department head that was approached was receptive, and the conversations and education that resulted eventually led to CPCSM's groundbreaking Needs Assessment Study.

Thirty-two years later, CPCSM continues to believe that conversations with family members, friends, fellow parishioners, co-workers, and, yes, our clerical leadership, remain key in opening hearts and minds to the reality of LGBT lives – including the meaning and importance of marriage in these lives. After all, in our society it is only the word ‘marriage’ that conveys the joy, connection, and deep commitment that is made between two people who love one another. So when conversing with others on the potentially contentious issue of the 'marriage amendment,' we encourage folks to explain how their support for marriage equality is informed by their Catholic faith. Many Catholics readily acknowledge that they value compassion, justice, family, truth-telling and love. Many also say that they have witnessed these qualities and values in the lives and relationships of LGBT people. As one Catholic puts it: “I see the face of God in the love of same-sex couples.”


A balanced approach

Minnesotans United for All Families, the official campaign to defeat the 'marriage amendment,' is very much focused on having supporters share personal stories about "why marriage matters;" on having people "speak from the heart." The following statement from a letter-to-the-editor of the Star Tribune exemplifies a "from the heart"-type of statement: “I’m not a member of the clergy and I’m not a theologian, but I know [the Archbishop is] wrong because I know what’s in my heart; and what is in my heart is love.” Now, to be sure, there is nothing wrong with these types of responses as, without doubt, they can reflect important truths. Yet intellectually-based perspectives can also reflect truth. Catholicism has a long and rich intellectual tradition, one that can be utilized when discussing a range of issues related to marriage equality. (For an excellent example, see local theologian William C. Hunt's article "Homosexual Relationships: Another Look.") I think it's also important to remember that not everyone is moved by a “because my heart tells me” argument. Some are actually turned off by overly emotional responses, and, rightly or wrongly, dismiss them as irrational.

Accordingly, along with responding from the heart to the Catholic hierarchy's active support of the 'marriage amendment,' C4ME-MN believes that Catholics can and should respectfully critique and challenge this support on its own terms, i.e., intellectually and theologically. For some examples of this, see C4ME-MN's "Tips on Speaking as a Catholic in Support of Marriage Equality."


A shared journey

My work with C4ME-MN, with its emphasis on dialogue and education, has helped me develop a alternative to the "battle" metaphor when thinking and talking about my engagement in the ongoing struggle for marriage equality. I’ve come to find that it is more helpful (and more aligned with Jesus' way of peacemaking) to let go of the battle metaphor and embrace instead metaphors of invitation and journey.

How are such metaphors expressed in a practical way? Well, through my conversations with others I endeavor to invite them to examine and discuss our stances and to respectfully consider each other's perspectives and insights. I envision us on a shared journey of discovery, trusting that God’s spirit of wisdom and compassion will lead us into the fullness of truth.

In working with others to plan and implement C4ME-MN programs, I do my best to make sure that such programs and events convey this same focus on honest sharing and dialogue; this same spirit of journey and trust. I've even found an image of my hero Prince Valiant that, to my mind at least, reflects such ideas and aspirations!

Above: Prince Valiant engages his traveling companion,
the Teutonic knight Gunther, on the best way to journey to Jerusalem.
(Art: John Cullen Murphy, 1980).

Of course, it can still all feel like a battle at times, especially when one is confronted by folks who are simply unwillingly to dialogue and/or allow others to question. Also, when those around you and the media get caught up in the "battle" metaphor, it's pretty much impossible not to be drawn "into the fray." Yet when this happens I hold onto and seek to embody my alternative understanding and image of the situation.


Many opportunities

Over the past few months I've been fortunate to have had many opportunities to indeed embody this alternative understanding; to personify, in other words, a way of approaching and engaging others that is not adversarial but rather respectful, invitational, and dialogic. Such opportunities have occurred at various events that I've been part of and/or helped organize. What follows are descriptions and images of some of the events at which I've had the honor to speak as executive coordinator of CPCSM/C4ME-MN. Of course, others also spoke at many of these events and, in so doing, shared their experiences and insights. What's interesting, and you'll clearly see this in the quotes below, is how I've not been the only one to have grappled with the 'battle' metaphor and ditched it in favor of a more respectful and thoughtful approach. 

On Sunday, September 16, for instance, I traveled north to Duluth for an event organized by area Catholics. One of those present at this event was Dan Glisczinski (right). Speaking to a local news reporter, Dan said he respectfully disagreed with the stance of the Minnesota Catholic bishops on the 'marriage amendment.'

"If we have the good fortune of going to heaven someday, and that's something that we pray we get to do, we'll stand before our God," he said. "We'll make mistakes in our lives. But if we make mistakes on issues like voting no, we're making mistakes on the side of love, on the side of care and on the side of Jesus’ example of investment in others' human dignity."

On September 20, I traveled south to Rochester and gave a presentation at what was billed by organizers as "A Forum for Catholics on the Marriage Amendment." This event served as an open dialogue whereby recent statements from the Minnesota Catholic bishops, Catholic Social Teaching and the role of conscience were discussed.

Above: Colette Sweeney of Rochester was one of the key organizers of the September 20 forum. When being interviewed by a local reporter, Colette said, "If people can discuss [the 'marriage amendment'] then they are able to talk about their fears, talk about their concerns in an open way and . . . become better informed instead of being told there's only one way to think. Jesus was about love and we are talking about committed loving relationships and supporting them, and that makes our society better."

Left: With Rochester friends Joe and Bob.

Above and right: On September 24 I was the guest on Suzanne Linton's SCCTV program Our World Today.

During the course of the hour-long broadcast, four of the five 'vignettes' of C4ME-MN's Catholics for Marriage Equality video series were be shown and discussed.

On September 29, Michaelmas, C4ME-MN hosted an educational event that focused on why many Catholics are voting 'no' on both the 'marriage amendment' and the 'voter photo ID amendment.'

Above: Featured speakers at C4ME-MN's September 29 event included (from left) Eric Fought of Our Vote, Our Future; National Catholic Reporter columnist Jamie L. Manson; and Jonathan Maurer-Jones of Minnesotans United for All Families.




Left: With fellow CPCSM board members Kathleen Olsen and Mary Kay Orman.


In welcoming attendees to our September 29 gathering, I sought to convey C4ME-MN's emphasis on dialogue and openness to journey. In concluding this Wild Reed post, I share part of my September 29 welcoming remarks.

I think it’s very appropriate that we gather this evening on the feast of St. Michael the Archangel, “protector of the Catholic Church.” I like to think that when we facilitate honest discussion on the types of difficult questions and issues raised by both of the amendments, we get the chance to lift up, embody, and, yes, protect and defend the very best aspects of our Catholic community and faith.

And what are these aspects? Let’s start with our social justice tradition, rooted in the very life and message of Jesus; and don’t forget our tradition of the primacy of conscience; then there’s our ‘Here Comes Everyone’ or ‘Big Tent’ understanding of Catholicism, one that is unashamedly extravagant in its compassion and inclusiveness. And of course there’s our rich intellectual tradition – one that, taken seriously and applied to the discussions taking place in our church and society about sexuality and marriage, has so much to offer that is reasonable, compassionate and sane.

Now, you may know that in traditional Catholic thinking Michael is the patron saint of policemen and firefighters. But in esoteric Christian thought Michael is entrusted with all events pertaining to the Earth’s Light grid and visionary geography. He’s said to supervise its major upgrades, and works to bring forth ever-increasing light and consciousness.

It’s also said that he facilitates every step a human voluntarily makes towards what is called the Cosmic Consciousness or Christ Consciousness. He is the harbinger of the Holy Spirit moving through and among us on the physical plane.

I believe that the struggle for marriage equality, and the related recognition and acceptance of human sexuality in all its complexity, is all part of the wondrous and ongoing journey in consciousness that humanity is on.

Related Off-site Links:
Local Catholics Voice Their Opposition to Marriage Amendment – Zach Hammer (WDIO.com, September 16, 2012).
Duluth Catholics Speak Out Against MN Marriage Amendment – Jennifer Walch (Northlands News Center, September 16, 2012).
Marriage Amendment Battle Gaining More Attention – Danette Gunther (KTTC.com, September 20, 2012).

An Autumn Walk Along Minnehaha Creek

Earlier today my friend Brian and I walked along that part of Minnehaha Creek close to my home in South Minneapolis. As you'll see from many of these photos, much of the creek bed is completely dry.

See also the previous Wild Reed posts:
A Springtime Walk Along Minnehaha Creek
O Sacred Season of Autumn
Autumn Hues (2011)
The Beauty of Autumn in Minnesota (2010)
Out and About – Summer 2012
Out and About – Spring 2012 (Part 1)

Images 1-9: Michael J. Bayly.
Image 10: Brian Hutchins.

Quote of the Day

. . . Religious extremists have long claimed that the acceptance of homosexuality would bring down the fundamentalist church – and they have been proven correct, albeit not for the reasons they proffered. The downfall occurred not because gay people stopped heterosexuals from reproducing or recruited their children. It didn't happen because LGBT individuals hate families, which they have always been part of. And it didn't happen because homosexuals despised faith; the abundance of deeply religious gay people proves that this is not true.

The fundamentalists undermined their legitimacy by worshiping anti-gay bigotry long after it had been exposed as a false God. In this unholy obsession the sacrifices left bleeding at the altar were truth and justice. When people see their own sons and daughters and friends and co-workers coming out, it creates a crisis of credibility for religious institutions. It leads to countless situations where mean-spirited men like [Archbishop] Nienstedt demand blind, irrational obedience and say "take it or leave it" – and more people are now following their consciences and walking away. . . .

– Wayne Besen
"Gay Bashing by Churches Is Why a New Pew Poll Shows
America Losing Its Religion"
Huffington Post
October 12, 2012

Recommended Off-site Links:
Share Your Open Letter to the Archbishop – The Progressive Catholic Voice (October 12, 2012).
An Open Letter to the Archbishop – Herbert W. Chilstrom (Star Tribune, October 13, 2012).
The Conservative Case for Same-Sex Marriage – Ken Mehlman (Star Tribune, October 12, 2012).

The Longing for Love: God's Primal Beatitude

For National Coming Out Day today I share the following excerpt from the book Tender Fires: The Spiritual Promise of Sexuality by Fran Ferder and John Heagle. I believe the message of this particular excerpt is appropriate for today as the coming out journey helps transform us into "sacraments of the sacred, icons of the divine." In so doing, this wondrous journey also positions us, or perhaps better yet, opens us to lovingly, authentically and healthily respond to God's "primal beatitude," which, according to Ferder and Heagle, is the longing for love and the ache for relationships.

I've come to believe that it is only when we "come out," i.e., lovingly accept ourselves in the totality of our being, a totality that includes our sexual orientation, that we can seek, build and sustain that special type of relationship which so many people – gay and straight – have experienced as the fulfillment of God's "most lasting blessing" in their lives.

God has created each of us to be sacraments of the sacred, icons of the divine. And the central mystery of God – the heart of the holy – is communion.

This thirst for love and this longing for connection is woven into the very fabric of our “inmost self.” . . . We are created for communion. We are made to belong. . . . Loneliness is an integral dimension of the human condition, a quiet reminder that we are creatures – limited, mortal, unfinished, and radically interdependent.

It would be sad if we awoke one morning and came to our kitchen only to discover that there was no food. But it would be far more tragic if we awoke one morning and discovered that we were no longer hungry. The longing for love, the ache for relationships is God’s primal beatitude, the first and most lasting blessing of our lives.

– Fran Ferder and John Heagle

See also the previous Wild Reed posts:
• Quote of the Day – October 8, 2012
• Coming Out: An Act of Holiness
• The Raising of Lazarus and the Gay Experience of Coming Out
• Darren Hayes, Coming Out . . . Oh, and Time Travel
• Ian McKellen’s Two Greatest Achievements: Playing Gandalf and Coming Out
• A Girl Named Sara: A “Person of the Resurrection”
• No Matter What
• Quote of the Day – July 16, 2010
• Coming Out in Africa and the Middle East
• A Gay Catholic Man's Testimony of Courage and Grace: "God Made Me and Loves Me Just As I Am"
• The Many Manifestations of God's Loving Embrace
• Getting It Right
• Dew[y]-Kissed
• Photo of the Day – March 7, 2012

And for my own coming out story, see The Wild Reed series, In the Footsteps of Spring:
• Introduction
• Part 1: The Light Within
• Part 2: Shards of Summer
• Part 3: Intimate Soliloquies
• Part 4: Coming Out
• Part 5: No Stranger Am I

Related Off-site Links:
Sorry, NOM, But Same-Sex Marriage Has Actual Benefits – Jim David (HuffPost Gay Voices, October 17, 2012),
Is It a Coincidence that Coming Out Day and Vatican II’s Anniversary Are Today? – Francis DeBernardo (Bondings 2.0, October 11, 2012).

Photo of the Day

Image: Michael J. Bayly.

Quote of the Day

. . . Those who possess a sacramental view of the world often realize that any human person or relationship that brings love, mercy, forgiveness, kindness, generosity or faithfulness into the world is a sign of God's grace. Perhaps this is the reason so many Catholics defend marriage equality: They have recognized these graces can come forth as much through same-sex couples as heterosexual couples. Those who have a Catholic imagination recognize that a couple's ability to enter into a marriage commitment is not contingent on their anatomies, but on the depth, strength and fruitfulness of their bond.

Given their sacramental view of the world, it is little wonder that so many Catholics dissent from the bishops' disparaging characterization of LGBT persons and same-sex relationships. The hierarchy's position simply does not do justice to the power of the Catholic imagination.

So there is a deep irony in Archbishop Myers' [recent] demand that Catholics who support marriage equality should refrain from the sacrament of the Eucharist. Because it is precisely the Catholic sacramental view of the world that helps us to see the goodness and holiness that can come from LGBT persons and same-sex unions.

– Jamie L. Manson
"Why Do So Many Catholics Support Marriage Equality?
Blame the Catholic Imagination"
National Catholic Reporter
October 10, 2012

Related Off-site Links:
Catholic Imagination and the Gay Marriage Vote Leads to Pure Speculation – Colleen Kochivar-Baker (Enlightened Catholicism, October 8, 2012).
The Catholic Imagination and Marriage Equality – Francis DeBernardo (Bonding 2.0, October 9, 2012).
What My Catholic Faith Has Taught Me – Dan McGrath (God's Politics, September 30, 2012).

See also the previous Wild Reed posts:
Quote of the Day – July 31, 2012
Catholic Attitudes on Gay and Lesbian Issues: An Overview
Jonathan Capehart: "Catholics Lead the Way on Same-Sex Marriage"
Responding to Bishop Tobin's Remarks on Gay Marriage
Beyond the Hierarchy: The Blossoming of Liberating Catholic Insights on Sexuality (Part 1)
Beyond the Hierarchy (Part 2)
Beyond the Hierarchy (Part 3)
Beyond the Hierarchy (Part 4)
Beyond the Hierarchy (Part 5)
Beyond the Hierarchy (Part 6)
The Catholic Thing
The Inherent Sensuality of Roman Catholicism
Rosemary Haughton and the "True Catholic Enterprise"
What It Means to Be Catholic

See also:
Catholics More Supportive of Gay Rights Than General Public, Other Christians – Michael Sean Winters (National Catholic Reporter, March 22, 2011 – via The Progressive Catholic Voice).
Most U.S. Catholics Back Civil Marriage for Gays – Lou Chibbaro Jr. (The Washington Blade, March 31, 2011).
U.S. Catholics Break with Church Hierarchy on Gay Relationships – Cathy Lynn Grossman (USA Today, March 23, 2011).

Image: Kristen Solberg.

Sergius and Bacchus: Martyred Lovers

Today is the feast of Saints Sergius and Bacchus, and over at the always impressive Jesus in Love Blog Kittredge Cherry has posted an informative and insightful commentary about these two saints, martyrs and lovers. Here's just a snippet . . .

. . . The close bond between Sergius and Bacchus has been emphasized since the earliest accounts, and recent scholarship has revealed their homosexuality. The oldest record of their martyrdom describes them as erastai (Greek for “lovers”). Scholars believe that they may have been united in the rite of adelphopoiesis (brother-making), a kind of early Christian same-sex marriage.

A classic example of paired saints, Sergius and Bacchus were high-ranking young officers. Sergius was primicerius (commander) and Bacchus was secundarius (subaltern officer). They were tortured to death after they refused to attend sacrifices to Zeus, thus revealing their secret Christianity. . . .

To read Kitt's post on Saints Sergius and Bacchus in its entirety, and to view more artistic depictions of the two saints, click here.


See also the previous Wild Reed posts:
Sergius and Bacchus: Martyrs, Saints, Lovers
Honoring (and Learning from) the Passion of Saints Sergius and Bacchus

Image: “Sts. Sergius and Bacchus” by Plamen Petrov, St. Martha Church, Morton Grove, IL.

The Sannyasi and the Tiger

I'm currently reading Phillip Gowans' Practical Sufism: A Guide to the Spiritual Path, and the following excerpt from it reminds me of the story of St. Francis and the wolf, which I shared last week for the feast of St. Francis.

____________________

A distinguished sannyasi, a Hindu holy man, tells this story about himself.

When this man decided to take the yellow robe, the garb of the mendicant spiritual seeker in the Hindu tradition, he was obliged to search out a place in which to do his meditations. Apparently one of the vows you take in this tradition is to choose a place of meditation and stay there whatever occurs. The sannyasi wanted to begin his practices far from civilization. In India this means being where there are predators. He searched for a long time until he found what seemed to be the perfect place: a beautiful valley with a god cave, water within walking distance, and an abundance of fruits and vegetables. There were no signs of predators. He took a formal vow to remain there till he found the Self. Just then the unmistakable cough of a tiger echoed through the forest. He knew he had made the wrong decision. The sannyasi hid in a cave for two days. On the third day he waited until midday, hoping the tiger would be holed up somewhere to avoid the heat. Then, no longer able to control his thirst, he rushed to the stream, filled his container, and turned back toward the cave.

The tiger stepped out on the path in front of him. The sannyasi's first impulse was to flee. But he knew that would be pointless. His next thought was to race for a nearby tree and climb it, thus to escape the tiger's claws. He could wait until the tiger was gone, then flee the valley forever. But what about the vow he had taken not to leave the valley until he had found enlightenment? If he broke his vow, how could he ever expiate this sin? He truly did not know what to do. He was terrified of the tiger and wanted to flee, but he was equally appalled at the idea of breaking his vow.

Then a calm descended on him. He decided that he had taken a vow and that, whatever the outcome, he would see that vow through to the end. If God had decided he would best serve humanity by being eaten by a tiger, then so be it. Having made his decision and having overcome his terror, he stood his ground and watched calmly as the tiger approached him.

The tiger padded up to him. Slowly, it rubbed its long powerful body up and down the sannyasi's thigh. Then it escorted him back to the cave.

Thereafter, until he attained enlightenment, the sannyasi shared the valley with the tiger.

– Phillip Gowans
Practical Sufism
pp. 105-106

Related Off-site Link:
Burning Bright – Steve Williams (Brisbane Times, February 24, 2008).

See also the previous Wild Reed posts:
Francis and the Wolf
The Sufi Way
Learning from the East
Something to Think About – May 26, 2012

Images: Tiger Temple.

Prayer of the Week

With today being Solidarity Sunday* I share the following as The Wild Reed's Prayer of the Week.

Solidarity Prayer

God, You are the Creator and Lover of all.

You wish us to live in solidarity with each other

and to rejoice in our diversity.

We pray that all Your

lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and straight children

may experience justice, enjoy peace,

and spread Your love throughout the world.

We pray in the name of Jesus,

who welcomed all to his circle of friends.

Amen.

* Solidarity Sunday is a faith-based, anti-violence initiative of DignityUSA, the nation’s largest Catholic lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) organization. It is held every year on the Sunday before October 11 (National Coming Out Day) and is dedicated to the memory of the many who have lost their lives through violence because of who they were or who they were perceived to be.

Solidarity Sunday began in 1995 when the Board of Directors of DignityUSA recognized that 70-80% of American Catholics supported equal rights for gays and lesbians. It was decided to invite these people to join in solidarity with LGBT Catholic and to work with them to end verbal and physical abuse.


For my 2009 Solidarity Sunday homily, "Liberated to Be Together," click here.


See also the previous Wild Reed posts:
At the Cathedral of St. Paul, Rainbow Sashes and a Circle of Love
The Challenge to Become Ourselves
The Gifts of Homosexuality
Compassion, Christian Community, and Homosexuality
LGBT Catholics Celebrate Being "Wonderfully Made"
Celebrating Our Sanctifying Truth
Song of Songs: The Bible's Gay Love Poem
Jesus and the Centurion (Part 1)
Jesus and the Centurion (Part 2)

Remembering Matthew . . .

On this day in 1998, Matthew Shepard was abducted and tortured near Laramie, Wyoming. He would die from his injuries five days later on October 12. Just one of the many thousands who have lost their lives to homophobic violence.


Related Off-site Link:
Fourteen Years Ago Today – Jamie McGonnigal (HuffPost Gay Voices, October 7, 2012).

See also the previous Wild Reed posts:
The Matthew Shepard Act: "The Beginning of a Process That's Ongoing"
Rob Tisinai on the Facts We Need to Know About Hate Crime Laws
Quote of the Day – October 4, 2010
Photo of the Day – October 19, 2010
The Blood-Soaked Thread

Chris Kluwe on His Support for Marriage Equality: "It's All About the Golden Rule"

Chris Kluwe, Minnesota Viking punter and outspoken (straight) supporter of marriage equality, is the subject of Out magazine's October cover story, one written by Cyd Zeigler, Jr. and entitled "Chris Kluwe: Kick Ass." Yeah!

Following, with added images and links, is an excerpt.

. . . With all the attention on Kluwe’s letter [to Maryland state delegate Emmett C. Burns Jr.], it’s easy to forget that he was, in turn, inspired by another football player, the Ravens’s Brendon Ayanbadejo [right], busy fighting his own corner in Baltimore. In November, voters in both Minnesota and Maryland will be faced with marriage equality ballot initiatives, so the high-profile stance of Kluwe and Ayanbadejo could have real and profound consequences. The positions of both men not only reflect how quickly opinion is shifting, but also spotlight the need to check our own preconceptions of the sports world as inherently intolerant and homophobic.

“I’ve always relished breaking that stereotype of the dumb jock athlete because while I enjoyed athletics growing up, I also enjoyed reading and video games, and athletic sport is not what defines me as a person,” says Kluwe. “I think as more and more generations start rising through the NFL, a lot of these kids see that it’s OK to be something other than an athlete.”

ESPN radio sportscaster, Jared Max, who came out in 2011, agrees, pointing out that the lifespan of an NFL player is much shorter than most other sports, generating faster turnover. “I strongly believe that goodness is contagious and that others will jump on board as the younger generation begins to populate the NFL,” he says, with some justification given a recent poll by Outsports.com, which identified 28 current NFL players who’ve expressed support for gay rights. For Max, players like Kluwe and Ayanbadejo deserve comparison to earlier taboo-busters like Branch Rickey, who broke through Major League Baseball’s color barrier by signing Jackie Robinson to the Dodgers in 1945.

But for Kluwe, taking a stand on gay rights is as instinctual as planting his foot into a ball. “It’s all about the Golden Rule,” he says. “Treat other people as you want to be treated. It’s that simple. It’s something that needs to be spoken about, and it’s something I can do while fulfilling my job as a football player.”

To read Cyd Zeigler Jr.'s "Chris Kluwe: Kick Ass" in its entirety, click here.


For more of Chris Kluwe at The Wild Reed, see:
What a Man! – Chris Kluwe
Quote of the Day – September 27, 2012

Related Off-site Links:
Meet Gay America’s Favorite Straight Guy, NFLer Chris Kluwe – John Aravosis (AmericaBlog.com, October 1, 2012).
Former NFL Player Matt Willig on Marriage, Catholicism, and a Gay Teammate – Cyd Zeigler, Jr. (OutSports.com, October 3, 2012).
Homosexual Relationships: Another Look – Bill Hunt (The Progressive Catholic Voice, September 8, 2012).

Opening Image: David Bowman

Francis and the Wolf

The following is excerpted from Following Francis: The Franciscan Way for Everyone by Susan Pickford. It seems appropriate to share given that today is the feast of St. Francis of Assisi.

Francis had the courage to confront his shadow side and be reconciled to himself, and to God. One of the most famous stories told about Francis concerns the time when the people of the town of Gubbio were being terrorized by a bloodthirsty wolf. The wolf had killed several people, and the townsfolk were afraid to leave their homes. So Francis decided to go meet the wolf; his companions accompanied him part of the way, but finally out of fear left Francis to confront the beast alone. When he found the wolf, it lunged at him open-jawed, but when Francis greeted it as "Brother Wolf" and commanded it not to harm him or anyone else, it stopped and knelt in submission at Francis' feet. Francis and the wolf made a deal: the people of the town would provide food for the wolf for the rest of its life, in exchange for the wolf's ceasing to harm them. The wolf bowed its head and placed its right paw into Francis' hand, and sealed the deal. So the wolf lived in peace with the people of Gubbio for the rest of its life.

This is actually true. Well, it might be. The reason this story has such a central place in Franciscan lore is that it points to Francis' role as a reconciler of enemies. But a deeper reading suggests that Francis was unafraid to go forth alone and confront the beast within himself. This is a very Franciscan approach to penitence: Francis didn't kill the wolf – he tamed it so that he could live with it in peace. Likewise, our wounds – even the scary, shameful, self-inflicted ones – shouldn't become occasions for doing ourselves further violence. They're to be occasions of mercy, of reconciliation, of peace. Can we accept this? Can we see our wounds as places where the divine life can enter into us?

– Susan Pickford
Following Francis: The Franciscan Way for Everyone
pp. 49-50

Recommended Off-site Link:
Francis of Assisi’s Queer Side Revealed by Historical Evidence – Kittredge Cherry (Jesus in Love, October 4, 2012).

See also the previous Wild Reed posts:
Francis of Assisi: Dancer, Rebel, Archetype
Francis of Assisi: God's Gift to the Church
No Mere Abstraction
St. Francis of Assisi and Human Sexuality
Francis of Assisi: The Antithesis of Clericalism and Monarchism
Solar Brother

Image: St. Francis taming the wolf of Gubbio, from The Century magazine, 1912.

O Sacred Season of Autumn . . .

The photos that comprise this post were taken in and around South Minneapolis over the last week or so. They are accompanied by a beautiful prayer by Edward Hays.

O Sacred season of Autumn, be my teacher,

for I wish to learn the virtue of contentment.

As I gaze upon your full-colored beauty,

I sense all about you

an at-homeness with your amber riches.

You are the season of retirement,

of full barns and harvested fields.

The cycle of growth has ceased,

and the busy work of giving life

is now completed.

I sense in you no regrets:

you've lived a full life.

I live in a society that is ever-restless,

always eager for more mountains to climb,

seeking of happiness through more and more possessions.

As a child of my culture,

I am seldom truly at peace with what I have.

Teach me to take stock of what I have given and received;

may I know that it's enough,

that my striving can cease

in the abundance of God's grace.

May I know contentment

that allows the totality of my energies

to come to full flower.

May I know that, like you, I am rich beyond measure.

As you, O Autumn, take pleasure in your great bounty,

let me also take delight

in the abundance of the simple things in life

which are the true source of joy.

With the golden glow of peaceful contentment

may I truly appreciate this autumn day.

– Edward Hays
(from Earth Prayers,
edited by Elizabeth Roberts and Elias Amidon)

See also the previous Wild Reed posts:
Autumn Hues (2011)
Out and About – October 2011
Photo of the Day – October 27, 2011
The Beauty of Autumn in Minnesota (2010)
Photo of the Day – September 29, 2010)
Autumn Hues (2009)
Tremealeau (2009)
Rainy October Afternoon (2008)
Out and About – September 2007

Images: Michael J. Bayly.

Rockin’ with Wanda

“Man, you really like the old warhorses!”, a friend once remarked as he flipped through my CD collection. He was referring to the female vocalists who dominated my collection and who were “of a certain age,” shall we say: Dusty Springfield, Marianne Faithfull, Tina Turner, Buffy Sainte-Marie, and Shirley Bassey.

The thing was, this was the early 1990s and none of these women were really that old! At the time they were probably in their late forties or early fifties. I guess it said a lot about our (or, rather, my friend’s) perception of what it meant to be “old”! We were still in our twenties, after all. Even so, I really didn't think of any of these women as old in any kind of negative sense. Rather, I appreciated and resonated with the sense of transformative journeying that I discerned in their lives and careers. I guess I saw them as survivors. But they were also much more than that. They were and are icons! And we gay men, it seems, love our icons. And why not? Especially if like any authentic icon they point us toward and led us into dimensions of greater awareness of ourselves, of love and life, and of that sacred force that holds all things together.

I mention my friend’s rather crude comment as I recently wondered what he would make of my current interest in the music of 74-year-old Wanda Jackson, the “Queen of Rock” and a living legend not only within that particular genre but also within those of country and rockabilly.

As you may recall, I recently saw Wanda perform at the Minnesota State Fair. It actually wasn’t the first time I’d seen her in concert. About ten years ago I saw her perform at First Avenue in downtown Minneapolis. I must admit I didn’t know much about her; I couldn’t even name one of her songs. But the image used to promote the concert (right) intrigued me, as did the fact that she’d been around for so long as a revered artist. Yes, that iconic, archetypal sense of journey, again!

Seeing her at the Minnesota State Fair earlier this month (above) reminded me of the album she recorded last year with Jack White. He had previously worked with another legend of country music, Loretta Lynn. Despite the fact that I’m not a country music fan, I bought the album Lynn and White made together (Van Lear Rose) and unreservedly recommend it. (I highlighted a song from it back in 2007.)

A few days ago I bought The Party Ain’t Over, the 2011 album that Jack White produced for Wanda. Here’s how Amazon.com describes the album:

This collection of vintage and contemporary covers was produced by fan and new-found friend Jack White at his Nashville studio and recorded with a late-night honky-tonk feel by members of My Morning Jacket, the Raconteurs, and Dead Weather, among others. The White-curated lineup of tunes, says Jackson, showcases “all the various types of music that I’ve done through the years – some country, some gospel, some rockabilly, some rock ’n’ roll. It’s got all of that, and we threw in a Bob Dylan song 'Thunder On the Mountain,’ just to be safe.”

The spirited Jackson, revered for such classic singles as “Let’s Have a Party” and “Fujiyama Mama,” proves that brash rock and roll attitude need not have an age limit. Her trademark growl remains intact on rockers like “Rip It Up” and “Nervous Breakdown”; she opens the set with an echo-laden sneer on a rollicking version of “Shakin’ All Over” and ends it 10 songs later with a plaintive take on Jimmie Rodgers’ “Yodel #6.” Along the way she tackles the Andrews Sisters kitschy “Rum and Coca Cola” and a big-band rendition of the DeCastro Sisters' “Teach Me Tonight,” and she out-sasses and out-classes Amy Winehouse on a cover of the British bad girl’s “You Know I’m No Good,” which has already been released as a single.

Below is the video for Wanda Jackson’s cover of Bob Dylan’s “Thunder on the Mountain.” It’s followed by Rosanne Cash’s insightful words about Wanda, spoken when she inducted the “Queen of Rock” into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2009.

Wanda Jackson. Even the name sounds like a declaration and a promise – Wanda Jackson. I asked Wanda what she wanted people to know most about her and she said: “Number one, I can rock! Number two, I was a lady and reputations are important. And number three, rock ’n’ roll and God are not mutually exclusive.”

As one writer has noted, Wanda was there at the beginning of rock and roll, and for girls with guitars, myself included, Wanda was the beginning of rock and roll. Everyone who cares about roots music and rock ’n’ roll reveres Wanda. But in particular, every young woman I know, musician or otherwise, worships her as the prototype, the first female rock star, as she so modestly acknowledges herself.

But this is not a woman who used her staggering beauty to manipulate an audience. This is not a coy woman. This is not a woman who used her powerful energy as a means to just become famous. She is vibrant and edgy without being abrasive, and sweet without being saccharine. This is a woman who has rhythm and joy in equal parts to the depth of her soul.

. . . She started her career when she was a junior in high school in 1954 and she said it was a family affair. Her father drove her to performances and managed her career and her mother sewed her outfits. She was put on package shows in the South with Elvis, Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis, Roy Orbison, and my dad [Johnny Cash], among others; her buddies, as she calls them. . . . She may be the only lady in history who had that kind of rockin’ rhythm and raw sensuality and not only didn’t self-destruct but had fun and kept her soul intact in the process. She's not a red carpet-celebrity-rehab-tabloid kind of person. She’s a person of strong religious conviction, deep integrity, a road warrior, and a rock ’n’ roll queen.

In the beginning, Wanda was a country singer, and one day on the road Elvis said to her, “You should do the new kind of music like I’m doing.” And Wanda said, “But I’m just a country singer.” And Elvis said, “Well, I am too.” And that was that.

Wanda was equally authentic in rockabilly as she was in country. Elvis let the genie out of the bottle with that one little exultation. She told her mother, who was making her stage clothes, that she didn’t want to wear those big skirts anymore, and so she and her mother created the fringe dresses, the high heels, and long earrings that brought her image and her musical style into an electric, cohesive, sharp focus.

But she never gave up doing country as well as rockabilly. Sometimes she would release a record with a rocker on Side A and a country song on Side B. She had and still has enormous international popularity. . . . She has been recording for 54 years and has recorded in four languages. She’s made around 50 albums, she’s toured the world and inspired legions of people with her grace and fire. She said she wants to keep doing this “as long as my health holds up and as long as the fans want to come out and see me. But it’s not fallen away yet.” No, it’s not.

In his review of The Party Ain’t Over, Nathan Phillips wonders why Wanda was for so long “the most under-appreciated rockabilly pioneer.” He suggests it may have been due to sexism within the music business or Wanda’s “conversion to Jesus.” Elsewhere on the web I found the following quote by Wanda, in which she talks about her faith.

. . .[T]he main thing that happens when you become a Christian or you’re born again is the change in your own heart and the peace that you can have. You just — you can’t hardly describe it.

It’s just the knowing that Christ is there, he’s real. He’s more real than anything that we can see or hear or feel or touch. He guides my life. I just want my fans to know that if they’re floundering in life and realizing that they need a savior, and they need someone to throw them that life ring and save you, that’s what the Bible says happens: we get saved, and it changes you wonderfully. I don’t belabor the point, but I just briefly tell an audience what happened to me: that I received Christ as my lord and my savior and he made a wonderful change in my life, and I do a gospel song in just about all of my shows. People love it. They love to hear that something good has happened to people, you know.

October 9 sees the release of Wanda’s 31st studio album, Unfinished Business. And judging from the following preview, it’s going to be a great collection of songs.





Recommended Off-site Links and Updates:
Long Live the Queen: An Interview with Wanda Jackson – Shelley Peckham (True Endeavors, August 29, 2010).
Roots of Rock: Wanda Jackson – Digital Reporter (via YouTube).
Wanda Jackson Unveils Autobiography Every Night Is Saturday Night – Brittany McKenna (Rolling Stone, August 30, 2017).
Wanda Jackson Biography in the Ken Burns documentary Country Music (2019).
Wanda Jackson, ‘Queen of Rockabilly,’ Retires From Performing – Ryan Reed (Rolling Stone, March 27, 2019).