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Breath of the Spirit

Pastoral, Liturgical, Teaching, and Social Justice Moments brought to you by www.DignityUSA.org.

Breath of the Spirit is DignityUSA’s electronic spiritual and liturgical resource for our members and potential members. Nothing can replace your chapter or other faith community, but we hope you will find further support here for integrating your spirituality with your sexuality and all the strands of your life.

We welcome relevant homilies, inspirational writings, social justice opportunities, or theological articles from other sources also — particularly from wise women and men who can help us grow as gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (GLBT) and allied Catholic/Christians. You may volunteer to help with this program or send your comments by e-mailing info@DignityUSA.org ATTN: Breath of the Spirit.

MARCH 1, 2009: FIRST SUNDAY OF LENT

Readings: 
Genesis 9:8-15
I Peter 3:18-22
Mark 1:12-15

Today’s Genesis reading surfaces a concept at the center of biblical faith, but often relegated to the periphery of our own faith: the idea of a covenant with God. Our ancestors in the faith (including Jesus) conceived of their relationship with God as a covenant relationship. Unlike many of their pagan neighbors, the Israelites had entered into an agreement with their God, Yahweh. Pagan gods usually reserved the right to do anything at any time, to anyone, no limits, no accountability.

FEBRUARY 22, 2009: SEVENTH SUNDAY OF THE YEAR

Readings:
Isaiah 43:18-19, 21-22, 24b-25
II Corinthians 1:18-22
Mark 2:1-12

We ministers of God’s word would render a great service to our people if, over the door through which they leave church, we’d emblazon the first lines of today’s Deutero-Isaiah oracle. “Thus says Yahweh: ‘Remember not the events of the past, the things of long ago consider not; see I am doing something new! Now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?”

FEBRUARY 15, 2009: SIXTH SUNDAY OF THE YEAR

Readings: 
Leviticus 13:1-2, 44-46
I Corinthians 10:31-11:1
Mark 1:4-45

Do we really understand all the implications of Paul’s I Corinthians statement, “Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ?” Where does our imitation start and where does it end? When Paul speaks about our acting “in persona Christi,” he isn’t supplying a biblical argument for those who would ban women from the priesthood, saying that only those who have the same sexual organs which the historical Jesus possessed can be other Christs.

FEBRUARY 8, 2009: FIFTH SUNDAY OF THE YEAR

Readings: 
Job 7:1-4, 6-7
I Corinthians 9:16-19, 22-23
Mark 1:29-39

Mark hands homilists today’s topic on a silver platter. It jumps out at us as we proclaim the last paragraph of our gospel pericope.

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