<p><em>So often people assume the holidays will be joyful. But for many especially our LGBTQIA+ siblings this is simply not the case. This weeks readings invite us to begin diligent preparations for our celebration of Jesus birtha celebration in which all are invited to share. How do we prepare our own queer hearts for closed-minded familial reunions while incorporating LGBTQIA+ inclusivity and love into our holiday season?</em></p><p><strong>December 3 2023: First Sunday in Advent Year B</strong></p><p>Isaiah 63:16b-17 19b; 64:2-7</p><p>Psalm 80: 2-3 15-16 18-19</p><p>I Corinthians 1:3-9</p><p>Mark 13:33-37</p><div><div class=titan__email-divider>&nbsp;</div></div><h3><strong>Queer Reassurance and Diligent Waiting During Advent</strong></h3><p><em>A reflection by Sam Barnes</em></p><p>Like almost every young queer person I know in December of 2020 I settled down with some popcorn and hot cocoa to watch Happiest Season a purportedly Hallmark movie with a gay twist. I was ecstatic. For the first time I would get to enjoy all the stalwarts of a cheesy Christmas movie with the added bonus of queer characters. When the movie ended however all I could think about was the horror of being forced to come out to my extended family in such a public mortifying manner on the eve of what is supposed to be one of the most joyous holidays of the year.</p><p>The holidays can be hard for LGBTQ+ folks. Some of us spend them with a nostalgia for our childhood when life was simpler while others travel miles and miles to visit relatives that do not truly know or accept us. This Sunday marks the beginning of Advent our ritual of preparation to celebrate Jesus birth. Advent is the season in the liturgical calendar in which Christians prepare to welcome more deeply the incarnation of Love. We give ourselves space to reflect on and yearn for the presence of Jesus in our midst. As Mark writes in the passage for today Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come. Its like a [person] going away: [they] leave their house and put their servants in charge each with their assigned task and tell the one at the door to keep watch (Mark 13:33-34). The inclusion of Mark in this Sundays readings reminds us that Advent is a time of waiting yes but <em>diligent</em> waiting where we actively engage in prayer meditation and Scripture reading while preparing for a renewed sense of the coming (or advent) of Jesus.</p><p>As such Advent is inherently a queer season. The four-week journey of desperate yearning for God is one that is often similarly experienced by LGBTQ+ folks as we diligently wait for a more inclusive future. Again - that is not to say that we are not active in our communities campaigning against Dont Say Gay laws and bans on transgender youth participation in sports. That is also not to say that we arent beseeching our God for everyone from narrow-minded politicians to our own family members to open their hearts to the warm inclusivity of Jesus. As we are reminded in Isaiah 64:3 God can move in ways we cannot even fathom: For when you did awesome things that we did not expect you came down and the mountains trembled before you. Our God is already chipping away at the calcification of those cold hearts.</p><p>And so we wait with the reassurance that God come[s] to the help of those who gladly do right who remember your ways. (Isaiah 64:5) As someone who lives in the Washington D.C. area my first instinct after reading this is to wag my finger at the homophobes and transphobes and say God is on <em>my </em>side na-na-na-na-na-na! But why would Gods grace and love only extend to me and not my enemies as well? After all God is faithful who has called you into fellowship with their Son Jesus Christ our Lord (1 Corinthian 1:9); is not everyone invited to participate in the fellowship of God? I might not want the homophobes at my dinner table and they certainly do not want me there but we are all invited nonetheless.</p><p>I was confronted with this reality most recently while in Portugal for the Catholic Churchs World Youth Day celebrations. I was incredibly lucky to accompany DignityUSAs delegation to the conference to be a beacon of queer inclusivity and love in the midst of a highly religious dialogue. I had prepared myself for folks to tell us we did not belong at the conference or that we were living in dire sin and needed to repent immediately. However what I was confronted with was beyond my expectations: You are not Catholic one youth told my group. <em>Do you want to see my Confirmation certificate </em>I thought to myself. Out loud I told him to enjoy the celebration and eventually walked away.</p><p>Similar conversations occurred several more times. The accusations bewildered me. Upon further reflection I realized that I was mis-conceptualizing the invitation to Gods table. Gods love should not be weaponized. Gods grace is not a gun to shoot at my personal enemies. Jesus welcomes me a queer individual to dine with him alongside the lepers and adulterers and yes transphobes.</p><p>During the Christmas season we might be forced to sit beside close family or friends who scorn us. Not every LGBTQ+ person has a safe and affirming home for the holidays forcing us to sew our mouths dutifully shut or even forcing us back into the closet. If these times are difficult for you I invite you to curdle your apprehension into confidence during Advent. You have every right to a place at Gods table whether you are gay straight transgender cisgender asexual allosexual etc. While people on this earth may question your presence rest assured that God never does. As we are reminded in Isaiah 63:16 But you are our [God] though Abraham does not know us or Israel acknowledge us; you are our [God]. Though the world may not know us God does. And They love us.</p><p>I wish all of you a meaningful Advent season. Sending queer love and prayers from DC.</p><p><img class=align-center src=https://dignityusa.app.neoncrm.com/neon/resource/dignityusa/images/SamBarnes%20WYD.jpg alt=SamBarnes%20WYD.jpg width=260></p><div class=mobile-full><div class=mobile-full><p><em><strong>Sam Barnes</strong> is a youth advocate for LGBTQ+ inclusion in Catholic and religious spaces. They have a masters degree in policy and work in the international affairs space. They previously served as the Editor-in-Chief of the International Affairs Review published by The George Washington University. In their free time they enjoy rock climbing and reading and volunteer with a local mentorship program for high schoolers.</em></p><p></p></div></div><p style=text-align: center;><a class=btn btn-primary href=https://dignityusa.app.neoncrm.com/np/clients/dignityusa/subscribe.jsp?subscription=8>Subscribe to Breath of the Spirit</a></p>