As we explore the plethora of spiritual gifts God has granted us, we also consider how God’s unconditional love affirms our sexuality and gender identity and how we can trust in God to work queer miracles.

January 19, 2025: Second Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C‍

Isaiah 62:1–5

Psalm 96:1–2, 2–3, 7–8, 9–10 1

Corinthians 12:4–11

John 2:1–11

Trusting the Transcendent: Spiritual Gifts and Queer Miracles

A reflection by Sam Barnes

The other day, I discovered my first gray hair. I know that some may find this infantile and would seek to tell me there will be more where that came from. Let me tell you - I’m (painfully) aware!

Jokes aside, there is a certain decisiveness in discovering the first gray. One might argue that it is a harbinger of full adulthood - a marker along the path of life that I have experienced ‘enough’ to be considered mature by my colleagues. When I reflect on my recent years, one experience has transitioned me into adulthood more than any other: coming out to my parents.

As many of us know, coming out is not a single event. When I called my mother and explained that my gender would be better affirmed by facial hair and a new set of pronouns, it was merely the beginning of an ongoing discussion surrounding my well-being. During this time, I have been deeply and sincerely tempted to forsake my earthly parents in exchange for my heavenly one. As we are reminded in Isaiah 62:1–5, God delights in us, granting us [God’s] glorious crown, fertile lands, and a holy name. God the Parent is warm and welcoming, God the Child trusts completely, and God the Holy Spirit grants us unique skills, regardless of our queer identities.

In 1 Corinthians 12:4–11, Paul details how the spiritual gifts bestowed unto us by our Creator are aplenty and illustrates how Their love is truly unconditional. The gifts mentioned in the verse include wisdom, knowledge, faith, healing, mighty deeds, prophecy, discernment of spirits, speaking in tongues, and interpreting tongues. We can all find applicability in these. Prophecy does not have to mean a visit from a fully manifested angel à la Gabriel to Mary; it can mean a certain phrase sticking out to us during a homily or a comforting song lyric getting stuck in our head. Healing does not have to mean a cure-all drug or treatment; it can mean hard work at physical therapy that extends our injured knee’s range of motion. And wisdom does not mean making the perfect judgement each time we are faced with a decision; it can mean a growing understanding of prioritizing multiple good decisions rather than stressing about the ‘right’ one.

Better yet, the gifts of the Spirit are not distributed based on our goodness, but on God’s goodness. Assuming the translation of “χάρισμα” to the word “gift” is an accurate representation of Paul’s intention, we can take comfort in knowing that there is nothing we do to earn these spiritual gifts; we simply receive them. As detailed in 1 Corinthians 12:6, “To each individual the manifestation of the Spirit is given for some benefit.” Given that God’s love is universal and unconditional (see Jer. 31:3 or Rom. 8:38–39), “each individual” in this verse must include LGBTQIA+ individuals.

Reassured that God as a Parent is queer and fully affirming, I find myself struggling with Bible teachings regarding respect for my earthly parents. The verses expounding this are numerous (see Eph. 6:1–3 for a commandment or Prov. 1:8 for a reminder of our parents’ knowledge). How do I reconcile these lessons with the reality of my parents, who actively try to stop my queer journey?

John 2:1–11 offers a unique approach. In this verse, John recounts a narrative that some of us might be familiar with: a potential disaster on the day of a big event. Luckily for the newly-wed couple, who are running out of wine, Jesus is there to save the day with six stone water jars.

Jesus turning water into wine at this wedding is, chronologically, the first miracle he performs. In the end, his disciples are struck with Jesus’s glory and begin to really believe in him. These miracles set Jesus apart from other prophets because the divine acts reveal his true nature as God’s manifestation on earth. Can you imagine beholding this miracle as one of the waiters? I would not have thought to grab the jugs of water. I would have proposed sending someone to buy wine from the closest merchant they could find or asked someone with a stash of wine at home to bring some for the guests.

God transcends human expectations. Similarly, I believe God will work in my life to move my and my parents’ hearts. Just because I cannot think of a solution does not mean God cannot. Though I am at an impasse, God moves mountains. Further, my spiritual gifts are at my core sense of self-right alongside my queer identity. I am knowledgeable just as I am gay; I am capable of mighty deeds just as I am trans. While my parents may pick and choose which portions of that identity they acknowledge, God the Parent knows all and loves all.

As we continue into the next stages of our lives, I hope these verses provide affirmation and value to our lives as queer or queer-allied Christians. For God knows our true name (not the one our parents decided upon at our birth), the spiritual gifts we possess, and our capacity to love without boundaries.

Sam Barnes is a youth advocate for LGBTQ+ inclusion in Catholic and religious spaces. They have a master’s 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.