Archbishop apologizes for giving Communion to gays dressed as nuns

(10-16) 21:58 PDT San Francisco -- It was a typical Sunday Mass until two men in heavy makeup and nuns' habits received Holy Communion from San Francisco's top Catholic official. On Oct. 7, Archbishop George Niederauer delivered the Eucharist to members of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence - an activist group whose motto is "go forth and sin some more" - prompting cries of outrage from conservatives across the country and Catholics in San Francisco.

Some folks in the gay community sure know how to keep things interesting, don't they? I was told by someone yesterday that they like when I blog about "political" things, so here's my take on this story. Archbishop George Niederauer has absolutely nothing to apologize for. He did what he was called to do. He administered the Sacraments to those who came to share in Christ's table.

Its not the job of the Priest, the Church, the media, the conservatives, the liberals, the straight or gay communities, or anyone else to determine the motivation of the two men who "dressed as nuns" and took communion. Admittedly, their appearance was outside the norm of what one would expect to see in church but outward appearance isn't an indicator of the inner heart and one's relationship with God. There have been many well dressed, well behaved, pillars of the community and church, whose hearts and souls are evil inside ( the B2K killer, a deacon in his church and respected member of the community, comes to mind).

When I was involved at St. Luke's MCC, we had several people who came to church (and communion) dressed differently than most in the congregation. One young man comes to mind. He used to wear regular men's clothes but with a tiara on his head. Now, I don't know why he did this but I will say he was one of the most sincere, humble men I've ever met. He exhibited the love of Christ in his behavior to others better than most, myself included.

From what I can tell by this news report, these two men did not disrupt the service in any way. They were just dressed in an odd manner not usually seen by the average church-goer. I suspect they had their own agenda in doing so but the point still remains, we don't know what was in their hearts. They will have to answer to God, as will we all, for our behavior and our intentions.

I'm glad the Archbishop gave the men Communion. He honored himself and his God by doing so. After all, Christ already administered the ultimate Communion when He gave up His life on the cross for all people.

And that's good enough for me.

Zeldaaaaahhhhh!!!

So, what ever happened to Zelda? You remember her don't you...from Dobie Gillis? I remember her because kids at school were always telling me I looked like Zelda. Gee, I wonder why? Perhaps it could be because Zelda (AKA Sheila James Kuehl) is a lesbian, and so was I.

I always suspected that but never knew for sure until I came across a news article today about a bill passed in California dealing with sexual orientation and the schools (SB777). It was sponsored by Sen. Sheila James Kuehl ( AKA Zelda). Here is part of how it was reported by the World Net Daily:

The law at issue went through the California legislature as SB 777, and now bans in school texts and activities any discriminatory bias against those who have chosen alternative sexual lifestyles, Meredith Turney, legislative liaison for Capitol Resource Institute, said. "SB 777 will result in reverse discrimination against students with religious and traditional family values. These students have lost their voice as the direct result of Gov. Schwarzenegger's unbelievable decision. The terms 'mom and dad' or 'husband and wife' could promote discrimination against homosexuals if a same-sex couple is not also featured.

I admit, even as a former lesbian of 50 years, my first reaction was, "enough is enough". I'm tired of the political correctness trend, not because I don't believe in being respectful of others, but because we are tying ourselves up in legal knots with it. I decided before blowing off too much steam about it I would read the bill and see what it really said, not what someone else is telling me it says.

The bill, as written, says nothing about allowing "male identified" girls in boy's locker rooms, "female identified" boys in girl's bathrooms, not allowing the use of terms like "father" and "mother". It simply calls for educational settings and materials to not disparage alternative lifestyles and people of different sexual orientations. There is a big difference between "promoting" the gay lifestyle and just asking that students in the public educational system not be taught that being gay is wrong. As a matter of fact, I'd be quite happy if the school would just concentrate on teaching the kids how to read and write, learn to behave, learn personal responsibly, and respect for others. Let morality issues be taught by the parents based on their own beliefs.

I hope this country will stop using it's children as "political" or "religious" pawns for the sake of any issue or agenda. I hold the conservatives, liberals, radical straights and radical gays responsible for continuing to behave in ways that I think are worse examples for our children than most mainstream straight and gay individuals exhibit on a daily basis. And I'm ashamed of the ways news media of every persuasion seems to be trying to "make the news" instead of "reporting the news". They work to incite fear and to misinform by reporting things with their own agenda. I'm just tired of the business of "making issues" where there doesn't need to be any.

One good thing came out of all this. I finally know what happened to Zelda!!

Love and baseball

Waiting is painful. Forgetting is painful. But not knowing which to do is the worse kind of suffering. (Paul Coelho, Brazilian novelist)

The Yankees and I have a lot in common. Another year goes by and neither one of us can manage to reach our desired goal. We both play the game, but neither of us manages to win. It seems so close at times, and then its swept away by someone else.

Perhaps we aren't quite good enough or don't know how to play the game well. Maybe we just got better too late. Either way, me and the Yanks are both feeling kinda down. We both have to fall back on the "maybe next year" kind of rhetoric in order to soothe our feelings of despair over watching another year slip between our fingers.

Its difficult, knowing that you have what it takes to be a winner, and not being able to pull it off. Its hard being a player but not a winner. I want more than just the "wild card"in my life. I want the grand prize...but he has to want it too.

Maybe I need a new manager ...