Mark 6:30-34
It's a cliche of sorts when a middle aged man who has been working hard all his life, a man who has 'made it' ups and leaves his wife of umteen years and marries a much younger woman. You might think this has nothing to do with the passage today but it has everything to do with being a sheep without a shepherd.
All through life we seek the answer to the big questions. Whether consciously or subconsciously we all seek the answer to 'what is the meaning of life?' and does my life have meaning and purpose? In lieu of any deep personal thought, we often buy into societal answers. For that married man, it might be a wife, a home with a white picket fence, working three jobs to support the family and keeping up with the Jones'. Later on he finds that that is not really the answer to his happiness and he seeks happiness somewhere else. That brings up another societal answer. Madison avenue is well aware of our inner desire for answers to those deep questions. Again, they will gladly give us those answers in the way of anything new (or improved) and a constant array of entertainment products designed really to distract us from the true answers.
In the face of no real answers, we buy into a societal answers. We become sheep without a shepherd. Blessed is the person who discovers the answer is not in any 'thing'. Happiness is not in a new car, a better boat, a vacation home, a bigger TV, a new gaming system, a lucrative job or a younger look and perfect body.
In the gay community, we are perhaps at a bigger disadvantage. We are no different than anyone else, we too look for the true meaning of life whether we realize it our not. We seek companionship, happiness and fulfillment. Since society has traditionally told the gay community we are incapable of true happiness and that we are "intrinsically disordered" many in the gay community seek fulfillment and happiness the only way they are allowed, an endless stream of hookups and loose commitments. It is really horrendous that in some misguided effort to support their own so called 'traditional' marriages, there has been a codification of how marginalized the gay community is. This only enforces more that we can only find happiness in fleeting relationships. In this instance I am not sure if it started by our brothers and sisters at Stonewall or not, but brave souls have been challenging this codification and we are telling the world we can find happiness and commitment with another, we are not only capable, but worthy of such a long lasting committed love.
And why are we worthy? Here comes the answer to the big question to everything I have just written. Our true shepherd, the answer to the meaning of life is not on Madison avenue, a new spouse, a new anything. True happiness comes from being who you are, straight or gay, acknowledging it, owning it and recognizing our relationship to our creator. Knowing we ALL are made in the image and likeness of God is true happiness. Then, taking that innate goodness of who we are and sharing it with everyone else, now that is true happiness. That is the meaning of life. If we are blessed to find the person of our dreams (like I have) and can share who we are and share our love with that person for the rest of our lives, THAT also is the truly meaningful life.
Our shepherd is not in seeking things nor in seeking accomplishments. Our shepherd is our God who wants us to be who are are and love, love Him and love others. That is true happiness.
It's a cliche of sorts when a middle aged man who has been working hard all his life, a man who has 'made it' ups and leaves his wife of umteen years and marries a much younger woman. You might think this has nothing to do with the passage today but it has everything to do with being a sheep without a shepherd.
All through life we seek the answer to the big questions. Whether consciously or subconsciously we all seek the answer to 'what is the meaning of life?' and does my life have meaning and purpose? In lieu of any deep personal thought, we often buy into societal answers. For that married man, it might be a wife, a home with a white picket fence, working three jobs to support the family and keeping up with the Jones'. Later on he finds that that is not really the answer to his happiness and he seeks happiness somewhere else. That brings up another societal answer. Madison avenue is well aware of our inner desire for answers to those deep questions. Again, they will gladly give us those answers in the way of anything new (or improved) and a constant array of entertainment products designed really to distract us from the true answers.
In the face of no real answers, we buy into a societal answers. We become sheep without a shepherd. Blessed is the person who discovers the answer is not in any 'thing'. Happiness is not in a new car, a better boat, a vacation home, a bigger TV, a new gaming system, a lucrative job or a younger look and perfect body.
In the gay community, we are perhaps at a bigger disadvantage. We are no different than anyone else, we too look for the true meaning of life whether we realize it our not. We seek companionship, happiness and fulfillment. Since society has traditionally told the gay community we are incapable of true happiness and that we are "intrinsically disordered" many in the gay community seek fulfillment and happiness the only way they are allowed, an endless stream of hookups and loose commitments. It is really horrendous that in some misguided effort to support their own so called 'traditional' marriages, there has been a codification of how marginalized the gay community is. This only enforces more that we can only find happiness in fleeting relationships. In this instance I am not sure if it started by our brothers and sisters at Stonewall or not, but brave souls have been challenging this codification and we are telling the world we can find happiness and commitment with another, we are not only capable, but worthy of such a long lasting committed love.
And why are we worthy? Here comes the answer to the big question to everything I have just written. Our true shepherd, the answer to the meaning of life is not on Madison avenue, a new spouse, a new anything. True happiness comes from being who you are, straight or gay, acknowledging it, owning it and recognizing our relationship to our creator. Knowing we ALL are made in the image and likeness of God is true happiness. Then, taking that innate goodness of who we are and sharing it with everyone else, now that is true happiness. That is the meaning of life. If we are blessed to find the person of our dreams (like I have) and can share who we are and share our love with that person for the rest of our lives, THAT also is the truly meaningful life.
Our shepherd is not in seeking things nor in seeking accomplishments. Our shepherd is our God who wants us to be who are are and love, love Him and love others. That is true happiness.
The apostles gathered around Jesus, and told him all that they had done and taught. He said to them, ‘Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while.’ For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. And they went away in the boat to a deserted place by themselves. Now many saw them going and recognized them, and they hurried there on foot from all the towns and arrived ahead of them. As he went ashore, he saw a great crowd; and he had compassion for them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things.
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