Mercy

This morning, as I'm dressing to say the morning prayer, I hear about our old friend, the Catholic Church. A gay couple has sent their child to a Catholic school and this has become, of course, an issue.

And old priest is talking about how if something isn't done, then the matter will go the Vatican. He says, the Church has great compassion for gays provided they look upon their homosexuality as a defect and a cross, not as a way of happiness. As long as these two men do not acknowledge each other and, better, if they should split up, that church will accept them with open arms. Says this old priest, they must decide if they are Catholic or homosexual first.

But Roman Catholics are not the only Catholics, and as I shake my head over this bit of hatred I am reminded of it. And we Anglican Catholics have our own hatreds and hardnesses that we dress up in holiness. When I hear these doctrines of demons and gospels of hatred spewed out by poisonous old men, I immediately begin to say William Laud's prayer, as good now for an Anglican as it was four hundred years ago.



Gracious Father, we pray for thy holy Catholic church. Fill it with all truth, in all truth with all peace. Where it is corrupt, purify it; where it is in error, direct it; where in any thing it is amiss, reform it. Where it is right, strengthen it; where it is in want, provide for it; where it is divided, reunite it; for the sake of Jesus Christ thy son our Savior. Amen.