The Eclipse of God
Commentary by Rev. Shelley A. Hamilton

We always have beautiful, profound and deeply moving times of worship at the Cathedral of Hope. This past Sunday was especially so. We baptized and welcomed into our community two beautiful babies. We ordained and installed a new associate pastor, the Reverend Dawson B. Taylor. Dawson’s preaching was superb, the music (as always) powerful and transformative, scriptures were right on the mark, and Holy Communion, as it everlastingly does, brought us, the Whole Body, fully and incarnationally into the presence of our God. The joy of grace and the freedom it brings filled our hearts with humility and gratitude. Just doesn’t get any better than that!!!!!

After worship, my heart full of gratitude and joy, I went out and grabbed a sandwich. I came back to my office to eat, rest and read the New York Times. On page 3 of the news section was a lengthy article describing the Pope’s visit to Spain. There’s serious tension between Spain and the Vatican right now. Spain has a Socialist Prime Minister, Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, who, to his credit, legalized Gay marriage and loosened divorce laws last year.

The Times article referenced a paper entitled, "Family and Human Procreation," which was issued by the Vatican just days after President George W. Bush urged the Senate to pass a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage. Is anyone surprised? The edict states forcefully that Gay marriage, abortion, and lesbians wanting to bear children and a host of other practices are viewed by the church as threats to the traditional family and are signs of "the eclipse of God".

I experienced immediate rage and then was overwhelmed with sorrow and sadness. Sorrow and sadness born of many years of listening to the personal, private, intimate lives of most of the people I love being argued and raged about in newspapers, on television, the radio, blogs, and papal edicts, from pulpits, class rooms and laboratories and a myriad of other platforms of moral, political, and ethical discussion.

I looked up the word “eclipse”. Mostly it is about the total or partial obscuring of one celestial body by another, the passing into the shadows of a celestial body. Solar and lunar eclipses are examples of what is being referenced. However, eclipse also means…..to omit or fail; a falling into decline, obscurity or disgrace. One doesn’t need to be a paragon of intellectual achievement to understand what the Pope is saying…Queer people’s loves and relationships obscure the presence of God in our world. They are a shadow, a blight creating a barricade between creation and God.

How dare the Pope talk about queer people being the eclipse of God when the Pope’s very own precious church is wracked with sexual perversion and oppression, abuse of power and wealth, not to mention complicity in some of the most heinous crimes against humanity ever committed throughout history into the present day.

I’ll tell you what “the eclipse of God” is:

• Theology and church doctrine that oppresses, excludes, denies, and completely ignores the teachings of Jesus.
• 852 million people world wide are hungry---up 10 million from a year ago.
• Every day more than 16,000 children and at least that many adults die from hunger related problems,
• Every year nearly 11 million children die before they reach their fifth birthday all preventable with appropriate medical care and nutrition.
• 40 million people are living with HIV/AIDS most not receiving the medical treatment needed to live with real quality of life
• 50% of first time marriages, 67% of second time marriages and 74% of third time marriages in America and across Europe end in divorce.
• Amnesty International documents that in 2003 there were over 1200 people executed in 28 countries. *4% of those deaths happened in four countries. People’s Republic of China killed 726 prisoners, Iran killed 108, the United States killed 65 (24 of them in Texas).
• Between 1990 and 2003 the world averaged executing 2, 242 people per year---most of those executions were for nonviolent drug related activities
• Since the war in Iraq there have been between 38,000 and 43,000 Iraqi civilians killed, including women, children, and the elderly.
• American soldiers have been accused of raping and killing children
• Regular execution of the mentally retarded and mentally ill

I could continue and fill pages with the evil and heinous realities that exist in our world which really are the eclipse of God. Realities that every person of faith and, particularly Christians ought to be focused on and working to heal and otherwise resolve. We have very serious issues and problems confronting the citizens of the world. Jesus was very clear in his teachings that we are to feed the hungry, heal the sick, take care of the poor, visit folks in jails and prisons, look after orphans, and anyone else disenfranchised or cast aside by mainstream society. We are to be peace makers and abhore violence of any kind.

Since the beginning of time Queer people have loved and cared for each other. We’ll continue to do that regardless of what the President of the United States, the Pope, or anyone else has to say about it. We know who we are. What our values are and where our allegiances lie. I consider the whole political up roar regarding gay marriage a distraction and a tool for those who depend on peoples’ fear and ignorance to control and manipulate outcomes that will empower the rich and keep those who are oppressed and disenfranchised outside mainstream society.

What do you suppose would happen if all the concerned citizens in America stopped paying taxes, going to their jobs, and participating in societies and systems that oppress us and deny us equal access to all the rights and privileges of citizenship?

I say it is time to take to the streets. If you don’t want to march, at least tell the President, Pope and American Catholic Bishops - WE ARE NOT GOING TO TAKE IT ANYMORE!

H4PJ Online Action Center
We’re not Going to Take It Anymore
Write the President, Pope and American Bishops

Related Links

NY Times Article: Pope Visits Spain
Pontifical Council for the Family
Facts and Figures on the Death Penalty