This is the day that God has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it!! Alleluia!!

It’s great to be here! I can not begin to tell you how honored I am to have been asked to offer a few
words at this interfaith celebration on Pride Day.

We are all here once again as we do every Pride day to celebrate from our varied faith traditions the
integrity, love and spirit of Boston’s gay community. We gather in this historic church in this historic
city where so much was begun for the rights of people- the movement to abolish slavery and for the
rights of women to vote- to name a few. How appropriate it is, therefore, that we, from such a proud
heritage, delight this day in being Proud and not Prejudiced.

In the beginning of the Jewish Scriptures in the book of Genesis there is a question which, in my
opinion, is the key question of all humanity. It comes after Cain has killed his brother Abel and God
comes looking for Abel. God says to Cain “Where is your brother?”   And this is the question that is so
critical - Cain says to God   “AM I MY BROTHER’S KEEPER?”

And the answer to that question as it is found in almost all faith traditions is YES.   WE ARE THE
KEEPERS 0F OUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS.  WE ARE ALL INTERCONNECTED AND ARE
RESPONSIBLE FOR EACH OTHER. 

Many faiths express this in their own particular way.

In Judaism- there is the concept of tikun olam- to repair the world. In Christianity we are reminded that
at the end of life we will be asked “what did you do for the least of your brothers and sisters?’ In Islam
the concept of sakat demands that faithful Muslims give of their resources to help the poor. In the
tradition of the Buddha, compassion for all God’s creation is central.

Pride day is a time for all of us to stand in solidarity. It is a day for us to renew our commitment to care
for each other especially those most in need.  How great it is to have many straight people here from
different religious communities to express their love and support!

When I told a friend that I was offering the homily at this service she said to me “What is a Catholic
priest doing at a Gay Pride service?”  My response to her was “Why wouldn’t a Catholic priest be here?
In the tradition of my Christian faith it seems to me that Jesus was always with those who were often
the target of hatred and persecution.

The tax collectors and prostitutes and people whose lives were not always perfect were the people he
added to his dinner table.   Wouldn’t it be wonderful if more religious leaders from all traditions would
feel comfortable being here?

Without disputing the right of any religious tradition to maintain its views on homosexuality- there can
be no doubt that all communities are called to make sure that gay people are treated with respect and
that their rights are maintained.

In my own tradition as a Catholic the teaching of the church on homosexuality is clear! But what is not
so clear is the mandate of the church to reach out and welcome gays to the churches and parishes of this
country. In a little known document called “Always Our Children” of the US Bishops in 1977- almost 30
years ago - the leaders of the Catholic Church called on priests to “welcome homosexual persons into
the faith community. Seek out those on the margins. Avoid stereotyping and condemnation.” And at
the end of the document the bishops say to all homosexual brothers and sisters “In you, God’s love is
revealed.”

But is that the way most people perceive the church?  I would hope that we could work to change the
way we are perceived and become, in reality, a community that truly welcomes all.

Of course, it is not only the religious communities that are challenged on a day like this. The leaders of
our country pander to fear and prejudice with amendments they know will not happen simply to get
votes. Soldiers from the Iraq war are buried with shouts that this was God’s will because of America’s
support for gay rights. Some even have seen AIDS as God’s punishment. We all have a long way to go
so that we can be

Proud of all and prejudiced to none.

There was a wonderful Baptist preacher, William Sloane Coffin,  who recently died. I heard him preach
once at Riverside Church in NYC at a time when the leaders of our country were trying to tell us to
FEEL good about America. He said “God doesn’t want us to FEEL good; God wants us to BE good.

I want to end this reflection with a couple of comments based on an inscription I once saw in Rome.  It
was over the door of a church near the North American College where I studied for many years- such a
suffering!!

A pilgrim in the 1700’s had written three words in Italian-

PIANGO   PREGO   SPERO

PIANGO- we weep.

On a day like this we weep a little for all the hatred and prejudice that still exists towards gay people-
we weep for religious communities that continue to turn their backs on gay people and government
leaders who pander to fear. We weep for so many struggles for the rights of gay people. We weep for all
who have died.

PREGO- we pray.  

On a day like this we pray that the world will become a place of peace. We pray in gratitude for all who
support the rights of all God’s people. We are grateful that in this part of our world we can be proud
and not afraid. And we pray that that could be true throughout this land and beyond.

SPERO- we hope.

We hope for a new beginning. We hope for a day when gay people will not have to deal with prejudice
and discrimination. We pray for a day when all religious communities will open their doors to all God’s
people.  We pray for that day when truly, as the bishops said, all people could say in reference to gay,
lesbian, bisexual and transgendered people-

“IN YOU, GOD’S LOVE IS REVEALED.”