In
our church, our perspective on the truth changes—there was
a time when slavery was considered acceptable, and when it
seemed all right to treat blacks, Hispanics and women as second-class
citizens. Our challenge as Christians is not to be stuck in
the past, but always to be willing to look to the future. Our
young people gave me the challenge to get beyond my own prejudice
and to be in touch with the Christ of the future.
The
second factor in my decision was my own struggle through prayer,
fasting and the study of Scripture to try to understand the
mind of Christ on this issue—to discover, in the popular phrase,
“What Would Jesus Do?”
In
my reading of Acts 15, I was struck by the story of disagreement
within the early church, and the way in which Peter and Paul
were able to work out their differences. What were they arguing
about? Circumcision, whether it’s appropriate to eat food offered
to idols, or any food prohibited as unclean by Jewish law.
These things seem unimportant to us now, but they were important
to them—they were in the Bible. There is a lot of fighting
in Acts 15, but these arguments did not destroy the church;
instead, the urgency of the message of the transforming love
of Jesus Christ overwhelmed the differences, and the church
grew.
Eventually,
I found myself directed to Micah 6:8: What God wants from
you is to do justice, seek mercy and walk humbly with your
God. I believe that our Lord was speaking to me in
this verse, saying: “Just do what you are supposed to do, and
let me take care of my Church.”
As
I searched the words of Jesus on this matter I found no statement
whatsoever, except the one of inclusion of all people, regardless
of who they were. Sinners and those who were rejected by society
were especially welcomed at his table. His Great Commandment
is simply to love God and all of God’s children. God
is commanding us to love our neighbors, and that is the message
the Episcopal Church wants to send.
This
was a very hard decision for me; I brought with me plenty of
cultural baggage, and it has been painful to feel the distress
of my brothers and sisters in the church, both in this diocese
and all over the world. Within the church, as in any family,
if we are honest with ourselves and with each other, deep disagreements
are sometimes unavoidable; but they always hurt.
I
have pledged from the beginning of my episcopacy in Southeast
Florida that there is room for all sorts and conditions of
persons in our diocese, and I am committed to listen to and
pray with those who are confused or hurt by my decisions, and
the decisions of our church. I am urging those who disagree
with me to stay in the family and let the Holy Spirit guide
all of us.
I
am thankful for the faithfulness of the clergy and people of
this diocese. I have received many messages, even from those
who disagree with me, that are full of love, hope and promises
of prayer for me and for the future of our church.
Although
this is a challenging time for the Episcopal Church and for
our diocese, I believe it is also a wonderful opportunity to
minister to all of God's people and reach out to those whom
we have rejected in the past. If we put signs on the curb that
say, “The Episcopal Church welcomes you”, we need to mean it—for
everyone. I remain committed to our vision of fulfilling the
Great Commission given to us by our Lord Christ, to share the
Good News of his love with all people.
+Leo
Frade
Bishop
of Southeast Florida |
