THE EDITOR, Madam;
Based on the rhetorical response of Bishop Dr Alvin Bailey, reported in the The Daily Gleaner on December 19, to the Catholic Church’s position concerning On the Pastoral Meaning of Blessings, it is clear that the bishop did not consult the primary source, as all academic doctors are obliged to do. I use this limited medium to clarify and debunk his unresearched views.
In the first instance, the document referred to above is not about Pope Francis allowing priests to “formally bless same-sex couples”. The document is about the Church’s theological and pastoral teachings on blessings. I wish to lay out the theological argument systematically and simply for your readers and the honourable bishop.
First, the teaching of the Church on blessings is grounded in the incarnation in which Jesus Christ is “a blessing that has saved us all”. Second, from the scriptural perspective, it speaks about “descending blessings” from God and “ascending blessings” that humans offer to God. Third, through Jesus Christ, God communicates the power to bless to the Church, which “expresses God’s merciful embrace. . .”.
The person who seeks a blessing in the Church “acknowledges that the life of the Church springs from the womb of God’s mercy and helps us to move forward, to live better, and to respond to the Lord’s will”. Fourth, when someone spontaneously asks for a blessing, they should not be deprived of God’s mercy, because their request is to help them to be better. A blessing requires that what is blessed be conformed to God’s will.
Fifth, concerning blessings for couples in irregular unions and same-sex marriages, “one should neither provide for nor promote a liturgical ritual for them because their situation does not conform to the teachings of the Church”. Yet, we should not prevent the Church’s close commitment to journey with these people. The document distinguishes between ritual blessings and non-ritual blessings. A ritual blessing requires that what is blessed be “conformed to God’s will”; non-ritualised or spontaneous blessings are simply gestures that “provide an effective means of increasing trust in God” on the part of the person who asks. Therefore, if a couple or a spouse in a common-law union asks Bishop Bailey for a blessing after Sunday service, I hope he would not refuse, thinking he would be endorsing their irregular union.
I invite Bishop Bailey to read the original document and then engage the Catholic Church in an informed conversation.
FR DONALD CHAMBERS, JP
Beloved Reflections 