Let me say something about this “Mass of Welcome” being advertised by Ateneo de Manila University, a Catholic university run by the Jesuits. And before anyone jumps into the comments with “Oh, Jesuits again,” yes, I know. We have heard the jokes, the criticisms, and the debates about the Jesuits a thousand times already. But let us put that aside for a moment and get to the actual issue here, because this is not simply about whether a particular group of people should be allowed to enter a Catholic church. Of course they can. The Catholic Church is not a private club reserved for people who have their lives perfectly together. Every sinner is invited to come to Christ. Every human being, regardless of background, temptation, struggle, or personal circumstances, possesses inherent dignity and is called to seek the mercy of God. Nobody should be told that they are beyond the reach of God’s love. Nobody should be treated with cruelty, mocked, humiliated, or denied the opportunity to hear the Gospel. The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is not something Catholics attend because we are morally superior to everybody else. We attend because we need Jesus Christ, because we are sinners in need of redemption, and because He alone is the source of our salvation. So, no, my objection is not that people who identify as LGBT are entering a chapel to attend Mass. My question is much more fundamental: what exactly are we welcoming people into, and what are we actually proclaiming to them once they arrive?
Because seriously, okay, let us say we welcome everyone. Wonderful. We should welcome people. We should want every person to encounter Jesus Christ in the Eucharist and hear the truth of His Gospel. But then what? What happens after the welcome? What happens after the prayers, the readings, the homily, and the final blessing? Are we inviting people to encounter the living God who calls every human being to conversion, or are we creating a religious atmosphere in which everybody is reassured that nothing in their lives ever needs to change? Are we preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ, or are we reducing Christianity to a message of affirmation in which the only thing that matters is that everyone feels accepted? Because those are two very different things, and Catholics have every right to ask which one is actually being proclaimed. A welcome without the truth can become empty sentimentality. Acceptance without conversion can become spiritual complacency. And a church that is so afraid of offending people that it refuses to speak about sin, repentance, and holiness has misunderstood what Christian charity actually means. Jesus did not come into the world merely to tell sinners that they were already fine exactly as they were. He came to save sinners from sin. He welcomed sinners, ate with sinners, showed mercy to sinners, and called sinners to repentance. Those things are not contradictory. They belong together.
Now, regarding homosexuality and sexual morality, let us be precise, because Catholics should know what the Church actually teaches instead of throwing around accusations and slogans. The Catholic Church teaches that every person, including every person who experiences same-sex attraction, must be treated with respect, compassion, and sensitivity. No one should suffer unjust discrimination or hatred because of their sexual orientation. At the same time, the Church teaches that sexual activity belongs within marriage between a man and a woman, and that sexual acts between persons of the same sex cannot be morally approved. That is the Church’s teaching, whether people like it or not. You do not have to agree with it, but you cannot honestly claim to be presenting Catholic teaching while deliberately pretending that it does not exist. And here is the question I would ask Ateneo, its Jesuit leadership, and whoever is responsible for organizing this event: will that Catholic moral teaching be presented faithfully? Will the homily remind people that God’s love is not permission to disregard His commandments? Will it explain that every one of us is called to chastity according to our state in life? Will it speak about repentance, grace, the struggle against sin, and the call to holiness? Or will the entire event focus on welcome and affirmation while leaving the difficult but essential questions of Christian discipleship conveniently untouched? I am asking questions here, because the poster alone does not tell us what the priest will preach or what the organizers intend to communicate beyond the invitation itself. But these are legitimate questions, especially when an event is being held at a Catholic university and celebrated in a Catholic chapel.
And please, spare me the argument that asking these questions automatically means someone hates gay people. That is not an argument; it is an attempt to shut down the discussion before it even begins. A Catholic can oppose unjust treatment of homosexual persons while maintaining the Church’s teaching on sexual morality. A Catholic can defend the dignity of every human being without pretending that every human action is morally acceptable. We do this with every other area of morality. We tell heterosexual couples that sex outside marriage is sinful. We tell married couples that adultery is sinful. We tell people that pornography, fornication, and other forms of sexual immorality are incompatible with the life of grace. We do not suddenly abandon Christian moral teaching because someone finds it uncomfortable. So why should the Church act as though the subject becomes untouchable the moment homosexuality enters the conversation? If the Church genuinely loves people, then it must be willing to proclaim the same moral truth to everyone, without cruelty, without favoritism, and without changing the message to satisfy the expectations of the surrounding culture. The standard of Christian morality is not determined by which sins are socially acceptable, which sins are politically controversial, or which sins might generate criticism on social media. The standard is the truth revealed by God and faithfully taught by His Church.
So here is my position, plain and simple: welcome everyone, but do not water down the Gospel to make the welcome more comfortable. Invite everyone to the Church, but do not pretend that entering the Church means the end of conversion. Treat every person with dignity, but do not confuse human dignity with the moral approval of every sexual act. Preach mercy, but preach repentance too. Preach God’s love, but do not omit His commandments. Preach forgiveness, but do not pretend there is nothing to be forgiven. These principles apply to every Catholic, whether heterosexual or homosexual, married or unmarried, publicly religious or struggling with faith. Nobody is above the call to holiness, and nobody is beyond the reach of God’s mercy.
The Catholic Church is not supposed to be a place where sinners are told to stay away until they become saints. It is a place where sinners encounter Christ and are called, by His grace, to become saints. That is the entire point. We come to Mass because we need God, not because God exists to validate everything we already believe or do. We approach the altar with humility because the Eucharist is a gift, not an entitlement. And we leave Mass with a responsibility to live according to the faith we profess. If this “Mass of Welcome” genuinely helps people encounter Jesus Christ, hear the Gospel, and grow in holiness, then that is something worth praying for. But if anyone uses the occasion to suggest that Catholic doctrine on sexual morality is outdated, irrelevant, or something the Church should quietly abandon, then Catholics have every reason to object and to ask for clarification. The mission of the Church is not to make the world comfortable with every teaching it dislikes. The mission of the Church is to bring the world to Jesus Christ. And Jesus Christ does not save us by telling us that sin does not matter. He saves us by calling us out of sin, forgiving us when we repent, strengthening us through His grace, and leading us toward eternal life. That is the Gospel. That is the Catholic faith. And that is the standard every Catholic institution should be willing to proclaim, even when proclaiming it is unpopular.
So sad, this plague of 'victimhood', and such a gross misunderstanding (rejection?!) of the Savior's gift in having saved all of us from such a plague.