Day 6: Jesus dies on the cross
The Crucifixion of Christ
A queer version of Christ’s Passion is running in daily installments this week from Palm Sunday through Easter. Each daily post features a queer Christian painting and an excerpt from the novel Jesus in Love: At the Cross by Kittredge Cherry.
I looked at John. His sorrow affirmed his love for me. Grief caused him to tighten his gnarled fingers into fists, screw up his wrinkled face, and raise those dark, wistful eyes toward heaven. I longed to comfort him and remind him of the new relationship I foresaw between us, something like my marriage to the Holy Spirit. I couldn’t say much, so I chose simple statements.
I fixed my eyes on Mom until I was sure that she and John both saw me looking at her. Then I nodded my head a little to indicate John and called out, “Woman, here is your son.”
To John I cried, “Here is your mother.” I hoped that he would understand the nuance behind my words. I wasn’t leaving them alone. We were a new kind of family.
“Yes, we’ll take care of each other,” Mom shouted to me.
Satan’s chilling laugh cut her off. “Not likely! Not tonight!”
… The next time that I looked down from the cross to Golgotha… My divine heart bled for them and for all human souls tangled across time. The rosy light flared out from my heart, so intense that it seemed like darkness to some.
My breath was sputtering out.
“It is finished,” I sighed.
(Please come back tomorrow for the next daily installment in the Holy Week/Easter series at the Jesus in Love Blog.)
The Crucifixion of Christ
A queer version of Christ’s Passion is running in daily installments this week from Palm Sunday through Easter. Each daily post features a queer Christian painting and an excerpt from the novel Jesus in Love: At the Cross by Kittredge Cherry.
I looked at John. His sorrow affirmed his love for me. Grief caused him to tighten his gnarled fingers into fists, screw up his wrinkled face, and raise those dark, wistful eyes toward heaven. I longed to comfort him and remind him of the new relationship I foresaw between us, something like my marriage to the Holy Spirit. I couldn’t say much, so I chose simple statements.
I fixed my eyes on Mom until I was sure that she and John both saw me looking at her. Then I nodded my head a little to indicate John and called out, “Woman, here is your son.”
To John I cried, “Here is your mother.” I hoped that he would understand the nuance behind my words. I wasn’t leaving them alone. We were a new kind of family.
“Yes, we’ll take care of each other,” Mom shouted to me.
Satan’s chilling laugh cut her off. “Not likely! Not tonight!”
… The next time that I looked down from the cross to Golgotha… My divine heart bled for them and for all human souls tangled across time. The rosy light flared out from my heart, so intense that it seemed like darkness to some.
My breath was sputtering out.
“It is finished,” I sighed.
(Please come back tomorrow for the next daily installment in the Holy Week/Easter series at the Jesus in Love Blog.)
People are continuing to attack this Gay Holy Week series at care2.com. There are now 67 comments.
ReplyDeleteI was feeling discouraged by reading so many comment from people who called me and my work “ignorant… have pity of her,” “asinine,” “a tragedy and a recrucifixion of our precious Lord and Savior,” “absurd,” “abomination to God,” “offended,” “outrageous,” “I can't imagine anything more far fetched, and disrespectful,” “warped,” “sacrilege” “abhorrent,” “rubbish,” “ridiculous,” “the doing of unresponsible and low self esteem,” “shame,” “totally sick and twisted. The devil's workshop,” “sick, gross and utterly disgusting,” “way beyond decency,” “just another very sad and sorry individual trying to make news,” and predicting that I “will be damned on Judgment Day.”
I went to Jesus in prayer, and he seemed to say to me, “You WANTED to walk my path…” On this Good Friday, I remember that he also faced hateful opposition from religious people, and paid the ultimate price. This is the way of the Cross, the way of Christ.
It also helps a lot to hear from supporters who have left positive comments and sent me emails. God bless you.
FYI: Here's the link to the debate:
http://www.care2.com/causes/civil-rights/blog/lesbian-author-re-writes-the-crucifixion-makes-jesus-gay/
I've long felt the power of this Becki Jayne Harrelson painting. 'Faggot" above Jesus on the Cross is so amazing to see in real life!!
ReplyDeleteI'm hoping that a gay or lesbian centered church will someday buy this incredible painting of Becki Jayne's and hang it above the altar or in a side devotional chapel.
Jesus' suffering was at the hands of RELIGIOUS AUTHORITIES! Remember how he attacked the priests, the scribes and Pharisees!
"You snakes and vipers too you whitened sepulcres." My favorite verses are when Jesus gets tough on the religious right of his day!
He was a man of the people, not a man of the church of that day-- the Temple. He thought ignoring the outcast was the sin, preventing people from knowing god was a sin.
Every right wing lesbian and gay hater who says this stuff, is making Jesus mad!
This is a great blog. Easter is so powerful just looking at this art. I feel Jesus "gets it" when I look at "Faggot Christ!"