Francis of Assisi’s queer side revealed

Historical records reveal a queer side to Saint Francis of Assisi, one of the most beloved religious figures of all time. The 13th-century friar is celebrated for loving animals, hugging lepers, and praying for peace, but few know about his love for another man and his gender nonconformity. His feast day is today (Oct. 4).

For a new version of this article, click this link to Qspirit.net:
Francis of Assisi: Queer side revealed for saint who loved creation, peace and the poor


Francis is “a uniquely gender-bending historic figure” according to Franciscan scholar Kevin Elphick He has spent years researching the queer side of Saint Francis, including travel to to the Italian town of Assisi. There he photographed artwork depicting the man he believes may have been the saint’s beloved soulmate: Brother Elias of Cortona.

Brother Elias (center) at the Baptismal font where St. Francis was christened in the Cathedral of San Rufino in Assisi, Italy. (Photo by Kevin Elphick)

When Francis (1181-1226) was a young man, he had an unnamed male companion whom he dearly loved -- and who was written out of history after the first biography. Other Franciscan friars referred to Francis as “Mother” during his lifetime. He encouraged his friars to be mothers to each other when in hermitage together, and used other gender-bending metaphors to describe the spiritual life. He experienced a vision of an all-female Trinity, who in turn saluted him as “Lady Poverty,” a title that he welcomed.

The earliest companion of Francis, a man whom Francis “loved more than any other because he was the same age” and because of “the great familiarity of their mutual affection” remains nameless. Elphick's research suggests that the unnamed soulmate of Saint Francis was Brother Elias of Cortona. Francis called Elias “Mother” and gave him a special blessing. Elias expressed much concern about Francis’ body and his health. Francis and Elias each describe the other in affectionate terms. However, very quickly after Francis died, Elias is written out of history and discredited. Elphick presents the scholarly evidence about their relationship in the detailed article at the Jesus in Love Blog: “Brother Elias: Soulmate to Saint Francis of Assisi?”

Lady Jacoba
also known as
Brother Jacoba
(See full image below)

Francis allowed a widow to enter the male-only cloister, naming her “Brother Jacoba.” (Details about Jacoba are at the end of this article.) His partner in ministry was a woman, Clare of Assisi, and he cut her hair in a man’s tonsured style when she joined his male-only religious order.

Early evidence of these and other ways that Francis crossed gender boundaries are gathered in the ground-breaking unpublished master’s thesis “Gender Liminality in the Franciscan Sources” by Elphick, who is both a Franciscan scholar and a supervisor on a suicide prevention hotline in New York. He wrote the thesis for a master’s degree in Franciscan studies from St. Bonaventure University in New York.

Francis’ love for another man is described in his earliest biography, The First Life of St Francis of Assisi by Thomas of Celano, a follower of Francis who knew him personally. The biography was completed by 1230, just four years after Francis died. Celano says that when Francis was in his 20s, before embracing a life of poverty, he dearly loved a special male friend:

“Now there was a man in the city of Assisi whom Francis loved more than any other, and since they were of the same age and their constant association and ties of affection emboldened Francis to share his secret with him, he would often take this friend off to secluded spots where they could discuss private matters and tell him that he had chanced upon a great and precious treasure. His friend was delighted and, intrigued by what he had heard, he gladly accompanied Francis wherever he asked. There was a cave near Assisi where the two friends often went to talk about this treasure.”

In his thesis, Elphick points out, “Because homosexuality and ‘gay’ identities are modern constructs, it is impossible and inaccurate to attempt to read these modern categories into the personalities of historical figures.” Instead he uses the word “homoaffectional” to describe the relationship of Francis and his beloved companion.

“The relationship is inescapably homoaffectional, describing a shared intimacy between two Medieval men. That this first companion disappears from the later tradition is cause for suspicion and further inquiry.... The tone in Celano’s earliest account captures the flavor and intimacy of this relationship, perhaps too much so for an increasingly homophobic church and society.”

Francis and his beloved friend are seldom depicted by artists, but they are shown together in the rare and hard-to-find image above: “They shelter in a cave” (Se cobijan en una cueva) by Spanish painter José Benlliure y Gil. It is the 8th in his series of 74 images from the life of Saint Francis. The series was published by Franciscans in Valencia, Spain, in 1926 in a book to mark the 700th anniversary of the saint’s death. A commentary in Spanish about the picture is available online.

Elphick finds many more examples of what he calls “gender liminality” in historical documents on Francis. He defines liminality as “crossing the threshold of gender, either symbolically, or by actions within a person’s life that breach the social boundaries of gender.”

Francis was born to a wealthy Italian family in 1181 or 1182. As a young man he renounced his wealth, even stripping off his clothes, and devoted himself to a life of poverty in the service of Christ. He connected with nature, calling all animals “brother” and “sister” and celebrating them in his famous Canticle of the Sun.

“St. Francis ‘Neath the Bitter Tree”
By William Hart McNichols ©

He saw the face of Christ in lepers, the most reviled outcasts of his time, and nursed them with compassion.  William Hart McNichols puts Francis’ ministry into a contemporary context by showing him embracing a gay Jesus with AIDS in “St. Francis ‘Neath the Bitter Tree,” pictured here. Words on the cross proclaim that Christ is an “AIDS leper” as well as a “drug user” and “homosexual,” outcast groups at high risk for getting AIDS. The two men gaze intently at each other with unspeakable love as Francis hugs the wounded Christ. It was commissioned in 1991 by a New Jersey doctor who worked with AIDS patients, and is discussed in the book Art That Dares: Gay Jesus, Woman Christ, and More by Kittredge Cherry.

McNichols created the icon in his own style based on a 1668 painting by Spanish painter Bartolome Esteban Murillo, which was surely inspired by the more passionate 1620 version of fellow Spaniard Francisco Ribalta. In Ribalta’s work (pictured below), Christ responds to St. Francis’ ecstatic kiss by giving the saint his crown of thorns, the symbol of suffering that leads to divine union.

“Saint Francis Embracing Christ” by Francisco Ribalta (Wikimedia Commons)

“St. Francis and the Sultan”
by Brother Robert Lentz, trinitstores.com

A famous peace prayer is attributed to St. Francis. It begins, “God, make me an instrument of your peace.” Late in his life Francis embodied this message through man-to-man Christian-Muslim dialogue in the Mideast, a region where people are still at war.

In 1219 Francis went to Damietta, Egypt, with the European armies during the Fifth Crusade. He hoped to discuss religion peacefully with the Muslims. He tried to prevent Crusaders from attacking Muslims at the Battle of Damietta, but he failed. Francis was captured and taken to the sultan Malek al-Kamil. At first they tried to convert each other, but each man soon recognized that the other already knew and loved God. They remained together, discussing spirituality, for about three weeks between Sept. 1 and Sept. 26. Robert Lentz celebrates their meeting as a model of interfaith dialogue in the icon “St. Francis and the Sultan,” pictured here.

“St Francis of Assisi Receiving the Stigmata”
by Kevin Raye Larson © 1991

In 1224, when Francis was in his 40s, he received the stigmata -- marks like the crucifixion wounds of Christ in his hands, feet and side. California artist Kevin Raye Larson emphasizes the sensuality of the ecstatic moment in “St Francis of Assisi Receiving the Stigmata,” pictured here. The painting has appeared on the cover of the spirituality issue of “Frontiers,” the Los Angeles gay lifestyle magazine.

Along with the stigmata came other health problems. When Francis sensed death approaching, he called for Jacoba de Settesoli, a Roman noblewoman devoted to him and his teachings. Francis stayed in her house when in Rome.  Celano’s 13th-century account in the “Treatise on the Miracles of Blessed Francis” reports that Francis greeted the news of her arrival at the male-only cloister with a decidedly queer statement that breaks gender rules::

“Blessed be God, who has guided the Lady Jacoba, our brother, to us. Open the door and bring her in, for our Brother Jacoba does not have to observe the decree against women.”

The widow called “Brother Jacoba” by Francis kneels near the dying Francis of Assisi in “48. Jacoba of Settesoli is associated with the mourning” (Jacoba de Settesoli se asocia al duelo) by José Benlliure y Gil, 1926 (Wikimedia Commons)

Francis died a few days later on Oct. 3, 1226. Two years after Francis’ death, Pope Gregory IX declared him a saint and commissioned Celano’s biography, the one that includes the love between Francis and his male companion.

Elphick adds an intriguing footnote about how the queer side of Francis has manifested outside official Christianity. Francis is venerated in the Yoruba religion of Africa as Orunmila, the orisha of wisdom, patron of animals and a transgendered deity who engages in same-sex eroticism.

At the end of his thesis, Elphick concludes that breaking gender rules is an extraordinary God-given power or “charism” that Franciscans offer to the church and the world.

“What are the lives of figures like Mother Francis, Brother Jacoba and Mother Juana de la Cruz revealing to us in our own day? I think that the Franciscan charism of gender liminality has much to teach our Church and fellow community of humans in our day. In a church divided over issues of ordination of women, inclusive language, and sexual orientation, I believe that the Franciscan tradition has important figures to hold up and from whom to learn. For issues which we have not even yet begun to explore theologically in authentic ways, issues such as hermaphroditism, transsexuality, genderedness and sexual orientation, I believe the Franciscan voice can be prophetic.”

“Saint Francis in Ecstasy” by Caravaggio (Wikimedia Commons)

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Related links:
"The Message of St. Francis" by Kevin C. A. Elphick (The Empty Closet)

To read this post in Spanish / en español, go to Santos Queer:
San Francisco de Asís: La evidencia histórica revela su lado gay

Animal blessing events are happening all over the world this month for the Feast of St. Francis, the patron saint of animals. Click here for animal blessing prayer by Kittredge Cherry.

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Top image credit: Francis of Assisi and the man he loved in “They Shelter in a Cave” by José ___Benlliure y Gil, 1926 (Wikimedia Commons)

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This post is part of the LGBTQ Saints series by Kittredge Cherry. Traditional and alternative saints, people in the Bible, LGBTQ martyrs, authors, theologians, religious leaders, artists, deities and other figures of special interest to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender and queer (LGBTQ) people and our allies are covered.

Copyright © Kittredge Cherry. All rights reserved.
Qspirit.net presents the Jesus in Love Blog on LGBTQ spirituality.

Innovative icons of St. Francis and many others are available on cards, plaques, T-shirts, mugs, candles, mugs, and more at Trinity Stores

Blessed John of La Verna: Kissed by Jesus

Blessed John of La Verna is a medieval Italian friar known for his visions of kissing and being kissed by Jesus. His feast day is today (Aug. 9). John also had an intense relationship with fellow friar and poet Jacopone da Todi.

Traditional writers have done “gender gymnastics” to hide the homoerotic content of John’s experiences, but Franciscan scholar Kevin Elphick proposes Blessed John as a queer saint in the following article written for the Jesus in Love Blog.

Elphick’s research included a trip in summer 2014 to John’s chapel, hermitage and tomb at Mount La Verna in central Italy. He ends his article with a vivid personal Postscript describing what happened when he visited Mount La Verna and touched the ground where John and Jesus embraced.

A stone wall surrounds the place where Jesus and John embraced in front of a chapel on Mount La Verna (Photo by Kevin Elphick)

Blessed John of La Verna

By Kevin Elphick

Hidden in musty libraries and on the sagging shelves of convents and monasteries are countless lives of the saints and blessed, gathering dust, and in many cases forgotten. With thousands of lives of the saints in existence, it is inevitable that some of these are our stories, the stories of LGBTQ saints and blesseds throughout the ages. One of the purposes of the genre of saints’ lives, “hagiographies,” is to ensure that the contemporary faithful might find examples from the past with which to identify, and personally recognizable models of sanctity to emulate. As such, the time is overdue for the LGBTQ communities to name and claim our patron saints.

One such candidate is Blessed John of La Verna (also called Giovanni della Verna, Blessed John of Fermo and Giovanni da Fermo), a Franciscan friar who lived in Italy from 1259-1322 C.E. While “gay” and “lesbian” are contemporary categories and not appropriate to use as accurate labels of historical figures,  still our collective gaydar is often attuned enough to detect our kinfolk and LGBTQ ancestors even across the centuries. John of La Verna is one such figure that should attract our attention.

Blessed John is unique in that the tradition describes him as “another Mary Magdalene…” and is heavily dependent upon multiple female metaphors to capture his spirituality and personality. Given that he joined all-male communities of religious, beginning as a child at 10 years of age, it is little wonder that his psychosexual development might be effected accordingly.

John of La Verna is introduced in the classic work of Italian literature, The Little Flowers of St. Francis (Fioretti di San Francesco), a book which continues to be well-known and commonly used even today in the schools of Italy. Its author unknown, this work has described as "the most exquisite expression of the religious life of the Middle Ages"[1]and for much of history has been the most popular life of St. Francis, in spite of the lateness of its authorship and its lack of historicity as a genuine source for the historical St. Francis. The stories of Blessed John are the final chapters of “The Little Flowers” (the “Fioretti”) and paint the culminating picture of early Franciscan spirituality and personalities for its author. As such, John is a pivotal and defining figure in this book. He is named John of La Verna because he lived with the Franciscan friars on Mount La Verna, the sacred mountain where St. Francis of Assisi had received the wounds of Christ as stigmata in a mystical vision.  (The same mountain is called Alverna in Latin and is geographically known as Monte Penna.)

While meditating under a beech tree at La Verna, John had a vision of kissing and being kissed by Christ.  The biographer Ermenegildo Da Chitignano places the apparition sometime before the visit of the Roman Emperor, Henry VII, to Alverna and Bl. John in 1312, following his coronation in Rome.  Much later, after the beech tree fell, a small chapel was built there.  It is known as the Chapel of the Beech (Cappella del Faggio).  The courtyard in front of the chapel is surrounded by a low stone wall with an inscription explaining that it encloses the place where John and Christ spent time together.

The inscription on the wall around the courtyard where Jesus and John embraced says, “This is the oratory of Blessed John of La Verna where he conversed (spend time) with Christ our Lord. There are 200 days indulgence.” In the old system of indulgences, a devout visit to the chapel was said to remove 200 days from the visitor's time in purgatory. (Photo by Kevin Elphick. Thanks to Marco Wooster for translation help!)

Blessed John is described in the Fioretti as one of the spiritual sons of St. Francis, who because of his great wisdom, is the “glory of such a great Father.”[2] After a brief biographical introduction covering John’s childhood, a defining episode from John’s adult life as a friar is recounted. This incident is set in the context of a period of a "dark night of the soul" for Blessed John. Following upon a three-year period of honeymoon-like intimacy, God withdrew the former palpable presence. Prior to this withdrawal, John had enjoyed "the mystical kisses and intense embraces of Christ's love, not only in interior spiritual graces, but also in exterior signs, as with an intimate friend."  

In keeping with the Franciscan tradition, the author uses the language of bridal mysticism to describe John’s relationship with Jesus, so that the language of romance and physical intimacy serves as a metaphor for human union with the Divine. Perhaps anticipating discomfort from an audience reading of even metaphorical intimacy between males, the author engages in a sort of gender-gymnastics, the back and forth volley of which serves to off-balance the reader as to the given genders of Jesus and John. At various moments, they are each, independently re-gendered as female. Explaining Christ’s withdrawal from John in a dark night of the soul, the author compares Jesus to a mother temporarily withholding food:

"But He was acting like a mother with her baby when she withdraws her breast from him to make him drink the milk more eagerly, and he cries and seeks it, and after he has cried, she hugs and kisses him and lets him enjoy it all the more. So Brother John followed Christ ... with greater fervor and desire, weeping like a baby following its mother..."

Alternately Blessed John is likened to Mary Magdalene, weeping at the feet of Jesus.

 “Blessed John poured out so many tears, that he seemed to be another Magdalene… lying at the feet of Jesus most sweet, he received so much grace that he was totally renewed, and like Magdalene, consoled and at peace.” 

In addition to Mary Magdalene, the author of the Fioretti recasts John as the maiden of the biblical book, the Song of Songs. This book of the Bible celebrates an erotic intimacy between a woman and her male beloved, and is typically interpreted as an extended metaphor of the human and divine romance. Where the Fioretti describes Christ’s withdrawal from John, it uses the language of the Song of Songs and the person of the Song’s maiden to describe John’s resultant pursuit of him:

 "... when his soul did not feel the presence of his Beloved, in his anguish and torment he went through the woods, running here and there, seeking and calling aloud with tears and sighs for his dear Friend who had recently abandoned him and hidden..." 

Compare this with the maiden of the Song of Songs:

"I sought him whom my soul loves;
I sought him but found him not;
I called him, but he gave no answer.
I will rise now and go about the city,
in the streets and in the squares;
I will seek him whom my soul loves.
I sought him, but found him not."
(Song 3: 1-2, RSV) 

For the author of the Fioretti, Christ is "the beloved Spouse of his [John's] soul." In turn, John's female transformation is so complete, that without Christ the Bridegroom, the Fioretti has him declare: "Without you I am sterile... " 

Jesus embraces Blessed John at the beech tree in a 1521 painting by Aretino Intorno, located in the Chapel of Adoration at Mount La Verna

When Christ finally does appear to Blessed John, the Fioretti uses St. Bernard of Clairvaux’s commentary on the Song of Songs to explain the stages of intimacy which John will enjoy. First a kiss to Christ's feet in a movement of penitence. Secondly there is a kiss to Christ's hands, signifying the "grace to live a good life." "The second is given to those who are making progress." (Sermon 4, 1.1) Finally, there is the third kiss, a kiss of his mouth. The kiss of the mouth is contemplative union with God toward which all should strive. "O happy kiss...which is... the union of God with [hu]man." (Sermon 2, II., 3) As an aside, it is worth noting that for Bernard, this unitive “Kiss” is ultimately a participation in the loving “Kiss” of the First and Second Persons of the Trinity, who we know as the Holy Spirit.

The Fioretti’s dependence on St. Bernard’s commentary is explicit, as the earliest manuscript reads: “if anyone wishes to know this, read Bernard on the Song of Songs, who puts these stages there according to their order: namely, the beginners at the feet, those making progress at the hands, and the perfect at the kiss and embrace.” [3]And so the Fioretti has John excelling through these stages:

 “For he immediately threw himself down at Christ's feet, and the Savior showed him his blessed feet, over which Brother John wept … Now while Brother John was praying fervently, lying at Christ's feet, he received so much grace that he felt completely renewed and pacified and consoled, like Magdalene... he began to give thanks to God and humbly kiss the Savior's feet.” 

Following Bernard's stages, Brother John next kisses the hands of Jesus: 

"Christ held out His most holy hands and opened them for him to kiss. And while He opened them, Brother John arose and kissed His hands."

However, the author of the Fioretti deviates from Bernard’s stages, seemingly modifying them slightly for an encounter between the male Jesus and the male friar. Instead of Bernard’s stage-specific “kiss of the mouth,” it is toned down to a kiss of Christ’s chest:

"And when he had kissed them [Christ's hands], he came closer and leaned against the breast of Christ, and he embraced Jesus and kissed His holy bosom. And Christ likewise embraced and kissed him." 

While there is explicit textual dependence on the Song of Songs and Bernard’s commentary on it, our author appears reluctant to paint the verbal image of Christ and John kissing mouth to mouth, content instead to modify the stages with a modest and reverential kiss to the breast of Christ. Franciscan tradition may have influenced this use of the image of kissing the breast as perhaps  a greater intimacy—Clare had dreamed of nursing at Francis’ breast and St. Angela of Foligno in ecstasy kissed Christ’s breast—but it is more likely that our author was reticent to portray John and Jesus mouth to mouth in a kiss. With the backdrop of John as Mary Magdalene and Christ as a nursing mother, the reader might be understandably confused and distracted, but not so much so that two men kissing would escape their Medieval scrutiny.

Still, we are left with clear physical intimacy between John and Jesus. What is described here is not intended as metaphor or solely figurative stages, but an actual apparition of the bodily Christ to Blessed John. Where the apparition took place, Mount La Verna in Italy, a chapel and fenced courtyard mark the physical site where Christ appeared and embraced John. The author intends that the reader understands  as fact that John and Jesus kissed, embraced, and became progressively more intimate in this holy place.

Unique to the Franciscan tradition is a practice of redirecting “fleshly” interests from earthly objects and instead to the incarnate flesh of Jesus. If the human inclination is to be enticed by human flesh, the Franciscan tradition responds by exploiting this inclination and instead pointing it toward the God made flesh. The Franciscan meditative book, Stimulus Amoris, written in Italy during John’s lifetime, expresses this best. Writing from the perspective of God the Father it explains:

“It was necessary therefore, because the soul had become too enamoured of the flesh, for my Son to become enfleshed so as to entice it to his and my love.”[4] 

Divinity was hidden under flesh so that our propensity toward flesh might be exploited. Again the Stimulus Amoris:

“If, therefore, O soul, you love flesh, then love no flesh but the flesh of Christ.”[5] 

Kissing the flesh of Christ, John of La Verna is a perfect exemplar of this tradition. His kisses effectively move him upward from the feet of Christ in order to experience increasing intimacy with God, from his feet, then to his hands, further up yet to the very breast of the Savior.

While our author of the Fioretti appears to fail to reproduce Bernard’s prescribed “kiss of the mouth,” he clearly is comfortable with the image of John kissing the body of Jesus, feet, hands, and breast, and the two embracing. Equally, John’s community of friars at Mount La Verna, is not only comfortable with this image, they enshrined it in a chapel and fenced yard preserving the memory, as well as depicting it in paintings of the sacred event. And perhaps in the end the author of the Fioretti was faithful to St. Bernard’s required “kiss of the mouth,” for the apparition concludes with Christ responding to John’s physicality as Christ himself “embraced and kissed” John in return. It is left to the reader’s imagination to envision how Jesus kissed John in return. But it would be fully in keeping with Bernard’s theology that this beatific “kiss of the mouth” is the initiative of God, not the human. Our author would then be seen as pointing the reader’s imagination in this intended direction, but blushfully failing to paint it fully in words, only hinting in veiled reference to this erotic theophany.

Jacopone da Todi
in a fresco
by Paolo Uccello

A final snapshot rounds out the picture of Blessed John of La Verna: his friendship with his fellow Franciscan friar and poet, Jacopone da Todi (1230 –1306). Jacopone’s writings, his Lauds, are considered “the most powerful religious poetry in Italy before Dante’s time.”[6] He too experienced a spiritual marriage to Christ, and has much affinity with John’s mystical experiences. His 63^rd Laud is written specifically to Brother John and intended to console him during his dark night of the soul. Within Jacopone’s highly emotive writings, this poem of consolation to Blessed John is considered “one of the most moving pages of the Lauds.”[7]  In it, Jacopone sympathizes with John’s spiritual aridity and reminds him that “it is a great thing to be filled with God… wedded to reverence.”[8]

Jacopone’s Lauds are filled with images of Christ as the one true Spouse for humanity, which in turn is his Bride. The shared spiritual vision of Jacopone and John is evident.  As fellow friars, they knew each other as brothers. The depth of their relationship is revealed on Jacopone’s deathbed, when he summoned John of La Verna to travel from a distance to his side. Jacopone refused to die until consoled by John’s presence one last time.  It was Christmas Eve, and he clung to life until Blessed John arrived, finally expiring only after Blessed John gave Eucharist to him, communicating to him the flesh of their shared Bridegroom, as Jacopone passed over to the eternal wedding feast. Jacopone trusted only Blessed John to deliver him safely into the embrace of their Beloved.

After many years devoted to contemplation at La Verna, John spent his later years preaching in Florence, Pisa, Siena and other Italian towns.  He died at Mount La Verna at age 63 on Aug. 9, 1322.

By his example, John of La Verna urges us also to enter into the same embrace of Jesus our true Spouse. He teaches us that the flesh of Christ is sure refuge, and physical intimacy with Christ certain salvation. He recalls for us the maxim that “The flesh is the hinge of salvation.”[9] Blessed John of La Verna clung to the flesh of Jesus and kissed his holy body, knowing it to be his salvation. He enjoyed the touch of Jesus upon his own flesh and the warm embrace of the Savior. Like Mary Magdalene with whom he is compared, John kissed the sacred feet of his Savior. But in contrast to the Magdalene, Jesus did not say to him “Touch me not.” (John 20:17 KJV) Instead, John finds in Jesus a responsive Lover who “likewise embraced and kissed him” in return. In John of La Verna we find an erotic spirituality healthily directed by a male devotee toward a fully human male Jesus. And this literary and Franciscan tradition not only tolerates John of La Verna’s homoerotic mysticism, it presents it as paradigmatic and exemplary. Let us also celebrate John’s erotic spirituality and imitate his passionate kisses and embraces. For our LGBTQ communities, John of La Verna is already a patron saint and model for own spiritual journeys. In him we have heard our own stories and now travel similarly wooded paths toward our own encounter with the Divine Beloved.

Postscript: My trip to 
Blessed John’s mountain in Italy

By Kevin Elphick

In June of 2014, I had the privilege to visit Mount La Verna with a pilgrim group. While St. Francis and his stigmata were the central focus of La Verna, I was keenly conscious that this holy mountain had also been Blessed John’s home, along with his community of brother friars. I wanted to visit John’s sepulchre, his chapel, and his hermitage, and to know something of the wildness of Mount La Verna that had contributed to John’s earthy spirituality.

Tomb of Blessed John of La Verna (Wikipedia.org)

At the Sanctuary of La Verna, the sepulchre of Blessed John is found just to the left, inside the Basilica. There, with the interior darkened, I approached and knelt to pray, placing my hand upon his sepulchre. I had brought along with me small religious medals to touch to the sepulchre, so that I could later share these with friends as relics, touched to his blessed resting place. A Franciscan friar, Fr. Mario, sat nearby in a confessional, agreeing to bless these medals only after I hesitantly entered the penitent’s side. He invoked a lengthy prayer in Italian, made the sign of the cross (which I imitated, touching my forehead, shoulders and chest), followed by my profuse thanks to him in English.

From the Basilica, I climbed further up the mountain, eventually reaching the Chapel of Blessed John, with its low, fenced courtyard protecting the sacred space where Jesus and John had embraced. On a nearby path, a group of exuberant schoolchildren were led past on an outing, flags carried at the beginning and end of their line. I found the chapel door closed and secured with a rusty lock, so I was content to pay reverence by solely kissing the lintel of the door. Turning to the courtyard, I knelt and touched the ground. I removed the cross from about my neck and placed it on the soil, hoping that it would touch the same spot where Jesus and John had stood, venerating the ground on which they walked. After some time spent reflecting on their profound love, I rose and continued further up Mount La Verna.

Hermitage where Blessed John lived (photo by Kevin Elphick)

I found myself especially drawn to his hermitage, perched higher on the mountainside, but surrounded by steep, craggy rocks, and plunging precipices. I was reminded of the verse from the Song of Songs:

“O my dove, hiding in the clefts of the rock,
in the hiding places on the mountainside,
show me your face, let me hear your voice;
for your voice is sweet, and your face lovely.” (2:14)

 John had been that beautiful dove, hidden away in this mountaintop hermitage, accessible only to his Beloved. With steep terrain surrounding his hermitage, I could only touch one side of the building, able to peer in just one window. I was increasingly convinced that the hermitage’s inaccessibility was intentional, so that John might be alone with his Beloved:

 “I charge you O daughters of Jerusalem…
do not disturb or awaken my Love
until he pleases.” (2:7)

 I could draw only this close, only this near. I knew that just beyond, together they rested, scarcely visible, not to be disturbed from their shared connubial rest. Quietly I pressed my hand to the hermitage’s stone wall ‘til my breathing slowed to their same pace, and together we sighed as these Lovers nestled, pulling their bodies closer in satiated contentment. Sanctity was palpable here, like a mist which begets dewfall.

As I walked away, a slight glimmer caught my eye, something small nestled in a rock outcropping, delicate and fashioned. Looking closer, I discovered the smallest of crèches-- just the Babe in a manger, accompanied solely by a calf-- nothing more. An act of devotion by another pilgrim, left to honor the memory of Jesus and John. And nothing could have been more fitting. For when that Babe was born, heaven and earth were wedded. The human and the Divine were betrothed. Jesus was already on his way to meet Blessed John. And I had found what I sought at La Verna.

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[1]
                        [1] "Fioretti di San Francesco d'Assisi". Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. 1913.

[2]
                        [2] Quotations from the Fioretti are taken from The Little Flowers of St. Francis, trans. Raphael Brown (NY: Image Books, 1958) and Francis of Assisi: Early Documents: the Prophet (NY: New City Press, 2001). The latter is the more definitive resource for accuracy of translation and manuscript tradition.

[3]
                        [3] Early Documents, p. 533.

[4]
                        [4] Love's Prompting and Canticle of One who is Poor for the Beloved (Phoenix, AZ: Tau Publishing, 2013), p. 38.

[5]
                        [5] Stimulus Divini Amoris: That is The Goad of Divine Love (NY: Benziger Brothers, 1907),  p. 3. Love’s Prompting and The Goad of Divine Love, although differently named, are both English renderings of the Stimulus Amoris.

[6]
                        [6] Jacopone da Todi: The Lauds, NY: Paulist Press, 1982. p. xix.

[7]
                        [7] Ibid. p. 59.

[8]
                        [8] Ibid. p. 193.

[9]
                        [9] “Caro cardo salutis.” Tertullian, De resurrectione carnis, VIII.

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Kevin Elphick

Kevin Elphick is both a Franciscan scholar and a supervisor on a suicide prevention hotline in New York. He wrote a thesis on “Gender Liminality in the Franciscan Sources” for a master’s degree in Franciscan studies from St. Bonaventure University in New York. Elphick also has a master's degree in Religious Studies from Mundelein College in Chicago and a Doctorate in Ministry from Graduate Theological Foundation with a focus in ecumenism. He writes regularly for the Jesus in Love Blog about queer Franciscan subjects, including Francis of Assisi and Madre Juana de la Cruz. Elphick joined the Sisters of St. Francis in New York as a lay associate on Aug. 17, 2014.
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Related links:

John of La Verna (Wikipedia.org)

Blessed John of Fermo (NewAdvent.org)

Photo album of Kevin Elphick’s trip to La Verna

To read this post in Spanish / en español, go to Santos Queer:
Beato Juan de La Verna: Un fraile besado por Jesús

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Top image credit: Jesus embraces Blessed John of La Verna at the beech tree (from an 1883 biography by Ermenegildo Da Chitignano)

This post is part of the LGBTQ Saints series by Kittredge Cherry. Traditional and alternative saints, people in the Bible, LGBTQ martyrs, authors, theologians, religious leaders, artists, deities and other figures of special interest to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender and queer (LGBTQ) people and our allies are covered.

Homosexuality of Jesus explored by 18th-century philosopher Jeremy Bentham

Biblical arguments for LGBT rights and a queer Jesus may seem like new ideas, but they were pioneered about 200 years ago by an influential British philosopher -- in writings that were never published until recently.

Philosopher Jeremy Bentham (1748 - 1832) presented Biblical evidence for Jesus’ homosexuality as part of his theological defense for same-sex love in “Not Paul, but Jesus Vol. III.” It was published for the first time in 2013 and is freely available to download or view online. He died on this date (June 6) in 1832.

For a new version of this article, click this link to Qspirit.net:
Homosexuality of Jesus explored by 18th-century philosopher Jeremy Bentham


Bentham didn’t dare publish it during his lifetime because he feared being labeled a “sodomite” himself. At the time “buggery” was punished with death by hanging in England.

This champion of sexual freedom was far, far ahead of his time. “Not Paul, but Jesus” lays out many of the same arguments that are still used today by LGBT Christians and our allies: debunking the scriptures typically used to condemn LGBT people and pointing out that Jesus never said anything about homosexuality. Bentham goes on to present an idea that many still consider blasphemous. He suggests that Jesus had male-male sexual relationships.

Bentham wrote the book so long ago that the word “homosexuality” had not been invented yet. Instead he has a chapter titled “The eccentric pleasures of the bed, whether partaken of by Jesus?” His language may sound quaint, but his ideas are right on target for today. Bentham himself struggled with words for what we call homosexuality, deliberately creating new vocabulary so he could avoid the negative connotations associated with the terminology of his day (sodomy, buggery, perversion, etc.).

Bentham is best known as the founder of Utilitarianism, a philosophy that advocates “the greatest happiness of the greatest number of people” A respected thinker during his lifetime, Bentham was also far advanced on a wide range of other legal, economic and political issues. He coined the word “international.” He was one of the first proponents of animal rights. He supported women’s equality and opposed slavery and capital punishment. He corresponded with various world leaders, including US presidents Jefferson and Madison. Several South and Central American nations sought his advice in creating their constitutions and legal codes. Born and raised in a devout Anglican family in London, he became an agnostic who believed that religion was an instrument of oppression. His solution was separation of church and state.

In the third volume of “Not Paul, but Jesus Vol. III,” Bentham corrects false interpretations of what would later come to be called the “clobber passages.” He identifies the sin of Sodom as gang-rape. He puts the sexual prohibitions of the Hebrew scriptures into historical context, pointing out that many of the other taboos are no longer enforced.

He dismisses Paul’s condemnations of homosexuality as an asceticism not shared by Jesus himself. He sees romantic love between Old Testament heroes Jonathan and David -- and possibly between Jesus and his beloved disciple John, noting that the Bible reports their loving touch without condemnation.

Bentham goes on to analyze the account in Mark’s gospel of “the stripling in the loose attire” (now usually known as “the naked young man”) at the arrest of Jesus -- a passage that continues to fuel 21st-century speculations in the LGBT community. He urges readers to consider the most “probable interpretation” for the nakedness. (In a different manuscript he made it clear that the youth was probably a male prostitute loyal to Jesus.) Bentham even hints that Jesus was killed for homosexuality, asking readers to consider what interaction with a naked man could be “so awful” that it leads to cruel execution.

Pro-LGBT Christians today often note that Jesus never said anything against homosexuality. Bentham makes the same point in his own elaborate way, with sentences such as: “In the acts or discourses of Jesus, had any such marks of reprobation towards the mode of sexuality in question been to be found as may be seen in such abundance in the epistles of Paul—in a word, had any one decided mark of reprobation been so to be found as pronounced upon it by Jesus, in the eyes [of] no believer in Jesus could any such body of evidence as hath here been seen [to] present itself be considered as worth regarding.”

Indeed Bentham's main purpose in all three volumes of “Not Paul, but Jesus” is to show the error in following the ascetic Paul instead of the true Christianity of the more tolerant Jesus, who accepted the human pursuit of pleasure. This concept is introduced in the first volume of “Not Paul, but Jesus” was published in 1823. Fearing hostile reactions, Bentham used the pseudonym Gamaliel Smith. The second volume, which deals with the early church, and the third volume, which focuses on sexual morality, remained unpublished.

Bentham wrote more than 500 pages explaining his liberal views on homosexuality during the last 50 years of his life.  Some of these documents may have circulated among his followers, but none of it was published during his lifetime.

The first Bentham writings on homosexuality to be published were primarily secular. His 1785 essay “Offences Against One's Self: Paederasty” is considered the first document arguing for decriminalization of homosexuality in England. He reasoned that consensual sex between same-sex partners should not be punished because it does not harm anyone. The essay was not published until 1931, when a fragment first appeared in print. The full essay was finally published in 1978.

Only now are Bentham’s writings on Jesus and homosexuality coming to light. The third volume of “Not Paul, but Jesus” was not published in any form until 2013. It was released last year by the Bentham Project at University College London, which counts him as its spiritual father.

In January 2014 Bentham’s own overview of the “Not Paul, but Jesus, Volume 3” appeared as a chapter in a book published by Oxford University Press: “Of Sexual Irregularities, and Other Writings on Sexual Morality” by Jeremy Bentham. (More info at: http://ukcatalogue.oup.com/product/9780199685189.do)

A section on “Jesus’s Sexuality” is also included in the 2012 article “Jeremy Bentham: Prophet of Secularism” by Philip Schofield, director of the Bentham Project. He draws on the “Not Paul” book and another set of manuscripts to draw powerful conclusions such as this:

Bentham claimed that, unlike Paul, Jesus did not, according to any account that appeared in the four Gospels, condemn either the pleasures of the table or the pleasures of the bed. On the contrary, Jesus’s opposition to asceticism was shown in his condemnation of the Mosaic law in Matthew 9: 9–17…. Bentham pointed out that Paul’s most forceful condemnation was directed towards homosexuality. Bentham responded that not only had Jesus never condemned homosexuality, but that he had probably engaged in it. There were, moreover, many females in Jesus’s immediate circle, and again Bentham saw no reason why Jesus might not have engaged in heterosexual activity as well.

Although Bentham doggedly defended consensual sexual activity between same-sex couples for half a century, his own love life remains a mystery. The son of a wealthy lawyer, he was a child prodigy who grew up to be a brilliant and eccentric recluse, living alone in London in what he called “a state of perpetual and unruffled gaiety.” He referred to his home as his “hermitage.” He lived there with a “sacred teapot” called Dicky, a favorite walking stick named Dapple, and a beloved tom cat addressed as the Reverend Doctor John Langborn. He declared, “I love everything that has four legs,” and allowed a colony of mice to share his office. One study concludes he had Asperger Syndrome, a high-functioning form of autism. Check this link for an 1827 description of Bentham’s eccentricities.

The philosopher’s influence continued to grow after his death as his supporters spread his ideas. Most of what is now known as liberalism is rooted in Bentham’s philosophy. His diverse followers included economist John Stuart Mill and feminist firebrand Frances “Fanny” Wright, who once exclaimed in a poem, “Oh had I but the Lesbyan's lyre, / Blue-eyed Sappho's fervid strain, / Then might I hope thy blood to fire…”.

Contemporary queer theologians such as Robert Shore-Goss have recognized him too. Shore-Goss writes a section about Bentham in the chapter on “Christian Homodevotion to Jesus” in his book “Queering Christ: Beyond Jesus Acted Up.”

During his 84 years Bentham wrote manuscripts totaling more than 5 million words, and many remain unstudied and unpublished. The Bentham Project is busy recruiting volunteers worldwide to transcribe them. More words of wisdom are likely to emerge from this prophet of LGBT rights who once summed up his approach to life by saying: “Create all the happiness you are able to create: remove all the misery you are able to remove.”

Not Paul, but Jesus Vol. III by Jeremy Bentham, edited by Philip Schofield, Michael Quinn and Catherine Pease-Watkin, is now freely available to download or view online at:
http://blogs.ucl.ac.uk/bentham-project/2013/04/30/not-paul-but-jesus-vol-iii/

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Image credit: Jeremy Bentham engraving by J. Thomson, from a painting by W. Derby (courtesy of the Bentham Project)

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Related links:
Top 20 Gay Jesus books (from Jesus in Love)

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Special thanks for tips and background info from Mitch Gould, Walt Whitman scholar and curator of LeavesOfGrass.org

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This post is part of the LGBTQ Saints series by Kittredge Cherry. Traditional and alternative saints, people in the Bible, LGBTQ martyrs, authors, theologians, religious leaders, artists, deities and other figures of special interest to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender and queer (LGBTQ) people and our allies are covered. It is also part of the Queer Christ series by Kittredge Cherry at the Jesus in Love Blog. The series gathers together visions of the queer Christ as presented by artists, writers, theologians and others.

Copyright © Kittredge Cherry. All rights reserved.
http://www.jesusinlove.blogspot.com/
Jesus in Love Blog on LGBT spirituality and the arts

Rainbow Christ Prayer translated into 10 languages: LGBT flag reveals the queer Christ

Translated for the first time into 10 languages, the Rainbow Christ Prayer matches the colors of the LGBT Pride Flag with the many faces of the queer Christ.

Today the prayer is posted for the first time in Spanish, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Malay, Polish, Portuguese and Russian.


For a new version of this article, click this link to Qspirit.net:
Rainbow Christ Prayer translated into 10 languages: LGBT flag reveals the queer Christ

Lesbian author Kittredge Cherry and gay theologian Patrick S. Cheng wrote the prayer based on the seven models of the queer Christ from Cheng’s book “From Sin to Amazing Grace: Discovering the Queer Christ.”

Rainbow flags are flying around the world in June for LGBT Pride Month. Rainbows are also an important symbol in many religious traditions. The Rainbow Christ Prayer honors the spiritual values of the LGBTQ movement.

Progressive Christians believe that homosexuality is not a sin. Scholars say that the Bible does not condemn loving same-sex relationships. Therefore LGBTQ people should be accepted and affirmed by churches. The Rainbow Christ Prayer expresses the belief that LGBTQ people are a natural part of God’s creation.

The Rainbow Christ Prayer has been used by many progressive Christians for individual devotions and group worship. Conservatives denounced it as blasphemy.

The translation process inspired grassroots theological reflection on a global scale. Each translator raised questions about a different aspect of the queer Christ:

Does Rainbow Christ mean that Christ emits a rainbow or that Christ IS a rainbow? Is the Self-Loving Christ in love with himself? Do LGBT really feel shame about their sexuality? Is the Erotic Christ more about the power of life or about hot sexual practices? What does the Out Christ mean in cultures where there is no expression for “coming out of the closet”?

In the Judeo-Christian tradition, the rainbow stands for God’s promise to support all life on earth. The prayer also incorporates the chakra system of seven energy centers of the human body.

The LGBTQ prayer takes on new meaning when read in a rainbow spectrum of languages from around the world.

Today’s post combines all the languages. Click the titles for individual articles with the Rainbow Christ Prayer in each language.

English: Rainbow Christ Prayer

Spanish: Oración al Cristo del Arco Iris

Chinese: 彩虹基督禱文

French: Prière au Christ Arc-en-Ciel

German: Gebet zum Christus des Regenbogens

Italian: La Preghiera del Cristo Arcobaleno

Japanese: 虹色のキリストへの祈り

Malay: Doa Kristus Sang Pelangi

Polish: Modlitwa do Tęczowego Chrystusa

Portuguese: Oração ao Cristo Arco-Íris

Russian: Молитва Радужному Христу

Please contact Jesus in Love if you want to translate the prayer into another language.

Rainbow Christ, you embody all the colors of the world. Rainbows serve as bridges between different realms: heaven and earth, east and west, queer and non-queer. Inspire us to remember the values expressed in the rainbow flag of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer community.

Spanish: Cristo del Arco Iris, tú encarnas todos los colores del mundo. Los arco iris sirven como puentes entre los diferentes dominios: el cielo y la tierra, el este y el oeste, lo queer y lo no-queer. Inspíramos para recordar los valores expresados en la bandera del arco iris de la comunidad de lesbianas, gays, bisexuales, transgénero, intersexuales y queer.

Chinese: 彩虹基督，你將這世上所有的色彩呈於一身。彩虹搭橋跨越天與地、東與西、酷兒與非酷兒的藩籬。激勵我們銘記彩虹旗上代表女同性戀、男同性戀、雙性戀、跨性別和酷兒群體色彩的意義。

French: Christ Arc-en-Ciel, tu incarnes toutes les couleurs du monde. Les arcs-en-ciel servent de ponts entre les différentes sphères : le ciel et la terre, l'est et l'ouest, queer et non queer. Donne-nous de nous rappeler les valeurs exprimées par le drapeau arc-en-ciel de la communauté lesbienne, gay, bisexuelle, transgenre et queer.

German: Regenbogen-Christus, du verkörperst alle Farben dieser Welt. Regenbögen sind Brücken zwischen den verschiedenen Welten: Himmel und Erde, Ost und West, Queer und Nicht-queer. Begeistere uns, damit wir uns an die Werte zu erinnern, die in der Regenbogenfahne der lesbisch, schwulen, bisexuellen, transgender und queeren Gemeinschaft zum Ausdruck kommen.

Italian: Cristo arcobaleno, tu incarni tutti i colori del mondo. L’arcobaleno crea ponti tra realtà diverse: cielo e terra, est e ovest, queer e non-queer. Ispiraci a ricordare i valori espressi nella bandiera arcobaleno della comunità lesbica, gay, bisessuale, transgender e queer.

Japanese: 虹色の主キリストよ，あなたは世のすべての色を表しています．虹は架け橋，天と地，東と西，差別される者とする者との架け橋です．わたしたち LGBTQ コミュニティの旗の虹色が何を意味しているかを，想い起こさせてください．

Malay: Kristus Sang Pelangi, engkau menggenapi seluruh warna-warni dunia. Pelangi adalah jambatan menghubungkan alam yang berbeza: langit dan bumi, timur dan barat, quir dan bukan-quir. Berikanlah kami ilham untuk mengingati nilai-nilai murni yang terpancar melalui bendera pelangi dari komuniti lesbian, gay, biseksual dan quir:

Polish: Tęczowy Chryste, ucieleśniasz wszystkie barwy świata. Tęcze łączą różne wymiary rzeczywistości: niebo i ziemię, wschód i zachód, to, co queer, i to, co nie queer. Przypominaj nam o wartościach wyrażanych przez tęczową flagę społeczności lesbijek, gejów, biseksualistów i osób transpłciowych.

Portuguese: Cristo Arco-Íris, tu encarnas todas as cores do mundo. Arco-íris servem como pontes entre diferentes mundos: o céu e a terra, leste e oeste, gay e hétero, cis e trans. Dê-nos inspiração para que lembremos os valores expressados na bandeira colorida da comunidade de lésbicas, gays, bissexuais, travestis, transexuais e transgêneros.

Russian: Радужный Христос, Ты объединяешь все краски мира. Радуги служат мостами между различными сферами: небом и землей, востоком и западом, квиром и не-квиром. Вдохновляй нас помнить ценности, выраженные в радужном флаге лесбиянок, геев, бисексуалов, трансгендеров и квир сообщества.

Red is for life, the root of spirit. Living and Self-Loving Christ, you are our Root. Free us from shame and grant us the grace of healthy pride so we can follow our own inner light. With the red stripe in the rainbow, we give thanks that God created us just the way we are.

Spanish: El color rojo simboliza la vida, la raíz del espíritu. Cristo Vivo y Amoroso, tú eres nuestra raíz. Líbranos de la vergüenza y concédenos la gracia de un orgullo sano a fin de que podamos seguir nuestra propia luz interior. Con la franja roja del arco iris, te damos gracias porque Dios que nos ha creado de la manera tal cual somos.

Chinese: 紅色代表生命，靈性之根。永生與自愛的基督，你是我們的依靠，將我們從羞恥中釋放，賜我們驕傲的恩典，讓我們可以追隨內心之光。籍彩虹旗紅色的條紋，我們感謝上主創造創造我們成我們所是的樣子。

French: Le rouge est pour la vie, l’origine de l'esprit. Christ de la vie et de l’amour de soi, tu es notre Origine. Libère-nous de la honte et accorde-nous la grâce d’une fierté saine afin que nous puissions suivre notre lumière intérieure. Avec la bande rouge dans l'arc en ciel, nous rendons grâce que Dieu nous ait créés tels que nous sommes.

German: Rot steht für Liebe, die Wurzel des Geistes. Lebender Christus, der du sagst, dass wir uns selber lieben dürfen, du bist unsere Wurzel. Befreie uns von Scham und schenke uns die Gnade eines gesunden Stolzes, so dass wir unserem eigenen, inneren Licht folgen können. Mit dem roten Streifen im Regenbogen danken wir, dass uns Gott genauso erschaffen hat, wie wir sind.

Italian: Il rosso è per la vita. Cristo vivente e amante, tu sei la Radice. Liberaci dalla vergogna e concedici la grazia di un sano orgoglio così da poter seguire la nostra luce interiore. Con la striscia rossa dell’arcobaleno, diamo grazie che Dio ci ha creati così come siamo.

Japanese: 赤は命，精気の源．永遠の命に生きておられ，御自身を愛しておられる主キリストよ，あなたはわたしたちの源です．自己否定感からわたしたちを解放し，わたしたちが自身の内なる光に導かれることができるよう，健全な誇りを持つ恵みをお与えください．虹の赤のもとに，わたしたちを今あるように創造してくださったことを神に感謝します．

Malay: Merah menggambarkan kehidupan, iaitu akar bagi roh. Sang Kristus yang hidup dan penuh cintakasih, engkaulah akar rohani kami. Bebaskanlah kami dari rasa malu dan berikanlah kami rahmat harga diri yang sihat supaya kami dapat mengikuti terang di dalam diri kami. Demi jalur merah pada pelangi, kami mengucap syukur kerana Tuhan Yang Maha Esa menciptakan kami seadanya.

Polish: Czerwień to życie, korzeń ducha. Żywy i kochający siebie samego Chryste, jesteś naszym Korzeniem. Uwolnij nas od wstydu i obdarz nas łaską zdrowej dumy, byśmy mogli podążać śladem swego wewnętrznego światła. Przez czerwony kolor tęczy dziękujemy Bogu, że stworzył nas takimi, jakimi jesteśmy.

Portuguese: Vermelho é a vida, a raiz do espírito. Cristo Vivo e Cheio de Amor, tu és nossa Raiz. Liberte-nos da vergonha e nos conceda a graça do orgulho saudável, a fim de que possamos seguir nossa luz interior. Com a faixa vermelha do arco-íris, damos graças a Deus por nos ter criado exatamente assim como somos.

Russian: Красный цвет символизирует жизнь, источник духа. Живущий и любящий себя Христос, Ты есть наш Источник. Освободи нас от стыда и даруй нам благодать разумной гордости, чтоб мы могли следовать нашему собственному внутреннему свету. Красной полоской радуги мы благодарим Бога за то, что он сотворил нас такими, какие мы есть.

Orange is for sexuality, the fire of spirit. Erotic Christ, you are our Fire, the Word made flesh. Free us from exploitation and grant us the grace of mutual relationships. With the orange stripe in the rainbow, kindle a fire of passion in us.

Spanish: El color naranja simboliza la sexualidad, el fuego del espíritu. Cristo Erótico, tú eres nuestro fuego, la Palabra echa carne. Líbranos de la explotación y concédenos la gracia de vivir relaciones mutuas. Con la franja naranja del arco iris, enciende el fuego de la pasión en nosotros.

Chinese: 橙色代表性慾，靈性之火。情慾的基督，你是我們的火光，道成了肉身，將我們從剝削中釋放，賜我們互惠的關係。藉彩虹旗橙色的條紋，上主點燃我們內心的激情。

French: L'orange est pour la sexualité, le feu de l'esprit. Christ Érotique, tu es notre feu, le Verbe fait chair. Libère-nous de l'exploitation et accorde-nous la grâce de relations réciproques. Avec la bande orange dans l’arc-en-ciel, allume en nous le feu de la passion.

German: Orange steht für Sexualität, das Feuer des Geistes. Erotischer Christus, du bist unser Feuer, das Wort das Fleisch geworden ist. Befreie uns von Ausbeutung und gib uns die Gnade gleichberechtigter Beziehungen. Mit dem orangen Streifen des Regenbogens entzünde ein Feuer der Leidenschaft in uns.

Italian: L’arancio è per la sessualità, il fuoco dello spirito. Cristo erotico, tu sei il nostro Fuoco, la Parola fatta carne. Liberaci dallo sfruttamento e concedici la grazia di mutue relazioni. Con la striscia arancio dell’arcobaleno accendiamo in noi il fuoco della passione.

Japanese: オレンジはセクシュアリティ，精気の炎．エロスの主キリスト，受肉なさった御ことばよ，あなたはわたしたちの炎です．相手を利用するだけの利己心からわたしたちを解放し，互いを思い合える恵みをお与えください．虹のオレンジのもとに，わたしたちのなかに情熱の炎をともしてください．

Malay: Jingga menggambarkan karunia seksualiti, iaitu api bagi roh. Eros Kristus, engkaulah Sang Api, Firman yang menjadi Manusia. Bebaskanlah kami dari segala eksploitasi dan berikanlah kami rahmat untuk hubungan romantik yang penuh hormat dan saling memahami. Demi jalur jingga pada pelangi, semarakkan api cintakasih kami.

Polish: Pomarańcz to seksualność, ogień ducha. Erotyczny Chryste, jesteś naszym Ogniem, Słowem, które stało się ciałem. Uwolnij nas od wyzysku i obdarz łaską wzajemnych relacji. Przez pomarańczowy kolor tęczy roznieć w nas ogień namiętności.

Portuguese: Laranja é a sexualidade, o fogo do espírito. Cristo Erótico, tu és nosso Fogo, a Palavra feita Carne. Liberte-nos da exploração e nos conceda a graça do relacionamento mútuo. Com a faixa laranja do arco-íris, inflame-nos com o fogo da paixão.

Russian: Оранжевый цвет символизирует сексуальность, огонь духа. Эротический Христос, Ты есть наш Огонь, Слово, ставшее плотью. Освободи нас от эксплуатации и даруй нам благодать взаимных отношений. Оранжевой полоской радуги разожги в нас огонь страсти.

Yellow is for self-esteem, the core of spirit. Out Christ, you are our Core. Free us from closets of secrecy and give us the guts and grace to come out. With the yellow stripe in the rainbow, build our confidence.

Spanish: El color amarillo simboliza la autoestima, el núcleo del espíritu. Cristo Asumido, tú eres nuestra esencia. Líbranos de los armarios de la clandestinidad y danos el coraje y la gracia para salir de ellos. Con la franja amarilla del arco iris, construye nuestra confianza.

Chinese: 黃色代表自尊，靈性之核。出櫃的基督，你是我們的核心，將我們從隱秘的櫃中釋放，賜我們走出來的勇氣。藉彩虹旗黃色的條紋，上主堅立了我們的信心。

French: Le jaune est pour l'estime de soi, le fondement de l'esprit. Christ qui te révèles, tu es notre fondement. Libère-nous de l’enfermement dans nos secrets et donne-nous le courage et la grâce de nous révéler. Avec la bande jaune dans l'arc en ciel, renforce notre confiance.

German: Gelb steht für Selbstachtung, das Zentrum des Geistes. Offen lebender Christus, du bist unser Zentrum, Befreie uns aus den Gefängnissen der Heimlichkeit, und schenke uns den Mut und die Gnade, unser Coming out zu haben. Mit dem gelben Streifen des Regenbogens baue unser Selbstvertrauen auf.

Italian: Il giallo è per l’autostima, il nocciolo dello spirito. Liberaci dalle angustie della segretezza e dacci il coraggio e la grazia di svelarci. Con la striscia gialla dell’arcobaleno, costruisci la nostra fiducia in noi stessi.

Japanese: 黄色は自尊心，精気の核．何も隠さない主キリストよ，あなたはわたしたちの核です．こころを閉ざすことからわたしたちを解放してください．クロゼットから出る勇気と恵みをお与えください．虹の黄色のもとに，わたしたちに自信を持たせてください．

Malay: Kuning menggambarkan harga diri, iaitu teras bagi roh. Kristus Sang Pewarta, engkaulah teras kami. Bebaskanlah kami dari persembunyian diri yang membinasakan dan berikanlah kami keberanian serta rahmat untuk meyakini keberadaan kami. Demi jalur kuning pada pelangi, kuatkanlah keyakinan kami.

Polish: Żółty to szacunek do samego siebie, centrum ducha. Chryste, który nie wstydzisz się siebie samego, jesteś naszym Centrum. Uwolnij nas od ukrywania się i obdarz nas odwagą i łaską przyznania się do siebie. Przez żółty kolor tęczy buduj w nas pewność siebie.

Portuguese: Amarelo é a autoestima, o cerne do espírito. Cristo Assumido, tu és nosso Cerne. Liberte-nos dos armários e nos conceda a coragem e a graça de nos assumir. Com a faixa amarela do arco-íris, construa essa nossa confiança.

Russian: Желтый цвет символизирует самоуважение, стержень духа. Открывшийся Христос, Ты есть наш Стержень. Освободи нас от наших чуланов тайн и дай нам мужество и благодать открыться. Желтой полоской радуги укрепи нашу веру.

Green is for love, the heart of spirit. Transgressive Outlaw Christ, you are our Heart, breaking rules out of love. In a world obsessed with purity, you touch the sick and eat with outcasts. Free us from conformity and grant us the grace of deviance. With the green stripe in the rainbow, fill our hearts with untamed compassion for all beings.

Spanish: El color verde simboliza el amor, el corazón del espíritu. Cristo Transgresor, tú eres nuestro corazón, rompiendo las reglas en nombre del amor. En un mundo obsesionado por la pureza, tú tocas los enfermos y comes con los marginados. Líbranos de la conformidad y concédenos la gracia de la transgresión. Con la franja verde del arco iris, llena nuestros corazones de compasión hacia todos los seres vivos.

Chinese: 綠色代表愛，靈性之心。出格不守矩的基督，你是我們的內心，用愛打破陳規。在一個沉迷於聖潔之妄的世界中，你觸摸患病者、與流浪者同席。將我們從流俗的迎合中釋放，賜我們越軌的恩典。藉彩虹旗綠色的條紋，上主將我們的心充滿對萬物的悲憫。

French: Le vert est pour l'amour, le cœur de l'esprit. Christ hors la loi et transgressif, tu es notre coeur, brisant les règles par amour. Dans un monde obsédé par la pureté, tu touches les malades et tu manges avec les exclus. Libère-nous du conformisme et accorde-nous la grâce de sortir des sentiers battus. Avec la bande verte dans l'arc en ciel, remplis nos cœurs d’une compassion sauvage pour tous les êtres.

German: Grün steht für die Liebe, das Herz des Geistes. Gesetze übertretender Christus, du bist unser Herz, das die Regeln der Liebe sprengt. In einer Welt die besessen ist mit Reinheit, berührst du die Kranken und isst mit den Ausgestoßen. Befreie uns von der Eintönigkeit und schenke uns die Gnade des Widerstandes. Mit dem grünen Streifen des Regenbogens erfülle unsere Herzen mit ungezähmten Mitgefühl für alles Sein.

Italian: Il verde è per l’amore, il cuore, lo spirito. Cristo trasgressivo e fuori da ogni regola, tu sei il nostro Cuore, infrangi le regole per amore. In un mondo ossessionato dalla purezza tu tocchi i malati e mangi con gli emarginati. Liberaci dal conformismo e dacci la grazia della devianza. Con la striscia verde dell’arcobaleno, riempi i nostri cuori di compassione infinita per tutti gli esseri.

Japanese: 緑は愛，精気の心．律法を超越した主キリストよ，愛によって律法を打ち壊すあなたは，わたしたちの心です．浄さに執着するこの世において，あなたは，不浄と見なされた病人たちに触れ，差別された者たちと食事をともになさいます．因襲からわたしたちを解放し，律法に縛られずにいる恵みをお与えください．虹の緑のもとに，わたしたちの心を，律法にとらわれずにあらゆる存在を思いやる気持ちで満たしてください．

Malay: Hijau menggambarkan cintakasih, iaitu hati bagi roh. Kristus Sang Pencabar segala hukum yang sia-sia, engkau menolak hukum tegar atas nama cintakasih, engkaulah Hati kami. Pada saat duniamu begitu taksub dengan hukum kekudusan, engkau menyentuh orang yang dianggap terkutuk dan makan bersama orang yang tertindas. Bebaskanlah kami dari sikap akur yang membuta tuli dan berikanlah kami rahmat untuk menolak kekerasan hukum. Demi jalur hijau pada pelangi, penuhi hati kami dengan belas kasihan yang luar biasa untuk segenap makhluk ciptaan Tuhan.

Polish: Niebieski to wyrażanie samych siebie, głos ducha. Chryste Wyzwolicielu, jesteś naszym Głosem, przemawiającym przeciwko wszelkim postaciom opresji. Uwolnij nas od apatii i obdarz łaską aktywności. Przez niebieski kolor tęczy motywuj nas, byśmy żądali sprawiedliwości.

Portuguese: Verde é o amor, o coração do espírito. Cristo Transviado, Marginal, tu és nosso coração, violando as regras por amor. Em um mundo obcecado com a pureza, você toca os doentes e come com os párias da sociedade. Liberte-nos da conformidade e nos conceda a graça da divergência. Com a faixa verde do arco-íris, preencha nossos corações com indomada compaixão por todos os seres.

Russian: Зеленый цвет символизирует любовь, сердце духа. Преодолевший невозможные запреты Христос, Ты есть наше Сердце, нарушающее правила из любви. Преследуемый в мире в непорочности, Ты прикасаешься к больным и ешь вместе с отверженными. Освободи нас от подчинения и даруй нам благодать несоответствия нормам. Зеленой полоской радуги наполни наши сердца неукротимым состраданием ко всем живым существам.

Blue is for self-expression, the voice of spirit. Liberator Christ, you are our Voice, speaking out against all forms of oppression. Free us from apathy and grant us the grace of activism. With the blue stripe in the rainbow, motivate us to call for justice.

Spanish: El color celeste simboliza la auto-expresión, la voz del espíritu. Cristo Liberador, tú eres nuestra voz, denunciando toda forma de opresión. Líbranos de la apatía y concédenos la gracia del activismo. Con la franja azul del arco iris, motívanos a proclamar la justicia.

Chinese: 藍色代表自我表達，靈性之聲。解放者基督，你是我們的聲音，說出對一切壓迫形式的反對。將我們從冷漠中釋放，賜我們運動的恩典。藉彩虹旗藍色的條紋，上主激勵我們呼求正義。

French: Le bleu est pour l’expression de soi, la voix de l'esprit. Christ Libérateur, tu es notre voix, toi qui t’élèves contre toutes les formes d'oppression. Libère-nous de l'apathie et de accorde-nous la grâce de l'activisme. Avec la bande bleue dans l'arc en ciel, encourage-nous à nous battre pour la justice.

German: Blau steht für Selbst-darstellung, die Stimme des Geistes. Befreiender Christus, du bist unsere Stimme, die gegen alle Formen der Unterdrückung spricht. Befreie uns von Müdigkeit und schenke uns die Gnade des aktiv seins. Mit dem blauen Streifen des Regenbogens motiviere uns, nach Gerechtigkeit zu rufen.

Italian: Il blu è l’espressione di sé, la voce dello spirito. Cristo Liberatore, tu sei la nostra Voce, parla fortemente contro ogni forma di repressione. Liberaci dall’apatia e dacci la grazia dell’attivismo. Con la striscia blu dell’arcobaleno, motivaci a cercare la giustizia.

Japanese: 青は自己表現，精気の声．解放者である主キリストよ，あなたはわたしたちの声，あらゆる形の抑圧に対して抗議してくださいます．無力感からわたしたちを解放し，社会で行動できる恵みをお与えください．虹の青のもとに，正義を求めることができるよう，わたしたちを勇気づけてください．

Malay: Biru menggambarkan ekspresi diri, iaitu suara bagi roh. Kristus Sang Pembebas, engkaulah Suara kami dalam menentang segala bentuk penindasan. Bebaskanlah kami dari sikap acuh tak acuh dan berikanlah kami rahmat aktivisme. Demi jalur biru pada pelangi, berikanlah kami motivasi untuk menegakkan keadilan.

Polish: Zieleń to miłość, serce ducha. Niepokorny, wyjęty spod prawa Chryste, jesteś naszym Sercem, łamiącym zasady z miłości. W świecie poddanym obsesji czystości, dotykasz chorych i jesz z wyrzutkami. Uwolnij nas od konformizmu i obdarz łaską zbaczania. Przez zielony kolor tęczy napełnij nasze serca nieposkromionym współczuciem dla wszystkich istot.

Portuguese: Azul é a auto-expressão, a voz do espírito. Cristo Liberador, tu és nossa Voz, manifestando-se contra todas as formas de opressão. Liberte-nos da apatia e nos conceda a graça do ativismo. Com a faixa azul do arco-íris, motive-nos a clamar por Justiça.

Russian: Синий цвет символизирует самовыражение, голос духа. Освободитель Христос, Ты есть наш Голос, выступающий против всех форм угнетения. Освободи нас от апатии и даруй благодать активизма. Синий полоской радуги побуждай нас призывать к справедливости.

Violet is for vision, the wisdom of spirit. Interconnected Christ, you are our Wisdom, creating and sustaining the universe. Free us from isolation and grant us the grace of interdependence. With the violet stripe in the rainbow, connect us with others and with the whole creation.

Spanish: El color lila simboliza la visión, la sabiduría del espíritu. Cristo Rizomático, tú eres nuestra sabiduría, creando y sosteniendo el universo. Líbranos del aislamiento y concédenos la gracia de la interdependencia. Con la franja lila en el arco iris, conéctanos con los demás seres vivos y con la creación entera.

Chinese: 紫色代表異象，靈性之智。相互關聯的基督，你是我們的智慧，創造、供養整個宇宙。將我們從隔絕中釋放，賜我們彼此依賴的恩典。藉彩虹旗紫色的條紋，上主將我們與他者與全部受造連接。

French: Le violet est pour la vision, la sagesse de l'esprit. Christ interconnecté, tu es notre sagesse, tu crées et maintiens l'univers. Libère-nous de l'isolement et accorde-nous la grâce de l'interdépendance. Avec la bande violette dans l'arc en ciel, relie-nous aux autres et à la création tout entière.

German: Violett steht für die Vision, die Weisheit des Geistes. Christus, der du mit allem verbunden bist, du bist unsere Weisheit, du schaffst und erhältst das Universum. Befreie uns von Isolation und schenke uns die Gnade der Abhängigkeit von einander. Mit dem violetten Streifen des Regenbogens verbinde uns mit anderen und mit der der ganzen Schöpfung.

Italian: Il viola è per la visione. Cristo, profondamente connesso con tutte le cose, tu sei la nostra Sapienza e crei e mantieni l’universo. Liberaci dall’isolamento e dacci la grazia dell’interdipendenza. Con la striscia viola dell’arcobaleno, uniscici agli altri e all’intera creazione.

Japanese: 紫は真理を見る力，精気の知恵．つながり合ってくださる主キリストよ，万物を創造し，維持するあなたは，わたしたちの知恵です．わたしたちを孤立から解放してください．互いに支え合う恵みをお与えください．虹の紫のもとに，わたしたちと他の人々とをつなげてください．わたしたちを全被造界とつなげてください．

Malay: Ungu menggambarkan visi, iaitu hikmah bagi roh. Kristus Sang Penyatu, engkaulah Hikmah kami di dalam membina dan memulihara alam semesta. Bebaskanlah kami dari pengasingan dan berikanlah kami rahmat untuk saling memelihara antara satu dengan yang lain. Demi jalur ungu pada pelangi, satukanlah hati kami dengan yang lain dan segenap ciptaan Yang Maha Esa.

Polish: Fiolet to wizja, mądrość ducha. Chryste wzajemnych powiązań, jesteś naszą Mądrością, tworząca i podtrzymującą wszechświat. Uwolnij nas od izolacji i obdarz łaską współzależności. Przez fioletowy kolor tęczy połącz nas z innymi i z całym stworzeniem.

Portuguese: Violeta é a visão, a sabedoria do espírito. Cristo Interconectado, você é nossa Sabedoria, criando e sustentando o universo. Liberte-nos do isolamento e nos conceda a graça da interdependência. Com a faixa violeta do arco-íris, conecte-nos uns com os outros e com toda a criação.

Russian: Фиолетовый цвет символизирует проницательность, мудрость духа. Объединяющий Христос, Ты есть наша Мудрость, создавшая и поддерживающая вселенную. Освободи нас от изоляции и даруй нам благодать взаимозависимости. Фиолетовой полоской радуги объедини нас с другими и всем творением.

Rainbow colors come together to make one light, the crown of universal consciousness. Hybrid and All-Encompassing Christ, you are our Crown, both human and divine. Free us from rigid categories and grant us the grace of interwoven identities. With the rainbow, lead us beyond black-and-white thinking to experience the whole spectrum of life.

Spanish: Los colores del arco iris de unen para crear una sola luz, la corona de la conciencia universal. Cristo Híbrido y Omnipresente, tú eres nuestra corona, tanto humana como divina. Líbranos de las categorías rígidas y concédenos la gracia de vivir identidades entrelazadas. Con el arco iris, llévanos más allá del pensamiento binario en blanco y negro a fin de experimentar el espectro completo de la vida.

Chinese: 彩虹各色匯聚一束光，冠于宇宙意識之巔。混雜和包羅萬象的基督，你是人性和神聖的冠冕。將我們從僵死的分類中釋放，賜我們身份交織的恩典。藉著彩虹，上主帶領我們超越非黑即白的思維模式，體驗生命璀璨的光譜。

French: Les couleurs de l'arc-en-ciel composent ensemble la lumière, telle le chakra couronne de la conscience universelle. Christ métissé qui englobe tout, tu es notre Couronne, à la fois humaine et divine. Libère-nous des catégories rigides et accorde-nous la grâce des identités entrelacées. Avec l'arc en ciel, conduis-nous au-delà de la pensée en noir et blanc pour découvrir l'ensemble du spectre de la vie.

German: Regenbogenfarben kommen zusammen und ergeben ein Licht, die Krone des universellen Bewusstseins. Vermischter und alles umfassender Christus, du bist unsere Krone, menschlich und göttlich. Befreie uns von starren Kategorien und schenke und die Gnade von Identitäten, die miteinander verwoben sind. Mit dem Regenbogen führe uns über das Schwarz-weiß Denken hinaus und lass uns das ganze Spektrum des Lebens erfahren.

Italian: I colori dell’arcobaleno si uniscono per formare una sola luce, la corona della coscienza universale. Cristo ibrido e compassionevole, tu sei la nostra Corona, al tempo stesso umana e divina. Liberaci dalle categorie rigide e dacci la grazia di intrecciare insieme le nostre diverse identità. Con l’arcobaleno, portaci dal pensiero in bianco e nero all’esperienza dell’intero spettro della vita.

Japanese: 虹の六色は合わさり，ひとつの光を成し，万物の創造主の王冠となります．すべてを混ぜ合わせ，すべてを包み込む主キリストよ，人間にして神であるあなたは，わたしたちの王冠です．凝り固まったカテゴリーからわたしたちを解放し，ひとりひとりが多様である恵みをお与えください．虹のもとに，黒か白かを決めつける思考を超えて，多彩な命のすべての色を経験できるよう，導いてください．

Malay: Warna-warni pelangi berarak bersama membentuk satu cahaya, dan menjadi mahkota kesedaran sejagat. Kristus Sang Hibrid dan Hadirat Hakiki, engkaulah Mahkota kami, penuh keilahian dan kemanusiaan. Bebaskanlah kami dari pengkategorian yang tegar dan berikanlah kami rahmat identiti-identiti yang terjalin. Demi pelangi, pimpinlah kami keluar dari pemikiran hitam-putih dan menuju kepada pengalaman spektrum kehidupan yang menyeluruh.

Polish: Barwy tęczy jednoczą się, by stworzyć jedno światło, koronę uniwersalnej świadomości. Hybrydowy i Wszechogarniający Chryste, jesteś naszą Koroną, ludzką i boską. Uwolnij nas od ścisłych kategorii i obdarz łaską przeplatających się tożsamości. Prowadź nas przez tęczę poza myślenie czarno-białe ku pełnemu spektrum życia.

Portuguese: As cores do arco-íris se unem para formar uma só luz, a coroa da consciência universal. Cristo Híbrido e Abrangente, tu és nossa Coroa, ao mesmo tempo humano e divino. Liberte-nos de categorias rígidas e nos conceda a graça das identidades fluidas. Com o arco-íris, guie-nos para além do pensamento em preto e branco a fim de que experimentemos todo o espectro da vida.

Russian: Радуга объединяет спектр цветов творить свет, венец универсального сознания. Разнородный и всеохватывающий Христос, Ты есть наш Венец, человеческий и божественный. Освободи нас от жестких категорий и даруй благодать переплетающихся идентичностей. Радугой веди нас за пределы черно-белого мышления к опыту всего спектра жизни.

Rainbow Christ, you light up the world. You make rainbows as a promise to support all life on earth. In the rainbow space, we can see all the hidden connections between sexualities, genders and races. Like the rainbow, may we embody all the colors of the world! Amen.

Spanish: Cristo del Arco Iris, tú iluminas al mundo. Tú creas los arco iris como una promesa de sustentar toda la vida sobre la tierra. En el espacio del arco iris, podemos ver todas las conexiones ocultas entre sexualidades, géneros y razas. Como en el arco iris, concédenos que podamos encarnar todos los colores del mundo. Amen.

Chinese: 彩虹基督，你點亮世界。你讓彩虹成為支援地上所有生命的應許。在彩虹空間中，我們看到性/別、種族間隱蔽的關聯。願我們像彩虹一樣，擁抱世上所有的色彩！阿門。

French: Christ Arc-en-Ciel, tu illumines le monde. Des arcs-en-ciel, tu fais comme une promesse de soutenir toute vie sur terre. Dans l'espace arc-en-ciel, nous pouvons voir tous les liens cachés entre les sexualités, les genres et les races. Comme l'arc-en-ciel, donne-nous d’incarner toutes les couleurs du monde! Amen.

German: Regenbogen-Christus, du erhellst die Welt. Du machst Regenbögen als Versprechen, alles Leben auf Erden zu unterstützen. Im Regenbogen-Raum können wir all die verborgenen Beziehungen von Sexualitäten, Geschlechter und Rassen sehen. Wie der Regenbogen mögen auch wir alle Farben in der der Welt verkörpern. Amen.

Italian: Cristo arcobaleno, tu illumini il mondo. Tu crei gli arcobaleni come promessa di aiutare la vita sulla terra. Nello spazio dell’arcobaleno possiamo vedere tutte le connessioni nascoste tra sessualità, generi e razze. Come l’arcobaleno, fa’ che possiamo incarnare tutti i colori del mondo! Amen.

Japanese: 虹色の主キリストよ，あなたは，万物を照らし，虹を，地球の全生命を支える約束の徴になさいます．虹色の空間のなかで，さまざまなセクシュアリティ，ジェンダー，人種の間の隠されたつながりが見えてきます．虹のように，わたしたちが世のすべての色を表すことができますように！ アーメン．

Malay: Kristus Sang Pelangi, engkau menerangi dunia. Engkau menjadikan pelangi sebagai janji untuk memelihara seluruh kehidupan di atas bumi. Di balik warna-warni pelangi, kami dapat melihat segala jalinan misteri di antara seksualiti, jantina, dan bangsa. Seperti pelangi, biarlah kami menghidupi seluruh warna-warni dunia, iaitu anugerah dari Yang Maha Esa! Amin.

Polish: Tęczowy Chryste, Ty oświecasz świat i tworzysz tęcze jako obietnice wsparcia wszelkiego życia na ziemi. W tęczowej przestrzeni możemy dojrzeć wszystkie te ukryte połączenia między seksualnościami, płciami i rasami. Obyśmy, niczym tęcza, ucieleśniali wszystkie barwy świata! Amen.

Portuguese: Cristo Arco-íris, você ilumina todo o mundo. Você faz arco-íris como uma promessa de apoiar toda a vida na Terra. Nele, podemos enxergar todas as conexões ocultas entre sexualidades, gêneros e raças. Como o arco-íris, que encarnemos todas as cores do mundo! Amém.

Russian: Радужный Христос, Ты освещаешь мир. Ты создаешь радугу как обещание поддержки всей жизни на земле. В радужном пространстве мы можем видеть все скрытые связи между сексуальностями, гендерами и расами. Подобно радуге, сделай возможным, чтоб мы объединили все цвета мира. Аминь.

Detail from “Christ and the Two Marys” by William Holman Hunt (Wikimedia Commons)

Many thanks to all the volunteer translators!

Spanish: Translated by Hugo Córdova Quero. Traducido por Hugo Córdova Quero.

Chinese: Translated by Iris Xie, Queer Theology Academy. 此文由性神學社成員，謝彩虹翻譯.
(The Chinese prayer was used at the opening worship of Queer Theology Academy Summer Workshop in Hong Kong in 2014.)

French: Translated by Zabulon in collaboration with Meneldid Palantir Talmayar. Traduit par Zabulon Zabulon avec la collaboration de Meneldid Palantir Talmayar.

German: Translated by Axel Schwaigert, Metropolitan Community Church of Stuttgart. Übersetzt von Axel Schwaigert, MCC Gemeinde Stuttgart.

Italian: Freely translated by Silvia Lanzi, Progetto Gionata. Liberamente tradotto da Silvia Lanzi, Progetto Gionata.

Japanese: Translated by LGBT Catholic Japan. LGBT カトリック・ジャパンが翻訳しました。

Malay: Translated by Anak Borneo. Diterjemahkan oleh Anak Borneo.

Polish: Translated by Łukasz Liniewicz and Jarek Kubacki. Przetłumaczone przez Łukasz Liniewicz i Jarek Kubacki.

Portuguese: Translated by Deco Ribeiro. Traduzido por Deco Ribeiro.

Russian: Translated by Elena Preobrazhenskaya (Moscow, Russia) and the brotherhood of Orthodox Catholic Monastery of Our Lady Joy of All Who Sorrow (Oxford, Michigan). Перевод Елены Преображенской (Москва, Россия) и братства Cкорбященской Пустыни (Оксфорд, Мичиган).

Image credit: “Stained-glass Rainbow Flag with Cross (Baner enfys gwydr lliw gyda Chroes)” by Andrew Craig Williams

 Patrick Cheng and Kittredge Cherry
wrote the Rainbow Christ Prayer

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Related links:

Rainbow Christ Prayer: LGBT flag reveals the queer Christ (original prayer in English)

Rainbow Christ Prayer goes nationwide at churches, schools and events

Rainbow Christ Prayer at Huffington Post

Rainbow Christ Prayer short version

Rethinking Sin and Grace for LGBT People by Patrick Cheng

Welcome the New Year with Bridge of Light by Kittredge Cherry

Rainbow flag (Wikipedia)

Patrick Cheng's website and Twitter feed

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Bible and homosexuality:

The Bible and Gays: Is it a sin to be gay? Did Jesus condemn homosexuality? by Rev. Durrrell Watkins

Metropolitan Community Churches theological resources

The Gay Debate: The Bible and Homosexuality by Matthew Vines (with translations in 10 langauges)

Homosexuality and the Bible at GayChurch.org

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This post is part of the LGBTQ Calendar series by Kittredge Cherry. The series celebrates religious and spiritual holidays, events in LGBTQ history, holy days, feast days, festivals, anniversaries, liturgical seasons and other occasions of special interest to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people of faith and our allies.

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