The Journey to Inclusion Is a Journey to the Dream God Has for Us

Today’s reflections is from Bondings 2.0 contributor Mark Guevarra.

The liturgical readings for the Solemnity of Christ the King can be found here.

The reign of God is all about BE-ing in full union: communion. The reign is about being in common-union with the greatest and the least–from the cells in our bodies to the galaxies millions of light years away, from the billionaires to the poorest of the poor. And to enter into full communion, we begin by walking the path of mercy and grace for ourselves. Just this alone is an arduous and courageous journey. And as we walk that path, we also walk with others on that path, and with God’s help, we extend mercy and grace to them, including our enemies, as Jesus commands. And, we also extend mercy and grace to all non-human living things on earth. All of that is the dream that God has for us that Christ proclaimed by his birth, life, joys, suffering, death, and resurrection.

After the Synod on Synodality ended at the end of October, many Catholics including myself were frustrated and disappointed that LGBTQ+ folks did not gain the full inclusion that we and so many in the church have cried out for for years. For me, the journey to inclusion is also a journey to the dream God has for us: communion. Sadly though, fear, willful ignorance, and arrogance, are what hindered this dream from becoming a reality.

And yet we can still find hope–which is the work of Christ the King—in Pope Francis’ welcome of LGBTQ+ people and their stories, and in the teachings of the Synod’s final document which New Ways Ministry’s Senior Fellow Brian Flanagan sees as “seeds for future growth and change in our church that, with the Holy Spirit’s guidance and our own continued work for justice, could lead to the wider acceptance of LGBTQ+ Catholics.” Following the election in the United States, so many, not only Americans, but Canadians like me and others around the world are disappointed. A leader was elected who divides and demonizes, a leader who turns a blind eye to the lived experiences of trans folks, a leader who stokes hatred and greed. These things are not of the reign of Christ. And yet, as I was scrolling through social media looking for signs of hope, I found a deepened resolve to continue the struggle for an inclusive, compassionate, fair, and just society.

Today, our church celebrates the reign of Christ: the Solemnity of Jesus Christ, King of the Universe. It is a day to renew our trust that Christ reigns everywhere, especially in our hearts. It is a day to renew our trust that Christ has formed the path to communion and continually leads us all on it. This renewal of faith is what enables us to work towards full communion even with those who may not want full communion with us: our siblings in the church who continue to marginalize and silence LGBTQ+ people and fellow citizens who voted for someone who leads with greed and division.

The Good News is that it is Christ’s reign, not ours. We are called to share in the divine work of communion and the divine struggle of inclusion, but we are not the architects of it: God is. Trusting in that truth is not easy, but it does renew our hope and resolve.

On the Late Show with Stephen Colbert soon after the election, Colbert shared how he would explain the election to a 14-year old. He said, unironically, that we have to “begin with the virtuous assumption that people vote in the ways they believe will be best for themselves and their family.” This is indeed a good assumption, one that can be inferred by the Catechism’s teaching that we have to give others the benefit of the doubt.

Colbert’s guest that night, CBS political analyst John Dickerson, a lifelong Catholic, went further to say that we must not align ourselves with those who want more riches, control, and power for themselves, but with those who want to provide opportunity for others too, including those who don’t feel seen and are lost, even those on the other side. This notion speaks to the dream God has for us to which we are called to bring into reality. We must begin with the assumption of good intention, and we must struggle, as Christ continually does, to bring about God’s reign of communion, justice, and everlasting peace.

On this Reign of Christ Sunday, may we renew our trust in Christ the King to govern our hearts and minds, and empower us to do the divine work of making God’s reign a reality.

—Mark Guevarra (he/him), November 24, 2024