July 5, 2026
“Growing Together” photo by LKV Walsh
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Last week, at an outdoor Mass that was meant to celebrate one of my favorite saints , one of the many priests presiding gave a homily that directly instructed those assembled to avoid IVF treatments and to seek more “natural” alternatives. He went so far as to tell us to take down the name and contact information of a particular local doctor and to share it with family and friends. He said the immorality of IVF required Christians to avoid it. I say, “No.” I said it to my friends assembled, and I will say it to the priest. No.
This morning, a day after America celebrated 250 years of freedom – religious and otherwise – I woke to a posting by a pastor I deeply admire begging for the voices of Christians to combat the hate of white supremacy and Christian nationalism. He called on us to have moral courage in the face of institutional religion used for evil. He said the immorality of hate requires Christians to avoid it. He asked us to say, “No” to all who use religion and tradition to justify injustice. No.
And then there is the Gospel reading for today:
“Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened,
and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me,
for I am meek and humble of heart;
and you will find rest for yourselves.
For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.”
I sit in wonder at such words until I remember how much trouble it takes to burden others with judgement and how much effort it takes to hate. How much time, how much energy, how much focus. It takes incredible amounts of effort to work out theological arguments about the immorality of a life-giving option like IVF. It takes incredible amounts of effort to hide one’s identity in order to foment racial and social hatred and pretend you are celebrating freedom. By comparison, the work of loving the world may require we are uncomfortable, but it is easier than the work required to plan the attacks that will make us feel safer – in control – right. It is easier than the work required to turn our hearts to stone.
The best explanation I ever heard of the Trinity is that it is sacred relationship – The Lover, The Beloved, and those the Beloved loves. I believe that by our very nature, we are lovers. We are asked to love God by every religion and in every tradition I know of because we are lovers, and the Divine is the Beloved. The Trinity…the relationship…is made complete by our loving those our Beloved loves. And the Good News is that God loves everyone. We show our love for God by lifting the burdens off others’ backs – the burdens of stigma and judgement, the burdens injustice and inequity. All it takes is saying out loud: “No. This is not love. This is not okay.” Every time and in every injustice, resisting takes only one act – a meek and humble “NO” spoken from love instead of hate. I pray we may ever make it so.
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