How the Catholic Church and the LGBT Community Can Enter into a Relationship of Respect

Building a Bridge reminds us that Jesus' central message is one of welcome and inclusion. With his usual clarity and sensitivity, Father Martin provides a framework for a respectful, mindful dialogue that is long overdue in the Catholic Church. A quick read, but one with profound meaning.

Father Martin gives a brief but sincere and inspiring example of how we as individuals and the church as a whole should accept people who are different from us but still part of God's people and deserving of our love and support. The book is an easy read. I wish I had known that an updated revised edition would be available quite soon after my purchase.

This book is really very simple in its approach. We need to treat each other with respect, compassion and sensitivity. What could be more important as we accompany each other on our journey to get to Heaven. The two way bridge Fr Martin describes is one of the paths on that journey. We need more bridge building these days with the talk of walls and the unkind words people say to each other. This book shows a way to begin. As I read this I kept thinking that the Prayer of St Patrick should be in my heart as I walk across this bridge; that I will see Christ in those thinking of me, speaking to me, seeing and hearing me and that I will see Him in each of them. In the latter part of the book Fr Martin gives us passages from scripture to reflect on. The one on “Different Gifts” touched me. We all make up the “Body of Christ” and we bring our talents to it. This includes our LGBT brothers and sisters. I will enjoy dialoguing on his questions for reflection. Let me state that I am not a theologian. I am a regular Catholic, married for 34 years, who goes to Mass on Sundays, prays the Rosary and is part of several groups in the Church.

Courageous. Loyal. Fr. Martin advocates for justice, reconciliation, and compassion. He sets himself up for criticism from extremes who have lost hope and see no reconciliation possible. Read this to see Catholic reconciliation is actively proposed and how we are our placing hope and trust in God.

The first thought that came to mind when I received “Building a Bridge: How the Catholic Church and the LGBT Community Can Enter into a Relationship of Respect, Compassion, and Sensitivity” was: “OMG, the title is longer than the book!” Well, not quite, but this is a very short book. As Fr. Martin acknowledges in his introduction, the first part is a slightly expanded version of a talk originally given at the time when he was asked to accept the New Ways Ministry’s “Bridge Building Award” shortly after the shooting at the PULSE nightclub in Orlando, FL.

My second thought was, “This is an admirable start; Fr. Martin is obviously a sincere and dedicated young man (since he joined the Jesuits in 1988, I have to calculate he is at least 20 years my junior), but there is still a long way for the Catholic Church to go.” Indeed, I fear that the “two-way bridge” the author describes has gotten as far as the “pilings” of Respect, Compassion, and Sensitivity” which he uses as the basis of his narrative, but the superstructure of sound theology and scriptural exegesis is still a bit behind schedule.

Since I believe that I’ve been reflecting on some of the aspects Fr. Martin discusses since long before he even graduated from Seminary (anyone who cares about my thoughts can find them in my own memoir, “Trust Truth: A Spiritual and Erotic Pilgrimage with My Gay Spouse”, available from the store) the temptation is strong to go into a lengthy discussion of what I feel is lacking in this brief little book. To avoid that, I will simply give a couple of examples, based on the second section of the narrative, in which the author presents several “Biblical Passages for Reflection and Meditation”. He states that he has selected these because they are helpful to LGBT individuals and their families or friends whom he has counseled. They are certainly well-chosen, and avoid completely the infamous "Clobber Passages".

One of these is the story of the healing of the Centurion’s servant, given in Matthew 8:5-13. Martin focuses on the fact that although the Centurion was a “pagan” (as well as being a member of the hated occupying army), Jesus did not reject his plea, and indeed praised his faith. What the author does NOT mention, however, although recent exegesis has made it very clear, is that this “servant” was almost certainly the gay lover of his master. This, far more than the “paganism” of the Roman, represents an extremely positive suggestion that God, via Jesus, does not reject same-sex relationships.

The second example, and of much more general interest than merely affirmation of the LGBT community, is the story of Jesus’ appearance first to Mary Magdalene on the morning of the Resurrection (John 20:1-18). In his introduction to this passage, Martin says:

By the way, notice it was not to one of the “inner circle,” that is the twelve men, to whom the resurrected Jesus appeared first, but to a woman. In the Gospel of John, it is Mary Magdalene, not Peter, who is first tasked with announcing the Good News. (p. 130).

As Kittredge Cherry has brilliantly elucidated in her “Jesus in Love” novels, “The Twelve” was probably not nearly so much a set group of specially ordained apostles as it was a symbolic number of the original disciples, since Numerology is in fact vital in Scripture. Unequivocally, despite the way in which the misogyny of the “Official Church” has displaced her over the millennia, Mary Magdalene WAS a “member of the inner circle”, and this specific act of Jesus making her the “Apostle to the Apostles” should be seen as negating the rejection of the ministry of women with which the entire Church is still burdened today.

Beyond these concerns, Fr. Martin’s “Building a Bridge” is a useful, readable book. To many who are just beginning to try to heal the vast gulf between the LGBT community and the Catholic Church, it is meaningful and laudable.

Fr. Martin gives us a foundational blueprint for building s bridge of communication and understanding between the Church and the LGBT community. Let's spread this message far and wide to builds strong and sustainable bridge.

I appreciate greatly what Fr. Martin has writen in this book. I found it to be truly "catholic" and inclusive. A very pastoral approach that if implemented will help reconcile the LGBTQ community and the Catholic Church. Hopefully this book will be read and used as a guide for ministry by all those who hold leadership roles within the church.

This is the perfect beginning to a full discussion of LGBTQ personhood in a Christian tradition that has generally (and shamefully) declined to address reality.
Fr Martin's smooth and engaging writing style introduces this topic in a way few others could have managed.
This priest loved it.

Fr. Martin steps into the fray calling on the church to reach out. The lgbt community is called as well to out reach, a problem when many are still suffering from Church PTSD. He has poked the hornets nest in the church- aggravating some church leaders and getting the conversation started. There are a few bridges being built in the US, Unfortunately it's hard to build a bridge when there are live grenades coming from folks like Bp Paprocki and his kind.
It's a quick read, and might be a great gift to send YOUR Bishop.

Building a Bridge Is a must read for everyone. This book is its kind to openly discuss the divide between the Catholic Church and the LGBTQ community. The book outlines, in a very readable and accessible language, key points that would help both sides in coming together. Within the context of "respect, compassion, and sensitivity" This book reviews the some of the challenges that the LGBTQ community has and is experiencing, as well and the challenges that that the Catholic church faces. Fr. Martin Reviews these within a reparative and construct and builds a solid framework for a bridge between the two groups. Fr. Martin lays out solid and simple foundation and a solid structure for both sides to consider while “building a bridge “ to bring the two sides into conversation.

This framework can be used and should be a component in bridging gaps that may exist between two organizational groups.

As an openly gay catholic, I say Bravo, !! Good beginning to a long awaited conversation and we both ( gays and Catholics) have work to do . You have given us a perfect start. I join you on that bridge.

This lovely book provides many opportunities for spiritual growth - no matter your sexual orientation or current relationship to the Catholic Church.

My main takeaway is that we all need to think more deeply about how we use scripture when ministering to others. When we use our most sacred documents in a way that promotes pain and suffering, then probably we are not using them as Jesus intended. When we use our most sacred documents to drive a wedge between other people and God, then probably we are not using them as Jesus intended. The true purpose of scripture is to draw all of us closer to God - not alone but together.

Unfortunately, both the Bible and the Catechism have used routinely to brutalize the LGBT community and to drive LGBT Catholics out of the church. There's no denying it! In response to this, and to counter it, Fr. Martin has brought his full prayerful awareness to considering how sacred scripture can be used to comfort LGBT Catholics. This is his focus throughout the entire second half of this book, and I personally found this approach to be extremely moving, beautiful and healing. Anyone who says this book does not reflect church teaching apparently does not consider the Bible to be a fundamental part of that teaching.

Some may be disappointed that this book is not a clarion call for updates to the CCC in regards to gender and sexuality. But let's keep in mind that Fr. Martin's target audience for this book is not a synod of bishops. He wrote it primarily for those of us who have no ability to influence the CCC. The bridge he's proposing does not require a change to the catechism as its foundation because that particular bridge cannot be built right now. Whereas the bridge he's proposing CAN be built. It's a bridge that boasts God's saving love as its foundation, and I'm personally hard pressed to think of a better foundation than that. So let's build this thing and walk on it together!

When is someone going to take the leadership role, accept responsibility for, apologize, and end the HOMOSEXUAL HOLOCAUST? This HOMOSEXUAL HOLOCAUST began with the dawn of civilization and has gone unchecked to this very day. Homosexuals have been consistently maimed, mutilated and murdered throughout recorded time more than any minority group in the world.

Society, in general, and faith traditions specifically have allowed this holocaust to continue against a group of people that crosses all gender, race, ethnic group, faith tradition, nationality, and geographic lines? There is a simple explanation why the COMING OUT process is so difficult for people. When people realize their sexual orientation is homosexual, they face the reality that by COMING OUT, they may become another victim of the HOMOSEXUAL HOLOCAUST.

Father Martin's book is groundbreaking because he is one of the first writers to even allude to the possibility that a Homosexual Holocaust may even exist or does exist, although he does not specifically call it a HOMOSEXUAL HOLOCAUST. He provides excellent frameworks for dialogues that need to start taking place.

I highly recommend this book for anyone who wants to bring to an end to the HOMOSEXUAL HOLOCAUST.

Homo-catholic.

Well, that probably got your attention!

It’s also not quite what you think. It’s a compound word comprised of the Latin word for man (also the genus of species that includes all human beings) and a word (when not capitalized) that literally means universal, comprehensive, all-embracing, all-encompassing, all-inclusive (look it up). I mean it to represent the commonality of our human condition – that we are all in this together.

Why be so provocative? Because there is something going on in the (big C) Catholic Church that deserves universal attention.

A Jesuit priest, Father James Martin, has written a book entitled “Building a Bridge: How the Catholic Church and the LGBT Community Can Enter Into a Relationship of Respect, Compassion, and Sensitivity.” Father Martin’s central premise is that both the Church and the LGBT community urgently need to adjust their approach to dialogue with one another, to “build a bridge” over the gulf which seems to divide them. Father Martin argues that such a bridge must be rooted in mutual respect, compassion and sensitivity. He is unsparing in his insistence that both church and community bear responsibility for the problem and its solution; in that respect, his book is meant to be as strong a message to the LGBT community as it is to the leaders of his Church.

A tough but pastoral message, with a truly noble objective. Who could object?

Wow! Bring on the firestorm!

Father Martin has been crucified (I use that term advisedly and intentionally) in the social media, from both sides of the issue. As usual, many of the commentators admit they have not read the book, and often their comments are based on a misunderstanding of his message. Nothing in Father Martin’s book is contrary to Roman Catholic teaching – witness the Imprimi Potest by the Jesuit provincial and the praise heaped on the book by Cardinals Kevin Farrell (Prefect of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Laity, Family, and Life) and Joseph Tobin (Archbishop of Newark) and San Diego Bishop Robert McElroy. How anyone can brand Father Martin as a heretic (or worse) based on this book is beyond me. Most likely, they did not read it. And some in the LGBT community are excoriating Father Martin precisely because he did not challenge that teaching. Father Martin just can’t win; he must feel like he is caught in the middle of two pieces of a bridge, trying to pull them together as they strive to remain apart.

Something very important is being lost in all this noise.

Jesus did not restrict his message (gospel) of love and forgiveness to his own faith community, but addressed it to all mankind. He very publicly made it a point to reach out to individuals and groups marginalized by the prevailing social norms. This was the cause of much consternation and vehement objection, and ultimately led to his death. His teaching condensed the learnings of all Jewish scripture into two essential commandments: love God completely; and love one another. These commandments were and are universal; all are to love, and all are to be loved. No exceptions.

Christians believe that Jesus’ death on a cross made possible the universal forgiveness of sins, that baptism removes the stain of Original Sin and restores the soul to a state of grace, and that in thanksgiving for that divine gift all are called to become saints. That’s a pretty big challenge, particularly given the fact that our human nature predisposes us to fall short of that ideal. However, Christians believe that all sins can be forgiven, which provides hope and encouragement to keep on trying. The road to sainthood can be rough and bumpy.

At the moment of infant baptism, no one but God knows how that child’s life will unfold, what he or she will do, whom she or he will love. Catholics view that act as the sacramental manifestation of God’s love for that person individually, as well as a reminder of the complete universality of God’s unconditional love. To those troubled by the unlimited generosity of God’s love, Jesus addressed the parable of the Workers in the Vineyard, in which the landowner says, ”Have I no right to do what I like with my own? Why should you be envious because I am generous?” (Matt 20:15) And Pope Francis reminded us that love is God’s prerogative when he observed, “If someone is gay and he searches for the Lord and has good will, who am I to judge?”

Father Martin has done a great good service in writing this book. It takes considerable courage to stand up and say to entrenched interests that there must be a better way. The image of a bridge is an apt one: it does not deny the existence of the gulf nor alter the reality or location of the two banks. It simply connects them so that there may be two-way traffic between them.

Father Martin is now experiencing another universal reality: no good deed goes unpunished. He is being buffeted by the gale force winds of unfiltered social media outrage, in a verbal version of his own “Hurricane Martin.” Unfortunately, all too many of these assaults verge on “bearing false witness” in violation of the Ninth Commandment. Fortunately, this too shall pass. Hopefully, Father Martin will be able to draw on his Jesuit training and experience to forgive and move on. He has one very big advantage in that effort: the sure knowledge that his ultimate boss in heaven loves him and is pleased with his work. (Blessed are the peacemakers …. Matt 5:9).

God bless you Father Martin!

Briefly, I love this book because it seeks to foster something that there is far too little of today: Dialogue. The fact is that Fr. Jim's book is rooted in an understanding of our common humanity and our common pursuit for love and community. Fr. Jim's book is important because it provides a welcome to LGBTQ people that has for too long not existed with regards to the Catholic Church. Much of the debate around the status of LGBTQ in the Church and, more specifically, the opposition to openly welcoming LGBTQ people is due to a lack of understanding. This lack of understanding is not the fault of any particular side, but rather just the general development of the arc of history. What Fr. Jim's book seeks to do is reset the dialogue and I believe he achieves this. The brevity of the book speaks to how nascent this conversation between the Church's leaders and LGBTQ people is. Where Fr. Jim's book breaks through the most is in regards to his pushing the Church and extended community to "Seeing, naming, and honoring" all the gifts that LGBTQ people possess and are already sharing with their communities of faith. He further carries this message by asserting that LGBTQ people are "beloved children of God" and he constantly reminds the reader of the call to treat LGBTQ people with "respect, compassion, and sensitivity." In essence, I believe Fr. Jim is calling Catholic leaders and the LGBTQ community to meet each other on this metaphorical bridge that Martin has helped to construct. It's worth noting that Fr. Martin is not the first to this conversation, but rather he's next in a long line of priests, members of the hierarchy, theologians, and lay people who have been advocating for the Church to more fully live out its message as a welcoming and affirming community that celebrates the full breadth of God's creative power. Our Church, the LGBTQ community, and the world would be a better place if the Church and the LGBTQ community began to dialogue in a richer and more person-centered way. As a member of the LGBTQ community who was raised Roman Catholic, this book does so much good by opening a conversation and providing both Church leaders and the LGBTQ community with a reference point that seeks to foster mutual "respect, compassion, and sensitivity." I applaud Fr. Jim for his effort and pray that this will be the first of many attempts to foster greater understanding and appreciation for the gifts of LGBTQ people.

Rev. James Martin humanizes the LGBT experience by providing solid foundation for discussion between the LGBT community and the Catholic Church. He illustrates how being a member of both communities is possible and that the two are not mutually exclusive. Using the terms "compassion, sensitivity, and respect," Martin displays authentic Catholic teaching. As a member of both communities, I found the latter portion of this book to bring about much healing and inspiration. For allies and non-LGBT individuals, this book will exhibit how to best relate to their LGBT sisters and brothers.

Homo-catholic.

Well, that probably got your attention!

It’s also not quite what you think. It’s a compound word comprised of the Latin word for man (also the genus of species that includes all human beings) and a word (when not capitalized) that literally means universal, comprehensive, all-embracing, all-encompassing, all-inclusive (look it up). I mean it to represent the commonality of our human condition – that we are all in this together.

Why be so provocative? Because there is something going on in the (big C) Catholic Church that deserves universal attention.

A Jesuit priest, Father James Martin, has written a book entitled “Building a Bridge: How the Catholic Church and the LGBT Community Can Enter Into a Relationship of Respect, Compassion, and Sensitivity.” Father Martin’s central premise is that both the Church and the LGBT community urgently need to adjust their approach to dialogue with one another, to “build a bridge” over the gulf which seems to divide them. Father Martin argues that such a bridge must be rooted in mutual respect, compassion and sensitivity. He is unsparing in his insistence that both church and community bear responsibility for the problem and its solution; in that respect, his book is meant to be as strong a message to the LGBT community as it is to the leaders of his Church.

A tough but pastoral message, with a truly noble objective. Who could object?

Wow! Bring on the firestorm!

Father Martin has been crucified (I use that term advisedly and intentionally) in the social media, from both sides of the issue. As usual, many of the commentators admit they have not read the book, and often their comments are based on a misunderstanding of his message. Nothing in Father Martin’s book is contrary to Roman Catholic teaching – witness the Imprimi Potest by the Jesuit provincial and the praise heaped on the book by Cardinals Kevin Farrell (Prefect of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Laity, Family, and Life) and Joseph Tobin (Archbishop of Newark) and San Diego Bishop Robert McElroy. How anyone can brand Father Martin as a heretic (or worse) based on this book is beyond me. Most likely, they did not read it. And some in the LGBT community are excoriating Father Martin precisely because he did not challenge that teaching. Father Martin just can’t win; he must feel like he is caught in the middle of two pieces of a bridge, trying to pull them together as they strive to remain apart.

Something very important is being lost in all this noise.

Jesus did not restrict his message (gospel) of love and forgiveness to his own faith community, but addressed it to all mankind. He very publicly made it a point to reach out to individuals and groups marginalized by the prevailing social norms. This was the cause of much consternation and vehement objection, and ultimately led to his death. His teaching condensed the learnings of all Jewish scripture into two essential commandments: love God completely; and love one another. These commandments were and are universal; all are to love, and all are to be loved. No exceptions.

Christians believe that Jesus’ death on a cross made possible the universal forgiveness of sins, that baptism removes the stain of Original Sin and restores the soul to a state of grace, and that in thanksgiving for that divine gift all are called to become saints. That’s a pretty big challenge, particularly given the fact that our human nature predisposes us to fall short of that ideal. However, Christians believe that all sins can be forgiven, which provides hope and encouragement to keep on trying. The road to sainthood can be rough and bumpy.

At the moment of infant baptism, no one but God knows how that child’s life will unfold, what he or she will do, whom she or he will love. Catholics view that act as the sacramental manifestation of God’s love for that person individually, as well as a reminder of the complete universality of God’s unconditional love. To those troubled by the unlimited generosity of God’s love, Jesus addressed the parable of the Workers in the Vineyard, in which the landowner says, ”Have I no right to do what I like with my own? Why should you be envious because I am generous?” (Matt 20:15) And Pope Francis reminded us that love is God’s prerogative when he observed, “If someone is gay and he searches for the Lord and has good will, who am I to judge?”

Father Martin has done a great good service in writing this book. It takes considerable courage to stand up and say to entrenched interests that there must be a better way. The image of a bridge is an apt one: it does not deny the existence of the gulf nor alter the reality or location of the two banks. It simply connects them so that there may be two-way traffic between them.

Father Martin is now experiencing another universal reality: no good deed goes unpunished. He is being buffeted by the gale force winds of unfiltered social media outrage, in a verbal version of his own “Hurricane Martin.” Unfortunately, all too many of these assaults verge on “bearing false witness” in violation of the Ninth Commandment. Fortunately, this too shall pass. Hopefully, Father Martin will be able to draw on his Jesuit training and experience to forgive and move on. He has one very big advantage in that effort: the sure knowledge that his ultimate boss in heaven loves him and is pleased with his work. (Blessed are the peacemakers …. Matt 5:9).

God bless you Father Martin!

Briefly, I love this book because it seeks to foster something that there is far too little of today: Dialogue. The fact is that Fr. Jim's book is rooted in an understanding of our common humanity and our common pursuit for love and community. Fr. Jim's book is important because it provides a welcome to LGBTQ people that has for too long not existed with regards to the Catholic Church. Much of the debate around the status of LGBTQ in the Church and, more specifically, the opposition to openly welcoming LGBTQ people is due to a lack of understanding. This lack of understanding is not the fault of any particular side, but rather just the general development of the arc of history. What Fr. Jim's book seeks to do is reset the dialogue and I believe he achieves this. The brevity of the book speaks to how nascent this conversation between the Church's leaders and LGBTQ people is. Where Fr. Jim's book breaks through the most is in regards to his pushing the Church and extended community to "Seeing, naming, and honoring" all the gifts that LGBTQ people possess and are already sharing with their communities of faith. He further carries this message by asserting that LGBTQ people are "beloved children of God" and he constantly reminds the reader of the call to treat LGBTQ people with "respect, compassion, and sensitivity." In essence, I believe Fr. Jim is calling Catholic leaders and the LGBTQ community to meet each other on this metaphorical bridge that Martin has helped to construct. It's worth noting that Fr. Martin is not the first to this conversation, but rather he's next in a long line of priests, members of the hierarchy, theologians, and lay people who have been advocating for the Church to more fully live out its message as a welcoming and affirming community that celebrates the full breadth of God's creative power. Our Church, the LGBTQ community, and the world would be a better place if the Church and the LGBTQ community began to dialogue in a richer and more person-centered way. As a member of the LGBTQ community who was raised Roman Catholic, this book does so much good by opening a conversation and providing both Church leaders and the LGBTQ community with a reference point that seeks to foster mutual "respect, compassion, and sensitivity." I applaud Fr. Jim for his effort and pray that this will be the first of many attempts to foster greater understanding and appreciation for the gifts of LGBTQ people.

Rev. James Martin humanizes the LGBT experience by providing solid foundation for discussion between the LGBT community and the Catholic Church. He illustrates how being a member of both communities is possible and that the two are not mutually exclusive. Using the terms "compassion, sensitivity, and respect," Martin displays authentic Catholic teaching. As a member of both communities, I found the latter portion of this book to bring about much healing and inspiration. For allies and non-LGBT individuals, this book will exhibit how to best relate to their LGBT sisters and brothers.

Complete with scripture and discussion questions, this book will help LGBT Catholics and their family, friends and allies bridge the divide with the institutional Church. It will also help Church leaders recognize God's call to to include these "wonderfully made" members of the Body of Christ.

A wonderful, fair, and faith based read that challenges everyone to choose life and love. Sexuality and gender are used a bit interchangably, but other than that it is fantastic and gives me hope. Thank you, Fr James Martin. I hope to hear more on this topic

Sorry. But thr Holy Roman Catholic Church has always condemmed homosexuality. That has not changed. Any true Catholic knows this. The laws are set and no one, not even the Holy See can change it. Read and study the message of Fatima.

Poorly written. There’s a lot of fluff with little factual information. The fact is, Martin clearly goes against what is biblical and the Catechism of the Catholic Church. He also clearly states things that are very different from what the Pope says.

It's superficial in that the book adds nothing beyond what the Catholic Church already teaches, namely that gay people must be treated with dignity and respect. It's one-sided in two repects: (1) while directed toward Catholics, Martin never mentions sin or repentance. For example, he cites the story of Zaccheus the tax collector and how Christ met him where he was. True enough, but there was no mention at all of Zaccheus' repentance. This is truly perplexing, coming as it does from a Catholic priest. (2) At the secular level Martin admonishes those in the Church for their many offenses against gay people (though he's weak on specifics) and how this body can build a bridge to the gay community (e.g., call them what they'd like to be called, be inviting and respectful). Generally, no fair-minded Catholic would object to most of this. But, when he switches to what the gay community can do to build a bridge it mostly centers around how gay people can forgive the Church for the slights they have endured. There is no mention of "calling people what they'd like to be called", such as dropping the offensive and indiscriminately-used epithet "homophobe". Any compromise by the LGBT community is virtually absent, such as calling for a moratorium on bullying and crushing bakers, photographers, florists, and others who, for deeply-held religious convictions do not want to be forced to support gay marriage. Surely, there's a baker just down the street who'd love the business. Showing sacrifice and mercy by calling off the dogs on these people would have been a significant opportunity for Martin to truly build a bridge but he missed the opportunity. Not sure it even occurred to him. If you're Catholic, read and follow the Catechism. Don't waste your money on this book.

He is not teaching what the Catholic Church teaches about homosexual acts. Read the Catechism if you want to know what the Catholic Church teaches. This book annoyed me - he writes as though compassion, charity, sensitivity are NEW ideas! The church teaches us to show compassion, charity and sensitivity to ALL people. But the church does not condone sin and homosexual acts are sin. Love the sinner -
hate the sin! He teaches “love the sinner-accept their sin”.

It is a good thoughtful approach to helping LGBT folks and Christians understand one another. Every chapter has a set of discussion questions do it would be easy to use in a discussion group... There are many Biblical quotes. The approach is pastoral.

There have been points in my life I have struggled with my faith and orientation because of either anti-LGBTQ sentiments from Catholic peers or anti-religious sentiments of LGBTQ peers. I have struggled to prove to both sides of the bridge Fr. Martin refers to that one can be honest about their identity (even this one aspect people obsess over and write doctrine on and discriminate against) and still have a beautiful, close relationship with their faith and God.

This past year, with the rise of anti-LGBTQ sentiments and legislation and a toxic and divisive political landscape, this relationship between my faith and orientation in particular have been strained. I have dealt with harassment from "Catholic" peers who refuse to genuinely consider what it's like to be LGBTQ in general or a Catholic LGBTQ person to the point I had begun avoiding church events.

Fr. Martin's book is not only a relief during all of this bigotry, but a breath of fresh air. He does nothing overly radical, says nothing that could lead to nearly as much controversy as conservative critics are saying he does, yet still does something I haven't seen many Catholic figures do. He calls for ALL of us to listen to, love, and respect each other. He calls for more empathy and compassion than I have seen from public Catholic figures in a while, provides resources and other Catholic allies to turn to, and provides beautiful prayers and reflections to aid LGBTQ Catholics and their Catholic allies. And he reminds us that Jesus came for all, especially the marginalized.

In some ways, this book is very simple. It's a quick read that leaves you wanting more. But it's also hopefully the start of a bigger movement within the Church to truly follow Jesus' calling to love and do good for all.

If you're looking for something to immediately change the Catechism, this isn't it. As Fr. Martin explains, big changes can't happen overnight, especially in a global Church where LGBTQ issues vary so much from country to country. But if you're looking for something that calls out toxic mentalities and helps guide us all towards healing strained relationships with sexual orientation and faith in good starting steps, this is an excellent book.

In this book, Fr. Martin provides us with a truly well developed discourse on living our Catholic faith while addressing the many obstacles that for too long have impeded progress between LGBT+ individuals and the institutional church.

This bold and exceptionally brave work is a manifestation of the author's love of God as well as of those whom God selected to a unique journey within His Kingdom. Challenging all to be ever mindful of how we respond to one another regardless of our differences and particularities calls forth the plain and simple legacy gifted us by Jesus.

This book defines orthopraxis and God is in this! Respect, Compassion, Sensitivity.

Great things sometimes come in small packages...Buy the book and be inspired!

Father Martin offers excellent insights and perspectives in his latest book Building a Bridge. He challenges the LGBT and the Roman Catholic Church, locally and universally, to reflect on the need for mutual respect and civility. Martin also provides a series of meditations and challenging reflection questions that are best not ignored. The book is aimed at a faithful youthful audience with time for bridge building. While providing hope to a more senior audience it fails to address the elephant in the room. For me, that was the abandonment of first world men and women who were victims of AIDS in the 1980s and 90s. At the time those infected and affected were crying out for Mother, including Mother Church and often met with silence or worse: condemnation. Thankfully many Priests, Sisters and Brothers laboured tirelessly and often discreetly while the institutional church largely looked the other way. A real bridge for those who were there and those who survive is an apology from the Church. At the same time, the LGBT community needs to apologize to the Church for disrupting celebrations of the Eucharist and insulting language and parodies. Only then can real dialogue begin.

This book is a must read for young faith inspired LGBT people and their allies, young and older, who want to build the bridge. It is required reading for Parish Councils, Lay, Religious, and Ordained Parish ministers who truly understand and want to partake in Jesus' table ministry.

Thank you James Martin, sj for initiating a vitally important dialogue. I strongly recommend reading, sharing and discussing this book with friends and local community!

Stephen McDonnell

Father Martin has been able to draw out and straddle some very poignant walls that both connect and divide the institution of faith, it's non LGBT and LGBT catholics/congregants with lots of empathy, clarity of purpose and compassion. I especially appreciated his mention of the international LGBT communities and their ongoing strife as a reminder for us here who enjoy the pleasures of our freedom to live and love, so that we can put our goals of reconciliation into perspective. I have to qualify the following by stating that I only speak for myself. It's not to say that we (LGBT congregants) should be complacent, but rather that we might fare well by expanding our scope of reference to include the struggles of those not able to identify their own identity/human dignity as LGBT as well as help those who struggle with embracing our ever presence into a place of common ground. I have found my place in the light of God's grace through my faith and amazing congregation, and this book has helped me to better understand that.

Insightful and thought provoking! Truly a "no-brainer".....acceptance & inclusion. ? Thank you Father Martin for addressing this sensitive subject. GMA did an outstanding job promoting this book.

James Martin has started a conversation. With clear, accessible language he has cracked open an emotional and difficult topic for the Catholic faith in this little book. He grounds his writing here in the direct lived experiences of people he's walked with both in the LGBT community and in the Church hierarchy, and this produces a soulful meditation on the path the Church as a whole is walking now.

Fr. Martin is at the beginning of his ministry with LGBT Catholics, and he does not overreach or come across as overly prescriptive in how the hierarchy should engage with them or how they should engage with the hierarchy. His writing demonstrates an openness of attitude and approach that echoes Jesus's practice of encounter in the Gospels as well as Pope Francis's own focus on starting a conversation and beginning a process, not closing doors for people, but helping them find their way.

The book is free of any doctrinal error and stays carefully within the full and complete teachings of the Catholic Church. Of special significance are the endorsements of two Cardinals on the back-cover. This book is in many ways the Church reaching out as shepherds and as sinners asking the LGBT Catholic community to join them in the common journey to conversion.

Any outreach initiative by the Vatican to gay, lesbian and bisexual people will be half-hearted and disingenuous until the Church confronts head on its denigrating doctrine that homosexual behavior is immoral. And until it renounces that hurtful doctrine, relations between the Church and the LGBT community will remain strained.

Unfortunately, the virtues of respect, compassion, and sensitivity toward LGBT people do not equal acceptance. Rather, they simply engender tolerance, a half-measure at best. And mere tolerance is a shaky and hypocritical foundation upon which to build a bridge between the Vatican and the LGBT community.

Father Martin advocates a two-way bridge model to heal the divide, in which the Church and the LGBT community engage each other with mutual respect, compassion, and sensitivity. However, it’s unrealistic to expect LGBT people to feel respect, compassion, and sensitivity toward a Church that continues to deny them the same rights and privileges granted other Catholics. Asking disenfranchised LGBT Catholics to understand and tolerate hostile policies feels like the imposition of yet another humiliation.

Throughout Father Martin’s well-intentioned essay, I kept thinking that we’re trapped in an archaic and irreconcilable binary dilemma of “Loving the Sinner but Hating the Sin” – caused by the Church’s intransigence.

Jesus never even mentioned homosexuality in the Gospels, suggesting that the Vatican’s peculiar preoccupation with homosexual behavior is a long-standing cultural issue that must be viewed as separate from the teachings of Jesus.

A thriving and relevant 21st-century Catholic Church must affirm and defend the integrity and sanctity of all human beings. Only then can true healing begin.

Wanting to love this book, I found myself arguing with it. Maybe that's a good thing.
The institutional church, the bishops, have generally been silent through all the years of hatred, injustice and violence done against LGBT people. The killings in FL brought out some muted sympathy and compassion. At the time that bothered me.
Where have you been? It takes a mass killing to get even this small reaction? Now you're offering muted condolences when you could have been shouting down the endless hatred against us? When you could have been loving us as equals? When you could have understood that we are not disordered, that our gayness is as normal as your straightness?
An institutional "I'm sorry" seems like a good starting place. Then we'd know if it's safe on both other sides of the bridge we can start building .

This book has a couple good things about it: bringing this topic into conversation, and encouraging love and mercy. Other than that, this book deeply concerns me. First, Fr. James Martin affiliates himself with a ministry that has been out-rightly deemed as out of line with Catholic teaching (New Ways Ministries). He also explicitly thanks a co-founder of this ministry even though she was personally asked by her superiors to stop teaching on these subjects, and also asked by her Archbishop to resign her position in the ministry and refused to do so (this isn't a secret). In fact, a large part of this book was delivered as a talk during a New Ways Ministries event. Fr. James Martin is fairly explicit in his desire to change Church teachings, saying that he'd much prefer the Catechism to refer to homosexual inclinations as "differently ordered" rather than "intrinsically disordered". But to make this distinction is to change the Church's teaching on human sexuality entirely. Differently ordered implies that there are no inclinations in our sexuality that can be disordered, in the sense that they aren't ordered toward that which God has created and designed them for. A person's desire for copious amounts of food is also intrinsically disordered, but it doesn't have the emotional charge that the intimate subject of sexuality does. Do we believe that the church upholds objective truth, or does it merely create or invent its truths? If the Church only invents truths, then why should we believe in anything it has to offer? The bottom line for me is that Fr. James Martin speaks a message of mercy and love devoid of truth, and to do so is to offer hungry hearts a superficial, inauthentic direction to move forward with. If anyone is truly interested in what the church has to offer on this topic, and it has a lot to offer, please read Daniel Mattson's book "Why I Don't Call Myself Gay." I'd also recommend perusing Courage Int'l's website for a wealth of helpful resources. Also, for an honest critique of Fr. James Martin's book from Daniel Mattson (a man who experiences same-sex attractions and is practicing Catholic) look up "The Real Bridge for LGBT Catholics: The Catechism". Fr. James Martin seems to effortlessly twist the truth so subtly that Catholics don't realize the significance of those twists.

Loved this book. It is both very inspiring and challenging. Homophobia stems from ignorance. By promoting a culture of encounter between two traditionally separated groups, Fr. Martin is also working towards acceptance and love.

This book has a lot of glittering generalities. The issue at hand is talked around but never discussed directly. Can baptized people who choose to openly live in homosexual lifestyles be admitted to the sacraments or not? Can a man marry a man in the Catholic Church? Can a woman marry a woman in the Catholic church? Can a trans man marry a woman in the Catholic church? It's nice to say that the church should reach out to all baptized people, but the hard issues are not confronted directly. Are homosexual relations a reflection of God's love or are they a mortal sin that needs to be confessed to be in full communion with the Church? This book seems to promise answers, but just has feel good stories and scripture passages.

I was expecting a lot from this book - Fr. Martin has built an almost cult-like following based on talking a reconciliatory tone toward the LBGT community on behalf of the Catholic Church. But this book seems to ignore both church teaching, and the efforts of the church to reach out and welcome the community in order to foster more of an "I'm on your side"mentality. It's great that a popular Jesuit with extensive media credentials looks to "build a bridge" between these two seemingly disparate and separated groups, but if this book represents his best effort to achieve his lofty goal, it seems he, and some followers (apparently his fans at New Ways Ministries), think the way to do this is by pointing to their interpretations of where the Church is wrong. By the end, this book left me feeling less hopeful for the reconciliation Fr. Martin says is his goal, as he clearly sides with those in opposition to Church teaching as opposed to looking to find a third way bridging the differences.