The Pastor could simply have told the man privately that though his public actions would keep him from receiving Communion, or taking part in the Mass in any other way, his honoring his Grandmother by simply singing Ave Maria would be OK. Who knows, it might have even given this man pause, and have him see the Church for her mercy, and maybe moved him to reconsider his choice of lifestyle down the road. The Pastor's actions here will make that much less likely.
That’s the kind of judgment call I just mentioned. The prayer asks for Mary to beseech Jesus for mercy. Maybe the mercy he needs is to be led by Jesus OUT of that lifestyle. God understands the intent here. Maybe the pastor could say some encouraging words to him along that line, without getting obscenely explicit.
If you haven’t already, go to the Daily Mail website article and read the entire letter from the priest. He explains the matter in full and does not make it about the grandson’s specific sin. The pastor also explains when the service begins and ends so you can understand that everything done at the church until the committal at the cemetery is part of the larger service, precluding his involvement.
The pastor told him privately through the letter and the grandson chose to take it public, the same as when he made his sexual choice public. IOW, at all times and everywhere, it’s all about him (the grandson).
“I don’t believe his singing is going to cause a scandal.”
Women don’t seem to understand how deeply, terribly, horribly abominable this thing is.
God calls it an abomination. Not even murder is referred to as an abomination. Murder kills the body, but sodomy kills the soul. It separates a person from God for all eternity.
Scandalized? By an unrepentant sodomite defiling a prayer to Our Lady? You bet I’d be scandalized, and so would many people of my acquaintance.
I was actually edified to read the pastor's letter in full, and if you have not done so, I recommend it to you now.
The pastor actually invited the young gay man to sing in tribute to his grandmother at the funeral home, the parish hall, at the cemetery or at the post-funeral luncheon. And the man did indeed sing at the cemetery, at his grandmother's gravesite, just as the priest suggested.
The gay man complains that the priest pre-judged him without talking to him, when in fact it was the priest who repeatedly urged a dialogue on the matter.
We can still hope this will occur. It could do a lot toward peace in the Church, and toward the man's well-being and redemption.
You are right on.
Understanding the Catholic Mass:
It is not the priest “performing” for the people, but it is the community of faith, priest and people alike, worshipping, praising, and celebrating together as One Body and Blood of Christ. In the Mass, we are transformed and renewed in faith and prepared to meet the demands of discipleship in our changing, challenging world with the strength of God’s support and one another in Holy Communion. Understanding the Mass
It has always been my understanding that if one is living in sin, refuses to repent of the sin(s) one cannot participate in the celebration of the Mass. It isn't just about what happens on the Alter. It is the whole community of the church that celebrates Mass.