“He who says that he is in the light, and he abhors his brother, is still in the dark” (1 Jn 2,9)

Reflections by Gianni Geraci del Guado, a group of gay Christians from Milan (Italy), translated by Bernardo Viteritti

A few weeks ago a person who signed as “a Christian who loves the truth” wrote, among other things, a phrase that attracted a lot of attention from me.
Because for homosexuals like us – I say this phrase – there can be no place in heaven, because your presence will harass many Christians who will listen to the filth that has happened among you.”

I was not so impressed by the definition and a close summary of homosexual people who were converted into "porquerias" among them, in reality I was sufficiently impressed by the idea of ​​a paradise that is converted into a hell, a hatred is generated within us greater than the love of God that tends to train our lives.

To the responder, I welcome my interlocutor to help me finally understand the four key words that Christian eschatology applies to the destiny of the man and who are commonly known as “the last things” and, in particular, the true meaning that, they hold it in the light of revelation Hell and Paradise.

In fact, it was difficult for me to reconcile the idea of ​​a merciful God who forgives us, even when we do not forgive ourselves, with the idea of ​​a just God who consoles the afflicted, leaves the thrones to the powerful and exalts the humble, to the hambrientos full of goodies, let the ricos send you vacíos (Lk 1, 52-53).

The harsh sentences of my interlocutor helped me to understand myself in what way, the day of justice, mercy and justice accompany us to our final destiny.

According to some theologians, in reality, we will all reach to heaven, because God wants to save everyone, and due to the omnipotent one, he will have it.

For some, this salvation of all will be a source of immense happiness and will help them to love and contemplate the face of a merciful God who forgives beyond all limits.

For others it will take time to savor the profound joy of fulfilling this end, without ruining it with recriminations for the one who, in heaven, we want to meet, including those who we despise and who harass us.

I would say that on this occasion there is no other thing than purgatory to which the Catholic tradition refers.

Lastly, they will never be able to adjust themselves to the immense bondage of God, which overcomes all our errors: these are the risk of remaining in hell forever, because the enjoyment of the presence of God will be hidden by the tinctures of hatred and contempt for the brother who is there presence of God upon him.

These reflections came to mind when I was asked to comment on the verse from the Bible that this year we were chosen for our eves of prayer for the victims of homophobia.

The hatred of our brother, of course, stops us from the light and makes the little ones (2,9 1G2)

To hate our brother is the fear of God who is the light in which the smallest things do not exist (1 Jn 1,5).

Hating our brother makes us lie, because no matter how much we are in communion with God and we hate our brother the truth is not in us (1 Jn 1,6).

Hating our brother makes us walk in the woods, because the woods have blinded our eyes (1 Jn 2,11).

It is the hatred of our brother that takes us to hell because we are blind and make us incapable of enjoying the vision of his beak that God wants to give to every man.

The verse that we have chosen this year must therefore be taken into consideration to make a leap in quality and to broaden our horizons. Our prayer for the victims of homophobia should not refer only to all the people who are ridiculed, insulted, insulted, insulted, insulted, who are insulted because of their homosexuality.

Our prayer must also be recorded by many people who are enraged by the hatred of homosexuals and who are incapable of seeing the light that is God.

Sometimes in this life they can live in a condition with no problems, and quizzing with the pride of the person they are always sure to keep right, but in the life of the future world, when they see that with them in the sky, there will be thousands of homosexuals, running the I can stop myself from being ensnared by the hatred they feed and get caught up in you will be incapable of seeing the face of God and his bondage.

Original text: “He who says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness” (1 John 2.9)