I called God "stinky."
In a culture built on consumerism and, therefore, rife with false narratives constructed by marketing teams, it is a rare and difficult thing to live with authenticity. To do so is “foolishness” to use St. Paul’s term, because it seems like the kind of authenticity that a trans person displays can only lead to trouble.
Lazlo’s smile still reached his cheeks, but it no longer creased the skin around his eyes. He’d show up for a cookout and everyone would act like they were happy to see him, but he inevitably wound up in a corner, picking at his plate. Mary and Martha, each in their way, made space for him.
So whether you caucused with the Herodians and collaborated with the empire or provided the most visible yet respectable opposition as a member the Pharisees , you would have had a stake in preserving the status quo in some form in order to preserve your place within it. This makes the appearance of a charismatic Galilean a real problem for everyone. I
I was happy like Maria in an alpine meadow on a sunny summer day. I noticed within me a willingness to experience that happiness, as if it were a type of weather. I knew that it would pass; not every day will be sunny, cerulean skies, but some are.